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Only in Berlin: Covid-19 campaign gives middle finger to people who flout face mask rules

Authorities across Germany are urging people to take personal responsibility and follow the rules. As ever, Berlin is choosing a more provocative way.

Published: 14 October 2020 14:13 CEST
Only in Berlin: Covid-19 campaign gives middle finger to people who flout face mask rules
A passenger wearing a face mask in Berlin's Neukölln station. Photo: DPA

In fact, they are choosing to send a strong message to people who don't wear masks when they are mandatory, such as in shops, on public transport and in office buildings.

The city's new #Berlingegencorona (Berlin against corona) campaign released by the Senate features an elderly woman wearing a mask with her middle finger raised to the camera.

“The middle finger is for everyone without a mask,” says the caption underneath, adding: “We comply with the corona rules.”

The capital of Germany is currently a coronavirus hotspot, with the district of Neukölln the worst spot in the country with 161.6 infections per 100,000 people in the last seven days.

The capital has introduced new measures to try and fight the second wave, including an 11pm curfew for shops, restaurants and bars.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: These are Berlin's new coronavirus restrictions

The new slogan is part of a joint campaign by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics and the tourism marketing company Visit Berlin.

Christian Tänzler, spokesman for Visit Berlin, said the ad was deliberately meant to make people sit up and notice.

The elderly woman, who belongs to a risk group in the pandemic because of her age is giving the finger because her health is at risk from those who do not follow the rules.

The aim of the ad is to attract attention. “And we succeeded,” said Tänzler. The advertisement first appeared in a Berlin daily newspaper on Tuesday, but the motif quickly spread on social media as well.

It is one of many in the campaign – several more should follow in the coming months, Tänzler said.

Senator for economic affairs Ramona Pop, of the Greens, presented the first posters in mid-September together with Visit Berlin boss Burkhard Kieker. At that time it was said  the aim was not to raise a middle finger but to promote compliance with the Corona rules with humour. Pop wore a face mask with the words “Mask on. Otherwise restaurant closed.”

However, the latest poster has not been welcomed by everyone. “Somehow, with the enforcement of the Corona regulations, it didn't really work out in Berlin. So the Senate is trying to insult the public,” wrote “Tagesspiegel” editor-in-chief Lorenz Maroldt on Twitter.

“This is not the way to promote understanding within a society divided by fear …” and “This current poster discriminates against and insults people in Berlin who do not have to wear a mask for health reasons,” he added in further tweets.

Member comments

  1. I guess Maroldt thinks that all the people breaking the rules, catching Corona Virus and transmitting it to other people should be gently sat down & given a good dose of understanding, because it is caused by some traumatic episode in their childhood (Maybe they didn’t get all the toys they asked for at Christmas)
    Or maybe it is just an attempt to sell more papersby pretending to care
    Either way, he should get that something radical needs doing.

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HEALTH

Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

It’s back again: amid sinking temperatures, the incidence of Covid-19 has been slowly rising in Germany. But is this enough to merit worrying about the virus?

Published: 20 September 2023 12:05 CEST
Updated: 20 September 2023 22:22 CEST
Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

More people donning face masks in supermarkets, friends cancelling plans last minute due to getting sick with Covid-19. We might have seen some of those familiar reminders recently that the coronavirus is still around, but could there really be a resurgence of the virus like we experienced during the pandemic years?

According to virologists, the answer seems to be ‘maybe’: since July, the number of people newly infected with Covid-19 has been slowly rising from a very low level.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), nine people per 100,000 inhabitants became newly infected in Germany last week. A year ago, there were only around 270 reported cases.

Various Corona variants are currently on the loose in the country. According to the RKI,  the EG.5 (also called Eris) and XBB.1.16 lines were each detected in the week ending September 3rd with a share of just under 23 percent. 

The highly mutated variant BA.2.86 (Pirola), which is currently under observation by the World Health Organisation (WHO), also arrived in the country this week, according to RKI. 

High number of unreported case

The RKI epidemiologists also warned about a high number of unreported cases since hardly any testing is done. They pointed out that almost half of all registered sewage treatment plants report an increasing viral load in wastewater tests.

The number of hospital admissions has also increased slightly, but are still a far cry from the occupation rate amid the pandemic. Last week it was two per 100,000 inhabitants. In the intensive care units, only 1.2 percent of all beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.

Still, a good three-quarters (76.4 percent) of people in Germany have been vaccinated at least twice and thus have basic immunity, reported RKI. 

Since Monday, doctors’ offices have been vaccinating with the adapted vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, available to anyone over 12 years old, with a vaccine for small children set to be released the following week and one for those between 5 and 11 to come out October 2nd.

But Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has so far only recommended that people over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions get vaccinated.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Who should get a Covid jab this autumn in Germany?

“The pandemic is over, the virus remains,” he said. “We cannot predict the course of coming waves of corona, but it is clear that older people and people with pre-existing conditions remain at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19”

The RKI also recommended that people with a cold voluntarily wear a mask. Anyone exhibiting cough, cold, sore throat or other symptoms of a respiratory illness should voluntarily stay at home for three to five days and take regular corona self-tests. 

However, further measures such as contact restrictions are not necessary, he said.

One of many diseases

As of this autumn, Covid-19 could be one of many respiratory diseases. As with influenza, there are no longer absolute infection figures for coronavirus.

Saarbrücken pharmacist Thorsten Lehr told German broadcaster ZDF that self-protection through vaccinations, wearing a mask and getting tested when symptoms appear are prerequisites for surviving the Covid autumn well. 

Only a new, more aggressive mutation could completely turn the game around, he added.

On April 7th of this year, Germany removed the last of its over two-year long coronavirus restrictions, including mask-wearing in some public places.

READ ALSO: German doctors recommend Covid-19 self-tests amid new variant

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