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IN PICTURES: Here’s what happened at the anti-coronavirus measures protest in Berlin

As the German government reformed coronavirus protection laws, anti-measures protesters demonstrated in the capital. Here are photos and videos from the scene.

Published: 18 November 2020 15:45 CET
Updated: 18 November 2020 18:32 CET
IN PICTURES: Here's what happened at the anti-coronavirus measures protest in Berlin
Police try to deal with anti-coronavirus measures protesters in Berlin. Photo: DPA

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Police used water canons to disperse demonstrators on Wednesday after repeated warnings for them to stick to rules and wear face masks when protesting.

Here are some photos and tweets from the day, showing the stand-offs between protesters and police.

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All photos below are by DPA unless otherwise stated.

Early in the day there was a singalong to John Lennon's Imagine with hand holding and no social distancing.

A policewoman is shown in this video trying to enforce the requirement to wear a mask. “Before that, she asked the man several times to put on a mask or to show her a valid medical certificate,” said Felix Huesmann in this tweet. “He wasn't particularly cooperative.”

This dramatic photo shows demonstrators beside Brandenburg Gate and police firing a water canon at them.

Two participants at the demo embrace each other.

It's “complete madness” says Bild reporter Axel Lier.

Demonstrators carried posters showing German political leaders including Chancellor Angela Merkel in prison garb and emblazoned with the word “guilty”.

There were clashes with police at the protests.

Police wrestle a man to the ground at the demo.

A protester wears a 'Corona' beer cooler hat.

Demonstrators gathered outside the Reichstag in Berlin.

Member comments

  1. Wow! I thought we had all the idiots here in the US!

    Wear a mask.
    Wash your hands.
    Keep your distance!

    These “risk-takers” don’t consider that they can spread virus easily for nearly a week before symptoms. This is just so stupid! Agree that the German rules seem too detailed and too arbetrary. Keep is simple…See above.

  2. This is actually heart-wrenching to see. Their total disregard for the well being and lives of others. So many people have suffered because of the virus and these idiots are just prolonging that pain.

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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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