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How a major German jazz festival is to take place in-person in May

At least a few hundred spectators will be able to enjoy Moers Jazz Festival in person this year thanks to the installation of a rapid-testing centre at the site entrance and volunteers acting as 'jazz police' to maintain social distancing.

Published: 25 March 2021 12:37 CET

How a major German jazz festival is to take place in-person in May

Festival moderators with special face protection in May 2020. Photo: DPA/Bernd Thissen

Last year, only a few accredited journalists and technicians were able to enjoy the festival’s concerts in person, but all the performances were streamed live.

The new initiatives introduced by the organisers should allow more spectators to attend this year’s 50th edition of the event, which used to attract some 30,000 people before the pandemic. However, all the concerts will still be live-streamed and free to watch.

The festival’s artistic director Tim Isfort announced on Wednesday that 36 acts are planned for the festival in North Rhine-Westphalia, including groups and solo performers.

READ ALSO: Tickets sell out in three minutes as Berlin Philharmonic opens to public

Over 200 musicians are scheduled to play at the contemporary jazz event, which will be held from May 21st to 24th this year.

The festival will welcome a host of well-known names from the jazz scene, including US saxophonists Joe McPhee and the David Murray Trio, and French bassist Joëlle Léandre, while the 27-member Onceim (Orchestra of New Music, Experimentation and Improvisation) ensemble from Paris will tackle the work of synthesiser pioneer Éliane Radigue.

The Castle Park, where much of the festival is held, offers plenty of space for social distancing, while residents can also enjoy various festival-related cultural events across the city, including a photo exhibition and debates on the role of art in lockdown.

If you’re interested in attending in person, you’ll need to register online to ensure traceability and reduce the risk of overcrowding.

More major events and event venues in Germany, such as Berlin’s Philharmonic, have opened up to the public in recent weeks through relying on testing and strictly capped attendance sizes.

READ ALSO: How (and where) to get a free Covid-19 rapid test in Berlin

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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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