The Berlin Senate’s plan to reopen dining and other aspects of public life, first announced last week, comes as Covid-19 cases continue to fall in Berlin.

As of Monday May 17th, Berlin reported a 7-day incidence of 68.6 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). For five days the number has been below the desired 7-day incidence of 100.

The first rule relaxations are set to kick in as of Wednesday May 19th. Furthermore, as of Friday May 21st, dining guests will be allowed to sit and order at outdoor areas of restaurants, cafes and bars as long as they show a negative coronavirus test. 

However, they will be exempt from the requirement if they can show proof that they have been fully vaccinated, or recovered from a Covid-19 infection. 

Further opening steps in Berlin

Kitas (daycare centres) opened again on Monday for all families, regardless of whether parents work in a ‘system relevant’ job, as was required before for emergency care.

The following openings are additionally set to take place on Wednesday.

Stores
Shopping at stores beyond those for everyday needs (for examples, supermarkets and pharmacies) will no longer require an appointment, according to the Senate Commerce Department, but social distancing requirements remain.

Stores up to 800 square metres would then be allowed one customer per 10 square metres of store space, with larger stores subject to the 20-square-metre-per-customer rule.

READ ALSO: Berlin plans restaurants openings as Covid cases fall

Sports

Outdoor sports will also be allowed again – with restrictions. 

For example, children up to the age of 14 are to be allowed to play sports again in groups of up to 20 people. People over the age of 14 are also to be allowed to play sports again in a group of up to 10 people from May 21st. 

Beach and open-air swimming pools are also to be allowed to reopen as long as they have hygiene plans in place.”We will announce shortly what the rules and pools will be,” wrote the Berliner Bäderbetriebe (Berlin’s swimming pool operator).

If new infection figures continue to stay low, Berlin will be set to begin its next opening steps on June 4th, reported the Tagesspiegel on Monday. These include reopening fitness studios and dance studios, as long as visitors book an appointment in advance and show a negative test.

Weekly markets
Weekly markets may be visited without a negative coronavirus test.

Cultural venues
Cinemas, theaters, opera houses, concert halls and cultural event venues will be allowed to open outdoors for visitors, with a maximum of 250 people. A negative coronavirus test will be required if there if no fixed seating.

Tourism

City tours and boat excursions for tourist purposes with appointment booking and negative testing should also be possible again in the capital.

Berlin is also set to reopen hotels and guest houses again on June 4th if the 7-day incidence continues to stay below 100.

Berlin mayor Michael Müller warned against carelessness in view of the falling incidence figures. “It would really be a bad situation if, through imprudent behavior, we very quickly get back into a situation where incidences are rising,” he said. 

A 7-day incidence of around 100 is a “crisis number,” he said. “All is well only at ten or even below,” Müller said.

Opening steps nationwide

Since the beginning of November, all of Germany has been in a state of shutdown, which has seen restaurants and cafes close their doors except for takeout and delivery, and tourism infrastructure – such as hotels and guesthouses – close except for business or essential travellers.

A few regional opening projects – such as in the state of Saarland – allowed for outdoor dining around the Easter holidays, but under the nationwide ’emergency brake’ measures, most were forced to close after infection numbers crept up again in the third Covid wave.

Now more states are continuing to open up again. Germany’s northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein completely reopened for tourism on Monday, and also allowed both the inside and outdoor areas of restaurants and cafes to open for the public.

READ ALSO: Northern German state leads the way as Covid cases fall nationwide

The opening steps tie in with Whitsun, known as Pfingsten in German, which falls on Monday May 24th this year, and is a national public holiday. 

Last week Bavaria also announced plans to not only open outdoor dining, but also tourism infrastructure, over the long weekend. 

READ ALSO: Bavaria plans to open for tourists on May 21st