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HAMBURG

EXPLAINED: How Hamburg is relaxing its Covid rules

Germany’s second largest city is relaxing its coronavirus rules on Tuesday, reflecting an improving epidemic situation in the harbour city.

Published: 21 June 2021 15:58 CEST
EXPLAINED: How Hamburg is relaxing its Covid rules
People on the Hamburg harbour front in late May. Photo: dpa | Georg Wendt

The Hamburg city senate has agreed a whole host of new relaxations to its pandemic rules, which will come into force at midnight on Tuesday.

The city justified the move by saying that “infection rates have stayed stable in recent weeks despite the lifting of many restrictions.”

The relaxations to the rules come as the northern city-sate has a current rate of 11 cases per 100,000 residents over a period of seven days.

Gatherings & events

Starting Tuesday, ten people from different households will be able to meet indoors again. Up until now only five people from separate households have been allowed to meet inside.

People who have recovered and those who are fully vaccinated are not bound by the restrictions, nor are children.

Gatherings of up to ten people outdoors are already allowed.

Any gathering larger than that is treated like an official event. That means that people still need to present a negative test when they arrive and have to wear face masks when standing.

Weddings, which are considered to be events without fixed seating, can take place outdoors with up to 250 people, or up to 50 people indoors.

For events with fixed seating, there will now be a limit of 500 guests for outdoor events and 100 guests indoors.

Dining & shopping

In the gastronomy sector, people are allowed to eat and drink once again while standing. Indoor diners will still have to provide a negative test result. Everyone will have to provide contact details for contact tracing purposes.

Large stores can also now allow in double the amount of shoppers – up from one person per 20 square metres to two people per 20 square metres.

Tourism, sport, religion

Some sporting activities will become considerably easier: the city will once again allow indoor contact sport with up to ten participants.

People taking tours of the city or its harbour will no longer have to provide a negative test, while they will only have to wear medical masks rather than FFP2 masks.

There is also good news for religious communities: singing will once again be allowed in the city’s churches and other places of worship.

SEE ALSO: Hamburg to open restaurants earlier than planned as Covid incidence falls below 50 mark

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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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