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TRAVEL

Bavaria plans to open for tourists on May 21st

On Tuesday the southern state of Bavaria - a major holiday destination for Germans - announced tourism should be possible in region at the beginning of the Whitsun holidays on May 21st in areas with low coronavirus infection rates.

Published: 3 May 2021 18:04 CEST
Updated: 4 May 2021 16:21 CEST
Bavaria plans to open for tourists on May 21st
A hotel in scenic Schwangau, Bavaria in 2019. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Thomas Günther

In districts and cities with a stable 7-day incidence of less than 100 Covid infections per 100,000 residents, hotels, holiday apartments and campsites would be allowed to reopen to all guests.

“It should be possible to have openings for hotels, holiday homes, holiday apartments and campsites again from Friday, May 21st,” said state premier Markus Söder.

Within the particularly popular Alpine region, the districts of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Rosenheim currently have less than 100 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days. 

READ ALSO: Dozens of German districts and cities see major drop in Covid-19 cases

Relaxation of other measures

On Monday, Söder also announced that outdoor restaurants, theatres, and cinemas would be able to open, as long as the regional 7-day incidence stayed stable below 100.

These businesses would be able to welcome guests with reservations and negative coronavirus tests.

Söder announced at the start of the week that primary schools could also reopen immediately in regions with an incidence under 165 – the standard set by the federal ’emergency brake’ – rather than the current rate of 100 set by Bavaria.

READ ALSO: Germany pulls virus ’emergency brake’ but not everyone on board

All students would have to wear FFP2 masks and take regular negative coronavirus tests.

He did not yet specify whether and when secondary schools would be included.

Coronavirus in Bavaria

But the southern state still has a long way to go to get infection numbers down. Bavaria as a whole had a 7-day rate of 144.7 as of Tuesday, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

Furthermore hospitals in 15 of the 96 Bavarian districts and independent cities no longer have any intensive care beds available. 

Amid worries over still-high infection numbers and lack of an adequate hygiene plan, Söder announced on Monday that the world-famous Oktoberfest would be cancelled for the second year in a row.

READ ALSO: Munich’s Oktoberfest cancelled again over Covid

What are the current coronavirus rules for Bavaria?

-Flower stores, bookstores and garden centres can reopen as of Friday April 28th regardless of local incidence rate.

-Drive-in theaters are permitted regardless of incidence. FFP2 masks are mandatory for visitors who are outside of their cars and on the premises.

-The outdoor areas of zoos and botanical gardens may also be opened in areas above a 7-day incidence of 100 under the following conditions: Hygiene plans, no more than a 24-hour-old test for all visitors six years and older, and FFP2 masks.

-Above a seven-day incidence of 100, children under 14 are allowed to participate in non-contact outdoor sports in groups of no more than five.

-Supervision of children under 14 years of age in permanent, family or neighborhood child care arrangements continues to be permitted.

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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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