Faced with a worrying increase in Covid-19 infections, large German cities including Berlin are instituting a curfew from this Saturday, October 10, which alarms bars and restaurants.
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In Berlin.
In the German capital, establishments will have to close their doors from this Saturday evening between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., a time slot which usually sees tens of thousands of people wandering every weekend in the capital where many bars remain open all night.
This curfew, which affects all stores except pharmacies and gas stations, will be in place at least until October 31.
The sale of alcohol in gas stations will also be prohibited.
This is a new blow to the city's economy, already hard hit by the closure of clubs for several months.
The nightlife of the German capital is an essential component of the city's economy.
The clubs alone brought in more than 1.5 billion euros to the city in 2018. But the epidemic situation is worrying in the capital, with more than 400 new cases daily.
Berlin is now classified as a “
risk zone
”.
"
This is not the time to party
", justified the social democratic mayor of the capital, Michael Müller.
"
We can and we want to prevent another
more severe
confinement
", he added, addressing more particularly those under 40 years old.
Berlin had some 9,800 restaurant chains in 2018, including more than 1,700 bars or pubs, according to the Statista institute.
In Frankfurt.
As in Berlin, the closure of bars and restaurants and the ban on the sale of alcohol between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. came into force on Friday evening.
In Cologne.
The capital of Germany's most populous region, North Rhine-Westphalia, has also announced the closure of bars and restaurants from 10 p.m.
In Cologne, the incidence rate exceeded for the seventh consecutive day the bar of 50 per 100,000, or at least 50 new daily infections per 100,000 inhabitants.
Priority to the economy.
"
I am fully aware that restrictions such as closing time, strict rules for the sale of alcohol are binding and that the restaurant industry is hit hard,
" said German Chancellor Angela Merkel after a discussion with the mayors of the eleven largest cities.
"
But we must do what is most important to us this fall and this winter,
" she added, setting as "
priorities
" keeping the economy afloat and the pursuit of school activities.
"
After three glasses of wine, we respect a little less the barrier gestures
", he summed up Dirk Behrendt, in charge of Justice in Berlin.
Limited gatherings.
From now on, between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., outdoor gatherings should not exceed five people.
During the day, this gauge remains fixed at 50. A measure that has not prevented opponents of wearing masks to call for a new rally in central Berlin on Saturday afternoon.
These restrictions are even stronger for indoor gatherings, limited to 10 people.
The measures mainly target home parties and illegal parties, which the Berlin authorities consider as propagators of the new coronavirus.
Anger and indignation.
The Bars of Berlin collective considers
the measure to close bars and restaurants
"
disastrous
" and is working on a possible legal remedy.
"
I am at a loss for words, so much rage and indignation I feel
," said Wednesday, October 7, one of the initiators of this collective, Roberto Manteufel, before the Berlin Economic Affairs Committee.
This curfew, unprecedented in the capital since 1949, risks, according to him, a "
coup de grace to bars
".
For its part, the
Frankfurt Gastronomy Initiative
association
threatens to lodge appeals against a closure measure likely to lead, according to it, to wild gatherings in the street.
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