A "serious intrusion" into religious freedom guaranteed by fundamental rights: the highest court in Germany, the Federal Constitutional Court, sanctioned Wednesday the complete closure of places of worship, because of the coronavirus. She questioned the restrictions put in place by the authorities.
This decision comes as the government intends to gradually ease containment measures. A meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the presidents of the German regions takes place to this end Thursday afternoon so that measures can be taken jointly.
The court had been seized by a Muslim association which challenged the ban on Friday prayers in a mosque in the middle of Ramadan by the local authorities in Lower Saxony. She had however indicated that strict distancing measures would be taken: only 24 faithful, invited to wear a facial mask, would be in the mosque at the same time while the building can accommodate 300 people.
A decision that will set a precedent
The Court held that it was "not conceivable" that the prohibitions on places of worship did not provide for "exceptions for this type of religious service", as soon as precautions were taken. The supreme judges ruled in favor of the association, sweeping away and the decision of an administrative court which had relied on the legislation in place prohibiting rallies.
The Constitutional Court also stressed that their decision would set precedent and apply "to the general prohibition of religious services in churches, mosques and synagogues". This sanction puts pressure on the German authorities to quickly relax the restrictions linked to the new coronavirus concerning places of worship, if hygiene and distancing measures are taken.
Reopening museums and zoos
Already, certain regions little affected by the pandemic, such as Saxony, have authorized religious gatherings and others have planned to do so from mid-May with restrictions mainly relating to the distances to be respected between the faithful and the port of masks.
The German government also intends to authorize visits to museums, exhibition halls, zoos and memorials under certain conditions. There is also talk of authorizing the reopening of children's play areas. This was already the case this Thursday in the City-State of Berlin. And which will be in other Länder, according to the Spiegel.
Newsletter - The essentials of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
However, any decision concerning the gastronomy sector, with restaurants and cafes still closed, was postponed until May 6. The Presidents of the Länder and Angela Merkel have a new meeting that day.
