Munich decides to ban alcohol as corona numbers rise

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A beer garden with stacked benches and tables in Munich's Westpark is deserted

The city of Munich has decided to ban alcohol in public spaces with increasing corona numbers. The regulation should apply depending on the number of new infections. If the number of people newly infected with Corona per 100,000 inhabitants increases to 35 over a period of seven days, the sale of alcohol is prohibited from 9 p.m., the city said. In addition, the consumption of alcohol in public places is no longer allowed after 11 p.m.

In the state capital, the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the past seven days was 30.92 on Monday. The numbers had risen steadily recently. "In times of the pandemic, however, it is first and foremost about protecting the population and about avoiding even more onerous measures as far as possible," said Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD). Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) had asked the municipalities weeks ago to examine the enactment of alcohol bans in public spaces.

Bavaria's Prime Minister had also expressed concern in an interview with SPIEGEL. According to Bavaria's Prime Minister, there is "unfortunately a lot of irrationality" at private parties (read the whole conversation here).

Munich is not an isolated case

An alcohol ban is not only an issue in Bavaria. Hamburg had taken such measures in the Schanzenviertel and on St. Pauli to prevent large crowds. In Berlin, Health Senator Dilek Kalayci brought up a corresponding ban in an interview with the "Berliner Morgenpost".

"I think it is now also right to think about a ban on alcohol if the discipline in the restaurants does not improve," said the SPD politician. The consumption of alcohol ensures that people become more careless and loud - and hardly keep their distance or follow hygiene rules. "This means that the infections spread more. We have to prevent that."

But by no means everyone is in favor: Mannheim's new night mayor told SPIEGEL that an alcohol ban "must be avoided in any case".

bam / dpa