Faced with a worrying increase in Covid-19 infections, large German cities including Berlin are instituting a curfew from Saturday that alarms bars and restaurants.
The number of new daily confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Germany surpassed 4,000 on Wednesday for the first time since early April.
In Berlin, establishments will have to close their doors from Saturday evening between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., a time slot which usually sees tens of thousands of people strolling every weekend in the capital where many bars remain open all night long. .
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.
Frankfurt has taken a similar measure, which came into effect on Friday evening, with the closure of bars and restaurants and the ban on the sale of alcohol between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
And on Saturday morning, it was Cologne, the capital of the most populous region, North Rhine-Westphalia, which announced a similar measure from 10 p.m.
For the seventh consecutive day, the incidence rate exceeded the 50 per 100,000 mark, ie at least 50 new daily infections per 100,000 inhabitants.
Hard blow for the capital
In Berlin, it is a new very hard blow for the economy of the city, 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 the city over € 1.5 billion 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.
"Rage" and "indignation"
Angela Merkel herself pleaded for this measure on Friday after a discussion with the mayors of the eleven largest cities.
"I am fully aware that restrictions such as closing time, strict rules for the sale of alcohol are binding and that the restaurant sector is hit hard," said the Chancellor.
"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 the barrier gestures a little less", he summed up Dirk Behrendt, in charge of Justice in Berlin.
The Bars of Berlin collective considers this measure "disastrous" and is working on a possible legal remedy.
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"I am at a loss for words, so much rage and indignation I feel," one of the initiators of this collective, Roberto Manteufel, said on Wednesday before the Berlin Economic Affairs Committee.
This curfew, unprecedented in the capital since 1949, risks, according to him, a "coup de grace to bars".
Berlin had some 9,800 restaurant chains in 2018, including more than 1,700 bars or pubs, according to the Statista institute.
Illegal parties
In Frankfurt too, the discontent is mounting.
The Frankfurt Gastronomy Initiative association thus threatens to file appeals against a closure measure likely to lead, according to it, to wild gatherings in the street.
To prevent this risk, the city of Berlin has decided to severely restrict social contacts.
From now on, between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., outdoor gatherings should not exceed five people.
During the day, this gauge remains fixed at 50.
She did not prevent mask-wearing opponents from calling for a new rally in central Berlin on Saturday afternoon.
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These restrictions are even stronger for indoor gatherings, limited to 10 people.
These measures mainly target home evenings and illegal parties, which the Berlin authorities consider as propagators of the new coronavirus.