Mitterteich as a corona hotspot - brewery advertised “mass swallow”

The corona virus spreads in Bavaria. In Mitterteich there is a curfew due to increased infections. Was the local strong beer festival the trigger?

• The corona virus * paralyzes public life in Bavaria.
• In the Bavarian town of Mitterteich there is even a curfew - due to numerous corona cases.
• Discussions are ongoing as to whether the residents got infected at the local strong beer festival.

Update, March 23, 10:40 am: Discussions are still ongoing as to whether the strong beer festival in Mitterteich , where there is now a curfew, will further spread the coronavirus infections . As the picture reports, the organizers of the festival are now once again commenting on the allegations.

The responsible health authority in Tirschenreuth only asked for the installation of hand disinfection devices in the toilet rooms. Not advised against holding the event. "There was not even a dark green or orange light, otherwise we would not have done it," the people responsible are quoted as saying.

Around 1400 people celebrated in a confined space in Mitterteich . The local brewery , which supplied the revelers with beer, advertised their strong beer as "ultimate protection against Corona", the image continues. In the invitation to the festival was invited to the " mass swallow vaccination ".

Meanwhile, the brewery commented on Facebook . Two weeks ago the situation in Mitterteich was classified differently and the seriousness of the situation was not correctly recognized. "The current discussions trigger deep regret and great dismay at us," says the brewery .

Read also: Virologist Drosten: Why alternative protective masks make sense for everyone *

Corona in Bavaria: city as a virus hotspot - exit restrictions for the Free State

Update of March 20, 2:30 p.m .: As Markus Söder announced in a press conference, far-reaching exit restrictions now apply to the entire Free State. There is currently no complete curfew in Bavaria. In the course of the exit restrictions in Bavaria, you can read the wording of the general decree of the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior here.

In addition to Bavaria, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is particularly affected by the coronavirus outbreak. A hospital in the Heinsberg district is now threatening to close.

Bavarian city as a corona hotspot - nationwide debate about curfews

Update of March 20, 6:27 a.m .: After the curfew imposed on the people in the Bavarian Mitterteich, which the city of Freiburg in Baden-Würtemmberg followed on Thursday, the debate is raging nationwide about a curfew for all citizens.

Corona crisis: no curfew necessary?

Medical President Reinhardt now spoke out against curfews in the fight against the epidemic. This creates a ghostly atmosphere "that extremely frightens people," he told the RND. "It can also lead to the breakdown of solidarity in society, which we now urgently need."

The virologist Alexander Kekulé warned in the podcast "Kekules Corona-Kompass" from MDR- "Aktuell": "Locking up 95 percent of the population because of a small minority, the collateral damage is much too high."

Bavarian city as a corona hotspot: the mayor defends himself

Update from 1:13 p.m .: The Mayor of the Upper Palatinate city of Mitterteich appeals to the reason of his fellow citizens. People should stick to the curfew and limit purchases to the essentials, for example. A curfew has been in effect in the 6500-inhabitant city since Wednesday afternoon to curb the spread of the corona virus. The mayor must adapt to the new situation, says the mayor, who also works largely from his home office. There was also a corona case in the town hall, since then 20 employees have been quarantined, reports Roland Grillmeier.

There are fewer cars on the streets, he sums up. Customers are still in the supermarkets. Here it is up to everyone to limit themselves. Grillmeier does not want to fuel speculation about the strong beer festival as the cause of the corona spread in the city. He knew half of the corona patients from Mitterteich and, to his knowledge, none of them had attended the festival. A crisis team is now trying to understand the chains of infection.

Corona hotspot in Mitterteich? Markus Söder suggests the cause - and warns

Proof of origin March 19, 12:37 p.m.

The corona virus continues to spread. According to Prime Minister Markus Söder , 2,282 people had already been infected with the corona virus in Bavaria by Thursday morning (March 19), and ten people had subsequently died of it. The CSU chief said in a government declaration before the state parliament in Munich.

Corona virus in Bavaria: Mitterteich as a hotspot - first curfew in small town

He also went into the city of Mitterteich, which has been the first city in Bavaria to have a curfew since Wednesday. The people in the small town in Upper Palatinate have largely complied with the curfew imposed. Only a few people had to be sent home at night, the police said on Thursday.

Officials checked motorists on one of the main access roads in the morning. Most of them would have a certificate from their employer or, if necessary, a training contract. It works well even though the measure came at short notice, said a police officer.

Government statement by Markus Söder on coronavirus: presumption of spread in Mitterteich

The district office in Tirschenreuth issued a curfew because the number of people with the corona virus is particularly high in Mitterteich. As of Wednesday, 47 people were registered in the district, 25 of them in the city of Mitterteich, which has a population of 6,500. Now there is probably a guess why Mitterteich is a corona hotspot .

Markus Söder explained before the Bavarian state parliament that experts suspect the strong beer festival as the cause. This took place on March 7th. As reported by onetz.de , there were fewer visitors this year than in previous years, but this did not detract from the mood. According to the report, especially the youth remained loyal to the event.

Söder straight: Experts suspect that strong beer festival triggered an infection wave in #Mitterteich #coronavirusdeutschland https://t.co/ERVXbjgHRm

Corona virus in the Free State: Söder openly threatens to curfew across Bavaria

From now on, curfews apply in two Upper Franconian municipalities in the district of Wunsiedel. The reason is that the number of cases there has risen sharply. There are no curfews for the rest of Bavaria, but the recommendation to stay at home.

“If many people do not restrict themselves voluntarily, then in the end only the Bavaria-wide curfew remains as the only instrument to react to it. Everyone has to be clear about that, ”said Söder on Thursday in his government statement in the state parliament in Munich. One would “not watch endlessly”. The catastrophe * has already been declared for the Free State.

In the meantime, wild scenes have occurred in Munich - the triggers were corona tests *.

The death of Sepp Mangstl (54) from Ostermünchen in the district of Rosenheim caused dismay. The musician succumbed to the corona virus alone in a clinic *. His relatives and friends learned the news on the phone. The whole blood musician had no previous illnesses.

* Merkur.de and tz.de are part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.

came / dpa

List of rubric lists: © picture alliance / dpa / Nicolas Armer