Corona virus in Berlin: district mayor deliberately becomes infected - parks should be closed

The corona virus limits the lives of Berliners. In the capital, the number of fatalities and corona infections continues to rise. You can find an overview of all the news here.

• The Coronavirus * restricts people's lives in Berlin.
• The number of deaths and infected people is increasing.
• Meanwhile, a corona hospital is to be built.
• Here you will find the basic facts about the corona virus and the corona news from Germany. You can also find current case numbers in Germany as a map. The following recommendations for corona protective measures are currently available.

Update, 4.20 pm : Stephan von Dassel - Mayor of Berlin-Mitte has deliberately caught the coronavirus on his girlfriend (see below). The Green Party politician is now calling for a mask to be worn on public transport and supermarkets , reports the Tagesspiegel .

Corona in Berlin: parks and green spaces close at the weekend?

The spring weather at the weekend, on the other hand, calls the police union (GdP) on the scene and appeals to the common sense of all Berliners. You should stick to the curfews. GdP head of state Norbert Cioma brought a drastic measure into discussion in a press release, since in his opinion fines would not have the immediate effect of preventing people from gathering together. "There is almost no alternative to completely closing parks and squares for public traffic," said Cioma.

An appeal to reason: stick to the guidelines, stay at home! #GdP advises that parks and squares be temporarily closed - Head of State Cioma in our PM: "Otherwise there will be a curfew at some point that no convinced democrat could seriously wish for" https://t.co/9VDYjWxoLD pic.twitter.com/B83EnvTpC6

Greens district mayor deliberately becomes infected - it got "more violent" than he thought

Update, 2.35 p.m .: The Mayor of the Berlin-Mitte district, Stephan von Dassel (Greens) has more or less deliberately infected with the corona virus .

"I was almost deliberately infected to immunize myself," he said on Wednesday in Berlin- Brandenburg radio. He therefore contracted his partner , with whom he lives.

In a domestic community , it was almost impossible not to get infected, he said. That's why he "made it conscious", said the Green politician . He thought that he was "a little indecent for three days after an infection and then I'm immune" - also to be healthy when parts of the administration get sick.

But it was "a bit more violent" than he thought. As a long-term goal, he mentioned that so many people immunize themselves "that the disease can no longer harm us".

Corona virus in Berlin.

© picture alliance / dpa / Christophe Gateau

Corona virus in Berlin: More and more infected - Berlin transport companies heavily criticized

Update from April 1, 12:48 p.m .: Almost 1,000 people in Berlin have now officially been infected with the corona virus. Since it still applies nationwide to comply with the ban on contacts, criticism of overcrowded subways in Berlin is still not subsiding. Now the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) is reacting, as the Berliner Morgenpost reports.

According to this, public transport in the morning rush hour has been increased by another 200 trips since Monday , and around 100 more trips have been included in the normal operating program in the afternoon .

Instead of a short fuse, have a lot of stamina. And fresh ones too. pic.twitter.com/rn1rSP1UPy

However, as the BVG further explains, around 75 percent fewer passengers now use local public transport in Berlin. As the Berliner Morgenpost further reports, more performance is currently not possible. According to this, the sick leave at BVG is currently around 25 percent. "All the drivers we have drove today," quotes Morgenpost company spokeswoman Petra Nelken.

Coronavirus: Berlin Senate wants to extend exit restrictions

Update from March 31, 3:14 p.m .: Due to the ongoing corona crisis , the exit restrictions in Berlin , which are initially limited until next Sunday, will be extended . Vice-Mayor Klaus Lederer (left) announced this on Tuesday after the Senate meeting. The Senate agreed on the decision. The committee intends to decide on the extension this Thursday . At first the Bild newspaper reported about it.

Corona in Berlin: exit restrictions apply since March 23 - and are to be extended

Since March 23, all Berliners have had to “ stay in their home or normal accommodation” in order to slow the spread of the corona virus. However, there are some exceptions, such as visits to the doctor, shopping, going for a walk with the dog or sports and walks in the fresh air. This is allowed as long as no groups of more than two people form outdoors.

Meanwhile, the number of cases in Baden-Württemberg continues to increase.

Update of March 31, 2020, 11:25 a.m .: The number of people infected throughout Germany continues to rise, Berlin is also registering more and more positive people tested on Covid-19 . According to official information, around 2,600 people in Berlin are now infected with the corona virus.

As the Berliner Morgenpost reports, almost 380 of these infected people would be treated in hospitals, 84 people were in intensive care units . As the newspaper continues to write, around 280 officials on Monday checked compliance with the strict measures.

Since March 14, 820 illegally opened objects have been closed by the police in Berlin, 825 violations have so far been found by the police in the capital.

Case numbers increase in Berlin - new penalties more drastic than in Bavaria?

Update of March 30, 9:57 p.m .: Because of the corona epidemic , a contact ban has been in effect in Berlin for more than a week. This is controlled by the police and there are dozens of reports every day. So far, however, the Senate has not yet been able to agree on a fine , although a draft has been under discussion for more than a week.

Interior Senator Andreas Giebel (SPD) now said on Monday that the Senate would debate a catalog of fines for violations of corona rules on Tuesday and may also decide to do so. According to the original draft, which is available in the Tagesspiegel, violations of the minimum distance in public spaces, for example, would in future be punished with 50 to 500 euros . 25 to 75 euros must be paid by anyone who cannot identify themselves despite having to show identification. And if someone stays outside of his apartment without a valid reason, he or she has to expect a fine of up to 500 euros.

Corona virus in Berlin: The catalog of fines provides for fines of up to 25,000 euros

The fines listed in the draft law are significantly higher if someone opens a store despite the ban . Anyone who opens a company that should actually be closed according to the current rules can expect a fine of up to 10,000 euros . In addition, operators of shops that are still open but do not adhere to the prescribed hygiene measures must pay a fine of up to 2500 euros .

In cases of recurrence , fines of up to 25,000 euros should even be possible - this is the maximum sum in the area of ​​administrative offenses stipulated in the Infection Protection Act. According to the draft, violations of assembly rights are also considered to be criminal offenses. Anyone caught at meetings or events “with three or more participants” receives a criminal complaint.

First report from March 30, 2020:

Berlin - The corona virus keeps Berlin in suspense. While public life is largely restricted, the number of people infected with corona * and deaths, like in the whole of Germany, is increasing.

Corona in Berlin: The current case numbers

As the Senate Department for Health, Nursing and Equal Opportunities announced in a press release on Sunday, 2,462 people in Berlin are currently infected with the corona virus *. Contact persons, the report goes on to say, are identified, contacted and isolated as part of a containment strategy. 312 people are currently in the hospital, 70 of whom are receiving intensive care treatment. So far, eleven people have died from the effects of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus .

Corona hospital with 1,000 beds is to be built in Berlin

In the meantime, the Berlin Senate is planning to expand medical emergency care in view of the ongoing corona crisis, as was announced on March 17.

Health senator Dilek Kalayci (SPD) announced, among other things, the construction of an additional hospital with 1,000 beds for Covid-19 patients on the exhibition grounds. This should be done in cooperation with the Bundeswehr and other partners. She did not give an exact location and schedule. Now there is news.

Coronavirus in Berlin: schedule for the hospital is set

Project manager is the former president of the technical relief organization and long-time Berlin fire director, Albrecht Broemme . He had recently expressed optimism about the “Bild” newspaper that the hospital could possibly be up and running within a few weeks. "14 days of construction would be nice - like the Chinese," he said in mid-March. "But I think it will take a month."

In the program "Rbb-Spezial" on Sunday evening, Kalayci now said that the preparations are currently going quite well. "I think we can start in April / May," she continued. When could the spread of the virus be controlled and thus the ban on contact and other measures lifted? There is now a forecast by scientists from the universities of Hamburg and Mainz.

The new hospital for patients with Corona disease Covid-19 should only be used to avoid a real bottleneck. It is said to provide care for people with coronavirus * who have to be admitted to the hospital and emergency respiratory patients.

In the meantime, the police had to work in large parts of Germany at the weekend because people violated the corona contact ban *, as reported by tz.de *. The corona situation is still explosive in NRW. There a man from the particularly affected district of Heinsberg spat on a policeman and shouted at him: "I have Corona!" In a Munich clinic, several Corona cases were found among patients and members of staff - a quarantine was imposed. *

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

List of rubric lists: © picture alliance / dpa / Jörg Carstensen