Despite the corona virus, many day-trippers are attracted to the mountains and the lake when the weather is nice. The rescuers find life-threatening in the district - and appeal to reason.
- The corona virus continues to dominate the headlines.
- Exit restrictions apply in Bavaria.
- Rescuers now make a fiery appeal to day trippers.
District - sun, weekend and also start of the holiday : Who is surprised that people are drawn to the mountains or to the lake? But in times of the corona virus one should prefer to do without such excursions. Because if something happens, it becomes dangerous in three ways: for yourself, for the rescuers - and thus also for all those who get into an emergency situation through no fault of their own. No matter if mountain or water rescue : The volunteers in the district appeal to reason.
Coronavirus in Bavaria - protective clothing only in limited numbers
To ensure that the helpers do not become patients themselves, the integrated control center first asks for a list of criteria for each emergency call during the corona crisis to determine whether there is an infection in the casualty, explains Kilian Wuttig, on-call manager at the Leitzachtal mountain rescue service . Since the troops only have three protective masks, gowns and glasses, they cannot guarantee the safety of their helpers during larger missions, Wuttig points out. Fortunately, hardly any emergency calls were received recently. "Thank God it's very quiet these days," says Wuttig. He can understand that people are drawn outside into the spring sun. Nevertheless, one should rather stay in the valley these days. Incidentally, this also applies to himself, says the on-call manager: "I'm going for a walk with the dog."
The Schlierseer Bergwachtler are also disciplined. No tours, no hut meetings, no training. "We are rigorous there," says deputy standby manager Lorenz Haberle. Of the day trippers, not infrequently with Munich license plates, one cannot say that at times.
Corona crisis in Bavaria: Deployment could paralyze rescue
"Unfortunately, our mountains are still being overrun," says Haberle. It is only thanks to luck that nothing has happened yet. However, even an operation can ensure that the rescue is paralyzed for several days, says Haberle. Should one unknowingly have to recover a corona patient, several mountain guards could quickly become infected and thus fail for weeks. Disinfecting the vehicle and the scarce protective equipment would also take a long time. Haberle recently said this to an inconsiderate Munich on a hiking car park: "If you break the knuckle with Corona on the mountain, we will lose ten people."
Also read: Corona service in the Miesbach district: delivery service for restaurants and more - all on one card
The mountain rescue service is not entitled to prohibit people from hiking, says Adi Boemmel, head of the mountain rescue service in the Tegernsee valley . But he also appeals to friends of alpine sports: "Please do not do extreme things!" According to Boemmel, he is glad that there are currently almost no alarms on Lake Tegernsee.
Even on the lakes, it is still fairly calm given the single-digit water temperatures. Up to now it has only been possible to discover canoeists, surfers or paddlers on the Tegernsee. That could change, however, if the outside temperatures rise now.
Corona in Bavaria: Protection against infection in water impossible
This undoubtedly poses a risk for water rescuers - because: If you jump into the water to save an accident, you can hardly protect yourself against the virus. "There is no infection control clothing that is suitable for water," says Hans Mielke, chairman of the Wasserwacht Bad Wiessee. Direct contact from person to person cannot therefore be avoided when deployed on Lake Tegernsee. Mielke therefore joins the Wasserwacht Bayern's appeal that activities on and in the water should currently be avoided.
A request that Matthias Schnitzbauer can only emphasize. The 35-year-old has headed the Gmund branch of DLRG since 2014 and knows that when it is deployed - especially when it comes to human life - automatisms take effect and the necessary distance cannot always be maintained between the rescue workers. Saving the casualty was of course the top priority, but in his managerial position he also had to keep an eye on the self-protection of his emergency services: "One thinks about: What can I do to my people?" Explains the chairman.
Corona: Classic security guards first fall flat
The season for the water savers officially begins on May 1st. But under normal circumstances, preparations would start as early as April, explains Schnitzbauer. "This is the time when we actually prepare everything at the guard station - so there would normally always be someone present at the weekends," says the local association boss. In view of the Corona crisis, this is not the case this year. "The classic security service will be canceled until further notice." Schnitzbauer says: If an accident happened on Lake Tegernsee, his active people would of course be ready for an assignment. "But if we can stay at home, we're happy."
Chairman of DLRG Tegernsee: fear of deployment would be "wrong approach"
Andreas-Bernd Lange (59), Chairman of the DLRG Tegernsee , also knows that he and his colleagues cannot protect themselves specifically against the virus when they are deployed. Nevertheless, he says: “Driving to an operation with fear would be the wrong approach.” Even without the virus, its activists are exposed to various risks during operations. Lange believes that everyone should think about whether they really want to go to the lake to do their sport. You couldn't avoid that altogether.
