In rows, there are currently cancellations of Christmas markets.
Only this week, the Grainau residents buried their visitor magnet again after 2020 because of the galloping corona numbers.
The organizers in the Mittenwald town hall have not yet taken this step.
Mittenwald
- "We have to keep an eye on the situation," says Mayor Enrico Corongiu (SPD). So it is played on time with the organizers. What else can they do? Within the next two weeks they want to finally assess the situation in the market administration and at Tourismus-GmbH Alpenwelt Karwendel and come to a final judgment. "If the infection rate continues to worsen rapidly, we will in all likelihood refrain from carrying it out in 2021," says AWK employee Patrick Wagner, who is responsible for events.
As of today, the booth magic will take place along the parish church and on Ballenhausgasse from December 16 to 19. However, the 40 stands can be visited by a maximum of 1000 visitors per day. “We don't want grapes to grow,” explains City Hall chief Corongiu. Similar to the Bolzano market in 2017, a security service at the entrances will ensure that this requirement is met.
Corongiu does not want to deny that the Christmas market is not only religious but also monetary, especially for Mittenwald associations. If they were canceled again, they would lose their income again. “That also plays a role, of course.” But one thing is also certain for the former paramedic: “The Christmas market is not going to exist, of course we don't want a wave of illnesses.” Let alone have the dubious reputation of a Corona hotspot.
The organizers presented the current concept to the stand operators on October 11th, with partial mask compulsory, the serving of alcohol or the removal of standing tables.
"Everyone was largely in agreement with the measures," reveals Wagner.
The general hygiene concept published by the Bavarian state government for Christmas and Christmas markets also gave rise to hope.
After that, the number of corona cases skyrocketed.
Officially, nobody at Alpenwelt Karwendel thinks about cancellation.
But how does Patrick Wagner express it tellingly: "However, we are observing the current infection process with great concern."