Some had a queasy feeling about Corona, but they still wanted to participate: The start of the carnival season on November 11th.
drew thousands of revelers to Cologne on Thursday.
There was also criticism from prominent sources.
Cologne - Despite high corona incidences, the new carnival season opened on Thursday at 11.11 a.m. with thousands of celebrants.
In Cologne, where the eleventh eleventh is traditionally celebrated particularly large, the rush was enormous.
This also sparked criticism: a video from the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” circulated on social media, showing a crowd in the hotspot Zülpicher Straße during the countdown.
"Alaaf!
Today as a “sexy nurse” on Zülpicher Straße, at Christmas as a “sexy intubate” in the university clinic, ”commented satirist Jan Böhmermann on Twitter.
“Lockdown Alaaf!” Wrote comedian Oliver Pocher.
The mayor of Cologne, Henriette Reker, defended the start of the carnival.
"What if we had said: we will do the same as last year, there is no carnival celebrated?" Asked the non-party politician.
"I am firmly convinced that we would not have succeeded this year." The people would not have put up with it, said Reker.
Because now most of them are vaccinated.
In the celebration zones in Cologne's old town and in Zülpicher Straße, 2G was also applicable: only vaccinated and convalescent people had access. "The rush is great, but manageable," said a spokesman for the city of Cologne. “There is pressure on the locks.” In the afternoon, the zone around Zülpicher Straße was full. A police spokesman said there were isolated cases of people entering the cordoned-off area in an uncontrolled manner. A rioter and an exhibitionist were taken into custody.
The singer Peter Brings from the Kölschrock band of the same name said that Corona was somewhere in your head, but he hoped that everything would go well anyway.
“We have to learn to live with it.
I think: We'll get a lot sicker if we just stay seated in our booths, ”said Brings on WDR television.
“The soul is destroyed.
At least mine. ”However, he had the advice:“ Maybe this year just smooch your partner! ”
On Thursday evening, the city of Cologne drew a positive interim balance of the start of the session.
"11.11.
has been going quietly so far, ”reported the city administration.
The situation in the old town has relaxed.
Despite the large crowd, the admission controls worked well and there was also enough space for the partying at the hotspots on the Heu- and Alter Markt.
The rescue service of the city of Cologne reports only 92 missions for the old town and the Zülpich district by 6 p.m. - far fewer than in previous years.
The Malteser’s balance sheet was similarly positive.
"So far, we have only had 30 minor and major injuries to treat at our five accident relief centers," reported the Maltese head of operations Alexander Quantius in the afternoon - here too the number of people seeking help was significantly lower than when the session was last opened before Corona in 2019.
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The main character was missing from the celebrations in Cologne: Prince Sven I had recently been infected with Corona.
The triumvirate, consisting of prince, farmer and maiden, then canceled all appointments for the near future.
Instead, the children's triumvirate appeared on the big stage in the old town at 11.11 a.m.
Karl Lauterbach again called for carnival events in halls to be canceled.
"I don't want to spoil anyone's mood," said the SPD politician and health expert on WDR television.
But it applies: "Every indoor event that is canceled is a good rejection, because at the moment the number of cases is increasing so strongly that the vaccinated are also at risk, let alone the unvaccinated."
Around 3000 spectators watched the traditional Hoppeditz awakening on the Rathausplatz in Düsseldorf.
Especially Lord Mayor Stephan Keller (CDU), who listened on the balcony of the town hall, got his fat off.
Hoppeditz also dealt against vaccine opponents and conspiracy theorists in his satirical speech.
dpa