In turn, the Christmas markets have been canceled in the past few days.
Nevertheless, the organizers wanted to hold on to the Advent market in Fürstenfeld until the end - with broad support from the city council.
Fürstenfeldbruck
- On Friday morning they hung up lamps in the monastery area.
Right up to the end, they wanted to do everything at the Fürstenfeld event forum to be able to open the Advent market at the monastery in the coming week.
Finally, on Thursday evening, the city council's culture and works committee had encouraged the city's own events.
With a clear majority, the committee voted for the "Advent in Fürstenfeld" to be held.
But when Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) stepped in front of the cameras on Friday lunchtime and announced new corona rules, it was clear: the lamps can be packed again.
Fürstenfeld Advent market: "We are shocked"
Norbert Leinweber, head of the event forum, said a few minutes after the cancellation of all Christmas markets in Bavaria: “We are shocked.” He assumes that “Advent in Fürstenfeld” will fall under the newly announced restrictions, even if it is not a classic Christmas market.
At first he did not want to comment further.
The evening before, Leinweber had made it clear to the Culture and Works Committee that he absolutely wanted to hold the “Advent in Fürstenfeld”.
The 2G rule should be strictly controlled at the entrances, the maximum of 1000 visitors should be well distributed on the spacious monastery area and an FFP2 mask requirement was provided for the area in the threshing floor.
Fürstenfeld Advent market: Voluntary cancellation would have had economic consequences
On the one hand, there were economic reasons for sticking to the event for a long time.
A voluntary cancellation not enforced by government regulations would have had serious financial consequences.
The event forum would then have no claim to compensation for the loss, which Leinweber located in the five-digit range.
In addition, there is a risk of recourse claims by exhibitors with whom contracts have already been concluded, said Leinweber.
Fürstenfeld Advent market: The signal effect
Another argument put forward by numerous committee members was the signaling effect to the outside world, especially to the vaccinated. "The 2G people who have gone through everything so far deserve a bit of normality," said Leinweber. Like Markus Droth (Free Voters), Florian Weber (Die Party) and Alexa Zierl (ÖDP), he warned of the effects that a rejection could also have on willingness to be vaccinated. “It is also a sign to people. Something is still possible if you are vaccinated, ”said Christian Stangl (Greens).
Also Georg Jakobs (CSU).
spoke of a signal to the outside world - albeit a wrong one.
While the hospitals are at their limit and people are struggling to survive there, celebrations will take place elsewhere, says Jakobs.
It is "about an emotional sign".
Nevertheless, like eleven other committee members, he also voted in favor of implementation.
Fürstenfeld Advent market: 2G-Plus
Jakobs brought the 2G-Plus option into play. Only vaccinated and convalescent people who had also completed a rapid test would then have been allowed to enter the site. Leinweber replied that it was questionable how many more would come if an additional test was necessary. Although it was still leaked during the discussion that the federal government would probably decide on 2G-Plus anyway. On his own initiative, in a kind of anticipatory obedience, the head of the event forum did not want to implement the rule. "We do what the government says," he said.
Only Theresa Hannig, who had just moved up to the city council for the Greens, pleaded for a rejection.
Again and again it was said that one had to learn to live with Covid.
The more than 90,000 corona deaths in Germany so far "can no longer say that," said Hannig.
Thousands would be added to the current pandemic development.
“I find it cynical to accept that so that you have a nice Christmas feeling.” But next to her, only her parliamentary group colleague Gina Merkl voted for the rejection.