Corona and the fools: Precise rules and adjournment

Created: 2022-01-28Updated: 2022-01-28 3:44 p.m

Markus Söder (CSU), Prime Minister of Bavaria.

© Peter Kneffel/dpa/archive image

Corona is messing up the carnival again: the big parades have been canceled.

The state government has now informed the fools in writing how many celebrations and customs are allowed this year.

But another highlight must fail.

Bad Dürrheim - Because of the corona pandemic, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) will not receive the "Goldene Narrenschelle" from the Association of Swabian-Alemannic Fools' Guilds (VSAN) until next year.

According to information from Friday, the VSAN decided this in consultation with the Europa-Park in Rust.

The award ceremony is now scheduled to take place on February 8, 2023 instead of the week after next.

The laudator will be the Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann (Greens).

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Social Affairs has approached the fools in a dispute about carnival events in Corona times.

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The presentation of the "fool's bell" is one of the highlights of the local carnival.

Söder should have been awarded, among other things, for his quick-witted, eloquent language.

However, the Bavarian State Chancellery and the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg had asked the fools to postpone the award of the fool's bell, said the VSAN in Bad Dürrheim (Black Forest-Baar district).

Personal participation this year is not possible.

Söder regretted the cancellation in a letter: "Especially in the last two years it has been shown that humor is more important than ever in these difficult times."

Although the event could have been carried out in a corona-compliant manner according to VSAN, the fools showed great understanding for the decisions from Munich and Stuttgart - "especially since nobody can currently reliably predict how the pandemic situation will develop by February 9, 2022".

A virtual award of the "fool's clamp" was out of the question, it said.

Meanwhile, the head of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Uwe Lahl, explained the conditions under which carnival events can be carried out "within the framework of the alarm level I, which applies until further notice". For example, an FFP2 mask requirement applies both outdoors and indoors, even when sitting or standing. Exceptions are eating, drinking, singing or playing brass band music during a performance and wearing a “largely airtight mask”, i.e. a traditional carnival mask.

Furthermore, concert or theater-like events may be held in closed rooms with a maximum of 50 percent of the permitted capacity. The upper limit is 1500 visitors in compliance with the 2G rules. If those who have recovered and those who have been vaccinated bring a current test (2G plus), up to 3,000 people are allowed, according to the letter available to the German Press Agency. Outdoors, according to the Corona rules for city and folk festivals, the upper limits are 3000 (2G) or 6000 (2G plus) people. The prerequisite are fixed, demarcated areas with comprehensive access controls.

VSAN President Roland Wehrle was enraged by Kretschmann's statement that carnival parades could not take place this year due to the pandemic.

That is too general.

Now he said forgivingly: "So we can plan further." He considers the specifications to be practicable.

"It's not about closing off entire villages." The carnival clubs would have to check on site what can be implemented.

According to the letter, "club-like" events where visitors sing, dance and mix uncontrollably are prohibited, as are carnival parades.

Most major events have been canceled for a long time anyway.

But Wehrle had emphasized that there were also places where only a few hundred participants came.

As Lahl writes, his information is subject to any adjustments to the Corona Ordinance as a result of new developments in the pandemic.

The foolish days from "Schmotzigen Dunschtig" to Shrove Monday to Ash Wednesday fall at the end of February or beginning of March this year.

The VSAN, founded in 1924, is one of the oldest fools' associations in Germany.

It brings together 68 fools' guilds from the administrative districts of Freiburg, Tübingen and Stuttgart, the Bavarian administrative district of Swabia and five cantons in Switzerland.

dpa