Due to a rise in COVID-19 cases, Berlin has imposed a curfew on all bars and restaurants across the city, the first in 70 years.
They must now remain closed between the hours of 11PM and 6AM, with petrol stations also prohibited from selling alcohol between the same time period. The mayor of Berlin, Michael Mueller, made the decision following similar restrictions that the French government enforced earlier this week in Paris.
The past 6 months have been a rollercoaster in the German capital as the government had only just started to relax social distancing measures to the extent that some of the clubs there were beginning to re-open. Due to the fact four of the city’s 12 districts have since been declared “high-risk zones” for the virus, that has now had to change again to the frustration of local businesses.
There are plans, however, to re-stimulate the entertainment industry in Germany, as the government announced a €150 million commitment to the country’s live music industry more specifically. Furthermore, restrictions remain in place on large-scale events until the 31st October at the earliest, as per an another announcement from chancellor Angela Merkel a few months ago.
Within recent weeks authorities recorded as high as 44.2 new cases per 100,000 people in the city, and the curfew is surely due to remain enforced in Berlin until that number falls.
Image Credit: PLACCES
