In the week leading up to Tuesday September 29th, Berlin saw a surge in new COVID-19 cases. The German capital city’s senate has responded by imposing stricter event capacity limits.
The new guidance was announced on Tuesday by Governing Mayor Michael Müller and deputies Ramona Pop and Klaus Lederer. It forbids indoor gatherings of over 50 for private outdoor parties and 25 for indoor gatherings as long as case counts remain over 35 per 100,000 residents in any seven-day period. Any event of ten or more will be required by law to keep a list of participants for contact tracing purposes.
As noted by Resident Advisor, outdoor events that have become popular amid the pandemic will not be affected by the new restrictions.
Death and Rebirth
The COVID-19 crisis has placed undue stress on Berlin’s nightlife ecosystem, which was already suffering from the “Clubsterben” (“death of clubs” in English). In recent years, developers have bought up land once devoted to the creative spaces core to the city’s cultural heritage over the past three decades.
The added financial strain and uncertainty of 2020 has placed many clubs in imminent danger of closure. Tresor and Club Der Visionaere are among the institutions who have launched fundraisers in an effort to remain afloat despite being unable to operate as usual.
Still others have found ways to adapt. Sisyphos and ://about blank modified their business models to operate as restaurants in May, and September saw Berghain reopen with art and sound exhibitions. Meanwhile, the emergence of contact tracing apps like closecontact give hope that technological solutions may soon enable some semblance of nightlife normalcyeven in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new restrictions will go into effect on October 3rd. More details are available on the Berlin government website.
Image credit: Baptiste MG
