At least 19 COVID-19 cases have been linked to an event at Berghain. The world-famous Berlin nightclub’s first recorded outbreak arrived during a surge of confirmed cases that followed Germany’s reopening.
According to Berliner Morgenpost, the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district office emailed attendees of Berghain’s October 10th event to inform them of their potential exposure to the virus. A contact list made the outreach possible; health authorities reported having emailed 2,500 of the 3,300 entrants as of Thursday.
The outbreak occurred in spite of Berghain requiring proof of vaccination or recent recovery from COVID-19 since reopening its doors. The 2G rules, as they’re called, are stricter than the 3G limitations introduced in August. Previously, entrants to bars and clubs could also furnish proof of a negative test.
News of the outbreak arrives as Germany grapples with a significant increase in case counts. The Local reports that the Robert Koch Institute recorded 17,015 new cases in a single day on Wednesday. For comparison, on the same day a week prior 11,903 cases had been recorded. German lawmakers yet to specify a threshold at which restrictions should be reimposed.
Berghain has yet to issue a public statement on the COVID-19 outbreak at the time of writing.
