The scene after a night of New Year’s Eve fireworks. Mayor Michael Müller has proposed banning them this Silvester to relieve hospitals and emergency services. Photo: Sascha Kohlmann / Creative Commons
Corona Christmas rules drafted, car crashes into Merkel’s office
Coronavirus Christmas: Regional leaders have submitted a draft proposal of extended lockdown measures. Spurred by Chancellor Merkel’s calls for tighter lockdown measures, German state premiers have agreed upon an extended lockdown with stricter restrictions until December 20, in order to loosen up over Christmas and New Year’s. Hotels, restaurants and gyms are to remain closed, private gatherings shrink to just five people from two households, and masks remain mandatory in public buildings, shops and schools. Proposed Christmas exemptions include increased gathering sizes and church services remaining open. Finalised measures are being discussed in a summit this afternoon.
A car crashed into the gates of Angela Merkel’s office early this morning. A government spokesperson has confirmed that it "caused minor property damage" and that the chancellor and other members of government were "at no point in any danger." Photos from the scene show the words "You damned child and old-people murderer" scrawled in white paint across the driver’s side of the car and "Stop Globalisation politics" on the passenger’s side. The Volkswagen sedan had licence plates from the North Rhine-Westphalia area of Lippe, the same plates of a car involved in a similar accident in 2014. Police have arrested the 54-year-old male suspect involved in the incident.
Mayor proposes firework ban, more Christmas markets cancelled
Mayor Michael Müller’s (SPD) proposal to ban the purchase and detonation of firecrackers and rockets has sparked controversy. With emergency rooms already under strain, the ban was initially suggested to relieve hospitals, protect paramedics and prevent new infections. This proposal also represents significant relief for the fire brigade, who responded to over 1500 emergency calls last year. The police department, already burdened on New Year’s Eve, say they would struggle to enforce the ban. The decision will be discussed at the summit with Chancellor Merkel this afternoon.
More Christmas have been cancelled, following news of the current lockdown being extended until December 20. The Christmas markets at Alexanderplatz and Rotes Rathaus will not take place, and those at Potsdamer Platz are being dismantled after opening at the end of October. "I expect the lockdown to be extended until 20 December. And for the remaining days, no Christmas market is worthwhile anymore," said the organiser of Alexanderplatz and Potsdamer Platz markets. There is some good news, though: organisers in Charlottenburg hope to hold a decentralised version of their popular market, and plan to set up around 25 individulal booths around the neighbourhood.
Date for next election, more Corona financial aid on the horizon
The election to decide who will succeed Angela Merkel as Germany’s chancellor will be held on September 26, 2021. The date was chosen as it lands between August 25 and October 24, the window of time determined by the German constitution, and also coincides with school holidays. In Germany, general elections are held every four years. Angela Merkel will step down after 15 years as chancellor, making her one of the world’s longest-serving heads of state.
Politicians from Berlin’s red-red-green coalition have proposed granting a new wave of financial aid for businesses and individuals affected by the coronavirus crisis, RBB reports. Those measures, which haven’t yet been confirmed, would require Berlin to take on an additional €500 million in debt, which politicians from the FDP have labelled “irresponsible”. The budget will be decided in early December.