As of Tuesday night, the officially confirmed number of Corona infections in Berlin lies at 7081.
- There have been 7081 confirmed cases in Berlin to date.
- So far, 6531 people have been declared recovered from Covid-19.
- Of those infected, 3487 are male, 3589 are female. Five did not specify their gender.
- 132 people are currently in hospital as a result of the virus, 42 are in intensive care.
- The total number of casualties lies at 206, 14 of them were under 60 years of age. The average age of the deceased was 81.
- Today’s R number* lies at 1.06, the number of weekly new infections per 100,000 Berliners is at 4.9, and only 3.4 percent of ICU beds are taken up by Covid-19 patients.
*The R number is the average number of people an individual with the virus infects. While a useful indicator of how fast Covid-19 is spreading, the number can be skewed by small local clusters of infections.
No more distancing in schools, infected kids and kitas to return full-force
After another momentous session, the Senat is making a somewhat unexpected move: While an end to officially mandated social distancing has yet to be declared, schools will no longer have to observe the 1.5m distance rule after the summer holidays. Education Senator Sandra Scheeres (SPD) said without adjusting Corona containment regulations, it wouldn’t be possible to get back to the normal school routine. Exceptions will be made for PE and music lessons, and class trips will be allowed.
Meanwhile, 50 pupils and teachers of Spandau’s Christoph Földerich elementary school had to be sent into quarantine after five kids were tested positive for the coronavirus. In Neukölln two more school kids are suspected to have caught Corona. The Senat’s education office has said the cases might be related as all concerned kids are Romanian and attended the same religious ceremony over a week ago.
Kitas are to get back to full capacity this month. The Senat has decided that child care is to return to normal by the 22nd of the month. Steps towards this full reopening are supposed to be taken from June 15. Some parents’ associations such as Kitakrise don’t believe the promise can be kept as teachers belonging to at-risk groups might not yet be available to work. So far, only the four to six-year-olds are back at their kitas, in many cases for only four hours per day.
Curfew for bars and restaurant lifted, no mask fines and demo decision
Happy hour for bars, casinos and restaurants: The Senat has just scrapped the restrictions for opening hours to 6am to 11pm. An innkeeper had complained about the curfew at the administrative court, which according to RBB information was going to declare the restriction unlawful. Now city government beat the judges to the punch (see what we did there?).
Also on the Senat’s agenda for the day was the question whether there should be a fine for not wearing a mask on public transport. The topic was back on the table because Berliners seem to be getting less diligent when it comes to keeping their mouths and noses under wraps. The Senators decided against introducing fines, instead the S-Bahn and BVG are supposed to up the frequency of their (already pretty frequent) announcements. C’mon people, wear the blimmin things!
After politicians such as the Green’s Antje Kapek demanded the Senat put together a concept for safe demonstrations in Corona times, the Interior Office said that the government won’t tell protesters how to protest. Police would continue to oversee demonstrations and make announcements encouraging distancing, but not use more drastic measures such as water cannons. Now that restrictions have been lifted, the Senat has made it clear that demonstrators are responsible for their own Corona safety.
CSD demo announced, musical police and more diversion
Speaking of demonstrations: After the official CSD has been moved online, a queer pride demonstration has been announced for June 27. The LGBTIQ+ activists behind the protest have stated that discrimination has to be fought in the street where it occurs. So far no route has been announced, but here’s the Facebook event for you to bookmark.
Berin’s police can do more than monitor demonstrations and fight crime: last night they dropped their latest single “Wir lassen keinen hier allein (Corona Song)” (“We’re not leaving anyone here alone”) – plus a music video! Written and sung by criminal investigator Sebastian Stipp (who has previously appeared on The Voice Germany) and recorded with the Berlin Police Orchestra, this piece is so entertaining we couldn’t not share it:
More fun news for outings and entertainment: Potsdam’s Sanssouci Castle reopened today and 258 visitors – the maximum admitted per day – took advantage. Also open as of today are the Schloss Charlottenburg and its New Pavillion. If castles are not your thing, maybe you’re interested in the Astor Film Lounge open-air cinema on Stilwerk’s rooftop terrace on Ku’damm. From Friday on and for €39 a pop you get Flammkuchen, popcorn and a drink along with your ticket.
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