As of Wednesday night, the officially confirmed number of Corona infections in Berlin lies at 7474.
- There have been 8020 confirmed cases in Berlin to date.
- So far, 6920 people have been declared recovered from Covid-19.
- Of those infected so far, 3937 are male, 4075 are female. Eight did not specify their gender.
- 120 people are currently in hospital as a result of the virus, 39 are in intensive care.
- The total number of casualties lies at 212, 15 of them were under 60 years of age. The average age of the deceased was 81.
- Today’s R number* lies at 1.32, the number of weekly new infections per 100,000 Berliners is at 13.63, with 2.8 percent of ICU beds 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.
Friedrichshain apartment block quarantined, millions more download Corona app
Another apartment block has been quarantined. This time it’s in Friedrichshain, where 44 residents tested positive for Covid-19. Many children live in the block on Straße der Pariser Kommune, but the local authorities have so far not confirmed how many Kitas or schools will have to take precautions. Tests will be made available at schools attended by the infected children. It’s unknown if this outbreak is linked to the larger outbreak last week in Neukölln.
Around12 million people have downloaded the Corona-App since it was launched just over a week ago, new figures show. While there was initial backlash regarding it’s unavailability on older smartphones, it is still deemed a success with the hope of even more people downloading and using the app over the next few weeks. Network providers have announced that they will not charge their customers Corona-App’s internet usage.
Doctors fight coronavirus test price drop, Berlin won’t restrict travellers from locked-down German region
Doctors are fighting a price drop for Corona tests. From July 1st, tests prescribed by doctors in public practices are set to cost €39.40 instead or the previous €59. The Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV) is now protesting against this change and is proceeding to take legal action in order to keep the price at its “appropriate price”. Whether they will be successful is left to be seen, but their protests may result in the change being postponed.
Berlin will not restrict entry to travellers from Güterloh in North-Rhine Westphalia, where the lockdown was reintroduced after infection numbers increased due to Covid-19 outbreak at a meat processing plant. The “new” regulations there are set to last for one week for now. While people from Güterloh will not be inhibited from entering Berlin, they have been advised only to travel outside if absolutely necessary and to get tested if they do.
Berlin marathon officially cancelled, Keanu Reeves back in Berlin for filming
The Berlin Marathon 2020 has officially been cancelled. After assessing the options, including proposing special hygiene regulations, the event firm SCC announced that the Berlin Marathon will not take place. This is due to the regulation that inhibits gatherings of over 5000 until October 24th. The marathon, which would have been September 26th and 27th, will not be postponed until a later date, as it simply won’t be able to fulfil the hygiene requirements to accommodate the current situation.
Keanu Reeves has arrived in Berlin for the second attempt at filming Matrix 4. Filming stopped in Berlin in March due to the pandemic. In a sign of things approaching normality, filming is due to begin in a few days time at the Babelsberg Filmpark in Brandenburg. The film’s stars, Neil Patrick Harris and Keanu Reeves, arrived in Berlin on Sunday. Hopefully they will be able to complete filming this time and the film will be released as scheduled in 2021.
[We’re raising money to help get back to print. Visit our Startnext campaign here.]