As of Tuesday night, the officially confirmed number of Corona infections in Berlin lies at 1425.
Tonight’s count of Corona infections in Berlin lies at 1425, which is up 17 percent from Monday. Among the infected are 791 men and 632 women tested positive. Isolated and treated in hospital are 122 patients, 26 are in intensive care and the rest are quarantined at home.
More police checks and Twitter consultations
As the police are trying to enforce official Corona restrictions on businesses today, they found 53 violations by fast food places and bakeries. Thirty-seven eateries and shops were ordered to close immediately, 43 police reports were filed throughout the day. Last night, as many as 64 violations were found.
When it comes to the ‘contact ban’, Berlin police are using their Twitter to explain the finer details of the regulations to concerned Berliners. One of today’s tweets stated, "True beauty comes from within!" as home visits for hairdressing and other cosmetics are forbidden (parlours are closed as of this week). In general the police noted that Berliners were mostly observing the safety measures.
Problems with medical equipment supplies
Despite only a few of the first patients arriving in Berlin’s hospitals with coronavirus, 80 percent of the intensive care beds are currently occupied. The city is hoping to double the amount of available beds with the planned Corona Hospital and has requested over 1000 of the 10,000 ventilators ordered by the Federal Ministry of Health. The Morgenpost reported from today’s press conference at the Abgeordnetenhaus in Mitte.
Health Senator Kalayci also announced that Berlin’s centres were aiming to increase testing for the coronavirus from 3000 to 10,000 per day, however people with symptoms, medical staff and members of high risk groups would still be given priority.
The Berlin-wide Corona hotline is so maxed out that the city is now asking concerned Berliners to call their district’s health offices instead if they suspect they have caught the virus. Remember to not just go to a testing centre, but to ring your local hotline first.
The Senator described the general procurement of protective wear as difficult, and the chairman of the healthcare committee, Wolfgang Albers, reported that a breathing mask which would have previously cost 70 cents now costs between €7 to €12 due to the crisis.
No more evictions and shelters for homeless
Justice Senator Dirk Behrendt (Greens) has announced there will be no evictions carried out until at least April 19, the Morgenpost reports. Cut-offs due to outstanding invoices for gas, water or electricity are also suspended for the time being. Behrendt elaborated that in these times of crisis, nobody should lose their home or have to be without heating.
The Senat wants to create shelters for 350 homeless people in the Corona crisis. A youth hostel in Kluckstraße, Mitte, will be rented for 200 people to stay in, while a city-owned property on Storkower Straße is to be converted to house another 150 homeless. As Social Senator Elke Breitenback (Linke) explained today, these spaces will be kept open 24/7.
Airport issues and relocation business booming
After a 90 percent decrease in traffic at Berlin’s airports, the Berlin-Brandenburg airport association is reducing the hours of 2200 employees to avoid making them redundant. They have promised to add to the state funded short-time working benefits (Kurzarbeitergeld, which is 60 percent of the net income) so employees receive between 80 and 90 percent of their regular income.
At the same time, the airport association’s management is discussing the temporary closure of one of Berlin’s airports, the Tagesspiegel reports. For Tegel, which was supposed to close in October upon the inauguration of Schönefeld’s BER, this could be the final curtain. Whether BER will actually open this year is another matter - safety tests had to be halted due to the pandemic.
While many businesses struggle to keep going despite the Corona disaster, some relocation companies are benefiting from the current ‘contact ban’ prohibiting meetings of more than two people at a time outside the household. The Tagesspiegel spoke to several services who confirmed business was going very well for them. One, however, admitted they while they were trying to adhere to high hygiene standards, they simply could not wear protective masks while panting from carrying washing machines.
Solidarity corner
An online petition to Mayor Müller arguing for further protection for daycare providers offering emergency daycare has gained 8500 supporters within a few hours. Kita workers who are providing care for children of essential services in Berlin have stated that the conditions of their work are not in line with the new social distancing measures. The petition demands that Saturday’s decision to extend emergency care to include families with only one parent in ‘’systemically relevant professions’’ be revoked. They’d still have to change nappies and not have protective clothing, but less virus-spreading toddlers on their hands.
Meanwhile the app-based initiative CoronaCare started by German Focus magazine has started to hang articles of food or clothing on fences for homeless people to collect around Friedrichshain, Neukölln and Kreuzberg. They forgot to tell the BSR who disposed of the items on Neukölln’s Herrfurthstraße. According to Tagesspiegel they have issued an apology and promised to stay informed about where the donation fences are located.
Ride share service Berlkönig is offering free rides to and from work for “the heroes of our city”, namely professionals in the health sector. The Senat has decided to not extend Berlkönig’s contract between US company ViaVan and the BVG, so these solidarity rides might be the service’s final mission (and, as was always the problem with Berlkönig, their radius remains limited to the inner city).
Only a few days after the local medical association (Ärztekammer) called on all medically trained Berliners to help manage the Corona crisis, 160 doctors have come forward. Now the association needs to figure out who can be used where and has asked the Senat to help coordinate the effort.