Government calls for compliance with the ban on contact

Berlin – In view of the spring weather, the federal government warns citizens to keep the ban on contact in the fight against the coronavirus even over Easter.

We must continue to do everything we can to avoid spreading too quickly in Germany. Unfortunately, this also applies to Easter days – as bitter as it is for many families and groups of friends, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) told the German Press Agency. He cautioned that a look beyond our borders showed even more dramatically than we did how deadly the coronavirus was.

Maas was also impressed by how consistently the vast majority of people in Germany have so far adhered to the rules for avoiding contact. “It also shows how great the sense of community and solidarity is in our country. This is exactly what we have to build on to get through this crisis as well as possible. »

However, given the expected spring weather in Holy Week, the citizens of Germany will face special challenges. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), spring temperatures beyond the 20-degree mark are expected almost everywhere in the country and up to 24 degrees along the Rhine.

In her weekly podcast, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) asked people to adhere to the guidelines for reduced public life and fewer contacts. “We will all experience a completely different Easter time than ever before.” In Germany, there are currently extensive contact blocks for citizens, and restaurants, theaters, cinemas, playgrounds and many shops are also closed. Also “national day trips” should be avoided. Some federal states increasingly control such day-trippers.

First statements from the police on Saturday give hope. For example, only a few violations of the ban on contact were registered in Rhineland-Palatinate, as was the case in Saarland – two countries that are particularly affected by the Corona crisis due to their proximity to high-risk regions in France. According to the police, the people in Hesse and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania also initially largely adhered to the contact restrictions.

However, there are always exceptions: In Dusseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, the police and police broke up a crowd. Around 200 people had gathered on the Rhine stairs in the old town on Saturday and enjoyed the weather in groups of two, as a city spokesman said on Sunday. However, the required minimum distance was no longer observed.