German politicians have threatened citizens with a complete lockdown unless they get serious about coronavirus.
On Thursday, Germany registered nearly 15,000 infections, up 28 per cent on Wednesday, with 43 deaths to date.
As scores of Germans shrug off their rule-abiding reputation – working from home with friends and ice cream in the park – Berlin’s mild-mannered mayor Michael Müller warned people to embrace social distancing or face home confinement.
“People still don’t get it,” fumed Müller. “I don’t want to rule out that further steps will follow in the next days, and a ban on going out will play a role.”
It’s not just a Berlin phenomenon: in the western city of Cologne on Thursday, park wardens were attacked after they tried to break up barbecues on the banks of the Rhine river.
In Munich, as locals sunbathed and played volleyball on the banks of the Isar river, Bavarian state premier Markus Söder threatened to follow the example of France, Italy and Spain.
“If enough people don’t restrict themselves of their own accord,” said Söder, “then a state-wide curfew is the only instrument as reaction.”
Police in Germany’s major cities are hard-pressed to tackle impromptu parties in parks. They have their hands full policing the full closure of shops and limited opening hours of cafes and restaurants.
The Irish lock-in
In the middle of Berlin’s liberal lockdown one bar owner appears to have discovered the Irish lock-in.
After a tip-off on Wednesday evening, police raided a bar in the western city centre that was not as dark as it appeared. Instead of closing its doors after 6pm, as new rules demand, the windows were covered in sticky film normally used to shade car windows. The lock-in was broken up and the bar owner faces a fine.
Prof Isabella Heuser-Collier, chief therapist at Berlin’s Charité hospital, suggested the continued public gatherings were a case of “egotism combined with limited imagination”.
“These people simply cannot understand that they have a responsibility,” she told ZDF television.
As German politicians grapple with rebellious citizens and possible curfews, Germans courts are struggling with far-reaching legal consequences of the epidemic.
As coronavirus begins to disrupt hearings, the federal government is racing to extend from three weeks to three months the length of time between court sittings before a case has to be restarted.
The constitutional court in Karlsruhe has already postponed until May this week’s planned ruling on ECB bond-buying in the euro crisis – just as the Frankfurt banks restarts the practice to counteract the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis.
Plague
On Thursday the epidemic claimed its most prominent victim to date: Jesus Christ. Every 10 years since 1634 in the Bavarian town of Oberammergau, locals have recreated his last days in thanks for having being spared the plague. A decade ago the world’s most famous passion play attracted 450,000 visitors. Fearing a new plague, however, residents have postponed this year’s edition until 2022.
Director Christian Stückl said: “The risk of a new chain of infections is simply too high.”
