Cities tighten mask requirements: the Baltic Sea coast is arming itself against day trippers

Cities tighten mask requirements
Baltic coast is gearing up against day trippers

The mild spring weekend has consequences: Police controls in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania should filter out day trippers from other federal states, day tourists must avoid Usedom. There is a ban on staying in Düsseldorf's old town and many cities are tightening the mask requirement.

The police have drawn attention to the entry ban for the Vorpommern-Greifswald district due to the corona virus. Trips to the island of Usedom are not allowed, except for residents of the district or with good reason, said the police. Day trips or visiting the second home for non-professional reasons were not included. Also at the weekend will be checked again on access roads from Poland, in the district and at its border.

The district prohibits day tourists from entering the country because of the corona infection without good reason. It has had the highest incidences in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for a long time. The number of new infections on Thursday was 121.8 within a week per 100,000 inhabitants. Day trips from other federal states to other parts of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are not permitted in accordance with the Corona state ordinance.

Last weekend, in addition to the approaches to the island of Usedom, the police checked a total of almost 1,800 vehicles in the regions of Boltenhagen (northwest Mecklenburg), Kühlungsborn and on federal road 109 near Pasewalk (Vorpommern-Greifswald). More than 550 vehicles – including from Berlin, Brandenburg, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein – had to turn back. Some also received reports of administrative offenses.

Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia are preparing strict controls

In North Rhine-Westphalia, too, the cities are becoming stricter after the crowd last weekend. More controls have been announced in many places – especially in parks and green spaces. In Düsseldorf, visitors should no longer stop or sit down in the popular old town or on the Rhine. In Cologne and Dortmund, mask requirements apply in some parks at the weekend. Street artists are no longer allowed to perform in Cologne's city center.

Düsseldorf has imposed a "stay ban" for the old town and the nearby banks of the Rhine on the coming weekends until March 14th. This means that it is forbidden for most of the day to stand in the area for a long time, to sit down or to lie on a meadow. In addition, it is mandatory to wear a mask – both for walkers and joggers. The security service wants to control it. A few minutes before the start, the administrative court rejected an urgent application against the "stay ban".

Dortmund expands the mask requirement in the city area. Not only at Lake Phoenix, where many people were recently out and about on warm days, but also in several parks, from Saturday on weekends and public holidays between 12:00 and 18:00, a mask is required on the paths. At the same time, the city appealed to avoid hotspots and instead visit an urban forest, for example. "Even the cemeteries are increasingly used by walkers as places to relax," the city said. Conservationists have long praised cemeteries as green oases.

Cologne residents have to smoke with a mask

Cologne is also relying on more masks: in several parks there is a mask requirement on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. To provide information, the city sends out bicycle rickshaws, who even hand out surgical masks free of charge if necessary. Where a mask is compulsory, the cover may not be removed for smoking. However, this is allowed when eating and drinking while standing or sitting. Street performers are no longer allowed to perform in the city center to prevent crowds.

Bonn is against barriers and restrictions. This would only create a displacement effect. In the still accessible areas, more people would then be on the move, the city explained. However, checks continue to be made at popular excursion destinations. In the Rheinaue, the park on the edge of the former government district, and on the banks of the Rhine, it was recently full, but the day trippers kept their distance. "Wear a mask when in doubt," advised the city.

In Hamburg, too, a stricter mask requirement will apply from Saturday: Due to the increasing number of new infections and rampant corona variants, the red-green Senate will prescribe additional requirements for citizens in busy places from Saturday. The Hanseatic city reacted to the large gatherings of people that could be seen last weekend in spring weather around the Alster, on the Elbe and in the city's parks.

. (tagsToTranslate) Politics (t) Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (t) Corona measures (t) Entry ban (t) Baltic Sea (t) North Rhine-Westphalia (t) Cologne (t) Düsseldorf (t) Bonn