Despite the pandemic: North Sea locations fear tourist rush: “We are not putting out beach chairs”
Feet in the sand, heads in the sun, a fresh breeze from the sea. What could be so beautiful at Easter on the North and Baltic Seas should be canceled due to Corona. The vacation spots in Schleswig-Holstein fear that too many people might come.
Shortly before Easter, the mood in the Schleswig-Holstein seaside resorts is rather subdued. Where tens of thousands of guests are usually welcomed, this year there is concern about people arriving despite the corona pandemic.
Owners who do not use their holiday apartments and houses themselves may give them to relatives or friends free of charge. The mayor of the municipality of Sylt, Nikolas Häckel, appeals to everyone to stay at home.
What is allowed in the north at Easter according to the Corona state ordinance?
Contacts outside of one’s own household are to be limited to what is necessary. A household and one other person are allowed to meet. Overall, the number is limited to five people, children are not included.
There is a tourist accommodation ban. Only those who travel for professional or medical reasons are allowed to stay overnight in hotels, guest houses and other quarters.
Amusement parks and swimming pools remain closed. Museums, memorials, libraries, archives, botanical gardens, animal parks, wildlife parks, aquariums, fishing ponds, beach chair rentals, tanning salons and zoos can open. There is a restriction on the number of visitors per area, contact details must be collected.
In the districts of Segeberg and Pinneberg as well as the city of Flensburg, the shops have to switch to “Click & Collect” because the incidence has risen to more than 100.
How is the situation in North Frisia?
Sylt’s mayor Häckel expects more arrivals on Easter days despite the tourist accommodation ban. His wish: if you travel to your second home, you should be tested regularly.
“Day guests should also please test themselves – we have set up a test station right at the Westerland train station,” said Häckel. He also announced that he would continue to monitor the existing ban on accommodation.
St. Peter-Ording also expects more second home owners and long-term campers, depending on the weather. The community appeals to the guests to adhere to the Corona rules, to wear masks and to specifically go to places that are little frequented.
In addition, campers are strongly advised not to travel to St. Peter-Ording, as there are no parking spaces. “Wild camping is forbidden and is punished with fines of 100 euros plus processing fee,” said Tourism Director Katharina Schirmbeck.
It is mandatory to wear a mask on the pier. There should be increased controls on the Easter weekend. Day tourism is not prohibited, but the municipality points out that there is only a very limited offer on site. No outdoor catering is offered “and we have not put out any beach chairs”.
The district of North Friesland extended the general decree on the mask requirement on streets and squares in the district and added regulations for the municipality of Sylt.
How do coastal towns on the Baltic Sea react?
In the Ostholstein district, too, the obligation to wear mouth and nose protection has been expanded for some places. Masks are now required in Burg on Fehmarn as well as in the Burgstaaken and Orth marinas on the Baltic Sea island. The same applies to the Grömitz marina. In Scharbeutz and Timmendorfer Strand, masks must also be worn on Easter Monday. Previously, this obligation only applied on weekends.
There are around 3800 second homes in Grömitz. According to the Grömitz Tourist Service, it cannot be determined whether they are actually only used by the owners and their families. There, as in Timmendorfer Strand, the police and the public order office will be out on the holidays.
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fwi / dpa