Clubs and concert organizers are particularly affected by Corona. Health Minister Spahn felt the anger in the industry in a Berlin club.
Berlin – Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) emphasized the role of vaccination in an interview with the club and culture industry, which was hard hit by Corona.
When asked about prospects for the industry, Spahn said the safest condition for society was a vaccination rate of well over 80 percent. “Then we would be pretty sure through autumn and winter.” The prerequisite: “As long as the thing does not change again” – so no new variants appear. Currently, more than 60 percent of people in Germany are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Closed for 18 months
He couldn’t give a date. He underlined how unpredictable the situation is. “I can’t tell you what December is.” Spahn is skeptical about a “Freedom Day” for a general opening like in Great Britain. He was open to model projects of the clubs that could make indoor dancing possible.
Spahn met at the Kreuzberg “Ritter Butzke” with representatives of the club, culture and event industry. This has been suffering particularly badly from the consequences of the pandemic for the last 18 months. The interiors of the Berlin clubs have been largely paralyzed since March 2020.
The conversation, which was moderated by CDU Bundestag candidate Kevin Kratzsch, was heated at times. “I know clubs, I’ll say it again, whether you trust me or not, better than you think,” said Spahn when he was accused of not knowing how the industry works. “I’m angry to the point,” said Marcus Pohl, who spoke for the self-employed in the event industry. His association got no reaction when he turned to Spahn.
Model projects encourage courage
Spahn emphasized: “It is the worst crisis in our country’s existence.” With regard to the Corona measures, he said: “We do not preach truth, we weigh up.” And: “The virus is the spoilsport, not the health minister.”
For a model project with PCR tests together with the Charité, several Berlin clubs were recently allowed to open for a weekend despite the ongoing pandemic. The result is seen as encouraging in the club scene.
Spahn admitted that he had not yet known the result and was open. If these model projects show that it is safe, then operation should be made possible again, step by step. You don’t have to limit things any longer than necessary, nobody has fun with it. The chairman of the Berlin Club Commission, Pamela Schobeß, said it was also about the attitude towards life. “We can do something to make people feel better.” Dpa
