How could clubs reopen despite the pandemic? Berlin’s Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer wants to test this with a pilot project.
Berlin – Several clubs in Berlin should be allowed to reopen inside for a pilot project – guests should go to the PCR test in advance.
The project, with scientific support from the Charité, is intended to show whether and how dance events in clubs “can be safely possible in the future even under pandemic conditions,” said the Senate Cultural Administration.
Six clubs should take part, including the Kitkat, the Renate and the SO36 in Kreuzberg. The project is scheduled to run from Friday evening to Sunday noon (August 6th to 8th). Around 2000 visitors are admitted. They should be examined for the coronavirus in advance using PCR instead of rapid tests.
All must go through the test strategy
For example, no distinction should be made between whether people have already been vaccinated. All would have to go through the proposed test strategy, it said in the message. Berlin had already launched a pilot project for culture in March. At that time, for example, the Philharmonic played in front of around 1,000 people despite lockdowns.
Unlike in concert halls and theaters, neither distance rules nor a mask requirement can be implemented during a club night, the Senate Administration said. That is why the “generation of a temporary SARS-CoV-2-free cohort” for 48 hours is the most important component of the pilot event. Those who take part should be tested again a few hours before the start of the project and a few days afterwards.
Dancing indoors is not allowed
The Berlin clubs had to close a year and a half ago to contain the spread of the corona virus. With #UnitedWeStream, they have long broadcast music from empty dance floors into many living rooms. In the meantime, it is allowed to dance again on the outside, in compliance with hygiene regulations. Dance events have not yet been allowed inside.
“We are very happy that we can carry out this pilot project,” said Pamela Schobeß from the Berlin Club Commission.
The tickets for the “Clubculture Reboot” pilot project are to be sold online. The links to this would be advertised through the clubs involved, for example via Internet platforms or newsletters, said a spokesman for the club commission. The tickets cost 15 euros. In addition, there is a 10 euro deposit, which you should get back during the follow-up test. The project is subsidized by the Senate Culture Administration.
DJs and the long night of vaccinations
The club commission also plans the long nights of vaccination in August. In the Treptower Arena you should be able to get vaccinated on August 9th, 11th and 13th in the evening. To do this, DJs who have helped out in the vaccination center themselves, as a spokesman for the club commission said. In Berlin, around half of the population is fully vaccinated. The number of new infections with the corona virus has risen again in recent weeks.
From the Senate Administration’s point of view, clubs need more predictability. Opening steps for them may not be sustainable as long as they are strictly linked to incidence. The lack of plannability posed a problem for the industry – this could be solved by “scientifically based models”, said the Senate Department of Culture Senator Klaus Lederer (left). dpa
