In view of the sharp rise in the number of infections with the coronavirus, the Robert Koch Institute advocates avoiding larger events or canceling them entirely. The culture industry is concerned.
Hamburg / Berlin – The concert and event industry reacted with incomprehension to the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) to avoid or even cancel larger events.
“More than the 2G restriction is currently not possible,” said Jens Michow, President of the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV), on Friday of the German Press Agency. Since there will probably never be a 100 percent vaccination, there will always be a residual risk in all public spaces. “That is why we will always have to live with the residual risk that people who have been vaccinated can still be infectious.”
“Of course, our top priority is to protect our visitors from infection,” said Michow. But the concert and event industry has just concentrated on the implementation of the 2G model and only planned events under 2G. “We are able to ensure compliance with this rule without exception. It is difficult for us to understand that the 2G model should not be sufficient again, ”said the association president. If necessary, the industry could also live with “2G Plus”, which means that those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered would also have to present a negative rapid test result.
“The event industry had hoped to finally be less dependent on government aid,” said Michow. “But if we now have to cancel larger events again, it is all the more necessary that the bridging aid 3 is extended at least until the end of June and then to a larger extent.”
The President of the German Stage Association and Hamburg Senator for Culture, Carsten Brosda (SPD), spoke out in favor of a strict 2G regime for cultural events. “Of course the development is alarming and we have to continue to be careful,” said Brosda of the dpa in Hamburg. “If the incidence values among the unvaccinated are 20 times as high as among the vaccinated, then it is easy to see where we have to start. It therefore makes sense that there is now a strict 2G regime in many places. This means that cultural events can currently be carried out appropriately and safely, ”said the Senator for Culture.
Cinema operator Christian Bräuer called for a differentiated debate. The increase in the number of infections is worrying, said Bräuer on Friday in Berlin. He is the head of the arthouse cinema association AG Kino. “It is understandable that all options are checked.” What bothers him is the general equation of interiors. “Not all bars are created equal,” said Bräuer. It is not taken into account whether a room has ventilation systems, for example. People behaved differently in cinemas than in bars, for example.
Wieler had said that, for greater containment, the number of people at large events should be reduced or a ban should be considered. He did not name a specific upper limit. “We know that so-called superspreader events take place especially indoors.” One should also consider closing bars or clubs in particularly polluted regions.
In Berlin, only those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered will have access to many places from Monday. 2G will then also apply to cinemas. In any case, only a few tested people came to their cinemas, said Bräuer. “I’m afraid we won’t advance the vaccination campaign like this.” Politicians must see how they educate people and convince people of the vaccination, perhaps also through education in the cinemas.
The Managing Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) spoke out in favor of introducing the “2G plus” principle for public events – ie access only for vaccinated and convalescent people who also have to present a current test. The head of the cinema association is skeptical – the idea worries him, said Bräuer. “We would feel that massively.” He also demanded that there should be no new lockdown under any circumstances. dpa
