In Cologne, tens of thousands of revelers are expected to kick off the street carnival on Weiberfastnacht. You can also celebrate in Düsseldorf. City and police urge restraint.
Cologne/Düsseldorf – The street carnival in the Rhenish strongholds begins on Thursday (11:11 a.m.) – but different than usual because of the pandemic.
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia has allowed the cities to designate so-called customs zones – jecken can then celebrate there under 2G-plus conditions.
Tens of thousands of revelers are expected in Cologne for Weiberfastnacht: the administration has declared the entire city area a “customs zone”. This means that 2G-plus applies everywhere in public space for carnival participants in the cathedral city. This means that those who have recovered or who have been vaccinated twice need a current negative test or a third vaccination (booster).
In pubs, those who have been boosted must also have a current rapid test. Violations can result in hefty fines. The public order office is to randomly check compliance with the rules. Cologne has lifted the mask requirement outdoors, and there is no need to wear mouth and nose protection in pubs on the carnival days either.
warning from the police
Nevertheless, the celebrants should not go too far, Cologne’s Mayor Henriette Reker (independent) had warned in advance. “I very much hope that everyone is aware that celebrating is subject to certain rules,” she told the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”. The fact that all of Cologne has been declared a “customs zone” should not encourage “now to party completely out of control”.
In Düsseldorf, the police emphasized that the “customs zone” in the old town was not a party zone. “There are obviously misleading interpretations. The customs zone is not an invitation to celebrate,” said police director Dietmar Henning. The city said there was no organized street carnival. The old town restaurateurs are not allowed to operate their outdoor terraces.
There are also “customs zones” in NRW in Bonn and Leverkusen, among other places. dpa
