How the Easter weekend went in Berlin

The new contact restrictions in Berlin were largely observed over the Easter weekend. The cool weather probably played an important role in this.

Although the sun attracted many people to parks and waters in the capital. The police, however, had largely no problems during their controls, but registered some violations of the Corona rules. Larger parties in parks at night were absent in view of temperatures in the single digits.

On Saturday, officers counted about 190 misdemeanors and 20 criminal charges related to Corona rules, according to police. In Berlin-Lichtenberg, police broke up a party with 47 revelers. In Reinickendorf, officers broke up two different birthday parties with nine and 14 guests. Nowhere was distance kept or mouth-nose protection worn.

To attend church services, worshippers had to show a negative Corona test. In Berlin Cathedral, for example, the Protestant bishop Christian Stäblein had to preach to largely empty pews on Sunday, and a stream was supposed to remedy the situation.

The test rule has also given the retail sector empty stores. "The occupancy rate was between two and ten percent," the chief executive of the Berlin-Brandenburg trade association, Nils Busch-Petersen, told dpa on Saturday. "It's no good like this, it can't be a model for longer." The costs would be too high for such a demand. "Actually, we would have to close the place," he paraphrased the mood in many homes.

Interior Senator Andreas Geisel intends to insist on compliance with the nighttime contact restrictions that have been in place in the city since Friday. "We are now on the weekend every night with three squads of hundreds of police on the road to give it a little more emphasis," said the SPD politician on RBB Inforadio.

According to the Senate administration, 700 forces were deployed. About 10,000 people were approached on the first two days, he said. "The most important tool for the police is the word," Geisel said.

Photo by Adam Vradenburg