The Corona virus determines everyday life in NRW. Over 34,000 people have been tested positive for the virus so far. But: Around 29,000 are said to be healthy again.
Slowly but surely is becoming normal NRW returned: Zoos, hairdressers and museums are open again. Since May 7th, there have been further easing measures, for example for playgrounds, sports and schools. A lot is now also changing for restaurants.
Coronavirus in NRW: The latest developments around Covid-19 in the news blog
What decisions does the government make? How does the number of infected people develop? What happens in NRW?
All information, facts and figures about the Corona virus you can get here in our news blog.
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Everything you need to know about the corona virus:
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Here you will be informed live about news, decisions and numbers.
The nursing homes in NRW are worried about the permitted visits on Mother’s Day on Sunday. Visits were prohibited for six weeks – that is now over. That is why the old people’s homes expect “heartbreaking scenes”. Managers needed adequate preparation time to implement the protection requirements, criticized the Federal Association of Private Providers of Social Services with a view to NRW. The opening was only announced on Tuesday, but many homes therefore do not have enough time to implement appropriate hygiene concepts, says Christian Woltering, Managing Director of the Paritaischen Wohlfahrtsverband Nordrhein-Westfalen.
8:05 p.m .: Survey hammer
A lightning survey by the IHK NRW showed that most companies do not expect a quick return to normal.“The results are sobering,” said Ralf Mittelstädt, general manager of IHK NRW. Only every tenth company currently works in normal mode. Only 60 percent expect their businesses to normalize by the end of the year.
6.30 p.m .: Corona infections in a second meat factory in NRW
In addition to a business in the Coesfeld district, there are numerous infections in another meat business in NRW. In Oer-Erkenschwick in the Recklinghausen district, 33 out of 1,250 employees were infected with the corona virus.
The NRW Ministry of Health has ordered that the employees of all slaughterhouses in North Rhine-Westphalia be tested for the virus. In particular, employees who are busy with a contract for work must be tested, said the spokesman for the NRW
17:22: Rheinbahn sets up hygiene tower
Together with Deutsche Bahn and Stadtwerke Düsseldorf, the Rheinbahn installed a hygiene tower on Konrad-Adenauer-Platz at the state capital’s main train station. Passers-by can wash their hands there free of charge. A second tower is located on Heinrich-Heine-Platz in Düsseldorf’s old town.
“We want to make sure that people in our train stations feel comfortable and safe,” says Stephan Boleslawsky, regional division manager at DB Station & Service AG. “The hygiene tower is an additional plus, so that people can better protect themselves in public spaces. So far, customers have been able to wash their hands in the station toilets free of charge, and there is also a disinfectant dispenser at the DB customer information desk.
5:00 p.m .: 953 infected people in Duisburg
There are a total of 953 people in Duisburg who have been infected with the corona virus. 31 people died as a result, 740 people have already recovered.
In addition, the city announces that the minimum distance to points of sale from Essen for consumption will in future be only 25 meters (instead of 50 meters). A face mask must now also be worn in queues.
4:05 pm: No other region near the upper limit
The upper limit for easing the measures is 50 infected per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days. Apart from Coesfeld, there is currently no other region to worry about. Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann said.
3:55 p.m .: Meat shop in Coesfeld is closed
The meat business affected by a particularly large number of corona infections is temporarily closed. The supply is still guaranteed, according to Agriculture Minister Ursula Heinen-Esser.
3:40 p.m .: No easing in Coesfeld for the time being
The easing of measures in the corona crisis will be postponed by a week in the Coesfeld district. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia announced on Friday. Only the children will be able to go to school and kindergarten like all other children in NRW. The slack loosening will take effect on May 18 instead of May 11. Infected and their direct contacts are in quarantine, said health minister Karl-Josef Laumann at a press conference.
3:00 p.m .: City of Oberhausen with an urgent request
Relatives are allowed to visit residents in nursing homes from Sunday – however, the city of Oberhausen has an urgent request: Visits should be agreed with the homes and registered. “We all have to support the facilities in protecting the most vulnerable people in the homes from infection,” said Michael Jehn, head of the crisis management team.
May 10 is Mother’s Day – therefore a particularly large crowd is expected after the visit ban.
2:50 p.m .: Bathing pond in Marl will be closed this summer
In the summer months, more than 1000 outdoor swimming enthusiasts enjoy the good weather at the swimming pond just outside the chemical park. Due to the corona crisis, the outdoor pool will not be able to open as planned this summer – the state government has prohibited meetings of 1,000 people or more until the end of August. In addition, there is the currently valid general ban on operating facilities for sports facilities and bathing establishments. “We regret that we will not be able to open the bathing pond to visitors this year, but due to the current situation and the existing regulations, opening the bathing pond is not responsible,” said Michael Appel, Head of North Health Management at Evonik Technology & Infrastructure GmbH.
In addition to the ban on opening and assembly described above, regulating the distance in the outdoor area of the bathing pond is a challenge and cannot be depicted in the changing rooms in particular.
13.55: man spits on policemen and calls “Corona”
In Datteln, a man went nuts and insulted passers-by in the city center. When the police arrived, the situation escalated completely. The man spat on the officers and shouted that he had Corona. You can read the whole article here.
12.16 p.m .: All employees in slaughterhouses are tested on Corona
After the corona outbreak among the employees of a meat processing company in Coesfeld, the employees of all slaughterhouses in North Rhine-Westphalia are to be tested for the virus. Government spokesman Christian Wiermer announced on Friday.
11.25 a.m .: All children are allowed to go back to daycare from June
Three groups of children can come back to daycare and day care from May 14th. The NRW family minister Joachim Stamp (FDP) announced on Friday in Düsseldorf. From May 28th, all preschool children who have not yet been included in the three groups will follow. The three groups are: preschool children with special needs, all children with disabilities and all two-year-olds.
From June onwards, all children in North Rhine-Westphalia should be allowed to return to daycare centers for at least two days a week before the summer break.
10:52 am: Police worry about gathering fans at football matches
The police union in NRW fears unauthorized fan gatherings around the stadiums or in the city centers, after the Bundesliga should now go on.
The NRW law enforcement officers, who had always spoken out against ghost games, are particularly critical of the evening games. “If you are playing again, at least such difficulties have to be avoided. We have absolutely no understanding for evening games in the Bundesliga, ”said Deputy GdP State Chairman NRW, Michael Maatz, of the“ Rheinische Post ”(Friday). “The games go into the dark. This makes it more difficult for us to control groups and what is happening. That is why we are even more against these seasons.
Bundesliga representatives and the DFL do not see the danger of the accumulations.
9.40 a.m .: Coesfeld exceeds the limit
The Coesfeld district, which is particularly affected by the coronavirus, is the first in North Rhine-Westphalia to face new restrictions in the pandemic. According to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the limit of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week has been exceeded. It was 52.7 on Friday night.
The federal and state governments had agreed on Wednesday that numerous restrictions on public life that had been imposed in the wake of the Corona crisis would be relaxed again, but if this limit was exceeded, a restriction concept would have to be implemented immediately. How Coesfeld now deals with it is still unclear.
9.15 a.m .: BAP singer warns of conspiracy theories
Wolfgang Niedecken (69) fears that right-wing populists could use the corona crisis to undermine democracy. “They will try to drive a wedge into the population, play different groups against each other and spread conspiracy theories,” said the BAP singer of the German Press Agency in Cologne.
“We have to stand up against this.” Niedecken sees parallels between the strengthening of right-wing populist parties today and the rise of the National Socialists.
7.55 a.m .: Nursing homes expect heartbreaking scenes
The rapid opening of the NRW retirement homes after a long ban on visits on Mother’s Day has met with skepticism and criticism from institutions in the state. Managers needed adequate preparation time to implement the protection requirements, criticized the Federal Association of Private Providers of Social Services with a view to NRW.
“In a short time, many homes cannot implement any corresponding hygiene concepts,” said Christian Woltering, managing director at the Parity Welfare Association of North Rhine-Westphalia on Thursday. “We fear that on Sunday there will be heartbreaking scenes when relatives have to drive away again without having seen the residents.” The crisis is extremely tense anyway, said Woltering.
6.30 a.m .: Tourists can go back to Holland
The Netherlands has also eased measures to contain the corona pandemic and has presented a plan to gradually return to normal. From May 11, primary schools and day care centers will be opened. Hairdressers and beauty salons can again receive customers and, to a limited extent, restaurants, cafés, museums and theaters. “We are in the transition phase to one and a half meters of society,” said Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday evening in The Hague. What does that mean for the neighbors in North Rhine-Westphalia and the Holland vacation?
Tourists are allowed to travel to the popular Dutch holiday areas again from July 1st. Then all campsites and holiday parks can be fully opened again. Until now, this was only possible to a limited extent, and showers and toilets on campsites also had to remain closed.
Thursday May 7th
8.45 p.m .: 129 corona infected people at meat factory in Westphalia
Violent corona outbreak in Coesfeld! On Thursday, 129 infected people were recorded in the “Westfleisch” meat factory. 13 would be treated in the hospital. This was announced by a spokesman for the Coesfeld district. All around 1,200 employees are to be tested on Covid-19, 200 have already been tested. All infected people and their contact persons are in quarantine at home. Fever is measured contactlessly at the factory gate in order to quickly identify suspected cases. Production continues to run to a reduced extent.
8.30 p.m .: NRW has 1,371 deaths
According to the NRW Ministry of Health, the most populous state has 1,371 deaths. The number increased from Wednesday to Thursday by 14. In addition, the number of infections increased to 34,233.
7.30 p.m .: Seriously ill Italians are treated in Bochum – then the tears flow
Claudio Facoetti was flown to Bochum, seriously ill, under artificial respiration with an Air Force aircraft. The 65-year-old Italian from Bergamo had been in an artificial coma for ten days. In the meantime Claudio Facoetti has not only left the intensive care unit of the Bochum University Hospital St.-Josef-Hospital, but he has another reason to be happy and to look forward with a positive mood. >> READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE!
6.30 p.m .: Bomb defuser unpacks – “In times of Corona we have to …”
A total of 2,160 bombs were found in NRW in 2019. They had to be defused or blown up. This requires specially trained bomb defusers. In this precarious job in particular, there are some problems due to the corona crisis. >> HERE YOU CAN READ THE WHOLE STORY!
2:50 p.m .: Vacation apartments, amusement parks, hotels and swimming pools: this is the timetable
May 11: It is possible to stay in holiday apartments, amusement parks are allowed to open, excursion boats leave
May 18: Overnight stays of tourists from Germany in hotels are permitted – businesses should be able to prepare for guests before Ascension Day
May 30th: Thermal baths and swimming pools are allowed to open, small guided tours are to be possible again and subject-specific trade fairs are allowed
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2:40 pm: Restaurants and hotels – regulations for opening
A number of people is not intended for hotels and restaurants, but tables should be at least 1.5 meters apart. In addition, there should be a registration by name in order to understand infection chains. Bars, discotheques and clubs remain closed, however, if the minimum distance cannot be implemented. However: “Any pub” that can track, assign seats and guarantee the minimum distance may open. It is important to allow “no close social contacts” now.
There should be no corona-related restrictions on opening hours and no limit on the length of stay for visitors. Reservations are not mandatory. Seats would have to be disinfected after leaving the guests.
1.00 p.m .: Special rules for the Ruhr area – is there a threat of a complete lockdown?
On Wednesday, the federal government and the federal states jointly decided that there should be a limit on new infections in future, which will involve more intervention in regions and counties. This is 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants per day. However, one sentence at the press conference of Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) worries about the Ruhr area.
North Rhine-Westphalia is in a “special situation”. “We have cities and rural regions. In a city, a high number of infections is of course more dangerous because it spreads faster. In the Ruhr area, one city merges into the other. ”Therefore, it doesn’t help“ to have only one health office in view ”, but also always the effects on the neighboring cities.
It is unclear whether Laschet now wants the Ruhr area to be counted as a district, the cities should be assessed individually, or the infection limit in the Ruhr area should be set higher. In the worst case, however, it could also mean that if a large number of new infections occur in a city in the Ruhr area, the entire region could face another lockdown.
