Freiburg (dpa / lsw) – The city of Freiburg is issuing a curfew for larger groups due to the corona pandemic. A so-called entry ban for public places should apply from March 21 to April 3, as the city announced on Thursday evening. However, this is not a general curfew, as a spokeswoman explained. If you want to be outdoors, you can do it alone, in pairs or with people who live in your own household. You can also go to work or to the doctor and buy groceries.
The city wants to curb the spread of the virus with the measure. The reason for this is the dramatic location of the neighboring French region of Grand-Est, which also includes Alsace. Freiburg and the region are in a particularly vulnerable region, and neighboring Switzerland is also badly affected, the report said.
According to the new ban, public places should no longer be entered in larger groups. The house or apartment should only be left for urgent matters. A minimum distance of 1.50 meters should be kept from all other people. The current restrictions would initially apply for two weeks. No more people should gather in parks and green areas. But you could continue jogging through Freiburg or ride a mountain bike in the Sternwald, said the city spokeswoman.
“We are aware that this serious decision will have significant restrictions on the life of Freiburg,” said Mayor Martin Horn (impartial). “But as things stand today, protecting the population must take precedence over all other considerations.” The factions in the local council would support the decision.
“We do this for the people to protect them a little bit, but also to protect the neighbors to the right and left next to them, and I think most people will understand this very well and will also do the next 14 accordingly Most of the days stay at home, “said Horn in the evening in the ARD” Tagesthemen “.
Almost a week ago, the city of Freiburg and the neighboring districts prohibited all events from 50 participants up to April 20. However, the city said time and again that people had not complied with this general decree and had not restricted their contacts with others. Especially in the spring temperatures, many citizens spend their free time outdoors in public places, in parks and green areas. The recommended distance between people is often not kept. In such encounters, there is a significant risk that the corona virus will be transmitted. “And the number of infected people is increasing every day.” For example, the past few days have seen many people meet on the Dreisam River, the spokeswoman said.
“Better a clear cut for a short time than a delay of weeks and months,” said Mayor Horn. “It is time to act clearly.” According to the city, 126 people are now infected in Freiburg (as of Thursday morning), and a further 121 people in the neighboring district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald. In Alsace, around 25 kilometers from Freiburg, the situation is dramatic. The available places in intensive care units of the hospitals are fully occupied. In addition, the adjacent French Grand-Est region was classified by the Robert Koch Institute as a risk area – 61 people had already died of the disease there.
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