“Great view, isn’t it?” Asks the young man, the ironic undertone cannot be ignored. Together with his girlfriend, he sits on the wall on the Kennedyufer early on Saturday evening, where they want to watch the slowly falling sunset – but not on the steps of the Rhine boulevard as planned, but behind barriers.
Since Wednesday, the city has sealed off the popular staircase on the Deutz bank of the Rhine with barriers to protect against infection – according to the administration, too many people had last been there without observing the applicable corona protective measures. Normally the closure is from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., over Easter the shift was in the shaft from 12 noon. The young couple knew nothing about it, but most of the Cologne residents did, only a few are now there. A spokeswoman for the city said on Monday: “Overall, it was a quiet weekend.” Among other things, the sometimes cool weather could have been a reason.
No lingering on Brussels Square
The city also pulled the rip cord at other popular meeting places shortly before the holidays and issued a ban on staying in Brussels Square and the surrounding streets, for example. Sitting down and standing still is prohibited there with immediate effect and initially until April 19, Monday to Friday from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Saturday to Sunday and on days before public holidays from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The law enforcement officers and their colleagues don’t have much to do anyway, and there are no large gatherings in the Belgian Quarter that evening shortly after 6 p.m. A couple of parents are with their children on the playground next to St. Michael’s Church, which is exempt from the prohibition to stay. Also at the Aachener Weiher there are hardly any larger groups, it looks similar on the Alfred-Schütte-Allee in Poll.
In the past few weeks, the car tuner and racer scene had increasingly met there under the gaze of numerous onlookers, and there is also a ban on staying. In addition, the street is only open to motor vehicle traffic and a 30 km / h limit has been introduced. Obviously with the desired effect. Neither on Good Friday, the obligatory favorite day of the scene, nor on Saturday was there a roaring engine noise.
However, the city’s public order office moved to Ehrenfeld on Friday evening, according to a spokeswoman there were indications of a prohibited birthday party. Since nobody opened the door, locksmiths and the police came to help. According to the spokeswoman, around 40 guests celebrated a 60th birthday in the apartment. Personal details were recorded, and people were expected to prosecute for violating the Protection Ordinance.
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