Offenbach (dpa / lhe) – After the further increase in the number of Corona cases above the critical threshold of 50 infected people per 100,000 inhabitants, Offenbach is the first Hessian city to introduce stricter contact restrictions again. In addition, a night curfew for restaurants and bars applies from Saturday to Sunday from midnight, as Mayor Felix Schwenke (SPD) announced on Friday. Hesse’s Minister of Social Affairs Kai Klose (Greens) was concerned about developments in Offenbach as well as throughout the state. The country’s crisis team will meet on Friday to discuss how to proceed.
At the moment, a large part of the new infections are due to returning travelers, said Klose. He appealed to people to adhere to hygiene and distance rules, such as wearing everyday masks. “There is no room for negligence and selfishness.”
In Offenbach, the so-called incidence, i.e. the number of new infections with the coronavirus within seven days per 100,000 inhabitants on Friday, was 52. This means that the fourth of five warning levels has been reached, the city said. Around 650 people are now in quarantine in the city.
To curb the new infections, open-air events in Offenbach are now limited to a maximum of 100 people until September 3, and in closed rooms to a maximum of 50, as Mayor Schwenke said. But it was not a “shutdown” for Offenbach to be decided, there was no cause for panic. Offenbach has now reached a point where all unnecessary contact should be avoided. It is important to take measures in good time so that the health department is in a position to “continue to contain all outbreaks”. The aim is to keep the damage to the economy, gastronomy, culture and sport as low as possible, said Schwenke.
At the same time, Offenbach’s head of regulatory affairs, Peter Freier, announced that the city would consistently punish violations of the quarantine obligation. These “endangered the general public in a special way and therefore require a clear response from the state,” explained Freier.
Offenbach had already issued restrictions because of the increasing number of infections. For example, the mask requirement has been expanded, among other things, pupils must also wear a so-called everyday mask during class. In addition, barbecues and picnics have been banned in public spaces since the beginning of August in order to avoid large crowds.
Throughout Hesse, the number of people verifiably infected with the coronavirus on Friday rose within a day as much as it has not since mid-April. As the Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs announced, the number of corona cases rose by 231 compared to Thursday to a total of 14,260. According to the ministry, there was a higher increase on April 17th with plus 233, it was already on August 15th Number increased by 203 compared to the previous day.
The number of deaths associated with the disease Covid-19 remained unchanged on Friday at 528 since Tuesday. The country refers to all registered infected people since March 11 in the total number of coronavirus cases.
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