The Corona test of patience continues for amateur and popular sports. Instead of the further easing of training and competition operations that had been hoped for a few weeks ago, the federal government and state leaders extended the lockdown on Tuesday morning after hours of negotiations until April 18. This means that openings for non-contact indoor sports are off the table for most regions, as are visits to fitness studios or amateur football games. How the resolutions are actually implemented is a matter for the individual federal states.
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The reason for the temporary stop of the planned easing is the rapidly increasing number of new infections and the growing spread of more contagious virus variants. Therefore, in the Bundesliga and other professional leagues too further ahead of empty ranks be played. In the decision following the consultations between Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the Prime Minister, sport is not specifically mentioned.
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Break since the beginning of November
The lockdown athlete has been slowing down in the hobby and performance area for months. Since the beginning of November it was no longer allowed to play, not even to train. At the beginning of March, the federal and state governments submitted plans for opening steps, after which contact-free sport in small groups in the open air could initially be made possible again. Alfons Hörmann, President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, had described this as the “first glimmer of hope” and urged further relaxation.
These expectations have now been dashed for the time being. At best, there will be opportunities to open up sports activities in a few regions with very low incidences until at least mid-April. Therefore, there is now a threat in many sports associations of the final termination of seasons that have already started.
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