Courtesy Translation: Press Release from the city of Mainz

Courtesy Photo | Icon to accompany courtesy translations of press releases from the city of Mainz  

WIESBADEN, HE, GERMANY

03.17.2021

Story by Nadine Bower 

U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden   

Press Release from the Mainz city government, 15 MAR 2021
Courtesy Translation: Nadine Bower, Community Relations

Only appointment shopping in retail, restrictions in sports and culture, additional mandatory mask zone on the banks of the Rhein river.

Press release: Administrative staff pulls first stage of emergency brake and tightens more than 50 measures to protect the population against coronavirus infections due to increasing incidence level.

The administrative staff of the state capital Mainz met today under the leadership of Lord Mayor Michael Ebling and evaluated the current development of the spread of coronavirus infections. During the last three days, the 7-day incidence – i.e. the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week – in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz was more than 50. In the city of Mainz, too, the value has risen above the limit of 50. Nationwide, the numbers are rising again and the RKI's forecasts also assume that the figures will continue to rise. The administrative staff has therefore decided to take further measures to protect the population against coronavirus infections in accordance with Section 23 of the Seventeenth Corona Control Ordinance of Rheinland-Pfalz (17th CoBeLVO). These will go in effect on Tuesday, 16 March 2021 until initially at least including Sunday, 28 March 2021:

- Commercial facilities are closed for customer traffic. They may only open with arrangement of individual appointments (appointment shopping). During these appointments, access to the facility may be granted for each 40 square meter of retail space there may be one customer. The stricter mask obligation and the obligation to register contacts applies. This also applies to libraries and archives. Collection, and delivery services of commercial facilities are permitted upon prior order in compliance with the general protective measures.

Excluded from closure are:
a. Retail establishments for food, direct marketers of food, beverage markets, drugstores, baby markets
b. Booths on weekly markets whose range of goods corresponds with the permitted retail establishments
c. Pharmacies, medical centers, health centers
d. Gas stations
e. Banks and savings banks, post offices
f. Dry cleaners, laundromats
g. Newspaper and magazine sales, book stores
h. Tool stores, animal supply markets and animal food markets
i. Wholesale
j. Flower shops
k. Garden stores, horticultural establishments, horticultural markets

In the vicinity of the facilities, i.e. in the parking lots, the stricter mask obligation (medical masks) as well as the known limitation of the number of people in accordance with Section 1 (7) of the 17th CoBeLVO applies.

- Sports in the amateur and leisure sports sector are only permitted in individual sports on and in all public and private sports facilities only outdoors and only with a maximum of five people from two households. The distance requirement according to section 1 paragraph 2 sentence 1 of the 17th CoBeLVO must be observed.

Training in amateur and leisure sports is permitted in groups of up to 20 children up to and including 14 years of age and one trainer outdoors and on public and private outdoor sports facilities. Here, too, the distance requirement according to section 1 paragraph 2 sentence 1 of the 17th CoBeLVO applies during the entire training. There is a change that children up to and including 14 years of age can only train contact-free.

- Rehearsal and performances in the broad and amateur culture sector are prohibited.

- In the pedestrian areas of the downtown area, as well as on the train station forecourt, wearing a mask is still mandatory. This will be extended to the times between 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on all days except Sundays and public holidays.

- There is also an additional mask-requirement zone for the banks of the Rhein river, as the British variant of the coronavirus proves to be more contagious. Especially with the better weather that is about to begin, with rising temperatures and the upcoming Easter holiday and school break, a lively increase on the banks of the Rhein is to be expected. In order to protect the population, a mask obligation is therefore also required here: The mask obligation applies to the entire Rhein river banks area, from the ascent to the railway bridge (South Bridge/Eisenbahnbrücke) on the Victor-Hugo-Ufer to the turning bridge at the Zollhafen at the end of Taunusstraße in the times between 12.00 to 22.00, every day.

A detailed overview map of the affected areas can be found at www.mainz.de/corona-massnahmen.
The appropriate signage for the two zones will be installed in the next few days.

- Street sales and pick-up sales of open alcoholic beverages remain prohibited.

On the basis of the Infection Protection Act, in agreement with the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor, Health and Demography of the state of Rheinland-Pfalz and the local health authority, the state capital Mainz therefore issues a corresponding general decree for these measures, which will be published today, i.e. on Monday, 15 March 2021 and thus will be valid from Tuesday 16.03.2021, starting at 0.00 a.m. The general decree will initially apply until the end of 28 March 2021.

Lord Mayor Michael Ebling said: "The increase in infection numbers shows that the coronavirus pandemic has not yet been overcome and we need to remain vigilant and careful. The measures that have now been adopted are in place to protect all citizens and are once again demanding sacrifices from all of us. I therefore appeal to each and every one: continue to observe the distance and hygiene rules consistently and avoid large-scale meetings. This is how we protect ourselves and our families from contagion and help reduce the number of infections again."

Ebling looks positively to the future: "I am very happy that light can now be seen at the end of the tunnel. The higher amounts of vaccine doses announced by the federal government, which will help to increase the number of vaccinations in the coming weeks, and the expansion of quick-test stations, which will allow us to interrupt infection chains at an early stage and thus better control the infection, show a way out of the pandemic."

The administrative staff of the state capital Mainz will continue to monitor the development of coronavirus infections continuously and will adapt the measures accordingly. The administrative staff shall meet at close intervals.

Source: https://www.mainz.de/verwaltung-und-politik/verwaltungsorganisation/pressemeldung.php?showpm=true&pmurl=https://www.mainz.de/newsdesk/publications/Mainz/181010100000219003.php

• Date Taken: 03.17.2021
• Date Posted: 03.17.2021 06:41
• Story ID: 391560
• Location: WIESBADEN, HE, DE