Corona rules: NRW cities have ordered fines in the millions

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Thousands of corona violations in the major cities of North Rhine-Westphalia have resulted in fines in the millions since the beginning of the pandemic.

The regulatory authorities in Duisburg alone have fined more than one million euros, as a dpa survey in some large cities showed.

8,400 administrative offense proceedings have been initiated, particularly often because contact rules were not adhered to or a mask was missing, a spokesman said.

Cologne reported almost 12,700 violations, especially against the ban on gathering and contact and the requirements for wearing masks.

By the end of December 2020 alone, 2565 notices with fines totaling around 608,000 euros had been issued.

A good third of the money (206,000 euros) has already been received.

In the state capital Düsseldorf, the public order office has imposed fines totaling around 510,000 euros in more than 2,900 proceedings.

Most violations of the mask requirement were punished (1400, 800 of them in public transport as well as at stops and train stations).

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Violations by traders are also included.

The fines here can be significantly higher than for passers-by or rail travelers.

The city of Aachen has imposed fines of more than 815,000 euros - and registered around 2,300 violations.

Around half of the proceedings are based on collections or violations of the contact restrictions.

The city of Essen states that it has collected a little more than 605,000 euros in just over 3500 cases.

Here, too, the public order office names incorrect wearing or lack of mouth and nose protection, larger gatherings and insufficient minimum distance as the most common administrative offenses.

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In Bielefeld, the fines have so far totaled around 277,000 euros, with around 2150 proceedings due to corona rule violations being registered.

Other cities, such as Münster or Dortmund, reported a number of violations of the Corona rules in the past few months, but stated that they did not record the fines separately.

The catalog of fines in the Corona Protection Ordinance includes a whole range of possible violations.

The fines range from 50 euros for a missing mask at the prescribed locations to 10,000 euros for those who operate an unapproved amusement park.

Anyone who violates contact restrictions, for example, can expect a fine of 250 euros.

Getting caught on the bus or train without an everyday mask also costs 250 euros.