Corona in Hamburg: vaccination turbo and curfew at Easter

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After the Hamburg Senate introduced a curfew from Good Friday on Wednesday, sent daycare centers back to the extended emergency operation for the period after Easter and made quick tests mandatory for both schools and hairdresser visits, it again appealed to citizens on Thursday to travel to refrain over the Easter holidays.

There are no general restrictions on mobility within Germany, according to a statement from the health authority on Thursday.

"However, all Hamburg residents are asked to refrain from private trips and visits."

In Germany there are no overnight accommodations for tourist purposes anyway due to the relevant regulations.

While tourist day trips to Schleswig-Holstein, for example, are still possible, the state government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has prohibited them.

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In Hamburg, private get-togethers are limited to one's own household and a maximum of one additional person, including children under 14 years of age, even during Easter.

"That means: A gathering of more than two households is an administrative offense," warned the authority.

She also pointed out the applicable test and quarantine obligations for travelers to or from abroad.

"People who go on a trip must inform themselves about the relevant regulations." A list of the risk and virus variant areas is available on the Robert Koch Institute website.

Short-term changes must be expected - even between departure and return.

Corona test capacities at Hamburg Airport have been significantly expanded since Thursday, just in time for the Easter holidays.

According to the airport, the Centogene company is offering a "drive-through offer" in the P1 car park for the first time.

There, drivers can have themselves tested directly in their vehicle after registering online.

In addition, with EcoCare, an additional provider is opening a test center at the airport, as the airport also announced.

The offers are open to everyone.

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On Thursday, however, there was good news for the 78- and 79-year-olds in the city.

These are now also called for corona vaccination.

To this end, 36,000 additional appointments would be made available "very quickly", said Martin Helfrich, spokesman for the health authority, on Thursday of the German press agency.

He spoke of an "Easter vaccination turbo".

Many of the 78- and 79-year-olds would have already received or would receive mail on Holy Saturday.

"Everyone who receives a letter is authorized to vaccinate and there is an appointment for everyone."

Senator Melanie Leonhard (SPD) appealed to those called to quickly make an appointment.

“We want to move forward as quickly as possible.

That is why we have made enough appointments available in the booking portal, which also take place very promptly.

I have also arranged for 1000 additional appointments per day to be available on the Easter weekend. ”Anyone who was called could therefore get a quick response.

More over 75-year-olds would soon be called by year, said Helfrich.

"We expect that everyone over 75 years of age can make an appointment by mid-April." It will not be brought forward to the over 60-year-olds in the vaccination prioritization, as is being considered after the back and forth about the vaccine from AstraZeneca elsewhere give.

“This question does not arise in Hamburg,” he said.

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The number of infections rose by 541 on Thursday according to the information published on the Internet by the health authority.

This is 49 fewer cases than on Wednesday and eight fewer than on Thursday a week ago.

The seven-day incidence, i.e. the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week, fell slightly from 163.7 to 163.3.

On Thursday a week ago the value was 128.6.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), four other people died in connection with a coronavirus infection.

Thus, the number of those who have died from or with the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic has increased to 1,382. 277 Covid-19 sufferers were treated in Hamburg hospitals as of Wednesday.

That was eleven less than on Tuesday.

There were 89 patients in the intensive care units, five fewer more than on Tuesday.

According to the authorities, 61,809 Hamburgers have been proven to have been infected with Sars-CoV-2 since the outbreak of the pandemic;

According to the RKI, 53,400 of them are now considered recovered.

304,596 people had been vaccinated against the virus up to and including Wednesday.

213,839 received their first vaccination, 90,757 also received the necessary second vaccination.

This means that 11.6 percent of the Hamburg population have received an initial vaccination so far and the city is exactly in line with the national average.

For second vaccinations, however, the national average of 5.0 percent is slightly above that of the city of 4.9 percent.

Court confirms that joggers are required to wear masks

On Thursday, the Hamburg Higher Administrative Court confirmed the Senate's mandatory masking requirement for joggers on the Alster and Elbe, among other places.

A different decision of the administrative court had been changed and a corresponding urgent application against the mask requirement on weekends and holidays between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. was rejected, a court spokesman said on Thursday.

The Senate had lodged a complaint against the decision of the lower court, which had followed the applicant, who lives near the Elbe.

The decision of the Higher Administrative Court is final.

In its decision, the court assumes that infection with the coronavirus is also possible outdoors.

If the Senate can assume that the minimum distances provided to contain the pandemic cannot be observed due to a high number of people, the order that masking is required outdoors could be considered, it said.

This assumption applies to the public roads on the Alster, Elbe and in Jenischpark.

The judges also believed that the burden on the applicant was not unreasonable in relation to the benefits accruing to the general public.

And since the regulation only affects him on weekends and public holidays between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., he can use the public paths on the Alster, Elbe and Jenischpark for jogging outside of these times.

Three weeks ago, in the decision that has now been cashed in, the administrative court saw the fact that the mask requirement applies in general and regardless of the weather and number of visitors in the green spaces, as incompatible with the principle of proportionality.