Nightclubs in Germany will close next week

Nightclubs in Germany will be forced to close next week.

To curb a fourth wave of the virus and prevent the spread on the new Omicron variant, unvaccinated people in Germany are banned from in-person events including gigs as the government continue to place stricter restrictions.

The country is only allowing fully vaccinated people or those who have recovered from the disease in the last six months to be allowed to visit venues, restaurants, cinemas, leisure facilities, and many shops.

Hamburg has imposed its own restrictions starting Dec. 24 which include restaurants and bars closing by 11PM and the curfew will be 1AM for New Year's Eve.

As well as this, Germany has announced that clubs in areas with 350 COVID cases per 100,000 must close. The national rate is currently at over 400 according to NME.

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These new changes mean that the ‘2G’ rule is now in force rather than just being applied to particular states. The two 'G's are ‘genesen’, which applies to people who have recovered in the past six months, as well as ‘geimpft’ for people vaccinated. This is a different rule from the ‘3G’ rule which allowed testing as a component of entry measures.

Outdoor events have also reduced their maximum capacity by 50% with a maximum of 5,000 attendees. Masks have been made mandatory for all events.

The outgoing Chancellor, Angela Merkel and her successor, Olaf Scholz, announced this update Thursday, following crisis talks with regional leaders. Scholz will meet state premiers again on January 7 to discuss the COVID-19 situation.

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CEO of Berlin-based promoter and ticket agency DEAG, Detlef Kornett spoke about the topic to IQ and said: “We believe that setting clear rules is helpful and good for our business, as long as they are sensible and rational and therefore welcome the 2G rules.

“The live industry pushed government already in the summer of this year to introduce the 2G rule for all live events. It takes away the confusion about tests, certificates and how to check and record them which overall makes operations of a live event easier. But it also encourages vaccination and it is a high vaccination rate that our industry needs in order to return to normal.

“However the 2G rule is then accompanied by capacity and social distancing– rules that vary by federal state in Germany, by indoor and outdoor and these rules are subject to interpretation.

He continued: “However that variation of rules makes touring and even single concerts impossible and results in uncertainties and injustices throughout Germany. The end result is that live events are in some instances made impossible or economically unsound.”

Becky Buckle is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter