Women’s Carnival to Ash Wednesday
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These rules apply to carnival in Cologne and Düsseldorf
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Carnivalist in front of the Cologne Cathedral. On Weiberfastnacht it should stay dry in the morning this year, from 3 p.m. it should be rainy.
Photo: dpa/Oliver Berg
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Cologne/Dusseldorf This year, carnival can be celebrated again in North Rhine-Westphalia – but only in designated zones with clear rules. Cologne has declared the entire city area a customs zone. An overview of the rules.
Cities and pubs in NRW see themselves prepared for the street carnival in the pandemic. However, there were warning calls from both Cologne and Düsseldorf to everyone who wanted to come to the party. “The appeal to everyone: Düsseldorf is not a celebration zone during the carnival days,” said Düsseldorf’s head of public order Christian Zaum. “We don’t want excessive celebrations in public space, in the old town, on the carnival days.”
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Cologne’s city director Andrea Blome emphasized with regard to the customs zones: “These are not party zones in which unbridled celebrations can and should be celebrated.” Rather, the zones – in Cologne the entire city area was declared a customs zone – were set up in order to be able to significantly increase the level of protection there. “We now have a concept that enables safe celebrations,” said Blome. “Now people have to take personal responsibility.” Blome was confident that next year’s carnival could go back to “the way we used to know it”. She added: “Perhaps it would be better to wait until next year and then come to Cologne.” Nevertheless, she knows that it is difficult to keep people from coming to Cologne this year. “We faced reality and looked at what we could do.”
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What do the revelers who want to celebrate in Cologne need?
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Information This applies to carnival in the “traditional zones”
Photo: dpa/Fabian shrub
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The entire urban area has been declared a customs zone, so the 2G-plus rule applies in public spaces. Anyone coming to Cologne must have been vaccinated twice or have recovered and have a current corona test that is not older than 24 hours or a PCR test that is not older than 48 hours. Anyone who has been boosted or treated as equal to those who have been boosted does not need a test in public space.
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Anyone who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons must submit a certificate and a current rapid test. For students up to the age of 17, proof of age is sufficient. In order to celebrate in restaurants, they also need a current test certificate.
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Stricter regulations apply in restaurants where carnival is celebrated. Only those who have been vaccinated twice or have recovered, who have received the booster vaccination and who can show a current negative test can come in. The booster vaccination does not replace a current test certificate. Anyone who cannot submit a test risks a fine of at least 250 euros.
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No. The mask requirement is suspended in Cologne during carnival, as the level of protection is significantly increased by the regulations on the customs zone, as the city of Cologne reports. From Wednesday, Cologne will also lift the mask requirement in the open air, which has so far applied in pedestrian zones and shopping streets.
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How is compliance with the rules checked?
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The security service of the Cologne public order office is on duty with numerous forces during carnival and randomly checks compliance with the rules. He also responds to complaints from the public.
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It is the task of restaurateurs to control access restrictions to restaurants. The security service will check whether they comply with this inspection obligation. There are penalties of up to 5000 euros. “I very much hope that everyone is aware that celebrations are subject to certain rules,” said Mayor Henriette Reker. The fact that the whole of Cologne has been declared a customs zone should not encourage people to “celebrate completely out of control now”. Rather, it gives the city the opportunity to control everywhere that is celebrated.
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The police will be on duty on Weiberfastnacht in Cologne and Leverkusen with more than 1000 police officers from the security service and the riot police at the known party zones. Civil investigators are supposed to find pickpockets and trick thieves, among other things.
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How does the partying around Zülpicher Straße work?
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The Zülpicher district is cordoned off. Access is controlled by the security service and a security company. As on 11.11. Both the corona status and a ban on glass as well as the number of people in the district are checked. Verified persons receive a stamp. If they wish to leave the premises temporarily, they do not need to be checked for their status again afterwards.
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What if I don’t want to party?
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Anyone who works or lives in Cologne and is not outside to celebrate carnival does not have to meet the requirements. Residents should be able to identify themselves. Traders and innkeepers as well as their employees receive wristbands for the closed Zülpicher district, which facilitate access.
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In large parts of the city center 2G-plus applies, in pubs, as in Cologne, you also need a daily updated negative corona test as a booster. Traditional zones are in the old town between Schulstrasse and Ratinger Strasse and between Rathausufer and Heinrich-Heine-Allee. The storming of the town hall on Thursday and the “Kö-hustle and bustle” on Carnival Sunday will be completely canceled.
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