Town hall president in Baden-Württemberg advocates for a strict lockdown
In an effort to control the spread of COVID-19, Peter Kurz, the Mayor of Mannheim and President of the Baden-Württemberg State Parliament, has proposed a short, strict lockdown in January. The proposed lockdown would last for two weeks, according to Kurz.
Kurz believes that a short lockdown would result in fewer economic damages compared to a prolonged extension of existing measures. He identifies private gatherings as the main driver of COVID-19 infections in Mannheim.
In response to the increasing number of infections, the city of Mannheim has decided to prohibit nighttime gatherings due to the inability to enforce compliance everywhere. Mannheim, the first Baden-Württemberg city to do so, has imposed nighttime curfews from 9 pm to 7 am. The nighttime curfew has exceptions for essential work, medical emergencies, and walking a dog.
Police controls in Mannheim have revealed that bars are still letting in guests through the back door, and there are parties in apartments or large dinner gatherings. Concerned about the non-compliance, the city has taken this drastic measure to curb the spread of the virus.
The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs has instructed other Baden-Württemberg municipalities with an incidence rate above 200 to also implement nighttime curfews. However, there is no specific information available regarding other Baden-Württemberg municipalities’ stances on nighttime curfews in connection with such a proposed lockdown.
Despite the proposed lockdown, Kurz has not made any specific proposal regarding a strict two-week lockdown in January for the entire region of Baden-Württemberg. The search results do not contain details about the responses of other Baden-Württemberg municipalities to nighttime curfews.
Other municipalities in Baden-Württemberg are yet to announce their policy-and-legislation regarding nighttime curfews in response to the rising COVID-19 cases, despite the instructions from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs. The politics surrounding the implementation of stricter measures, such as a potential lockdown, in Baden-Württemberg remain unsettled, with no definitive response from other municipalities or the regional government.
