After a two-year Corona break, Oktoberfest will take place again this year in Munich. Millions of guests, some from distant countries, are expected – Covid-19 infections are therefore inevitable. Because the virus is still around, incidences are sometimes higher than in the past two years. German doctors therefore expect a “Wiesn wave”.
Nevertheless, we must celebrate – as before and without Corona measures. After all, a protective mask would be a hindrance when drinking beer and testing and checking hundreds of thousands of guests every day would be a huge effort. Above all, however, the specifications from Berlin currently do not justify any restrictions. Public festivals are also allowed in the new concept of the Infection Protection Act. The wave will probably only really come after that. But hardly anyone doubts that it will come.
“Of course it will lead to an increase in the number of cases,” said Johannes Bogner, head of the Department of Clinical Infectious Diseases at the LMU clinic at the University of Munich. “It is very well documented that there is a measurable increase in the number of cases following local events. That can also be expected for Oktoberfest,” said the doctor. “Especially at the beer table, where you sit close together for hours, infection will be very easy.”
Sudden rise after folk festivals
The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” had shown, based on the number of infections after popular festivals, such as the Lente Dult (a folk festival, nut) in Landshut and the Bergkirchweih in Erlangen, that the seven-day incidence in the affected districts increased sharply after that. Most recently, numbers skyrocketed in the Kulmbach district after a beer festival. The incidence was sometimes over 1,400, so the region was temporarily the nationwide incidence leader.
Despite the foreseeable “Wiesn wave”, doctors saw no reason to cancel the world’s largest folk festival. “If you decide to go to the Wiesn, you have to accept a certain risk of infection,” Ulrike Protzer, head of virology at the TU and at the Helmholtz Center in Munich, recently told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. “One day you have to go back to normal life, and now you can if you are sensible.”
Pandemic officer advises boosters
The pandemic official of the Klinikum Rechts der Isar of the TU Munich, Christoph Spinner, also sees it and advises boosters. “Optimizing vaccination protection, for example with a second booster two to four weeks before Oktoberfest, can significantly reduce the risk of infection.” But it is clear: “For those who go to Oktoberfest: the probability of transmission is high.”
Six million visitors
The largest folk festival in the world before the pandemic attracted some six million visitors. It was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19. In the more than 200-year history of the folk festival, there were only longer breaks in times of war.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
