Berlin Club Commission unveils six-point plan to reopen city’s venues

Berlin Club Commission has unveiled a six-point plan to reopen the city’s venues.

Following the announcement from the Berlin Club Commission that nightlife in the city may not return to normal until 2022, the commission has now outlined a six-point plan to safely reopen clubs in the German capital, Berliner Zeitung reports.

According to BZ, the six-point plan, announced on Wednesday (17th), will include a run of pilot events with rapid COVID-19 testing, as well as a central information hub for clubs that will share hygiene concept recommendations and current regulations. Venues will be required to record visitor numbers, in order to adapt evolving regulations and better understand Berlin nightlife’s “economic situation”. Smart apps, research projects and an information campaign are also expected to be implemented across the city.

The first pilot event will take place on 20th March, with 1000 guests attending a performance from the Berliner Philharmoniker. Attendants will have to provide a negative COVID-19 test from an authorized Berlin testing centre one day before the event. Elsewhere, Säälchen, alongside the Club Commission, will host a concert the following week. A rapid COVID-19 test and ticket are available to purchase for €20, and surgical-grade masks must be worn inside the venue.

Pamela Schobeß, the chairman of the club commission, called the pilot project “a small but important step to be able to create a perspective for the entire industry again after one year”.

In January, Schobeß told Deutsche Presse-Agentur that she is anticipating a period of two years before clubs in Berlin can continue normal programming. She added that the city’s nightlife institutes were “the first to be closed and the last to be allowed to reopen,” and kick-starting the clubbing economy “cannot go from zero to one hundred” without the continued support of federal and state governments.

Last June, the German government announced they had committed €150 million to the country’s live music industry as part of broader plans to kickstart the economy amid the pandemic. The new scheme from the German government entitled Neustart Kultur, which translates to restart culture, will see the funds injected into the country’s live music and events industry, and comes as part of the government’s plans broader €1 billion plan to rebuild cultural and entertainment businesses.