Appeal from Bonn's Lord Mayor Sridharan "If we don’t comply, there will be further restrictions”
Bonn · On Thursday afternoon, Bonn’s Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan gave an update about the coronavirus situation. There are currently 75 active cases of the virus in Bonn. Meanwhile, the first two persons who were affected have recovered.
Sridharan said that beginning on Monday, the city administration building, especially the Citizen Service Center (Dienstleistungszentrum), will only be open for urgent matters. All other appointments will be cancelled until the end of May.
The first two people in Bonn who were infected with the coronavirus have now recovered, according to the mayor. They are a student who works as a staff member at the Clemens-August-School in Poppelsdorf, and a woman from Cologne who works in an office in Bonn-Endenich.
The Lord Mayor appealed again to all citizens to minimize social contact and to observe the given rules. "Then we in Bonn can help to prevent the virus from spreading as fast as it does elsewhere.”
City authorities have workers on the move in Bonn to address citizens who are still gathering in parks or are in the playgrounds with their children, which is now forbidden. Gatherings of ten or more people are prohibited, Sridharan stressed. Violations could be punished, according to the head of the public order office, Günter Dick. At the moment, however, the city of Bonn is still relying on people to use their common sense.
The city public services are only available to people with an appointment. This applies especially to the Citizen Service Center (DLZ). There is now only one entrance to the Stadthaus at the escalator.
Despite an appeal to citizens to only visit the service center if urgent, 1,200 people came there on Monday and about 600 on each of the following days. According to the head of that department, Harald Borchert, included were some people who were even under quarantine. A family with two children came to apply for passports for their children. The reason they gave for visiting at this time was that they might want to travel. “This is something we just could not comprehend.”
The situation prompted the crisis management team to cancel all appointments at the service center from Monday until the end of May. All citizens will be informed by email. However, the Citizen Service Center is still available for emergencies. "We will look to see which appointment is an emergency and which is not.”
Sridharan and his staff are asking all citizens for their understanding, and appealing for everyone to follow the regulations that have been put in place. People should avoid social contact if possible and wait until the crisis is over. The Lord Mayor hopes that this will come in summer and that pools and parks will be open again. "If we don't comply, further restrictions will be imposed.”
(Orig. text: Lisa Inhoffen/Translation: Carol Kloeppel)
