Weekend observations Mild weather fills the city centre
Bonn · Long queues could be seen in front of the shops and many locals were out enjoying the autumn sun along the Rhine over the weekend.
The mild autumn weather attracted many Bonn residents to the city centre and the Rhine on Saturday. At times, the queues in front of the shops became so long that you could forget there was a pandemic at all. And also because social distancing in the narrower alleys was scarcely being observed. On the other hand, the majority of passers-by had taken the introduction of compulsory masks in the city centre to heart. Checks by the police and the public order office were hardly to be seen. This was also the case in the Hofgarten, where people were making a stop on the lawns and enjoying the golden afternoon sun.
Among them were Ilir (31) and Paulina (25), who made a round of the green with a coffee cup in their hands. "We want to take advantage of the beautiful autumn weather," said Paulina, while behind her the municipal order service could be seen driving up to the Academic Art Museum, only to disappear again moments later. The police and staff from the public order office had been seen in the city centre, the graduate Ilir reported. "There's a lot going on there, the authorities have a lot to do," Paulina added. Ilir looked at the lawn: "There are still relatively few people here for such beautiful weather," he said. The man from Bonn criticised the closure of restaurants and cafés. "People could spread out well there."
At the Alter Zoll, people were tucking into the food they had brought with them. French fries and noodles steamed out of the thermo boxes. Passers-by on the Brassertufer and Beul promenade had to be particularly aware of their surroundings, as cyclists and joggers constantly crossed their paths. At the Rhine pavilion, people queued up for coffee to go. In general, the round paper cup seemed to be the accessory of the day. Katharina Beerbaum and Rina Traudt (both 25) also sat by the water with their coffee. The two students were relaxing from the hustle and bustle in the city centre. "We did a little shopping, but I didn't see the difference to normal times in the city centre, except that people now wear masks," said Beerbaum. "It was really crowded." The women had not seen the police or the public order office in the city or on the banks of the Rhine. "I think it's good that there are more controls, but it shouldn't be too much either, because people will then certainly put up more resistance," said Beerbaum. "And most people stick to the measures and only take off their masks to eat or drink," added Traudt, who works in the retail trade on a temporary basis. "But in the shops, the authorities check regularly," she reported, "they count the customers.”
In amongst the families in the Rheinaue park there were also some photographers. Mona (31) was testing her new lens on different motives. Her companion Tobias (30) had not seen anything conspicuous so far. "Except for a group of people drinking champagne, people are sticking to the rules." Neither of them had seen the public order office nor the police and they said there was no need for major surveillance.
(Original text: Niklas Schröder, Translation: Caroline Kusch)
