GA English on Sunday News in Brief from Bonn and the Region

Bonn/Region · Due to an increase in the coronavirus incidence, a curfew is in force in the district of Ahrweiler from Saturday 20 March, about 1,000 demonstrators marched through Bonn on Friday for a Fridays for Future climate demonstration, there has been another fire in a Troisdorf apartment block, raising suspicion that an arsonist is at work, and the ferry pavilion of the Mondorf ferry in Graurheindorf has a new occupant – here is our news in brief on Sunday.

 Since March, the bistro at the Graurheindorf ferry dock has a new tenant: Wilfried Dung wants to open his Rhine pavilion soon.

Since March, the bistro at the Graurheindorf ferry dock has a new tenant: Wilfried Dung wants to open his Rhine pavilion soon.

Foto: Silke Meny

A curfew is in force in the district of Ahrweiler from Saturday 20 March.

Ahrweiler district. A night curfew is in effect in the district of Ahrweiler from Saturday 20 March. The reason for the measure is the high seven-day coronavirus incidence, which exceeded 100 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants on three consecutive days. Therefore, as stipulated in the 17th Coronavirus Control Ordinance of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, the district issued a corresponding general decree, which is initially valid up to and including March 28. Only those who have a "valid reason" may leave their home between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. According to the general decree, this includes, for example, the exercise of a profession and walking dogs, by one person.

According to the district administration, the coronavirus incidence increased significantly since March 12, from 64, to 107 on Thursday March 18. This represents an increase of about 70 per cent within six days. The high number of more aggressive mutations of Sars-CoV-2 further exacerbated the situation. In the past week, March 8 to 14, 51 infections with virus variants have been detected. Since then, 85 new cases have already been confirmed by a laboratory. All eight municipalities of the Ahrweiler district and all age groups are currently affected by new infections.

In addition to the curfew, the district says there will be further tightening of anti-coronavirus measures. These include: tightened contact restrictions (maximum own household plus one other person), which also applies to sports; the closure of retail outlets (shopping by appointment only); the closure of museums and cosmetic, wellness massage, tattoo and piercing studios; and the closure of (permitted) sales stalls from 9 p.m. at the latest. Schools are not initially affected by the tightened restrictions.

(Original text, Jan Wiefels)

About 1,000 demonstrators march through Bonn in a Fridays for Future climate demo

Bonn. About 1,000 participants demonstrated for more climate protection at the Fridays for Future demo in Bonn last Friday. Climate activists in Bonn had called for participation in parallel with events in more than 880 cities worldwide. When asked why an event with 3,000 announced participants was allowed in the current Coronavirus situation, the Bonn police referred to the right of assembly, strict conditions imposed by the city and good experience in the past. The demonstrators met on the Hofgartenwiese, where there was a kick-off rally with speeches under the motto #NoMoreEmptyPromises. Speakers called for the implementation of climate goals, such as the phasing out of coal by 2030, as well as climate neutrality and a 100 per cent renewable energy supply by 2035. Participants had to wear face coverings and fill out contact slips, and the grass was marked with chalk for people to stand.

Then the crowd split up: One procession went to the banks of the Rhine and then across Adenauerallee and Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz, the other went across Poppelsdorfer Allee and the Viktoriabrücke. Both groups met at the Alte VHS in Wilhelmstraße, where the Bonn band Twentyseven played for the demonstrators. Subsequently, the reunited protest march made its way back to the Hofgartenwiese. The organisers had counted 2,000 participants, but according to police, the number was close to 1,000.

(Original text, Stefan Knopp)

Another fire in a Troisdorf apartment block suggests an arsonist might be at work

Troisdorf. For third time within a short space of time, the fire brigade was called out to a housing block on Am Bergeracker in Troisdorf in the night to Saturday. The fire-brigade was alerted at about 1 a.m. and moved in with 30 firefighters. In the course of the operation, all residential units, the underground parking garage and the rear of the building were checked, but the firefighters were initially unable to detect a fire. Finally, they found the remains of burned paper next to asphalt sheeting and a burned bag with road salt in a cellar area under the stairs. Nothing had to be extinguished and all cellar areas were controlled as a precaution with a thermal imaging camera, before the fire brigade could withdraw.

At the beginning of the month the fire brigade was called to the same block after a flower tub had been burned and on 12 February, there was a smaller fire next to a truck in front of the building. It is unclear who is behind the fires; however, the fact that there have been repeated fires at the same address cannot be a coincidence, as a chief firefighter told the GA.

(Original text, Michael Wrobel)

The ferry pavilion of the Mondorf ferry in Graurheindorf has a new occupant

Graurheindorf. After being vacant for more than a year, the ferry pavilion of the Mondorf ferry in Graurheindorf has a new operator, Wilfried Dung. Wilfried Dung has been in the business for years and is known as the manager of the Rheinlust in Beuel and the Rheingold in Mondorf, and of the legendary Bonn pubs such as Falle and Kerze. The ferry pavilion will reopen as soon as coronavirus infection figures permit, and will provide passersby with the opportunity for a relaxed break with food and drinks, with the best view of the Rhine. Dung plans to be open the entire week, without a winter break, without a day off, and from morning until late at night. "We will offer breakfast, a lunch menu, coffee, cakes, ice cream, dinner, and cocktails and aperitifs in the evening," the restaurateur said. "The menu will feature international dishes, with a high vegetarian content. There will be vegetarian Buddha Bowls with superfoods, for example, but also pizzas and hamburgers. I want to be a full-service eatery for day trippers and locals alike, for cyclists, pedestrians, joggers, drivers and dog walkers." And in the future, unlike in the past, the pavilion can be rented for private parties such as weddings.

Currently, visitors can already order ice cream and drinks "to go." Meanwhile, behind the huge glass panes of the pavilion, renovations are underway so that everything is ready for the launch of the Graubibar, which is Dung's current working title for his third restaurant. The walls will be painted a warm yellow, there will be a counter made of natural wood, and hanging lamps from the ceiling made of driftwood.

Horst Dieter Bissing, a long-established resident of Graurheindorf and known to Bonners as Eis-Sepp, opened the 100-square-meter Ferry Pavilion in 2014 after many years of planning and construction. It is located exactly where the Pfaffenmütze fortress was situated on an island in the Rhine in the 17th century and where the Green C crosses the Rhine today.

(Original text, Silke Meny)

(translations, John Chandler)

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