City’s requirements are too strict St. Martin's procession in Bonn city centre has been cancelled again
Bonn · The Corona requirements planned by the city have unsettled many event organisers. The largest among these, the Bonn city deanery, has now decided that the central St. Martin's procession through Bonn's city centre will not take place again this year.
Sad news for all the children in Bonn: The big Saint Martin's procession through Bonn's city centre will not be held again this year. As was the case last year, the Corona pandemic is the reason for the decision - and yet there is a difference compared to 2020. Whilst it was the incidence rates that prevented the event at that time, this year it is due to the requirements planned by the Bonn city authorities through the state-wide Corona Protection Ordinance.
City wants 3G rule and mandatory masks
For this reason, it is simply impossible to conduct the procession in a responsible manner, city deacon Wolfgang Picken announced on Thursday afternoon. As reported, the city plans to issue a general decree for all St. Martin's processions in Bonn, making both mask wearing and the so-called 3G rule a condition for participating in the procession as well as along the route. According to the city's plans, the respective organisers - in this case the city deanery - are to monitor compliance “on a random basis”.
In some Bonn districts, several local committees and schools have already cancelled their St. Martin's processions in view of these conditions. The current state ordinance prescribes the 3G rule only for outdoor events with at least 2,500 people, but since last Friday there has been no obligation to wear a mask outdoors at all in North Rhine-Westphalia.
City Dean Picken: Celebrate Saint Martin anyway
The central St. Martin's procession in Bonn was due to make its way through the streets on 8 November. “We hope that the Saint Martin procession can take place again as usual next year,” says Wolfgang Picken. He appeals to all schools and kindergartens not to drop the Saint Martin festival, but to celebrate and commemorate the Saint together on the school yards and in the institutions instead. “We want to make a contribution to this too,” says Picken. As in previous years, Saint Martin from the cathedral parish will be visiting schools, nurseries and other institutions.
