German residents told not to call police over every Covid Christmas rule break
A police union boss has encouraged people not to immediately call the police if they suspect their neighbours are holding an illegal Christmas get-together, saying that “a bit of moral courage is necessary.”
Jörg Radek, head of the GdP union, said that, if people suspect an illegal gathering, “I would first go to the neighbours myself and - if there really are too many people there - and ask them to abide by the rules.”
Rules agreed upon between Angela Merkel and state leaders last week mean that a household is allowed to meet with up to four family members from outside their home over the Christmas period. Children below the age of 14 are not included in the limitation.
READ ALSO: What exactly are Germany's Christmas celebration rules?
The exception to the normal rules - which currently allow a maximum of five people from two households to meet in private - applies from December 23rd to December 26th.
For people who are not “immediate family members” the normal lockdown rule of a maximum of five people from two households will apply throughout the festive period.
Speaking to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Radek said that “one shouldn’t always call the police immediately. The pandemic requires us all to show a bit of moral fortitude.”
Radek assured people that the police would be sensitive about carrying out their duties over Christmas.
“We will not go from house to house and count how many people are sitting at the table,” he stated. “That would be a violation of people’s constitutional right to the integrity of the home. But if we get information that the rules are being violated somewhere, we will investigate.”
The union boss said that police capacity had been freed up during the pandemic by officers not having to keep order at football matches, where violence occasionally breaks out between rival Ultra organisations
The extra capacity would now be deployed to make sure people were obeying the bans on public gatherings and to guard vaccine centres.
“We are going to have a huge operation on New Year,” Radek said. “We need to enforce the ban on public gatherings.”
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Jörg Radek, head of the GdP union, said that, if people suspect an illegal gathering, “I would first go to the neighbours myself and - if there really are too many people there - and ask them to abide by the rules.”
Rules agreed upon between Angela Merkel and state leaders last week mean that a household is allowed to meet with up to four family members from outside their home over the Christmas period. Children below the age of 14 are not included in the limitation.
READ ALSO: What exactly are Germany's Christmas celebration rules?
The exception to the normal rules - which currently allow a maximum of five people from two households to meet in private - applies from December 23rd to December 26th.
For people who are not “immediate family members” the normal lockdown rule of a maximum of five people from two households will apply throughout the festive period.
Speaking to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Radek said that “one shouldn’t always call the police immediately. The pandemic requires us all to show a bit of moral fortitude.”
Radek assured people that the police would be sensitive about carrying out their duties over Christmas.
“We will not go from house to house and count how many people are sitting at the table,” he stated. “That would be a violation of people’s constitutional right to the integrity of the home. But if we get information that the rules are being violated somewhere, we will investigate.”
The union boss said that police capacity had been freed up during the pandemic by officers not having to keep order at football matches, where violence occasionally breaks out between rival Ultra organisations
The extra capacity would now be deployed to make sure people were obeying the bans on public gatherings and to guard vaccine centres.
“We are going to have a huge operation on New Year,” Radek said. “We need to enforce the ban on public gatherings.”
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