Berlin’s club scene has been left reeling as the German government’s measures for tackling the coronavirus pandemic come into force.
The latest clubs to close temporarily are Tresor and OHM, which will not reopen before April 20th, as RA reports. Renate will also close, opting to livestream club nights instead. Marathon ambient event The Long Now, which was scheduled to take place at Kraftwerk on March 28th, has been cancelled, as have all the events of its parent festival, MaerzMusik.
Berghain announced Wednesday, March 11th, it has cancelled all “self-produced” events until April 20th. This follows news that the city will be banning all events with more than 1,000 people, as urged by Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was frustrated today to learn that Berlin had initially ignored health minister Jens Spahn’s instructions, the Guardian reports.
“The task force is also considering temporarily closing Berlin clubs, but a shutdown of just a few weeks would inevitably lead to the bankruptcy of most clubs,” reads a translated excerpt. “The club commission has therefore contacted banks and crowdfunding providers, as well as the Berlin Senate, to set up a rescue fund for hardship cases.”