Those new regulations would mean that Berlin’s bars, restaurants, and music venues would require proof of vaccination for entry. This system is not new to the world, as other countries already adopted it. Obviously, it is one of the most aggressive steps a city can take to curb a surge in cases caused by the delta variant. In sensitive areas such as nursing homes or day-care centers and schools, employees may also have to show proof of vaccination in the future.

The senator of Economic Affairs, Ramona Pop, commented on the situation. “The trend is heading in this direction. We’re already seeing lawsuits and should rather make regulations ourselves than let ourselves drift”. Only those who received their full vaccinations or gained natural immunity will have the chance to enter those venues in Berlin.

Not so far from Berlin is Hamburg, which implemented similar restrictions at the end of August. However, unvaccinated people are being barred from public venues at the owner’s discretion. If Berlin decides to adopt those regulations, curfews may be dropped, signaling a return to 24/7 nightlife, for vaccinated people.

Speaking to Berliner Zeitung, Thomas Lengfelder, head of the Dehoga restaurant association, gave his opinion. “Freedom of choice is by far the best option. There is no unanimous opinion among us. Social distancing regulations reduce each restaurant’s capacity by 30%.”

H/T : Mixmag

The post Berlin is Considering Vaccinated-Only Public Venues appeared first on EDMTunes.

20,000 people attended Verknipt festival. It was advertised as a safe return to live dance music. In order to attend you had to be fully vaccinated or show proof of a negative test. Clearly, there was a hiccup in all of this. Lennart van Trigt, a spokesman for the Utrecht health board, had this to say about the matter:

“We cannot say that all these people were infected at the festival itself…It could also be possible that they’ve been infected while traveling to the festival or in the evening before going to the festival or having an after-party.”

Festival-goers were allowed to take tests as much as 40 hours before the event. This was far too long. In the U.S. the amount of time in between the test and the event is far shorter. With vaccination rates also being quite high, this is most likely why we haven’t had these types of numbers come out of one of our events. This doesn’t change the fact that numbers overall have been increasing in the States as well.

Until last week, the Dutch health department was distributing Covid passes immediately upon vaccination. Since vaccines began it has always been stated it takes two weeks before protection builds up. Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, and the health minister have apologized for lifting restrictions too early. This whole getting back to times before Covid is going to take time.

The post Dutch Verknipt Music Festival Linked to 1,000 New COVID Cases appeared first on EDMTunes.

“There is a clear disparity between the way that the Night Time Economy and Hospitality sector businesses are being treated by the Government…”

Michael Kill, CEO of the Nighttime Industries Association strongly opposes the passport concept and calls it “unworkable”. In a statement, Kill voiced that the vaccine passport system places him as the subject of “cross-section discrimination”. Kill points out how a majority of those in the nightlife industry don’t have the same opportunity to the vaccine. Most younger individuals are still waiting their turn for the vaccine, meaning they would not be eligible for the vaccine passport.

An Unfair System

Within his statement, Kill also mentions how a system of this kind creates additional barriers between staff and customers. Additionally, Kill believes that the government is unfairly treating the nighttime economy and that there is not a fair set of rules for all. In his example, Kill explained how supermarkets and retail stores were given extended hours, earlier re-opening dates, and no mandatory track and trace. From a business perspective, it could be unfair if some establishments require a passport check while some do not.

All in all, there’s valid points on each side of the vaccine passport system. The UK is once again contemplating whether to use them for opening venues. What are your thoughts on the passport system? Read more about the pros and cons here.

The post Nightlife Association Argues Vaccine Passports Are “Unworkable” appeared first on EDMTunes.

Vaccines should be available to the general public around the March benchmark of 2021. Of course, the first distributions are going to front-liners and first responders deservedly.

The fact that over 300,000 Americans have died due to this pandemic reiterates the need for such a vaccine and swift rollout of vaccinations. Fauci reminds us, “We still have a raging outbreak that we need to get under control, so at the same time as we’re administering the vaccine as quickly and as expeditiously as possible, we still have to implement the public health measures to prevent the surges we’re seeing throughout the country.“

He also states that he will “Put aside the concern that some people have about safety and about whether we went too fast, which we did not,” and that scientific advances from past work allowed it to be synthesized faster.

It would be an understatement to say that 2020 has been a shattering year but the good thing is there’s hope on the horizon.

The post Dr. Fauci Says Herd Immunity Possible By Spring appeared first on EDMTunes.