As things stand at present, the Saxons can once again celebrate the turn of the year. After the corona pandemic spoiled their New Year’s Eve parties for the past two years, the municipalities are not planning any restrictions this time.
Dresden (dpa/sn) – After a two-year Corona break, people in Saxony will probably be able to celebrate New Year’s Eve together again, bang and set off fireworks. “According to the current status, no corona-related restrictions are planned for New Year’s Eve,” said the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Juliane Morgenroth, in a survey by the German Press Agency. Last year, a Corona emergency regulation limited the celebrations to private parties. Celebrations in the open air and in public places were not allowed on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The reason for this was the infection process at the end of last year, said Morgenroth. In Saxony, the state-wide corona incidence is currently almost 195. Last year, despite the ban on firecrackers, there were still some big bangs in some cities.
The spokeswoman also referred to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, which publicly rejected a demand by the German Environmental Aid for a general ban on firecrackers on New Year’s Eve and announced that a ban on firecrackers was not planned given the current situation. However, a ministry spokeswoman said it was not possible to foresee whether a situation would arise again that would require a similar decision as in previous years.
There is currently no legal framework for a comprehensive ban on New Year’s Eve fireworks, said a spokeswoman for the city of Dresden. The regulatory office regularly received inquiries concerning the burning of larger fireworks. Small fireworks could therefore be lit on December 31 and January 1 by anyone over the age of 18 without prior permission. However, there are currently no larger New Year’s Eve fireworks that require approval.
The city of Chemnitz also sees no basis for a ban on firecrackers. A limit value of 50 micrograms per cubic meter applies to fine dust pollution on a daily average, which may be exceeded up to 35 times a year. It would be permissible to exceed the limit on New Year’s Eve because there have been no limit violations this year. An identification of central places for New Year’s Eve fireworks will be rejected. Due to the size of the urban area, this would not make sense, nor would such a burden be reasonable for the local residents. Public fireworks, organized by the city of Chemnitz, are not planned.
“The ban last year was based on protection against infection,” said a spokesman for the city of Leipzig. This is currently not given for this turn of the year.
According to the city, no restrictions are currently planned in Zwickau either. The earlier bans in the Görlitz district were carried out from the point of view of public safety and order as well as the risk of infection, said the spokeswoman for the district office, Susanne Lehmann. A corresponding risk situation is currently not apparent.
