Corona restrictions: After the Corona summit: The wait continues

Anyone who had hoped that yesterday's crisis summit in the Federal Chancellery would lead to an easing of restrictions for water sports was mistaken. Worse still: even the travel restrictions in many federal states, including Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, remain in force unchanged. This means that tens of thousands of sailors are still unable to reach the marinas, shipyards, chandlers and charter companies on the North and Baltic Seas. Sailing clubs and their jetties also remain off-limits.

Today and tomorrow, the state governments are still discussing the details of how to implement the decision taken yesterday together with the federal government. There may be some relaxation in the details. However, nobody in the industry currently expects any fundamental improvements before May. On the contrary: frustration, anger and despair are increasingly spreading among associations and companies, but also among affected owners.

While many had accepted and even welcomed the first phase of the lockdown, which was originally limited to 19 April, there is now a growing lack of understanding and concern.

On the one hand, no one in politics has yet justified the rigid restrictions in a factually comprehensible way. Sailing, especially cruising with members of your own household, demonstrably does not harbour any increased risk of infection. There is therefore no need for such harsh regulatory intervention.

On the other hand, state governments and regional administrations simply seem to be ignoring the consequences of the artificially prolonged hibernation for the boating industry. With every additional week of standstill, businesses are losing revenue, some of which is irretrievably lost. Schleswig-Holstein in particular, where many companies are based, is knowingly and unnecessarily risking the loss of thousands of jobs that cannot be saved even with emergency aid. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Bremen and Rhineland-Palatinate, water sports are at least possible to a limited extent.

Jürgen Tracht, Managing Director of the Federal Association of the Water Sports Industry (BVWW), expressed his grave concern to YACHT online today. "We are really running into disaster if nothing happens," he said. The loss of the Easter business alone would be difficult for commercial marina operators and charter companies to cope with. "If May and possibly also June are now missing, we will see a mass extinction of companies that have been functioning well so far." Because the majority of sales are concentrated in the summer months, there is virtually no chance of making up for lost profits later on. "What's gone is gone," says Tracht bitterly.

In a letter to federal and state ministries and members of the Bundestag a week ago, Tracht, together with Claus-Ehlert Meyer from the German Boat and Shipbuilders' Association (DBSV), drew attention to the "existence-threatening situation" and "urgently" requested that the start of the season not be made any more difficult by excessive infection control measures. However, the initiative had no effect.

The head of the BVWW is now trying to prove the safety of water sports with a specially developed hygiene concept. It is to be presented next week. But Tracht knows: "The political decision-makers at the very top don't see us. Unfortunately, we have very little influence." Yet 100,000 jobs and a good 7 billion euros in turnover depend on the industry nationwide.

Andreas Löwe, Vice President and General Counsel of the German Sailing Association, was also seriously disappointed by the new coronavirus decision. "Last week, we approached the Conference of Interior Ministers via the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) in order to get the nonsensical harbour closures off the table," says the lawyer from Constance. In vain!

The DSV Executive Committee will meet tomorrow - virtually, of course. The main topic will be how sailing can be made possible again nationwide. Löwe said that he understands that in such an exceptional situation, mistakes are made and wrong decisions are taken at the beginning. However, now is the time to correct these mistakes. "You can't explain to anyone that paddling is allowed but sailing from a harbour is not."