Dresden Christmas market still to go on, despite virus worries in Germany

The German city of Dresden is working to make sure that its popular Striezelmarkt Christmas market opens on time, despite rampant discussion in recent days about shutting such events because of pandemic health risks, reported dpa.

"We're taking the spread of the pandemic very seriously and have invested a lot of effort to conceptualize and build a market that, despite tough restrictions, still lets visitors and merchants experience the typical Striezelmarkt flair," says Robert Franke, head of the city's economic development office.

Dresden is the state capital of Saxony, currently Germany's worst-affected region in a burgeoning fourth wave of coronavirus infections.

The market in the eastern city is set to open on Monday, barely a week before the first Sunday of Advent, the traditional start of the Christmas season in Germany.

Christmas markets selling trinkets, crafts, snacks and mulled wine are common across Germany at this time of year, and Dresden's market is one of the oldest and most established.

Merchants who depend on Christmas-time sales are desperate for profits after the pandemic forced them to shut down last year.

To compensate for the pandemic, the market will be spread over a larger space but with 20 per cent fewer stalls than normal, said Franke. Recurring attractions that were in indoors areas, like a Christmas bakery and a theatre, won't be offered this year.

All eyes are now on the Saxon state government, with officials set to meet on Friday to lay down new laws designed to slow transmission of the virus. The provisions are set to last through December 20 and will determine how the markets can operate.

It's expected that the markets will be allowed, but access to areas where people eat and drink will be limited to those who can prove they are either vaccinated against or recovered from the virus.

But there's the chance the rules could be made tougher still. Other cities, like Munich, have opted to do without a Christmas market this year.

On Thursday, the number of new infections per 100,000 people in the last seven days stood at 530.4 for Dresden. City health officials recorded 636 new infections in the previous 24 hours.