Berlin Senate discusses mandatory masks and hardship fund

Whether there is a majority in the Berlin Senate for the extension of the mask requirement will probably be decided this Tuesday.

Then the members of the Senate want to discuss the matter again, after they had come to no conclusion a week earlier. A decision on the extension of the current Corona ordinance, which expires on Friday, is considered certain. In this context, the obligation to wear masks could also be extended to indoor areas such as museums or shops. Health Senator Ulrike Gote (Greens) in particular has advocated for this.

Information on the current status of the Hardship Fund

Another topic of the senate meeting will be the hardship fund agreed upon by the Red-Green-Red Party. Social Affairs Senator Katja Kipping (Left Party) will provide information on the current status. The fund is part of the Berlin Senate's package of measures to relieve the burden on citizens and is to be used, for example, to prevent Berliners from losing their flats because they can no longer pay their rent due to high electricity and gas costs.

Network of warmth with "warmth points" planned

Kipping also wants to bring her Senate colleagues up to speed on the plans for cold aid and the so-called Network of Warmth. "Warmth points" can be, for example, meeting places, canteens, museums or libraries where people can stay and meet.