Author: radiospaetkauf

Berlin is days away from the great restart. Restaurants, pools, hotels and kitas will soon be open again under new rules. But there’s no return in sight for the things some people liked about Berlin the most – drinking, smoking, partying and then recovering in cinemas. What will Berlin look like after this involuntary rehab?

The Club Commission is requesting that clubs and bars be allowed to operate open air areas until midnight, with guests wearing masks. Clubs want to use public spaces, such as parks and squares. No luck so far.

Pools are due to reopen from May 25, but it’s unclear how they’ll cap numbers. Are we heading for a world of online registrations, timed tickets and digital queues? Where will that leave people without internet access and skills?

The mask requirements are being expanded to more public spaces, but still without penalties. Compliance has been patchy, and seems to be decreasing. How is your rage factor at seeing unmasked rebels?

This episode was presented by Daniel Stern, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Joel Dullroy. Support us with a donation! http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

Berlin is emerging from its lockdown hibernation. Shops are open again, but some of us have lost the will to consume. Restaurants are still closed. They’re bearing the cost of the government’s strategy of transmitting a message of abnormality. Joel says restaurateurs should be compensated for lost profits, not just costs.

Simple masks will be obligatory on public transport from Monday. But the BVG says it can’t enforce the rule and is worried about vigilantism. Maisie gives a review of your face-covering options.

Trying to evade the lockdown? Jöran’s got some advice for you:  “People who are circumventing the rules, trying to make everything normal – you’re missing out on the chance of a lifetime to experience quarantine. You’ll look back and say – ‘I didn’t really live through that.”

This episode was presented by Daniel Stern, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Joel Dullroy. Support us with a donation! http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

Berlin police ask snitches not to block the emergency hotline 110 with coronavirus kontaktverbot reports. They’d prefer to use drones to control people. New fines are in place: it could cost you €10 if you leave the house without a reason (or a creative excuse).

The Financial Times reports on illegal ‘raves’ in Berlin costing €100 a head. We can’t prove they didn’t happen, but the story smells like a fabrication to us. Let us know if you went to one of these top-secret warehouse raves.

E-scooters have almost disappeared from Berlin’s streets. Only one company with 700 e-scooters remains active: at the peak, there were five companies with 15,000 scooters. Many shared bike companies are also withdrawing. One is just rebranding – Lidl Bike will revert to the name Call-A-Bike.

The €5000 Soforthilfe coronavirus grants have gone out to freelancers, but some are worried they could be prosecuted for wrongly receiving the cash. The rules changed half-way through the process. Recipients will soon get an e-mail asking them to review their eligibility, and could be asked to pay the money back.

This episode was presented by Daniel Stern, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Joel Dullroy.

Help us pay our server costs! We now accept one-time donations: http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

Put that picnic blanket away, and don’t dare drink a beer in the park. Berlin’s signature freedoms are being restricted. How far is too far? Should you cancel your gym membership, or keep paying to help businesses survive? And Tegel Airport may soon fall victim to the virus crisis.

Berlin police are busy patrolling parks and shutting down candlelit dinners in ‘spreadeasies.’ We debate the morality of flouting the rules for a bit of fun.

Are you tech-savvy and want to help build community solutions for the crisis? Dan interviews Victoria Boeck from Hack The Crisis. You can sign up or suggest a solution here: https://hackthecrisis.citylab-berlin.org/

Berlin freelancers and small business owners suffering financially can now apply for various grants and loans.
Here’s where you apply for the Corona Zuschuss: https://www.ibb.de/de/wirtschaftsfoerderung/themen/coronahilfe/corona-liquiditaets-engpaesse.html
Here’s how you apply for ALG 2 (Hartz IV): https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/en/unemployment-benefitii
Schreiben und Lernen have posted a helpful podcast in English about help for freelancers: https://soundcloud.com/literaturszene

This episode was presented by Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy, Daniel Stern and Maisie Hitchcock.

This mini episode of Radio Spaetkauf features an interview with Chad Matheny aka Emperor X of Neukölln music venue Donau115.

A few Berlin news updates with Daniel Stern: Berlin is quiet as new restrictions limit gatherings and movement. Districts are offering financial support to residents who are helping their neighbors. Schools and daycares remain closed but some workers are entitled to childcare.

Connect to Donau115 at http://donau115.de
Find Chad’s music at http://emperorx.net