German bars and restaurants reopen
Bars and restaurants in some German states have been allowed to reopen after weeks of closed doors due to COVID-19. Diners and the establishments must follow hygiene rules to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Slow return to public life
A restaurant worker cleans down a table on the Neumarkt Square in the city Dresden in Saxony. Restaurants and bars in Berlin, Brandenburg, Hesse, Saxony and Thuringia were allowed to reopen on May 15. Bars and restaurants in Mecklenburg Western-Pommerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Hamburg, and the Rhineland-Palatinate had already been allowed to open.
Dining with dolls
Rules requiring diners to sit farther apart from each other mean restaurants are serving far below capacity. The Hotel Haase in Lower Saxony decided to fill empty tables with lifesize dolls.
'Please disinfect'
A sign on a table in Mecklenburg Western-Pomerania asks diners to "please disinfect." Strict hygiene rules in many German states require guests to follow measures such as disinfecting their hands and wearing a face mask in the restaurant, though requirements vary between states.
Open-air dining
The owner and cook of a restaurant in Berlin prepare the dining patio to receive guests. Due to a high level of coronavirus infections, restaurants in the state of Thuringia are only permitted to serve customers using outdoor seating.
Could I get your number?
The owner of an apple wine bar in Frankfurt serves wine while wearing a facemask that says: "Stop blabbering and wash your hands." Some restaurants require guests to leave their contact information, should an outbreak occur. Others ask diners to indicate how many people from how many households are dining together. In some cases, no more than two households may dine together.