Bonn and Siegburg First fines for violation of contact ban
Bonn/Siegburg · Several people in Bonn and Siegburg have violated the contact ban that has been in effect since Sunday. Both cities imposed the first fines. Law enforcement officers also discovered an open shisha bar and an arcade with visitors.
In Bonn and Siegburg, the first fines have been collected from people who have not obeyed the contact ban in force since Sunday evening. In Bonn, charges were filed against twelve people until Tuesday afternoon who, despite warnings and admonitions, continued to be in groups of more than two people in public. According to the city, they were in a schoolyard, a sports field or a park. These twelve people are now facing a fine of 200 Euro. According to the city, the first fine notices have already been sent out by the fines office.
"At this point, zero tolerance is the only way forward," said Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan. "We want to send a signal from the outset that we will not tolerate such uncoperative behaviour and that it will very quickly lead to noticeable sanctions." Another report is given to the operator of a shisha bar who opened it without permission. He must expect a fine of 4000 Euro.
Also in Siegburg, several persons have violated the ban on contact during Monday night. According to the city of Siegburg, the employees of the public order office found four people in a gambling hall on Roonstraße, where the slot machines were in operation. The public order office took down the personal details and closed the shop again. At Neuenhof, the Public Order Office issued three warnings, and at Kaufland a group of young people broke up when the security forces arrived.
The city points out that there may be even higher fines in addition to the 200 euros. Public gatherings of more than ten people are a criminal offence and can be punished with a fine or imprisonment of up to five years. The operation of cafés, restaurants, hairdressing salons or fitness studios is punished with fines of several thousand euros. According to the catalogue of fines issued by the state of NRW, the fine for repeat offences can be as high as 25,000 Euro.
According to the city, the majority of Siegburg's citizens, however, have behaved in an exemplary manner. During inspection trips on Monday afternoon to, among other places, the Siegwehr, the Lohmar forest, the dam, the Seligenthal playground, the train station and the vocational college Auf der Zange, the public order office did not find any violations.
(Original text: Alexander Hertel. Translation: Mareike Graepel)
