BioNtech jabs for Berlin's party-goers

Berlin's club scene is once again offering itself as a test subject for innovative solutions to getting people vaccinated against COVID to enable them to enjoy the city's nightlife unhindered once more.

Following its Clubculture Reboot experiment from last weekend, a pilot project has been underway to encourage unvaccinated clubbers to get a COVID-19 jab while DJs spin tunes on the sidelines.

Together with the Red Cross and Clubcommission Berlin, the city is organizing three "Lange Nächte des Impfens" (Long Nights of Vaccination) on August 9, 11 and 13 respectively. According to an AFP report, the idea to combine dance music and vaccines was the brainchild of Markus Nisch, Berlin's Arena vaccination center manager for the German Red Cross.

Targeting especially the younger set, BioNTech-Pfizer vaccinations will be administered between local time 8 pm and midnight, with the time being extended on Friday until 1 am CET.

The website promoting the initiative also stated that people do not need to show any identification, which means non-residents — who may have had issues securing a vaccination appointment outside of Berlin — will also be able to get their first shot here. However, teenagers over 16 must present a consent form signed by either a parent or guardian.

Shot in the arm for flagging club scene

The Arena Club, where these parties are being held, is one of Berlin's premier party venues that was transformed into one of the city's five main vaccination centers after it had to close its doors to curb the spread of the virus.

These parties will see some of the city's renowned DJs back at their turntables. Some of them had volunteered at this test center during the long lull of lockdown.

Sebastian Schwarz of the DJ duo Tiefschwarz, who had volunteered at the test center since its inception, was one of the seven DJs who played on Monday. Speaking to AFP he said, "It's overwhelming, the empathy and niceness with which people work together here. I'm totally blown away by how people are standing here with umbrellas in the Berlin rain and just want to get in here. It's like being at a festival." Berlin's Ministry of Health has stated in news reports that about 420 people were vaccinated on Monday night.

Artists including Willi Schumacher aka Midas 104, Tama Sumo, Peter Schumann and drag queen Gloria Viagra are slated to play this week.

Clubbing for science

The marathon vaccination nights in Berlin come on the heels of the ClubCulture Reboot project, where around 2,000 visitors were allowed to party inside six selected Berlin clubs over the weekend of August 6 to 8.

Under that initiative, all revelers — whether vaccinated or not — had to undergo PCR tests before entry into the clubs, and retest a few days after the event.

Initiated and carried out by the ClubCommission Berlin, its chairwoman Pamela Schobess said in a press release that there is an urgent need for a concept to enable indoor events without masks and distancing. The scientific monitoring for that project was carried out by the Berlin Charite clinics that could provide "a framework in which to sound out what will work in the future," according to Berlin Senator for Culture, Klaus Lederer.

Berlin's lucrative club scene has been languishing since the imposition of pandemic-related restrictions — pretty much like every other segment of the cultural scene like restaurants, cinemas, theaters and concerts.

Club operators across Germany are lobbying for a complete repeal of the COVID measures indoors from October onwards, given the nationwide vaccination progress. They argue that there is no legal basis to restrict basic rights and the free exercise of the profession, according to a statement by the Association of Music Venues in Germany (LiveKomm).

Club culture stands for social freedom. It must not "starve on the long arm of the pandemic," the association says in a statement.

The summer had at least enabled partying opportunities outdoors. the projects Clubculture Reboot and the ongoing vaccination nights could provide a prototype to safely holding indoor events throughout Germany in future.