BERLIN--Munich's Oktoberfest, the world's largest popular festival, where revellers from all over the globe swig beer by the litre and sing along to oompah bands, fell victim on Tuesday to the coronavirus pandemic.
Six million people flock to the Bavarian capital every year for the two-week festivities, held in packed tents with long wooden tables and benches where social distancing to avoid contagion would be both lamentable and impossible. The event, scheduled this year for Sept. 19-Oct. 4, brings in 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) for the city.
"This is not a normal year and it is unfortunately a year without the Oktoberfest," said Markus Soeder, premier of the southern German state, announcing a decision that had been widely expected. "It hurts. It is a huge shame."
Some parts of Germany have started to relax lockdown measures introduced last month to slow the spread of the virus, but big events are banned until Aug. 31. Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Germans to stay disciplined to avoid a relapse after some slowing of the infection rate.
As of Tuesday, Germany had registered 143,457 cases of coronavirus, of whom 4,598 had died. Several states are requiring shoppers and people on public transport to wear face masks as additional protection. Berlin on Tuesday made masks compulsory on public transport from April 27.
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said this would not be a normal summer holiday year, either. Although it was too early to say what would happen to travel, beaches and holiday accommodation would not be packed as usual, he said.
Germany's government is trying to mitigate the effects of the shutdown on Europe's biggest economy with a range of measures, including a 750 billion stimulus package, and hopes consumer demand will return to help it out of a sharp recession.
