Why can’t Berlin manage this again? Initial briefing in accordance with Section 43 of the Infection Protection Act, in English

Please don’t get me wrong. I love Berlin and, as a host and tourism representative, I’m 98 per cent proud to represent this city. But sometimes I simply can’t understand it.

Anyone working with food in Berlin needs to complete the initial training course under Section 43 of the Infection Protection Act – colloquially known as the ‘red card’. In my opinion, that’s absolutely the right thing to do.

In Berlin, this training is available only in person and exclusively in German. Anyone who doesn’t speak German must bring an interpreter with them. Otherwise, the certificate will not be issued.

Three public health authorities are responsible for the whole city. On top of that, booking an appointment is extremely difficult, as is getting there and the waiting time.

In Hamburg, the same briefing is available online, in nine other languages as well as German. Bremen offers it in 23 languages (!!). Nationwide, over 130 public health authorities have joined a shared online system.

Berlin has not.

For our sector, this is no minor issue. Berlin’s hospitality and catering industries simply cannot function without international staff. Not everyone speaks perfect German from the outset. At the Round Table Berlin hostel network, 55 establishments share information, and every single one of them is familiar with this problem.

The technology exists. The legal basis is federal law, and in Hamburg it is the same as here. This is not about lowering standards. A briefing that someone understands in their own language serves its purpose better than one translated by a friend on the side.

Why, once again, can’t we do this in Berlin … (Anyone who sees the leaflet you’re handed if you don’t speak German can sense just how much pride is behind it. It’s the first impression of German public administration for someone who’s just starting out in this city.)

Alexander Dolle-Koch
Coffee INN Hostel Berlin

#Hospitality #Berlin #SkilledWorkers #DigitalisationOfPublicAdministration