Yesterday, 31st March, at 1pm the information was put in our group, that camp Lindenstraße had been locked because of a case of corona inside. Noone of the residents was allowed to go out anymore, even though those who had been outside could still enter. They were not told, that they might not be able to leave anymore.
Everybody in the group was really concerned because this was the worst case we had feared since the beginning of the corona pandemic.
Initially there was a lot of uncertainty concerning information. Somebody had the information, that nobody was allowed to leave until everybody was tested. At the same time most of the residents of the camp were not even aware of the situation there. Police arrived there as well, even though we don’t know what for.
At 2pm the information reached the group that the camp was open again and the police had left.
Nevertheless activists from outside the camp came to Lindenstraße to support those inside, to talk to people directly and to see what was going on. In the early afternoon a fire-alarm started and everybody had to leave the building. People from inside reported, that three people were hindered to go out because they were isolated due to being infected or being suspected to be infected. Also from outside it was visible, that three people were inside the building in one room together while everybody else was outside.
During the fire-alarm there was still no official information for the residents. Many were not aware of the corona-case but the information spread from those, who knew about the situation.
Later the same day the workers at the camp started moving people from the first floor into other rooms. It seems that the first floor will from now on be the isolation floor for people who have newly arrived.
The social administration has released a press statement informing that the person who was tested positively has arrived during the weekend and has been tested upon arrival. They say that afterwards the person was isolated with all other newcomers. They say the person had no contact with other residents. According to their information the person has been isolated in a single room now. We wonder now, who the three people are who had to stay inside during the fire-alarm. They are not mentioned at all in official statements.
They write, that all newcomers on the separate floor for newcomers have been tested anyways (when they arrived, not after having contact with the person now tested positively) and will stay in isolation for two weeks. This is interesting, as the first floor was only cleared late in the day yesterday. Which floor are they talking about? To our information newcomers have not been isolated in the way they describe. To our information people have been moving freely in the building and have used the same eating facilities as everybody else. We have also heard people from official sides confirming the observation that people in “isolation” were moving in the building.
We ask ourselves: How can the administration be sure, that nobody else has been infected already? Who will be identified as contact persons now? Who of the workers of the AWO and of the security have been in contact with the infected person? Who have these people been in contact themselves? Will there be a lack of staff soon? What is done to support the person who has been tested positive?
What has happened yesterday once more confirms what we have said from the beginning: It is not possible to handle a corona-infection in a crowded place like Lindenstraße and the social administration and the health office as well as the AWO running the place do not seem prepared for this foreseeable situation. Lack of information for the residents, first locking the camp and then opening it again shows, that there does not even seem to be a suited plan for a situation like this.
People in the camp have demanded that everybody (including the staff) is tested and subsequently transferred to other places like Hotels or Übergangswohnheime immediately. It is not possible to protect oneself from an infection at this place and it is not possible to protect others.
There has also been the question: What about the people who work there? They go in and out of the building on a regular basis. They have contact to the people they live with and whoever else they might be seeing. How are they checked? How is ensured they are not a risk to those living in the camp?
We are left with a lot of questions and strengthen our demand: Shut down Lindenstraße – NOW!