Germany's health minister has criticized his countrymen for failing to respect social distancing rules on vacation after videos emerged over the weekend showing German tourists partying on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
Jens Spahn told reporters on Monday that he understood vacationers were “impatient” after months of lockdown, but that the scenes captured on video Friday made him “very worried” because such behavior would increase the risk of coronavirus infection for the partying tourists and others.
Spahn also urged Germans not to stage private parties for Oktoberfest, after the official event was canceled this year due to the pandemic.
While Germany has managed to flatten the curve of infections, with just under 200,000 confirmed cases and 9,071 deaths to date, Spahn said it was important to remain alert to prevent a second wave in the fall.