DISINFO: The situation with COVID-19 in Germany is worsening because of migrants
SUMMARY
The COVID-19 situation in Germany is worsening. The reason is the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, where inhabitants originating from Turkey, Albania and Arabic countries do not accept any restrictions.
RESPONSE
This statement consists of two popular pro-Kremlin narratives. The first one is about the West not being able to cope with the pandemic and the second one is about migrants.
According to a poll carried out by public broadcaster ZDF, an overwhelming majority of people in Germany support current regulations aimed at reducing the spread of coronavirus, or favour even stricter rules. A mere 10% considered the current regulations to be over-the-top.
Moreover, the Berlin district Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, mentioned in the claim, is not evaluated as the one with the highest COVID-19 case numbers. There is no evidence to prove that the increase in COVID-19 cases is caused by migrants breaking the restrictions. Kreuzberg has a low infection rate compared to other districts, such as the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district, which has a low migration population but the highest rate of covid infections.
The German disease control centre says there are signs that the spread of COVID-19 is slowing. However, the head of the Robert Koch Institute has urged Germans to stick to social distancing and mask-wearing rules.
See the similar case: "Refugees from Greek camps willjeopardise Germany's health and safety".