re:publica in Times of the Continuing Pandemic

It may sound like the automatic greeting of a support hotline, but it is meant absolutely seriously: The health of our guests is very close to our hearts. And of course also that of our speakers, the team and the employees of the services involved in a re:publica. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and the regulations currently in force, we face the same challenges as any other event in these times.

We have planned re:publica 2022—the first "real" gathering after the 2019 edition—according to the currently best possible criteria and, of course, based on the applicable regulations. We reserve the right to make adjustments in the event of any changes to the infection situation or regulations. We will inform you about such changes here and on all other re:publica channels.

The current state of our planning: The event has been moved to June in view of the experiences of the last two years, hopefully to benefit from warmer temperatures. We have also chosen a location with generous outdoor space, and the very spacious main hall of Arena Berlin is not only extremely well ventilated (it has been used as one of Berlin's major vaccination centres), but also allows for safety distances between guests. In addition, we offer a live stream for the main stage in the large hall, so that even those guests who find it too crowded in the hall can follow the current events outside.

As an event, we are no longer allowed to check vaccination certificates, but we ask our attendees to attend the event with vaccinations only, if possible, and ideally to carry out daily self-tests. We also recommend wearing FFP2 masks and keeping your distance in the large main hall. In smaller rooms we have decided that masks are compulsory, signs will point this out and if necessary the security staff will remind people. FFP2 masks will be available for purchase on the premises.

But we also rely on the personal responsibility and solidarity of our guests. We are sure that we can rely on you, because after all, nobody wants to endanger themselves or others.

With the combination of the recommendation to wear a mask in the large, well-ventilated hall, the compulsory wearing of masks in smaller rooms and the spacious outdoor areas, we ensure a safe and relaxed atmosphere, so coupled with the solidary behaviour of our guests, we should be able to minimise the risk of infection. Nevertheless, no one can completely rule out the risk of infection. Therefore, despite all precautionary measures, we expressly recommend vaccination in order to minimise the health risk even in the event of an infection.

We hope that this will make #rp22 a celebration without regrets for all of us, where everyone feels as safe as they do comfortable.