Stuart WoodThe Berlin Marathon will not go ahead on 27 September, after the federal government in Berlin extended the city’s ban on large gatherings to 24 October.
The German national government recently announced a ban on all public gatherings until 31 August, which led to the cancellation of a number of festivals. However, the federal government in Berlin has gone even further, and extended the ban until 24 October.
Organisers said in a statement that the event “cannot take place” as originally scheduled, and they would “co-ordinate further steps.”
The London Marathon recently rearranged its dates from 26 April to 4 October – a move which seemed on the cautious side at the time.
Germany has suffered fewer coronavirus deaths than the UK – 4,948 compared to 17,337, according to figures collated by John Hopkins University – and has already begun a partial lifting of its lockdown measures.