Two people maintain their social distance as they hold a conversation in a deserted pedestrian area in Kaiserslautern. The head of the Army's 21st Theater Sustainment Command said Friday that those who don't obey German restrictions could face government fines and military punishment. (Karin Zeitvogel/Stars and Stripes)
Two people maintain their social distance as they hold a conversation in a deserted pedestrian area in Kaiserslautern. The head of the Army's 21st Theater Sustainment Command said Friday that those who don't obey German restrictions could face government fines and military punishment. (Karin Zeitvogel/Stars and Stripes)
Two people stand a meter apart from each other outside a shop on Eisenbahnstrasse in Kaiserslautern, where a sign says only two customers can be inside at one time. The head of the Army's 21st Theater Sustainment Command said Friday that those who don't obey German restrictions could face government fines and military punishment. (Karin Zeitvogel/Stars and Stripes)
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KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Americans in Germany who violate restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus could face hefty fines from the government and disciplinary action from the military, a top Army official in Europe said Friday.
“This is serious business and you need to take it seriously,” Maj. Gen. Chris Mohan, head of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, said in a Facebook post.
“We tragically lost a teammate last weekend to this virus, so be assured, I am more determined than ever to protect our people with everything in my power,” he said, referring to a longtime German employee who died March 28 at a Kaiserslautern hospital.
Mohan last month issued a general order spelling out coronavirus restrictions for service members, Defense Department civilians, contractors and family members within the command’s responsibility.
They include a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., social distancing rules and bans on exercising or traveling more than 30 kilometers from home, or about 19 miles, except under certain circumstances.
American service members have already been hit with fines, which took effect March 23 in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, where Ramstein Air Base and several other U.S. bases are located, including Panzer Kaserne, where the 21st TSC is headquartered.
“Just this past week, four soldiers riding in a personal vehicle were fined 100+ euros each by the German authorities for defying local social distancing rules,” Mohan said. “Not only is this a breach of host nation laws, but it’s also a violation of my order for everyone in my area of responsibility.” The 21st TSC includes bases throughout Europe.
The fines in Rheinland-Pfalz range from 55 euros for a minor administrative offense to 4,000 euros for hosting or organizing a meeting of 11 or more people. Failure to observe social distancing rules could lead to a fine of at least 100 euros.
Americans living in Bavaria, the German state hardest hit by the coronavirus, are subject to 150 euro fines for flouting social distancing rules. The same fine applies to anyone in Bavaria who leaves their home without an acceptable reason, such as shopping for essentials, to go to work or to get medical care.
The state, which is home to the Army training areas in Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels and an Army base in Ansbach/Katterbach, has been under a stay-at-home order since March 20.
In Hesse, where U.S. Army Europe has its Wiesbaden headquarters, gatherings of more than two, with the exception of families or people living together in one household, could lead to a fine of 200 euros. Repeat offenders can expect greater punishment, German media reported.
A 27-year-old man in Landshut, Bavaria, was arrested and sentenced to a week in jail after he violated the rules three times, meeting with his friends to smoke and drink, online news portal merkur.de said.
Police in Rheinland-Pfalz stopped a private barbecue in Pirmasens attended by several people, and in Lauterecken, they are investigating a 23-year-old man who insulted officers after they spotted him with six other people in public and questioned him.
Last weekend in Rheinland-Pfalz, which is home to Kaiserslautern where some 54,000 Americans live, police said most people seemed to be following the rules, according to local media SWR.
Mohan recognized that the vast majority of people are doing the right thing, but said, “Now is not the time to relax our guard.”
There were 73,522 confirmed cases and 872 deaths from coronavirus in Germany, the Robert Koch Institute said Friday on its website.
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