The coronavirus idled sex workers in Hamburg’s red light district and now they are demanding to be allowed to work again.
About 400 prostitutes held a protest Saturday evening calling on the government to reopen brothels, according to reports. Prostitution in brothels is legal in Germany.
The Association of Sex Workers organized the protest, saying the continued closure of licensed premises was forcing some prostitutes onto the streets, which is illegal and a far more dangerous and unhygienic way of working, Reuters reported.
Germany brought its coronavirus outbreak under control allowing shops, restaurants and bars to reopen, but brothels have remained closed.
“The oldest profession needs your help,” read one woman’s sign in a brothel window in the Herbertstrasse, which was flooded with red light after being dark since March, according to Reuters.
The prostitute union said brothels could follow other industries in easily adopting pandemic safety measures by requiring face masks, ventilating rooms, and collecting visitor data for contact tracing.
