Mayor Kretzschmar is fighting against Long Covid – what now for Zehdenick?

Mayor Kretzschmar is fighting against Long Covid – what now for Zehdenick?

The independent mayor of Zehdenick, Alexander Kretzschmar, recently left office. After his election in March 2025, he had to stop his activities due to a Long Covid diagnosis. In an email to the parliamentary group leaders of the city council, Kretzschmar informed them about his health challenges. This was done officially using the city logo and his service account, which gave the communication a formal character. According to maz-online.de he was unable to do so just a week after taking office due to extreme exhaustion and Difficulty concentrating and no longer able to work.

“There’s something going on!” The group leaders are dealing intensively with the situation and discussing how to proceed. Kretzschmar was elected mayor in the runoff election on March 24th against René Stadtkewitz of the AfD. Now that he has been out for more than three months, the question of his return to the council has become urgent. The CDU parliamentary group expressed concerns about his lack of willingness to communicate and the city administration contacted Kretzschmar with a standard letter to ask about the status of his illness. Unfortunately, there was no reaction from him.

Long Covid: A widespread problem

Long Covid represents a serious problem that not only affects Kretzschmar, but also affects many people worldwide. According to a global analysis, about 36% of people infected with COVID-19 report persistent symptoms, highlighting the urgency of comprehensive healthcare. The symptoms are wide-ranging and range from fatigue and shortness of breath to neurological complaints and cognitive impairments, which are considered typical Long Covid signs. In a Cologne study, 12.8% of patients stated that they still suffered from at least one symptom seven months after the infection, which underlines the far-reaching consequences of this disease, as pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov documents.

Scientific studies show that Long Covid particularly often affects people who had at least five symptoms during their acute COVID-19 infection, as well as men and people with pre-existing illnesses. A deeper examination of these risk factors is crucial for formulating appropriate public health policies. Of particular note are the cardiovascular risks, which can persist even after recovery.

The future remains uncertain

With Kretzschmar's long-term absence, the city council must provide clarity as quickly as possible about his future ability to serve. A medical officer from Havelland will now examine the matter and the parliamentary groups have decided to send letters to both Kretzschmar and the medical officer to clarify the mayor's state of health. The deputy mayor reported that steps have already been taken to clarify the situation. He emphasized that the factions attach great importance to Kretzschmar's rapid return.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be felt, and it remains to be seen how the City of Zehdenick will handle its leadership during this critical period. In the long term, multidisciplinary collaboration will be necessary to overcome the challenges posed by Long Covid and to keep the health of all citizens in mind.