LIKE A SHIP IN DISTRESS WITHOUT A CAPTAIN

I think, it’s time to give our American friends a little update about our frustrating situation here. Most of them don’t have the weakest idea how dull, grimm and depressing the atmosphere and mood currently is. Our lockdown, which was introduced in a »light version« beginning of November 2020  and tightened middle of December (the week before Christmas), was extended recently until March 7. This also means, that we are under lockdown for months now, not weeks. Our most exciting weekly event is visiting a grocery or drugstore or standing in line in front of a butcher store or a bakery. 

 

Originally, the lockdown was supposed to end today, Feb. 15, and even though the numbers are going down and would have reached the targeted number in time – as our Augsburg Corona website (pic below) tells us –, politicians – lead by our soon-to-retire chancellor Merkel – decided to continue the lockdown. Now, the new number is 35 for the 7-day incidence quotient, instead of 50 formerly. Aggression, depression and lack of understanding are growing, especially in regard to political actions and rules which often don’t make sense anymore.

One example: hairdressers, and, only them, will re-open on March 1, prematurely. Why exactly them? No pedi/manicure, no fitness studio, but hairdressers, working in closest possible vicinity to their clients? Well, there were rumors a couple of weeks ago, scrutinizing why and how soccer players, politicians and other »hoi polloi« always have nice hairdoes, while regular people like us are getting »overgrown«.

 

Our politicians aim for fear, anxiousness and panic. The don’t have »hope«, »bolstering up« people, »encouragement« or »positivity« in their vocabulary. Now, that the numbers are going down, the new mutants of the virus from Great Britain (B 1.1.7), South Africa (B.1.351) and Brasil (P.1), and the so-called third wave are the new scares. It’s not really lifting the spirits of people, and, I bet the long-term effects of this lockdown will be horrible.

 

Other than reported repeatedly, not all are happily, cozily sitting in an impromptu home office, at the same time helping their kids equipped with state-of-the-art gadgets and high-speed internet with home schooling. But, kids will soon – by specific dates/regulations for age groups/grades, different in every German county – be allowed to get back to school/kindergarten. They’ll take the bus or train to school, gather in the courtyard, be happy to meet people in the flesh again. As has been proven, kids do not get sick by the virus easily. But, they pass it on. Therefore, NOW, only now, discussions started to vaccinate teachers and caregivers in childcare earlier than originally planned.

 

Vaccination? A little over 3 % of the German population is vaccinated to date (2-15) – compared to about 12 % in the U.S. and about 3/4 of the population in Israel. Well, we have been told, that there was something wrong with the amounts of vaccines being ordered by the EU and Germany. Last week they started to vaccinate the 80+ age group and if it continues at the current rate, we won’t have our turn until summer or fall. Also, not sure, whether every elderly person knows about the vaccination register and how to register. The form is only available on the internet and you have to give a mobile phone number. Certainly, hard to do for some.

 

Regarding communication: Besides the before-mentioned register, I am not sure that everybody knew/knows in which parts of the city masks are mandatory and where not (the photo above shows one of the official maps published on the city’s website. It may not be accurate anymore, but it shows how confusing it is/was. Yellow marks mandatory mask zones). Besides these internet maps there are little paper signs on poles – that’s it. 

For a couple of weeks FFP2/KN95 masks (see photo) are mandatory in shops/offices and on public transport. To my knowledge, Bavaria is the forerunner in this regard and we were wondering how it came to this sudden change from fabric and surgery face masks to FFP2. 

But, oh yes, we do have this famous Corona App, a lot of money was once spent on it. But, mostly for data security reasons, it never became a real success. Rather inefficient. Public Health Departments are still – in some cities not adequately equipped with software and personnel – informing infected/quarantined people by snailmail!

  

Well, now we are staring, like a cat in front of the mouse hole at the next level: 35 for 7-day incidence. Hoping, that then the crowds in supermarkets are allowed to spread out to DIY stores and garden centers, bookstores and flower shops, shoe shops, department stores and furniture stores. In the meantime discounters like ALDI, Lidl and the likes, continue to sell EVERYTHING. And, most don’t even check on the number of people inside the store. The little bookstore around the corner (who’s struggling with Click & Collect, too, while garbage containers are overflowing with cardboards from ordered merchandise) would allow three people in and closely watch the numbers and distances. Same for our large, airy library or our fitness studio, which long time ago introduced very rigid hygiene/distancing/cleaning/registration rules.

 

I need new shoes (and can’t order them with my screwed-up feet), I need my fitness studio and the public pool (to stay fit and healthy), I need books made out of paper, a pedicure, I want to be surrounded by culture again – a museum, an exhibition, a concert, a movie, a reading – and I am sick of staring at a computer screen for another Zoom conference. Would love to talk to a doc and be understood and can understand the first time, and, see his/her face and expression.

And, I would dream of – gradually, selectively and carefully after that – having a beer and talks in a pub or bar, a nice cup of coffee while sitting in a café, breakfast buffet in our French bakery, or, good food in a restaurant, being nicely served and not coming out of a styrofoam container, lukewarm. What else? Traveling!!! Getting out again!

Live currrently is a joyless roller-coaster ride with the frights, but without the fun. Couldn’t terms like »zoning« (a grading system in re-opening businesses depending on infection numbers), »long-term plans« or »opening strategies« become part of our politicians’ vocabulary? Well, it’s a big election year, and, nobody wants to make the wrong decision, rather none at all. Right now it feels like we are navigating frantically in a boat, which is slowly filling up with water, without having neither direction nor plan,,, in the cold,,,