The Coronavirus in Germany
After Italy and France, Germany is the one country in Europe with the most confirmed Coronavirus cases.
That, in itself, shouldn't be a surprise. For one, Germany is the country with the highest population in Europe. Add that to the fact that the European Union has an open border policy, and all German efficiency goes out the window when confronted with a very deadly, very contagious virus making the rounds. This virus obviously doesn't care about nationalities or borders.
At first, the Coronavirus was casually reported in the German news. China, Iran, oops, now it's hit Italy. What alarmed Germany more than anything was not the reality of the Coronavirus reaching Europe, or Italy, for that matter, but the rapidity with which it spread. And yet, there was still plenty of reason for a, typically German, measured optimism here in the land of engineers. Public announcements will do it. Common sense. Clean your hands. Hand sanitizer. Soap. And panic, if all of the above doesn't work.
After the first week of March 2020, there are over 900 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus here in Germany. I honestly don't know what will happen next. My kids go to an international school, an academically sound school, but still attended by kids, human kids, not robots who don't need to shower or ignore the fine print about hygiene, bacteria, etc. The first case hitting that school is not so much a question of if, but when.
The supermarkets already have sold out all hand sanitizers. Forget about masks (not that those are really useful). Those are gone, but, oddly enough, they are nowhere to be seen in Germany's alpha city. Just today, I took a trip around town with the kids, at all the public places. To the Hauptwache, to the airport, to the river, all places that attract crowds in this town the way only the Eintracht Football club does. For all I know, any one of us could have caught the Coronavirus by now.
And then there's the economic factor. Lufthansa has cut its flights in half, according to demand. Restaurants are reporting record cancellations, at the beginning of Spring, no less. Busses and U-Bahn trains are at less than half capacity. Neuschwanstein, the Disneyland inspired castle of King Ludwig II near Füssen in Bavaria, is reporting an all-time low for tourists despite knock off prices offered by the local hotels. The biggest fears are not so much directed at people, but at the economy. We must not allow this virus to paralyze the economy, says Economic Minister Altmeier. Small businesses will be granted immediate credit. Okay, then. As long as that is settled. The dozens of conventions that have been canceled shouldn't present that much of a problem, then.
Most cases in Germany have been reported in Nordrhein Westfalen, the most populated state in Germany. The first confirmed death was a 60-year-old man who had just returned from a vacation in Egypt. History suggests that a country like Germany is well equipped for a pandemic like the Coronavirus, but only time will tell.
The state of Hessen has 18 confirmed cases, with a rising trend, when you consider that the neighbors in Baden Württemberg have 116 cases, Bavaria 117, and Nordrhein Westfalen a whopping 346. Stay tuned, campers. If a virus would hit any city, it would stand to reason Frankfurt would be the place. Knock on wood...and immediately use the sanitizer.
That, in itself, shouldn't be a surprise. For one, Germany is the country with the highest population in Europe. Add that to the fact that the European Union has an open border policy, and all German efficiency goes out the window when confronted with a very deadly, very contagious virus making the rounds. This virus obviously doesn't care about nationalities or borders.
At first, the Coronavirus was casually reported in the German news. China, Iran, oops, now it's hit Italy. What alarmed Germany more than anything was not the reality of the Coronavirus reaching Europe, or Italy, for that matter, but the rapidity with which it spread. And yet, there was still plenty of reason for a, typically German, measured optimism here in the land of engineers. Public announcements will do it. Common sense. Clean your hands. Hand sanitizer. Soap. And panic, if all of the above doesn't work.
After the first week of March 2020, there are over 900 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus here in Germany. I honestly don't know what will happen next. My kids go to an international school, an academically sound school, but still attended by kids, human kids, not robots who don't need to shower or ignore the fine print about hygiene, bacteria, etc. The first case hitting that school is not so much a question of if, but when.
The supermarkets already have sold out all hand sanitizers. Forget about masks (not that those are really useful). Those are gone, but, oddly enough, they are nowhere to be seen in Germany's alpha city. Just today, I took a trip around town with the kids, at all the public places. To the Hauptwache, to the airport, to the river, all places that attract crowds in this town the way only the Eintracht Football club does. For all I know, any one of us could have caught the Coronavirus by now.
And then there's the economic factor. Lufthansa has cut its flights in half, according to demand. Restaurants are reporting record cancellations, at the beginning of Spring, no less. Busses and U-Bahn trains are at less than half capacity. Neuschwanstein, the Disneyland inspired castle of King Ludwig II near Füssen in Bavaria, is reporting an all-time low for tourists despite knock off prices offered by the local hotels. The biggest fears are not so much directed at people, but at the economy. We must not allow this virus to paralyze the economy, says Economic Minister Altmeier. Small businesses will be granted immediate credit. Okay, then. As long as that is settled. The dozens of conventions that have been canceled shouldn't present that much of a problem, then.
Most cases in Germany have been reported in Nordrhein Westfalen, the most populated state in Germany. The first confirmed death was a 60-year-old man who had just returned from a vacation in Egypt. History suggests that a country like Germany is well equipped for a pandemic like the Coronavirus, but only time will tell.
The state of Hessen has 18 confirmed cases, with a rising trend, when you consider that the neighbors in Baden Württemberg have 116 cases, Bavaria 117, and Nordrhein Westfalen a whopping 346. Stay tuned, campers. If a virus would hit any city, it would stand to reason Frankfurt would be the place. Knock on wood...and immediately use the sanitizer.
0 comments