Biergartens in Berlin reopen but schools remain part-time

Berlin is slowly emerging from months of lockdown. With the incidence number now well below 100, the emergency brake is no longer in place. So, no more curfew and no more appointments to enter a shop, though you still need to show proof of a negative Covid test, or you need to be fully vaccinated. 

Beer gardens and outdoor restaurants reopen for Whitsun

The Berlin government has decided to relax other coronavirus restrictions. Museums, outdoor cinemas, beer gardens, cafés and restaurants with outdoor seating, as well as outdoor swimming pools, have all reopened this week, in time for Whitsun (Pfingsten in German), though with limitations and proof of a negative Covid test or vaccination certificate required. Even the football stadium reopened to 2,000  Union Berlin fans yesterday. Shame about the weather, not ideal for outdoor swimming!

No change to schools

You would have thought that reopening schools would have been one of the local government’s priorities, especially now that children wear surgical masks all the time and are tested for Covid twice a week. Well think again. The Berlin Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family has decided that schools will not return to normal before the start of the summer holidays, regardless of the incidence number. The reason indicated is to avoid burdening schools with organisational changes so close to the summer holidays, which begin on 24 June. Apparently, it’s not worth disrupting the status quo “only” for five weeks. This means that schools will continue to function on a part-time basis, with pupils attending only a few hours a week.

Children and families 

Children in Berlin have not had access to regular schooling since mid-December. At the moment, all pupils in Berlin are allowed to go to school, but classes are halved so this means they are taught only for a few hours a day or a couple of days per week, depending on the decision taken by each individual school. As well as being extremely damaging to children’s education, social development and mental well-being, this model called Wechselunterricht also puts an enormous strain on families, because children have to be home-schooled when they can’t physically attend. Just to give you an idea, my son used to have 28 hours of lessons at school per week. Since the end of February, when schools reopened, he has only attended for 12 or 13 hours per week. The rest of the time he has been studying at home with me. 

Children have a right to education

In my opinion, children in Berlin are being denied their right to an education. It seems that it’s more important to boost alcohol consumption in pubs than to teach children in a school environment in the company of other children. My eight-year-old hasn’t seen some of his school friends for five months or has only been able to wave at them from behind school gates. I’m not the only one to be concerned about children’s mental health. A group of 27 pediatricians, psychiatrists and social workers have signed a letter to the mayor Michael Müller and the education senator Sandra Scheeres demanding the immediate return to regular school. They have witnessed a worrying increase in the number of children and young people suffering from depression, media addiction and weight problems in recent months.  

Sign the petition

There is an online petition asking for schools to return to normal, in view of lower incidence numbers. So far it has reached 3,400 signatures, which doesn’t seem a lot considering Berlin has a population of 3.8 million. Some parents are clearly outraged, while others seem to agree with the decision or are not too bothered. They’re simply holding out until the holidays. Some say it’s because incidence numbers amongst children are higher, while others point out that not all teachers have been vaccinated. This may be true, but it’s not the reason given by the senate. To me it is a matter of principle. Why can 2,000 fans celebrate and drink beer outside the stadium without any social distancing, when children can’t go to school normally? It seems absurd. What do you think? Will you sign the petition?

The new normal

It’s 7 am on a Monday morning and my son’s Covid self-test kit is on the breakfast table next to the cereal bowls and the mugs of tea. This is one of the latest developments in the constantly changing new normal. Since mid-April, school children in Germany as young as six need to self-test twice a week. These rapid tests have been especially designed for children and involve a shallow nasal swab. They're a bit uncomfortable but at least they're not painful! This is supposedly our last home test; next time will be at school. We are the lucky ones, since schools in Berlin are still open, though things are far from normal (surgical masks are now compulsory on school premises and classrooms, while classes are still halved and school ends earlier than usual). In other parts of Germany, however, schools have closed once again following the introduction of new measures to control the spread of Coronavirus infections. 

U-turn

While several European countries with similar or even higher Covid incidence rates have started relaxing restrictions, in Germany the emergency brake or Notbremse came into effect last Saturday. This is the latest attempt by the government to try to bring down the number of Covid infections during the third wave. They tried to shut down the country completely for five days over Easter but failed. The highly controversial move would have meant the closure even of supermarkets and grocery shops. A few days after the announcement of this plan, I received a WhatsApp message from a friend: “Have you heard the latest? They’ve scrapped the Easter lockdown! Was it all a joke?” I quickly got on to the Tagesspiegel website. In a video Angela Merkel was apologising for the mistake. I’m not sure what was most shocking: the sudden U-turn or seeing a politician admit they had made a mistake and were taking full responsibility.

Emergency Brake

As Germany is made up of 16 federal states, and each one can choose its own restrictions, Angela Merkel has been struggling to get every state to play by the same rules, hence the nationwide “emergency brake" law voted by the German parliament last week. This is applied when the seven-day incidence rate rises above 100 cases per 100,000 residents for three days in a row. For the first time the measures include an overnight curfew from 10 pm to 5 am (you can still go for a jog until midnight). Non-essential shops are still open, but if you want to go shopping you need to make an appointment and show a negative Covid test. If the incidence rate is above 150, shops are only open for “click-and-collect”.  You can still go to the hairdresser, but again you need a negative Covid test. Children under 14 can still play sports outdoors but only in small groups and their trainers need - you guessed it - a negative Covid test! If the incidence rate reaches 165, schools have to close and switch to home schooling. At the moment, the incidence rate in Berlin is around 135. So fingers crossed!

Test, test, test

While many businesses are struggling to survive or are having to close permanently, Covid test centres are in high demand, judging by the queues outside. These days you need a negative Covid test for most things, except going to the doctor’s or the supermarket. 

Pandemic fatigue 

After over a year of Covid restrictions and changing rules, more and more people are feeling fed up. This time last year the German government was being praised for its prompt and competent response to the pandemic. Now confidence is wavering and more people are bending the rules, as it gets increasingly challenging to keep up with the changes. The other day as I was reading the latest news over breakfast my son asked: “Does the information change every day?” “No, darling. It changes every hour”. Whether it’s about which mask to wear (FFP2 is compulsory almost everywhere these days, but in some places and situations you can still wear a surgical mask), vaccines (initially AstraZeneca was administered only to the under 65s, but now it’s only for people aged over 60 due to concerns over blood clots), schools (open or closed?), tests (self-test or test centres? PCR or rapid test?), social contacts (one household or more?) - the list is endless – we’re being confronted with constantly changing rules and information but no long-term plan in sight.

Fake news, protests and satire

Fake news and conspiracy theories about coronavirus and vaccines are rife. What coronavirus? It’s all an invention. Did you know that the Astrazeneca jab can turn you into a monkey? Meanwhile, protests by Querdenker, or Covid deniers, are getting louder and more radical. Police have been investigating a “death list”, which has been circulating on the internet, with the names of German politicians who voted in favour of the emergency break. Last week a group of German actors who posted satirical videos making fun of the coronavirus restrictions came under heavy criticism and were accused of being Querdenker. Many of these actors have withdrawn their videos from the campaign’s website called Alles dicht machen (close everything down) after the videos were praised by the far-right party AFD. Despite the growing disgruntlement, there is still strong support for a hard lockdown in Germany, according to the polls.

The coldest April in 40 years

These days whenever someone asks the question “How are you?” it is generally followed by a pause, as the person stops to think. It’s difficult to know how we feel after 13 months of disruption to our lives. The weather is not helping either. Although it looks like spring, with pink and white cherry blossoms brightening up the streets and the days getting longer - it doesn’t feel like spring. This has in fact been the coldest April since 1980. We can only hope that things will improve in May. At least the vaccination campaign is picking up momentum, as doctors (GPs and specialists) have started vaccinating in their surgeries; until recently Covid jabs were only given in designated vaccination centres. I’m still hoping the summer can be saved and we’ll be free to travel and visit our families, but it will take a miracle!

Humour in coronavirus time

This week I watched a documentary on Arte called Viral Humour - Telling Jokes in Corona Times. It shows how humour can help us through hard times and how it evolved through the pandemic. Some of the jokes are very funny. I recommend watching it if you feel like a laugh. 

From lockdown through flockdown to touchdown

The worst months of the year are over as far as I’m concerned. 

January was a very dreary month; it felt as if it would never end. Lockdown fatigue was at its highest and it wasn’t easy to find reasons to feel cheerful. February, on the contrary, provided some well-needed distraction from the coronavirus pandemic, courtesy of the unpredictable Berlin weather. This was in spite of the lockdown and in spite of the absence of the Berlin Film Festival (if all goes well, we will have the chance to watch the films in cinemas in June!). Carnival is never a big deal in Berlin, so we didn’t really miss it and we could still eat Pfannkuchen. This year there was a new variation: the Impfung (or vaccination) Pfannkuchen, with a complementary syringe.

First, we had an extremely cold spell in early February, with snow showers and temperatures plummeting to as low as -18ºC, turning Berlin into a winter wonderland and a playground for winter sports. A new word was born: Flockdown (a combination of Schneeflocke – or snowflake - and lockdown). All the snowy slopes were taken over by kids and adults sledging downhill. Some people were even seen skiing on the white city streets. Smiles returned to Berliner’s faces and the sound of laughter could be heard again. Sledges and other sliding devices were completely sold out (online and in shops where you could click and collect; the retail sector remained closed). 

After several days of freezing temperatures, all the lakes, rivers and canals in Berlin froze over, including the lake in Weissensee, which turned into a temporary ice rink, with skaters performing pirouettes and ice hockey players competing in serious matches. We even saw a family, presumably hungry after all the ice-skating action, grilling sausages on the frozen lake! The police, however, were not convinced that it was safe to tread on the frozen surfaces and their helicopters flew low over the lakes at the weekend to send people away. 

One week later, climate change alarm bells were ringing. Temperatures soared to +18ºC and the sun was shining. Berliners could hardly believe it. They ditched their woolly hats and scarves for their picnic blankets and flocked to the park (over 5,000 people congregated in Mauerpark on a Sunday afternoon). The police this time were busy trying to keep order and making sure the coronavirus regulations were being observed. For instance, it is still verboten to drink alcohol in parks in Berlin. Meanwhile, the birds were very confused by the sudden swing in temperatures and cranes (in German Kraniche) were heard emitting their distinctive calls while migrating north.

The end of February saw the first relaxation of the strict lockdown measures. Primary schools reopened, to parents’ delight, but only for pupils in years one, two and three, and classes were divided into two groups. In some schools children go every day for three hours, while in others they attend for two or three mornings a week. My son now spends half the week at school and half the week being home-schooled; this is known as Wechselunterricht. The situation is similar to when schools restarted after the first lockdown last spring, but there are some differences.  For instance, it is now compulsory to wear a face mask everywhere on school grounds, including in classrooms and in the playground. Meanwhile, nurseries are reopening on 9 March and more pupils will also go back to school next week. 

Hairdressers and barbers reopened on 1 March and queues quickly built up outside their shops, as people were desperate for a haircut. The lockdown has been extended until 28 March so everything else is still closed, but there will be some relaxation from next week. For example, from 8 March, up to five people from two households will be allowed meet, with children under 14 not counted.

By the way, Flockdown was not the only word to be invented during the pandemic. The Leibniz Institute for the German Language has compiled a list  of over 1,000 new words coined over the past year. These include AHA-Regel, which I have already written about, Coronaangst (anxiety about the coronavirus), Coronaeltern (parents challenged by the Covid regulations) CoronaFußgruß (foot greeting to replace the handshake), Coronaparty, Fashionmaske (fashion face mask), Homeclubbing, Klopapierhamster (toilet paper panic buyer), Querdenker (Covid denier who doesn’t follow the restriction measures) and overzoomed (stressed out by too many Zoom calls). I’m surprised there isn’t a word to describe a parent exhausted by the challenges of home schooling. Are you feeling homeschooledout? 

Finally, one of the highlights of the winter lockdown for me was watching the Mars landing. We were glued to the NASA YouTube channel on the evening of 18 February, as we followed the Perseverance rover approach Mars and then successfully touch down on the red planet. It was more exciting than any show I've seen on Netflix lately!

Life in lockdown: look on the bright side!

With all the doom and gloom out there, it may seem difficult to see any positives right now, especially for those of us living in lockdown. In Berlin, we have been in full lockdown for a month and a half and have at least two more weeks to go, if not longer. For anyone having to deal with home schooling (mostly mothers, but some fathers as well), the winter lockdown feels like an eternity. Nevertheless, there are some encouraging signs; we just have to look for them.

January is over

The worst month of the year, especially if you live in Northern Europe, is finally coming to an end. February is arguably not much better, but then it’s only one month to go until spring. We all deserve a t-shirt “I survived the January lockdown”! 

The days are getting longer

Just over a month ago it would be dark by 4pm, but now it’s still light at 5pm. That’s definitely an improvement. Time to celebrate!

The lockdown measures are working

Although it’s been and continues to be an absolute nightmare, the strict lockdown is already having an effect. In Berlin, the number of active Covid cases has fallen to November levels. Two of the lights of the Corona Ampel, i.e., traffic-light coronavirus-warning system, are still red (number of new infections and number of beds in intensive care), but the one corresponding to the reproduction number (or R value) is green. We’re starting to see the light!

We have several vaccines

The vaccination programme is painfully slow (only 2% of the German population has been vaccinated so far) and we are facing delays in vaccine deliveries. The EU is currently in a dispute with AstraZeneca and Pfizer over supplies and is introducing export controls on coronavirus vaccines made within the EU. Let’s not forget that 95% of all vaccinations so far have taken place in just 10 countries, meaning that people in low-income countries don’t have access to vaccines. Still, just the fact that several vaccines are available is an amazing achievement. Until a few months ago it wasn’t even clear whether it would be possible to develop an effective vaccine against Covid. One day in the not-too-distant future we will hopefully achieve herd immunity. 

If you need a further boost to your morale try any of the following

Exercise – go for a walk, join an online workout, follow a keep fit video, anything to get you moving. My son and I bought a skipping rope this week to exercise indoors because it was so cold outside! If you are allowed to leave the house, try to make the most of natural light and go for a walk whenever then sun comes out. 

Meditation – there’s lot of mindfulness apps to get you started and most of them have free sessions. Headspace is even on Netflix; it might sound like a contradiction (meditating while watching telly), but I found it quite relaxing and I enjoyed the graphics. If you have trouble getting to sleep, it might be more helpful than watching a thriller.

Escapism – there’s nothing like a good book or a good film to help you forget about your worries. I’m a fan of period dramas, but I realise they’re not everyone’s cup of tea. There’s one series that has attracted a lot of attention recently. I’m talking about Bridgerton. If you haven’t watched it yet, it’s quite entertaining. 

I enjoyed watching Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Vinterburg’s adaptation of the Hardy classic, also on Netflix. 

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo is one of the books that helped me get through the spring lockdown and is a really good read. It follows the lives of 12 characters, most of them black British women, all very different but in some way linked to one another.

Friends – even if you might not be able to see them in person, you can still text, email, call or video call your friends. They will be just as happy to hear from you as you are to hear their voice.  

Creativity – try doing something creative… cooking, drawing, colouring, writing a diary, writing a blog, writing a story, playing an instrument… whatever you choose to do, you will feel the positive benefits. 

Finally, a word of warning, don’t spend too much time on social media!

Surviving the winter lockdown

#StayatHome

So here we are again, only this time it’s worse. We’re in the middle of the second wave of the Covid pandemic and the situation is serious. For the first time since the beginning of this crisis all three traffic lights of the coronavirus-warning system for Berlin are red. The number of Covid-related deaths in Germany is at a record high. The lockdown measures have been toughened once again and even stricter restrictions are expected to be announced next week. 

Unless you keep a steady eye (or ear) on the local news, it’s impossible to keep up with all the changes. The Tagesspiegel App has become my bible. At the moment we can meet only one person from another household (children are now included in the calculation). We are not supposed to leave the house unless we have a valid reason. We are also not supposed to leave Berlin, or at least we can’t go further than 15 km from the border into Brandenburg, our neighbour state. 

The spring lockdown was bad enough, but the winter lockdown is on another level. Winter in Berlin is always a difficult time of the year. I’m not just saying this because I grew up in Sicily. Even native Berliners struggle with the long, grey and dark days, when catching a glimpse of the sun for just a few minutes feels like a miracle. Now that we spend most of our time at home, the days and weeks are a blur. They all seem to be melting into one long week. It feels surreal. Is this really happening or is it all a bad dream? 

Schools have been closed for a month now and the whole school situation has been terribly mismanaged, with conflicting information and backtracking on decisions. Home schooling is proving to be an even greater challenge than during the previous lockdown. Finding the assignments for the week is a bit like a treasure hunt, as the information is uploaded on different websites or arrives by email. Excuses to avoid studying include “I’m hungry”, “I’m tired”, “my arm hurts”, “I need the toilet” and my favourite “my pen exploded”.  Today I read in the news that home schooling and working from home are not compatible. How insightful.   

The online learning platform called Lernraum Berlin (the website that all teachers and students in Berlin are supposed to use) is totally unreliable and keeps crashing. On several occasions, we’ve had to resort to alternative websites for videoconferences. I’m starting to wonder if the people responsible for Lernraum Berlin are the same ones that were managing the construction of the “new” airport.

Talking of Berlin-Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport (BER) airport, it has been back in the news this week, as employees have reported suffering electric shocks while checking passenger luggage! You couldn’t make this stuff up.

On a positive note, and to parents’ relief, the playgrounds in Berlin are still open, at least for the time being (this wasn’t the case in spring). Usually, playgrounds are deserted at this time of the year, but not now, as they are currently the only place where children can let off steam. 

If you are looking for distractions to survive the winter lockdown, here are some recommendations. 

This week I’ve been watching British sitcom Mum on the Arte App (where you can watch films and tv series in the original language without subtitles). It’s a slow-moving “comedy” with a great cast about a recently widowed, middle-aged woman called Cathy. It has funny moments, but it also makes you cringe. Some of the other characters are quite horrible and you do wonder how Cathy manages to stay so calm and gentle. 

I also watched the documentary Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable on Netflix . It tells the inspiring story of surfing champion Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack while surfing as a teenager, and made a comeback against all odds. 

Also on Netflix, the documentary The Social Dilemma will put you off using social media forever, or for a while at least.

I’ve been reading A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin, who has been praised as “a literary genius” in recent years. It’s a wonderful collection of short stories based on events from the author’s diverse and itinerant life. Whether they are based in laundromats, classrooms or the emergency room, Lucia Berlin tells vivid stories with humour and compassion.  

I’ve also been reading The World’s Worst Teachers by David Walliams with my son. Plenty of funny moments in these gruesome stories about the 10 worst teachers in the world, with great illustrations by Tony Ross.

Finally, I’ve been listening to the podcast called The Writer’s Voice, where New Yorker fiction writers read their short stories. A great chance to hear a good story told by its author.

*The poster (pictured) tells Berliners to wear face masks and to follow the Corona-rules. It is a play on the words rumgurken, which can be translated as "hang out" and comes from the word Gurke, i.e. cucumber and Rübe, which means turnip or carrot but is also used to describe an ugly nose.

Back to lockdown

 

The partial lockdown that was supposed to save Christmas has turned into a full Christmas lockdown. 

Today is the last day of lockdown light. As of tomorrow, we will be in a hard national lockdown. From 16 December everything except for essential shops, pharmacies, doctors and dental surgeries will be closed, including schools. Restaurants will remain closed, although they will still be allowed to sell takeaway food. However, outdoor alcohol consumption will not be permitted. So no more drinking Glühwein from outdoor stalls! 

Parents all over Germany are bracing themselves for the hard task of having to entertain children at home during the extended Christmas holiday with little or no contact with friends or family. My survival strategy, at least initially, will involve lots of baking with my son, assuming that flour in supermarkets doesn’t run out, as it did the first-time round. I’ve already seen several people out on the streets carrying huge bags of toilet paper so that is rather concerning. I’m not even going to think about home schooling at this stage.

The national lockdown was only announced on Sunday, giving people little or no time to prepare. Since Monday customers have been queueing outside hairdressers and barbers not knowing when the next chance to get a haircut will be. Luckily I managed to get my hair cut just in time! The lockdown is supposed to last until 10 January, but given the high number of Covid cases and Covid deaths, it may well last longer.

Bookshops are allowed to stay open as they are considered to be “systemically relevant”. So if you haven’t yet done all your Christmas shopping, in Germany you can at least buy books from your local bookshop to avoid using Amazon!

Once upon a time Berlin used to be famous for its cultural and party scene, but nowadays the posters advertising gigs, plays and club nights have been replaced by adverts for Covid test centres. Even the KitKatClub has been turned into a Covid test centre. Where clubbers and fetishists once used to queue up before partying the night away, they now queue up to find out if they are Covid positive. This is the new normal in the year 2020. The only glimmer of hope is that the coronavirus vaccine may soon be approved in the EU as well, so that we might start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Life in “lockdown light” – week 4

Lockdown light is not having the desired effect.

As we’re coming to the end of week four of lockdown light, it’s become increasingly evident that while the restrictive measures are working in most parts of Germany, the number of Covid-19 cases in Berlin continues to rise. In some districts, namely, Neukölln and Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, the number of new infections has increased by as much as 60% in spite of the partial lockdown. Berliners, it would seem, are undisciplined. That doesn’t surprise me at all. As I’ve observed before, the main streets and shopping malls are crowded. Incredibly, some people are not even aware of the rules limiting social contacts. 

Until recently the weather in Berlin had been fairly mild, but now it’s typical November weather. It’s cold and grey and some days it’s difficult to tell the difference between night and day. Nevertheless, people in Berlin don’t like to stay at home. Although Christmas markets are not allowed to open this year, there are alternatives. Kiosks selling Glühwein or mulled wine have popped up in several parts of the city. I’ve even seen a Vietnamese restaurant with a stall on the pavement selling Glühwein. 

The current partial lockdown measures have been prolonged until 20 December and there has been some toughening of restrictions. For instance, only two households are allowed to meet up, with a maximum of five people (it used to be 10) both indoors and outdoors. But while in the rest of Germany there will be an easing of the lockdown rules to allow gatherings of up to 10 family members and friends during the Christmas holidays, in Berlin there will be no change. Luckily for large families, children under the age of 12 are excluded from these calculations. In Berlin it is not unusual to see families with four children. Having three children is almost the norm these days. 

Talking of Christmas, the Advent season begins on Sunday. In Germany the tradition is to light the first of the four candles of the Adventskranz or advent wreath on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Although you can buy them in flower shops or even supermarkets, for the past three years we’ve been making our own Adventskranz. It’s not difficult to make, but it helps if you have the right tools: a straw ring (the base), twigs, green wire (for fixing the twigs to the ring), candles, candle holders and anything you might like to use as decoration. Usually, families and friends get together on the four Sundays preceding Christmas and sit at the table with the advent wreath in the middle to drink tea or Glühwein and eat Christmas biscuits, or Plätzchen. This year, Advent season won’t be quite the same.

Finally, I have a new Netflix recommendation. It’s an animated short film called If Anything Happens I Love You. It’s only 12 minutes long, mostly in black and white, with no dialogue, but it’s extremely powerful and moving. 

Life in “lockdown light” – week 2

Mexico City or Berlin?

The second week of “lockdown light” is coming to an end, but you wouldn’t know it walking around the streets of Berlin. There are plenty of people out and about. At least during the daytime - I haven’t been out in the evenings. There are people inside shops (wearing masks of course) and there are queues outside fast-food and other restaurants serving takeaway. There are also plenty of bikes and cars on the streets and people waiting at tram and bus stops. I have been avoiding public transport, but I hear that S-Bahns and underground trains are pretty full. Of course, bars, cinemas, theatres, museums, fitness studios, etc. remain closed.

When the partial lockdown was announced, it was supposed to be in place for at least four weeks, but it may well last longer. We should find out more on Monday 16 November, when Angela Merkel is due to hold a meeting with regional leaders to discuss the current situation. Meanwhile, the number of Covid infections in Germany continues to rise, but at least the reproduction number (or R value) has fallen below 1 – a positive sign. However, these figures may be misleading as the testing strategy has changed since early November. Patients with colds no longer get tested, because the testing capacity is stretched, so we might be comparing apples with pears.

The Christmas season will feel very different this year. Christmas markets are one of the staples of the festive season in Germany, but many have been cancelled. In Berlin, the traditional Christmas markets at Gendarmenmarkt and Schloss Charlottenburg, as well as the Lucia-Weihnachtsmarkt and the Alt-Rixdorfer Weihnachtsmarkt, won’t be happening this year. The Christmas Garden has also been cancelled. Where will we drink our Glühwein (mulled wine) and eat our waffles with cinnamon sugar, just to mention a couple of the delicacies on sale at the markets?  The simple answer is - at home. I guess I will have to invest in a waffle-maker, or my son will be disappointed.

The most awaited news since the beginning of the pandemic came from Mainz, where the German company BioNTech is based. Together with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, they announced that their jointly developed vaccine is 90% effective in preventing people from getting Covid, according to early results from Phase 3 trials. This news was welcomed all over the world: hope is in sight! BioNTech was founded by husband-and-wife team Prof Sahin and Dr Türeci, both children of Turkish immigrants, or Gastarbeiter, as they are called in Germany (literally “guest workers”). Tell that to AfD voters! In case you don’t know, AfD is a far-right anti-immigrant party.  

If you are looking for Netflix recommendations, the series The Queen’s Gambit is one of the best I’ve seen recently. It’s about chess, but don’t be put off by that. It’s very stylish and beautifully shot. Although the action takes place in the US, Mexico City, Paris and Moscow, many of the scenes were actually filmed in Berlin. Filming locations include the Bode Museum, the Friedrichstadt-Palast (pictured), Rathaus Spandau, the Palais am Funkturm, the Berlin zoo, several locations on Karl-Marx Allee in Friedrichshain, including the bar at Kino International, and even the Humana secondhand and vintage shop at Frankfurter Tor. It might feel like Paris or Moscow in the late 1960s, but don’t be fooled, it’s Berlin!

Life in “lockdown light” – week 1

The first week of “lockdown light”, as it’s being called in Germany, is almost over. Compared with the first lockdown in the spring, when almost everything was closed, this is only a partial lockdown. Meetings are restricted to two households (a maximum of 10 people), both indoors and outdoors, and if you meet someone from a different household you must keep a distance of 1.5 m. Cafes and restaurants can only open for takeaway (thus producing more rubbish than ever, but they need our support to keep going). Bars, cinemas, theatres, operas, concert halls, museums, fitness and yoga studios, swimming pools, nail bars, beauty salons, tattoo studios, etc. have been closed since Monday 2 November. Unlike the previous lockdown, all shops and hairdressers are open, as are libraries and playgrounds, though the number of people allowed inside a shop is limited. 

Crucially schools and nurseries remain open and are not expected to close unless the situation worsens dramatically. As I mentioned before, there is a stage-plan for Berlin schools based on the Corona Ampel, or traffic-light coronavirus-warning system for the city. The Covid situation for each school and district is assessed at the end of the week and parents are informed of the required measures before the start of the following week. At the moment, face masks don’t need to be worn inside classrooms in primary schools, but if the traffic lights were to change that would be the next step. I was surprised to find out that swimming lessons will still take place, as they are part of the school curriculum in year 3, even though pools are closed to everyone else. 

Thus, this lockdown affects primarily the leisure, culture, beauty and catering sectors. Some argue that the closure of shopping malls would have been preferable to shutting down the arts and culture sector, but the government reckons that we tend to socialise more when we go out to the cinema or to the theatre than when we go shopping. The aim of the lockdown is to reduce social contacts by a significant amount to slow the spread of Covid-19. Even though it isn’t as restrictive as the previous one, the word lockdown has very negative connotations. Some of us still have nightmares from the previous lockdown. Others might have coped well the first time round but may be feeling low this time. Of course, the colder weather and shorter days don’t help, at least in the northern hemisphere. 

If you are currently living in full or partial lockdown, here are some more suggestions to help you get through these difficult times. 

Make sure you take care of both your mental and physical wellbeing. The two often go hand in hand. It’s normal to feel anxious or worried at this time. If you are experiencing severe anxiety, panic attacks, or other symptoms make sure you seek help. Talk to a friend about how you feel and consult a doctor and/or a psychologist. They can help you.

Try to get out as much as possible and exercise regularly. Walking, running or cycling are all great ways to keep active, especially in nature. Head to your local park, forest, lake, beach, hill or mountain. Even though fitness centres and swimming pools are closed, there are alternatives. For example, I’ve gone back to yoga and pilates lessons via Zoom. Although it’s not the same as exercising in a room with other people, there are significant benefits to digital exercise. 

Try to find distractions to help you switch off from all the negative and worrying news. This week the cliffhanger “US presidential election 2020” has provided a welcome source of distraction and entertainment. I can’t wait for Netflix to make the second season! What’s that? Are you seriously suggesting this is not a tv-series, it’s for real? 

Here are some other suggestions: read a book, watch a film, listen to music, bake a cake, look after your plants or buy a plant, call a friend, whatever helps you relax. 

Meanwhile, the list of recommendations to avoid the spread of Covid-19 gets longer and longer, as I discovered while cycling past this advertising board the other day. 

It used to be AHA, an abbreviation that stood for distance, hygiene and masks. Now it’s: 

• Keep a distance

• Wash your hands

• Wear a mask

• Ventilate regularly 

• Reduce contacts

• Use the app

Just to give you an idea of what they mean by “ventilate regularly”, classrooms need to be aired every half hour. That means opening all the windows, as well as the door, for five minutes every 30 minutes.  As the weather gets colder, schools and parents are considering investing in air filters for each classroom to avoid freezing when the winter really hits. Of course, the most effective air filters tend to be a lot more expensive. I’m waiting to see if they find a solution.

Life coming out of lockdown: weeks 14 and 15

As the lockdown measures continue to be relaxed (Corona-Lockerung, as it’s known in Germany), life in Berlin is slowly returning to something resembling normality. At the same time, the number of infections continues to rise, so there is some concern as to whether the restrictions will have to be brought back. There have been reports of outbreaks in Neukölln and Friedrichshain, where entire apartment blocks have been put in quarantine, but at the moment the situation is said to be “under control”.

 

Lockdown relaxation

 

As of 27 June, there will no longer be contact restrictions (Kontaktbeschränkungen), meaning that Berliners may meet an unlimited number of people. However, social contacts should be kept to a minimum. The 1.5 m distance and other hygiene rules still apply. Generally, things are a lot more organised, efficient and not as crowded these days. Still, as I found out waiting outside a shop this week, some people here still have trouble understanding the concept of queuing. Also, as restaurants and cafes have been allowed to spread their tables out onto the pavements, getting by can be tricky, especially if you are cycling with a child.

 

Cycling with children in Berlin

 

On Monday 22 June I became, in my husband’s words, «a true Berliner», i.e. I shouted back at someone on the street. In Berlin, road rage is a local pastime. Whenever I am out and about, I often hear someone shouting, be it a motorist or a cyclist or a pedestrian. Sometimes it’s justified, while other times it’s unnecessary. Well on Monday I was told off by a man for cycling along the pavement with my son. He pointed to the cycle lane on the road and told me in an arrogant tone: «Das ist der Radweg!» (That is the cycle lane). So, I shouted back: «Und das ist ein Kind!» (And that is a child). I’m really fed up of people telling me off for something that is permitted by law. In case you don’t believe me, this is the link. In Germany, parents are allowed to cycle on the pavement with their children, if they are under the age of 8. Moreover, children under 8 are not allowed to cycle on the road so they have to cycle on the pavement. Thus, they can use cycle tracks (where cyclists are physically separated from traffic), but they can’t use cycle lanes, which are on the road.

 

Fines for not wearing masks

 

Despite the popular notion of Germans being law-abiding, not everyone follows the rules. In Berlin there have been reports of illegal parties in parks and fewer people have been wearing face masks on public transport. The Berlin Senate has thus responded by introducing fines between €50 and €500 for violations of the mask-wearing requirement, effective from 27 June. There will also be fines for violations of the hygiene rules.  

 

Corona warning app

 

The Corona-Warn-app was introduced in Germany last week and since 16 June can be downloaded. The idea is to warn people if they have been in contact with an infected person. Use of the app is voluntary but is recommended to “break chains of infection”. I decided to give it a go and after 8 days of tracking, luckily my risk is defined as low.

 

Germany reopens its borders

 

On 15 June Germany reopened its borders to other EU members. As a result, air travel has picked up and we’ve started to hear and see more planes in the sky over Berlin. Nevertheless, airlines continue to cancel flights using the coronavirus as a reason. Almost everyone I’ve spoken to has decided to drive to France, Austria or Italy for the holidays. As one mother at school pointed out: «I have so many airline vouchers, I don’t know what to do with them». We are supposed to be getting a full refund from Lufthansa for a flight that was cancelled only 12 days after we booked it, but we were told we would have to wait 3 months rather than the standard 7 to 10 days.

 

A trip to the Baltic Sea

 

Last weekend we went on our first trip away since February. Destination: the Fischland-Darss peninsula on the Baltic Sea, one of our favourite weekend escapes. It’s a great place for walking, cycling and enjoying nature, due to the combination of long white beaches, sand dunes, green forests and lagoons. Hotels in Germany have been gradually reopening since the end of May. In the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where we went, hotels are restricted to 60% of capacity and staff are required to wear masks. It was difficult to find a room, as most places were fully booked, so we ended up paying more than usual. Still, after months of lockdown it was worth it. We could even enjoy a buffet breakfast at an allocated time slot. When we checked in to the hotel, unfortunately only 8 am or 10:45 am were available so we opted for the earlier time. It wasn’t a typical buffet, as we had to wait in turn at a distance for someone to serve us behind a plastic barrier and hand our plates over at the end. I’m sure people end up eating less when they have to ask for food rather than help themselves. Perhaps this buffet-style breakfast is here to stay. We enjoyed our first swim since the winter holidays; the indoor pool was open, but surprisingly quiet. There were plenty of people on the beach and a handful of very brave swimmers in the sea, naked naturally. In Eastern Germany nudism or FKK (Freikörperkultur) is very popular when swimming in lakes or in the sea, whatever the weather.

Life coming out of lockdown: week 11

I feel that my “lockdown diary” is coming to an end, unless the situation precipitates and the lockdown measures need to be reinstated. When I started writing, life was very different from how it is now. As many other cities around the world, Berlin had turned into a ghost town. The streets were empty. Everything was closed, except for pharmacies, supermarkets and bike repair shops. The fear of a deadly virus was palpable. People turned to panic buying (Hamsterkäufe in German), amid growing anxiety about an invisible enemy. Supermarket shelves were stripped bare, as shoppers hoarded toilet paper, soap, disinfectant, pasta, flour, yeast and tinned food. Face masks were in short supply, but we were told that they were not necessary. There were almost no planes in the sky, as global air traffic had largely come to a standstill. There was only one story in the media: the coronavirus.

 

Just over two months have passed. Supermarket shelves are now well stocked, face masks and disinfectant are available for sale in pharmacies and many of the lockdown restrictions have been lifted. Beer gardens were full at the weekend. Open-air swimming pools reopened this week, although the weather has been a little chilly recently. Hotels are also open again, but there is no buffet breakfast. Air travel is resuming gradually: my parents have finally managed to get back to Sicily after being stranded in England for three months! Even pubs (Kneipen in German) are allowed to reopen from 2 June in Berlin. I find it rather ironic that pubs and fitness studios will reopen on the same day. You’d think that keeping fit would be a priority. Cinemas will restart on 30 June, but clubs and discos remain closed for the time being. However, for some establishments the relaxation of the lockdown rules has arrived too late.  I was sad to hear that the Colosseum Cinema in Prenzlauer Berg has filed for insolvency. I watched quite an eclectic mix of films there over the years, from Berlinale shorts to Shaun the Sheep.

 

Despite the lockdown relaxation, life has not gone back to how it was before the coronavirus. Strict hygiene rules and social distancing continue to shape our lives. Yes, schools have reopened, but most pupils only go to school for a couple of days a week at the moment. Shops have all reopened, but shoppers, shop assistants and cashiers all have to wear masks or other protective face gear. We also have to wear face masks on public transport. Not all sports clubs have reopened and large public events like festivals are banned until at least the end of August. There is still concern about a possible second wave of the virus and the R value (or reproduction number) keeps fluctuating. If there’s anything we have learned from this pandemic, it’s that we can't take anything for granted.

Life coming out of lockdown: week nine

It is now two months since the lockdown measures were introduced in Berlin. Though many restrictions have been lifted, our new way of life is being dictated by strict Hygieneregeln, or hygiene rules, and Abstandsregeln, or social distancing rules. Nevertheless, life is slowly returning to the German capital. If it wasn’t for all the people wearing face masks on public transport and in shops, or around their necks on the streets, and the 1.5 m gaps between people in queues, it would almost look like life had returned to normal.

 

It has been a week of changes, starting with the most important development (at least if you’re a sports journalist and have only been commenting on virtual sporting competitions over the past weeks), the return of the Bundesliga. Football matches can be played again in Germany, albeit behind closed doors and players have to find new ways of celebrating when they score a goal (elbow bumping seems to be a popular option). The eerily empty streets have been replaced by eerily empty stadiums and football fans are not overly pleased. You can now hear the sound of the ball being kicked rather than the fans cheering.

 

This week has seen the return of year 1 and year 5 pupils to primary school, for a couple of days at least. The plan is to get all children in Berlin back to school by 29 May, even if only for a few hours. Primary schools in Berlin reopened on 4 May, but only year 6 went back in the first week. From next week yet more pupils will return to school, including my son for one day. Although schools have restarted, it is hardly school as usual. Class sizes have been halved and strict hygiene and physical distancing  measures are being enforced to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. Distance learning (or homeschooling) is not over yet.

 

Since Friday restaurants and cafés have also reopened and not only for takeaway. You can now go and have a meal in a restaurant, as long as you comply with the regulations. You can even sit at a table with a friend or friends, as long as it’s not more than two households and you keep the required distance. Since the end of last week, we are in fact allowed to meet up with friends from another household (only two households at a time), both outdoors and indoors, but at a distance. This has been a most welcome change.

 

Museums and art galleries have also reopened or are in the process of reopening, but cinemas, theatres, concert halls, pubs and clubs still remain closed.

 

Despite all the ongoing concerns about the Coronavirus, the future is starting to look brighter, as the borders between countries in Europe are expected to reopen from mid-June. Perhaps some of us will be able to see our families this summer after all. Fingers crossed. 

Life in lockdown: week eight

This week has been an emotional roller coaster ride. On Monday I was fed up with the whole lockdown situation, especially the uncertainty about the summer. At some point in the afternoon my son pointed out that I had schlechte Laune, i.e. I was in a bad mood. In the evening when my husband got home from work, he suggested I do something relaxing. I washed up while listening to loud music, while he dealt with bedtime. That’s when I came up with the tips for surviving the next phase of lockdown. In a sudden burst of creativity, I rushed backwards and forwards from the kitchen sink to my notebook, while reciting the mantra “tomorrow will be a better day”. By the time little one fell asleep it was past 10 pm and we were pretty tired ourselves, but we decided we needed something to help us switch off from the world. I would definitely recommend watching “The Dawn Wall” if you want to escape from it all.

 

By Tuesday evening I was feeling exhausted and mentally drained after trying to juggle homeschooling (or distance learning, as we are supposed to call it in Germany) with household chores, while fitting in some writing and looking after my own mental and physical well-being, as well as that of the other family members. Of course, it’s not all bad. I really enjoy spending time with my son and we laugh a lot together. It’s just that I need a break every now and then.

 

Then on Wednesday we started to see the light at the end of the tunnel with the announcement that Berlin, as the rest of Germany, was taking further measures to relax the lockdown. There were several confusing and worrying moments. For example, it would seem that while the federal governments are keen to ease the lockdown, Angela Merkel thinks it’s premature. So, will they have to shut everything down again in a few weeks’ time? Possibly.  There was also a surprise announcement about first-year pupils going back to school on Monday, followed by all other years. Nobody had seen it coming, so the schools in Berlin were thrown into chaos and given effectively only one day to plan, as Friday was a public holiday.

 

I spent most of Thursday wondering how it would work out until I received an email from the school in the afternoon with “the  plan”. School will only be for a few hours and a few mornings this month. Each class will be divided into two groups so that the children can keep the required 1.5m distance from each other. At this point I still don’t know if my son is in group 1 or 2 so I still don’t know when he will go to school. He's hoping it won't be next week, as he actually prefers being at home than in school.

 

Friday was an exceptional one-off public holiday in Berlin (not in the rest of Germany) to mark the 75^th anniversary of the end of the second world war and the liberation from the Nazi regime.  Some people in Germany would like this to become a national public holiday, but not everyone agrees. We decided to escape the city to the green countryside. 

 

On Saturday my son and I finally managed to get a haircut. Luckily, I had made the appointment first thing on Monday morning, because my hairdresser is now fully booked until July. I thought she meant June, as Juni and Juli sound quite similar in German, but no she definitely meant July. Now that hairdressers (and their customers) are required to wear a mask, they look more like surgeons about to perform an operation than actual hairdressers, but at least you don’t need an anaesthetic to get a haircut. By the way, we had to take it in turns to go in, as there can’t be more than four people inside the salon at the same time and I had to write down my contact details before I left, in case the hairdressers or one of the customers tests positive with Covid-19.

 

Now it’s Sunday, the last day of another welcome long weekend and also Mother’s Day in Germany and in many other parts of the world. It’s also supposed to be the last warm and sunny day for a while. The temperature is expected to drop by 15 degrees tomorrow. The weather is also a roller coaster ride at the moment.

 

 

  

 

How to survive the next phase of lockdown (because let’s face it, it’s not over yet)

After roughly two months of lockdown, many of us are feeling fed up and frustrated. The effects of long-term isolation from family and friends and/or spending too much time in close proximity with others, have taken their toll. When the social distancing measures were first introduced, we had to tell ourselves that this was a) necessary and b) temporary. Though the lockdown in several countries is starting to be relaxed, we’re still living through challenging times. Although some of us can now get a haircut while wearing a face mask or go jogging in the park or even meet up with another family at a distance, many of us still have no idea when we will be able to see our parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren and other close family members again. We are hoping it will be this summer, but we don't really know. Moreover, for many parents, lockdown will not be over until schools and nurseries fully reopen. Even if schools are restarting in some places, distance learning or homeschooling is still a reality. Finally, the coronavirus is still out there and infecting people, though hopefully at a slower rate, and we still don’t have a vaccine. 

 

So, here are a few tips to help you get through the next few days and weeks:

 

1)    Do whatever works for you. Just because your neighbour enjoys baking fresh bread every day, it doesn’t mean you have to do the same.

2)    Try to ignore the pressure to be productive: this is all about survival. You don’t have to be the next Shakespeare.

3)  On that note, ignore advice if it's irritating (except for your government’s advice, but even then, don’t swallow or inject disinfectant).

4)    Exercise can help, especially if you find an activity you enjoy. If running is something you would only normally do when being chased, you don’t have to take up jogging just because everyone else around you has become a professional runner.  

5)    Find something to help you relax at the end of the day; that includes washing up while listening to music.

6)    Read books or watch films and tv series that you enjoy and that help you forget about everything else. Escapism is your goal.

7)    Try not to feel bad or guilty if your kids watch more telly than usual or play video games.

8)    It’s impossible to look after someone all day (and night) and not to lose your patience. You are only human after all.

9)    Give yourself a break, even if it means locking yourself in the toilet for a few minutes.

10) If you’re having a really bad day, tell yourself that tomorrow will probably be better.

Life in lockdown: week seven

We have entered a new phase of quarantine

As in other European countries, the lockdown is gradually being eased across Germany. While measures are being relaxed, experts warn that lifting the lockdown too quickly could lead to dire consequences. One of these experts is Christian Drosten (Germany’s coronavirus guru), who in recent months has become a prominent public figure. He directs the Institute of Virology at the Charité Hospital, here in Berlin, and has been advising the German government since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, he has expressed concern about a second wave of the virus. According to Angela Merkel (the German chancellor has recently made the headlines as “the politician who understands numbers”), «We are treading on thin ice». As life slowly returns to some degree of normality, there is a general feeling that things are improving. However, one can’t help being worried that the situation could deteriorate quickly.

Changes to our daily lives

When the lockdown measures first came into effect and our lives were turned upside down, I tried to avoid, or at least limit, reading newspapers online because the news was all about the Coronavirus and it was worrying and depressing. Seven weeks later, the news is still all about the Coronavirus and it remains worrying and depressing, with the occasional glimmer of hope. Nevertheless, I find that I have to keep abreast of developments because of the constant changes affecting our daily lives.

Face masks and playgrounds

For instance, on Tuesday, Berlin became the last Bundesland to make wearing face masks (or any piece of material that covers the nose and mouth) compulsory in shops, effective the following day. This includes children over the age of six. Berliners weren’t given much warning! At least BVG, the transport company, had given us a few days to prepare. My husband was actually turned away from the supermarket on Wednesday because he’d forgotten to take his mask. While face masks were not a common sight on the streets of Berlin until recently, they are now the ultimate fashion statement. If you’ve got to wear one, at least you want to look stylish. There were other changes this week, as several playgrounds in Pankow reopened on Thursday. It felt strange to wander into a playground again and we didn’t stay long, although it was far from crowded. Also, the zoo, the Tierpark (that is the animal park; not to be confused with the Tiergarten, which is the park in the centre of Berlin) and the aquarium have reopened.

May Day and other demonstrations

May Day was a rather quiet affair this year, as the Myfest (a very lively street party held in the alternative district of Kreuzberg on 1 May) was cancelled. There were demonstrations in several parts of Berlin. The biggest was in Kreuzberg, where around 1,000 people took to the streets defying a ban on public gatherings of more than 20 (as mentioned last week, said gatherings are only for funerals or baptisms). They were protesting against capitalism and calling for greater solidarity (#leavenoonebehind). There have also been demonstrations against the lockdown measures in recent weeks in Berlin, especially around Rosa Luxemburg Platz.

 

Enjoying a long weekend

Personally, I kept well away from the demonstrations and went for a bike ride through the Schlosspark in Pankow with the family. Even though the weather wasn’t great and there wasn’t much going on, it felt good to have a long weekend. Except for the days when I take part in digital yoga classes, the days in partial lockdown are almost all identical: homeschooling in the mornings and outdoor exercise for the little one in the afternoons. The weekends are different because we don't do any homework and my husband is at home (if he's not working), so there is more time for playing, writing and resting. 

Social distancing

Though the lockdown is being lifted, social distancing is still the buzzword of the day. We must keep a distance of 1.5m from others at all times. We have got used to the fact that we can’t see our friends, but when we occasionally do see a friendly face on the street it feels rather unnatural to walk towards them and then suddenly stop, because we have to keep a distance. When will we be able to embrace our friends? When will we be allowed to shake hands again? Will we be too scared to attempt any physical contact? When will we stop looking at strangers with suspicion, wondering whether they might be carrying the virus? As summer approaches, will we be able to go on holiday? On Thursday, Angela Merkel dashed our hopes by stating that international travel will not be possible this summer. So, I still can’t answer the question my son asked this week: When will we see Granny and Nonno (Grandad in Italian) again? We might have to wait several more months for that unfortunately.