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.

Life in lockdown: week six

Another exhausting week of lockdown and homeschooling is over. The biggest challenge, in addition to trying to master German grammar (is it really necessary to use the word Selbslaut when the self-evident term Vokal is also in the dictionary? Somebody really ought to have a word with German schoolbook writers!) has been getting our energetic seven-year-old to fall asleep at night. 

Sleep, or rather lack therof, has always been a sore point in our family; the last time I had a decent night’s sleep was eight years ago. With playgrounds and sports facilities still closed, I resorted to YouTube fitness videos for kids, hours of bouncing on a trampoline, running, sprinting and cycling. Unfortunately, long walks no longer do the trick and my yoga classes are unappealing. We’ve also been putting an alarm every morning and waking up earlier and earlier. At least the weather has been consistently good, with five more days of uninterrupted sunshine. The weekend was a different story. We couldn’t believe it when we woke up to a grey sky on Saturday.

Spring is the season of awakening, as Berliners know all too well. The combination of endless sunshine and lockdown has meant that this year the feeling of renewed life and energy is stronger than ever. On Wednesday we cycled through Prenzlauer Berg to the central district of Mitte. There were people everywhere: taking pictures of the cherry blossoms close to Bornholmer Strasse, admiring the “Lord of the Rings/Ice Age”-inspired street art in Mauerpark (Gollum’s precious toilet paper stolen by Scrat the squirrel), queueing up  –  at a distance – for ice cream, sitting on the steps of the Bode Museum –  currently closed –  or soaking up the sunshine on the banks of the Spree river.

The Spree river seen from Museum Island.

The high number of Berliners out and about can be explained by an easing of the lockdown restrictions this week. The biggest change in Berlin is that we no longer need a good reason to leave the house so we are allowed to move freely within the city, as long as we keep a 1.5 m distance from others. As before, we are only allowed to be with members of our own household or with another person from a different household (so that means two people 1.5 m apart). Gatherings of up to 20 people are permitted, but only for funerals and baptisms. Masks are now compulsory on public transport, though even a scarf will do, as long as you keep your mouth and nose covered. Still no parties or barbecues in the park, but quite a few shops have reopened. Once again, I have to acknowledge that it’s difficult to keep up with all the changes, especially as they are not always reported correctly in the media.

Unfortunately, this newfound freedom has meant that thieves also don’t need a good reason to leave their houses, as I discovered one morning when my bike saddle was stolen. So, no more bike rides for me until my new saddle arrives. On a positive side, bike shops have remained open throughout the lockdown to enable Berliners to keep on cycling.

Last week I was feeling rather stressed and under pressure to be more productive, when most of the time all I wanted was to read a book in the sunshine, while sipping a cup of tea. And I really couldn’t be bothered with cleaning or baking. This week, however, I have felt more energetic and I have tried to involve my son in some house chores. We were very proud of our first ever homemade bread. (We actually found a bag of flour in the supermarket! Still no toilet paper though.) We cleaned the floor together and tried to turn it into a fun activity. Being in lockdown is a challenge, but it also has some good sides. Perhaps one day I might even find the time to work on my second novel.

Life in lockdown: week five

The Easter holidays are over and so is the first month of quarantine.

If I had to find a word to define each week up to now, it would be:

week one – anxiety

week two – homeschooling

week three – tonsillitis

week four – Easter

week five – exercise and cherry blossom (ok that’s four words).

I have practically got over the virus that I presumably caught from my son, who most likely caught it at school (back in the days when children went to school). So, I have been able to exercise properly again this week. I joined two yoga classes via Zoom, I went for long walks with my son, among the cherry trees in bloom, and for a family bike ride along the Berlin Wall trail at the weekend. Exercise is one of the things that has helped me remain fairly sane until now.

Spring has brought colour back to Berlin: pink and white cherry blossom, green leaves and blue sky. The sun has continued to shine every day from morning until evening, breaking all previous records. This has to be the best spring ever!

We’re lucky to be in Berlin and not just because of the weather. The situation here seems to be pretty much under control, at least for the time being. The hospitals are not overloaded and the health system is coping. We can leave the house with other members of our household, as long as we keep a distance from others. The most likely place to see our friends is still a computer or phone screen, but we sometimes are lucky enough to bump into someone we know (well not literally, as we have to keep a distance). 

There are plans for schools to restart, albeit gradually. Only pupils in the final years of primary and secondary school will go back to school over the next couple of weeks. We still have no idea when the other years will restart. Kitas (nurseries) probably won’t reopen until after the summer. So it’s back to homeschooling and being a teacher again from Monday.