So Coronavirus is here and real. I decided to keep a record of life in Germany: daily life in the time of Coronavirus. This is one part record – one part list of resources and quality news sources – one part timeline of living in Western Germany as we all deal with COVID-19. We have lived in Germany since August 2019.
Resources for information
🩺 World Health Organization (WHO) has daily updates including numbers of confirmed cases: https://www.who.int
🩺 Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is the leading resource for numbers and COVID-19 related information. https://www.rki.de/EN
🩺 Center for Disease Control (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
Timeline of Daily life in the time of Coronavirus
January 27 2020
- 27 January 2020, the first case in Germany was confirmed near Munich. I don’t remember hearing about this at the time.
March 3 2020
- Feeling a little nervous about travelling, but I decide to travel based on the organizers (who I work with on an ongoing basis).
March 4 2020
- Fly from Frankfurt to Dallas direct on American Airlines. Questioned by staff about my travel in the last month. I was asked specifically if I was in China recently.
- Plane less than 50% full.
- I arrived in Dallas for a conference. Already limiting physical contact, but it is a hard shift.
March 5 2020
- Conference commences. Participants are directed to wash hands during every break and “elbow bumping” is de rigour.
March 6 2020
- Conference continues. News out of Italy intensifying. Companies represented at the conference hear that their travel is suspended: Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, JP Morgan & Chase, Amazon.
March 7 2020
- Conference continues.
March 8 2020
- Conference concludes.
March 9 2020
- I returned to Frankfurt from Dallas with a layover in London.
- The UK is a level 2 country.
March 10 2020
- Germany and all of the Schengen countries were declared level 3 countries by the CDC.
- Secretary of Defense releases Force Protection Guidance and Travel limitations.
- I visited two local supermarkets to add items to the pantry. Both were relatively quiet, and no shortages were apparent.
- I spiked a 100.5 fever at 8 pm.
March 11 2020
- I reached out via an online messaging system to my doctor to let them know I had recently returned via a then level 2 country – and that I had spiked a fever of 100.5 once but otherwise had symptoms only of jetlag. The doctor indicates that I should continue to social distance and continue to self-monitor.
March 12 2020
- Reach out to the person I was to meet with tomorrow face to face and organize a video call.
- Parkrun announces they are cancelling all events in Germany.
March 13 2020
- 📮 The US postal service reported mail from the US to military bases in Germany will be delayed.
- Announcement: 🏫 Schools and daycare are closed in Germany Monday 16 March – 24 April.
March 14 2020
- Germany has started widespread testing using auto clinics (literally drive-in).
- I visited our neighbourhood grocery store being careful to maintain a 6-foot distance with all I encounter. Even on Saturday’s the Carparking is only usually 50%. Definitely more people than normal. Stocked as per usual – except for flour??
- Dwight went for a run on local trails and through kottweiler-Schwenden. There were about the same amount of people moving about as usual.
- 🇪🇸 Spain and France 🇫🇷 are on quarantine lockdown
March 15 2020
- cases in Germany 🇩🇪 as of 15 March – 3795; cases in Rhineland-Pfalz: 102.
- Everything is closed in Germany because it is Sunday: so the situation normal!
- Austria bans gatherings of more than 5. All restaurants and cafes will not be allowed to open from 17 March! Austrian authorities have advised that people stay at home as much as possible, and their Military will be deployed.
- Dwight goes for a run on trails knowing that he will be unlikely to encounter another runner and that it may be his last run for at least a few days/week.
March 18 2020
- World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic.
April 22 2020
- Germany began clinically testing a vaccine.
- On 30 April 2020, The Federal Gover announced that Germany-wide social distancing measures are to be extended until May 10th, banning more than two people who aren’t part of the same family or household from being outside together at the same time. However, throughout Germany, other measures are being relaxed on different timelines, with museums, botanical gardens, zoos and other public institutions poised to reopen soon. Here’s a timeline of what we already know is reopening, state by state.
- For the time being, however, there will be no relaxation for travel outside Germany. The Foreign Office has extended the worldwide travel warning until mid-June.
May 10 2020
- Germany infection rate rises as lockdowns ease.
- Article dated 06 May 2020 examines the first 100 days of Coronavirus in Germany.
July 8 2020
- Germany reopened borders
September 2020
- Munich Oktoberfest cancelled.
January 10 2021
- Belgium topped 20,000 deaths, while Germany’s toll reached 40,000, and Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the worst is yet to come as the country waits for the vaccinations to take effect.
March 1 2021
- Hairdressers reopen in Germany. Dwight has the longest hair of his life.
March 12 2021
- Discussion of the introduction of Green Passport to demonstrate vaccination status.
- I reached out to the assigned medical provider to ask about the coronavirus vaccine timeline – but there was no timeline for vaccination military dependents at Ramstein AB.
- DW reports that Germany is in the midst of the third wave of Coronavirus infections.
- I recorded 14,356 new infections in the past 24 hours on Thursday, increasing more than 2,400 over the previous Thursday. The infection rate also continued to rise, reaching 69.1 new cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days for Germany as a whole. The infection rate on Wednesday was 65.4.
March 18 2021
- One year since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic.
April 2021
There was this three day period just before Easter where Angela Merkel announced there would be a complete lockdown for easter, but then within 36 hours, the decision was reversed. We didn’t go anywhere for Easter anyway because ?? it was just odd.
8 April 2021
Anna received her first vaccination at Ramstein AB!
General Thoughts on Daily Life
This is the experience of one person’s timeline of daily life in the time of Coronavirus.
🏨 Be kind to the medical 🏥 folks around you. They’re sacrificing time with their own families, sleep & the comfort of ignorance to take care of others.
🧼Wash your hands & keep your distance (6 feet/2 meters) if you have to leave your home. Remember, you might think you’re fine, but you’re raising the risk for those with less ability to fight infection.
📉Now is the time to flatten the curve if there is any chance to prevent overwhelm for health systems.
really helpful..