Shabbat Shalom from Berlin. The situation is extraordinarily weird. I have been affected a lot by the recent changes, but at that point, most people have. All shops except for supplies are closed. Churches, mosques, synagogues, all closed. Our playgrounds are closed and this weekend our mayor will announce whether there will be a general order for a complete lock down.
Personally, I had planned to visit a summer school in Israel in May and likely participate in a lab exchange between July and October, but that's cancelled. I also was selected as participant for a government funded German-Israeli network, but out seminars were postponed to November. In short: my professional life seems to take a very different direction from what I had planned. But I will make the best of it and post poned is not cancelled.
Over the last weeks we had strong discussions about whether or not to host a conference this week.We had been working on it since October, but finally we were heard and able to shift it online over the course of two weeks. Good decision as we would not have been able to host it anymore (not to mention people from the hot spot, outbreak central were still happy to travel to us, we would have had 450 people coming in).
The university I work at closed down yesterday. We went and secured essentials (I also adopted my colleagues office plants - strange times), said goodbye from a safe distance and now work from home indefinitely. We will teach online next term, so I'll have home office until fall it seems. I'm considering fostering a dog during this time as it is the first time ever that I know I'll definitely won't have to travel for at least half a year. Strangely comforting, to be honest. The fear of missing out is just gone from my life.
Clubs, cultural institutions, schools, kindergartens, everything is closed and every day is eerily quiet, like the first of January, just even more still. On the other hand, everything is shifting online, concert houses and opera are streaming their (empty housed) program for free.
Luckily, most people now understood the situation and actually practice social distancing, but not all. It is so important, guys, really! It's not about getting sick yourself, it's about being asymptomatic carriers and transmitting the disease. And the young people right now are those who spread it most. We have had some hotspots in clubs, with only one infected person (symptomless until later!) Infecting dozens of others, having whole divisions of our police under quarantine because of the close contact those people work and live in.
The hospitals cannot handle covid on top of everything else. It is flu season, too, so beds and ventilators are limited. Young people are now starting to be heavily affected, too, especially smokers, but also previously healthy people. It is dire. Berlin is building additional hospital surrogates.
We also do have shortages of specific goods and food at times. Cashiers can't keep up with stocking the shelves. Grocery delivery is fully booked into mid April. People are offering help to those who cannot go out, solidarity is increasing. But some people are also getting more aggressive. desinfectant has been stolen from a children's oncology ward. I hope the positives will outnumber those cases.
Please everyone, take it seriously. Depending on where you are, what you can see now in Italy but also beginning here in Germany will be your look into the future, so please prepare responsibly and isolate yourself as much as possible. It is a sacrifice we have to make for our community and society, to protect everyone around us.
Personally, I had planned to visit a summer school in Israel in May and likely participate in a lab exchange between July and October, but that's cancelled. I also was selected as participant for a government funded German-Israeli network, but out seminars were postponed to November. In short: my professional life seems to take a very different direction from what I had planned. But I will make the best of it and post poned is not cancelled.
Over the last weeks we had strong discussions about whether or not to host a conference this week.We had been working on it since October, but finally we were heard and able to shift it online over the course of two weeks. Good decision as we would not have been able to host it anymore (not to mention people from the hot spot, outbreak central were still happy to travel to us, we would have had 450 people coming in).
The university I work at closed down yesterday. We went and secured essentials (I also adopted my colleagues office plants - strange times), said goodbye from a safe distance and now work from home indefinitely. We will teach online next term, so I'll have home office until fall it seems. I'm considering fostering a dog during this time as it is the first time ever that I know I'll definitely won't have to travel for at least half a year. Strangely comforting, to be honest. The fear of missing out is just gone from my life.
Clubs, cultural institutions, schools, kindergartens, everything is closed and every day is eerily quiet, like the first of January, just even more still. On the other hand, everything is shifting online, concert houses and opera are streaming their (empty housed) program for free.
Luckily, most people now understood the situation and actually practice social distancing, but not all. It is so important, guys, really! It's not about getting sick yourself, it's about being asymptomatic carriers and transmitting the disease. And the young people right now are those who spread it most. We have had some hotspots in clubs, with only one infected person (symptomless until later!) Infecting dozens of others, having whole divisions of our police under quarantine because of the close contact those people work and live in.
The hospitals cannot handle covid on top of everything else. It is flu season, too, so beds and ventilators are limited. Young people are now starting to be heavily affected, too, especially smokers, but also previously healthy people. It is dire. Berlin is building additional hospital surrogates.
We also do have shortages of specific goods and food at times. Cashiers can't keep up with stocking the shelves. Grocery delivery is fully booked into mid April. People are offering help to those who cannot go out, solidarity is increasing. But some people are also getting more aggressive. desinfectant has been stolen from a children's oncology ward. I hope the positives will outnumber those cases.
Please everyone, take it seriously. Depending on where you are, what you can see now in Italy but also beginning here in Germany will be your look into the future, so please prepare responsibly and isolate yourself as much as possible. It is a sacrifice we have to make for our community and society, to protect everyone around us.