Angela Merkel has described the coronavirus pandemic as the biggest challenge since World War II. And the chancellor is not exaggerating, says DW's Martin Muno.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
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"Since German unification, no, since World War II, there has been no challenge to our nation that has demanded such a degree of common and united action." German Chancellor Angela Merkel is not a fan of pathos. Her preferred choice of words are sober, analytical and reserved. Even when it comes to the largest of political challenges, she sounds like the holder of a natural science doctorate that she is. Not to mention that she's always optimistic, just think back to the refugee crisis' "We can do it."
So when the woman who has led Germany for more than 14 years makes her first unscheduled, televised speech and appeals directly to the citizens of Germany with a historical comparison to a war that cost the lives of tens of millions of people around the world and left Germany reduced to rubble, then something has gone terribly wrong.
And we are all affected. Our daily lives are dominated by closed schools, day care facilities and stores; companies have furloughed employees or sent them to work from home; consumers are panic buying and fighting in supermarkets. Social restrictions that range from canceled vacations to forced quarantine are all commonplace now. The virus is the only topic of conversation with family and friends.
When they talk about exponential growth, mathamaticians' forecasts show us the size of the threat. At the beginning of March there were 130 COVID-19 cases in Germany — now it's over 11,000 and within scientific experts' estimates. If the curve continues at this speed we'll soon reach the 100,000 or even the million-mark: and that doesn't even include unregistered infections. What's worse: the coronavirus isn't a national threat but a global one.
How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?
With thousands of confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus in Germany, the daily routine for many has been upended. From football to flights, car manufacturing to culture, DW looks at life amid the outbreak.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Rumpenhorst
Food donations drop
Panic-buying has left empty shelves in supermarkets — and food banks. With Germans snapping up canned goods and toilet paper to weather the outbreak, stores have fewer supplies left over to donate to the needy, said Jochen Brühl, head of Tafel Deutschland, which supports more than 1.5 million people with surplus groceries and other donations. Brühl encouraged those who had overreacted to donate.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Matzka
Bundesliga suspended
After playing one match behind closed doors, the Bundesliga has suspended its season until at least April 2. The Germany football league had considered playing matches behind closed doors until Paderborn's coach Steffen Baumgart and defender Luca Kilian tested positive for COVID-19.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/O. Berg
Cultural cancellations
Cultural life has also taken a hit, with major fairs and trade shows canceled or postponed. Among the casualties were the Leipzig Book Fair and the Musikmesse Frankfurt, Europe's biggest music trade fair. Numerous clubs, galleries and museums have closed across the country, and the gala award show for the annual German film and television award, the Goldene Kamera, has been moved to November.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Woitas
Not the 'Wuhan flu'
The Chinese origin of the virus has led to an increase in xenophobic sentiment in the places worst hit by the outbreak. Asian restaurants and stores — not just Chinese — have reported empty tables in countries hard hit by the pandemic, and people with Asian features have experienced discrimination. At a recent Bundesliga game in Leipzig, a group of Japanese fans was ejected from the stadium.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Solaro
Flights grounded
German airline Lufthansa has massively reduced its flight capacity as business and personal travel is cut back. The flagship carrier is now seeking state aid, according to a report from Germany business newspaper Handelsblatt. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr will be attending a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to government sources.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kusch
Car production crippled
Car plants in China have been shut down since January, and major German automakers like Volkswagen and Daimler have said both sales and production have been hit by the epidemic. And with many automakers sourcing electric car parts from China, work at plants in Germany has also hit a stumbling block. Berlin has said it plans to financially support companies suffering coronavirus losses.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images/J. Meyer
Fewer tourists
"The consequences for the German tourism sector are serious," warned Guido Zöllick, head of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association. Already by the second week of March, 76.1% of members had reported a sharp decrease in bookings and a drop in revenue. The German parliament has banned tourists from visiting the glass dome of the Reichstag building until further notice.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Wurtscheid
Border checks
In an effort to prevent further spread, Germany has closed its borders with France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark. Authorities in Poland and the Czech Republic had already begun spot checks, measuring the temperature of travelers crossing main road borders out of Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Weigel
School closures
Preschools and primary schools across Germany have shut. The closures have affected more than 2.2 million children up to age 16 countrywide, according to Germany's Federal Statistical Office. German television stations have adjusted their programming in response to the school closures.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Seidel
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Faced with such conditions, the chancellor did the right thing. She did not issue orders, but appealed to our common sense. She trusts that, as informed citizens, we will act as the situation requires. Social distance is the new expression everyone is talking about, but the hashtag #stayathome gets the point across in a blunter manner. Or, as the chancellor says, "We are not doomed to helplessly watch the spread of the virus. We have a means to fight it: We must practice social distancing out of consideration for one another."
The catch is, and Merkel mentioned this too in her speech, is that a forced break of a few weeks won't be enough. "The weeks ahead will be even more difficult," she said. More people will die, there will be massive economic costs and possibly even social upheaveal.
We will also have to give up some of our freedom. For us as a society — regardless of where we live — this will be an enormous challenge. But something positive could come out of it. The little virus has already shined a light on the outrageous idiocy of populists — just watch videos from US President Donald Trump. We are already learning that there are other ways to communicate as video conferencing becomes the norm. And we can sense that we are all a part of this, and that solidarity with people we don't even know does us all good. Consideration for others can even be expressed in the tiniest of gestures, such as switching sides of the street not to walk right past someone.
The philosopher Slavoj Zizek summed up what is in store for all of us when he said that even if life returns to normal, it will be a different kind of normal than we were used to before the outbreak. For me, he means we will learn that life is delicate and full of threats. We're in the middle of a revolution and it's up to us to decide whether it has a happy end.
