what a terrible time. it started suddenly. on a food market in wuhan, china. news were that a growing number of people were infected by a new virus and that some of them had died already. but it was far, far away and christmas time. we felt safe and politicians were not worried at all.

but then, all of a sudden, the virus startet to spread….wuhan had been closed meanwhile…and horror news now came from italy. especially the north of the country around milano, bergamo became a hotspot for covid-19.

then it started in heinsberg, germany. a carneval event lead to a rapid expansion. day after day bad news. the national robert koch institute advised our government. news conference after news conference. meeting after meeting:

so far nobody knows, where this all leads us. more than 4 weeks lock down already. industry in a desperate situation. people…more and more nervous and impatient

but there will be a time after! we just have to think posititive.

corona times go on….today, april 30, 2020. schools closed, kindergardens closed, restaurants closed, no concerts or soccer games, just a few things open…like shops up to 800 sqm….they call it ‘careful opening’..but the virologists seem to have different views: in sweden more open and relaxed, in germany much more strict. we have many more people in’kurzarbeit’, unemployment further rising. this crisis does not only have a significant economic, but also a very deep negative social impact. forecasts for the economy are more negative every day….one expects a much heavier depression than during the financial crisis in 2008. discussions to nationalize the battered lufthansa company. all in all a bleak outlook for the upcoming months.

• 

• 

i just received a quote from my friend hans in philadelphia…..how valuable today:

“How far you go in life depends on your being  tender with the young,  compassionate with the aged,  sympathetic with the striving,  and tolerant of the weak and the strong.  Because someday in life you will have been all of these.”                                                         George Washington Carver (1863-1943)

may 1st, 2020: corona is still the main topic of all news. different reports from different countries. in germany the reported cases go down, but there are still heavy warnings from virologists. we are far away from any kind of normalization. these are the latest corona news in germany: https://www.deutschland.de/de/news/coronavirus-in-deutschland-informationen

and the discussions continue….how to softly open the lockdown…how to avoid a second wave…how to protect the older generation…what to do next with children, schools and ….soccer. there is still discipline, but critics get louder, court cases start to give freedom back to society.

and life goes on…..corona reaches high levels worldwide. in europe things seemed to ease. but now? people get frustrated. they start to travel….enjoy vacations, parties, get togethers…..and the level of infections start to increase again. it is august and governments impose stricter restrictions. travel warnings are announced more and more. do we see the beginning of a second wave? it is a time of uncertainties and questions. calmness and discipline are required, but the population becomes impatient.

how and when will this pandemic sitution be over???

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases