I hope all of you are staying safe and well. Here is my monthly update on how the situation is in Germany! Here in Germany the restrictions are continuing to lift and sometimes there is a sense of normality again. You can find part one and part two of my corona chronicles in Germany here and here.

Kontaktverbot statt Ausgangsbeschränkung

A contact ban instead of a curfew

From the 6th of May the official curfew/restrictions to leave your home has been lifted. You are allowed to go out to the shops, have a picnic and resume other normalities. However there is still a no contact rule, you must keep your distance between yourself and others, and you are only allowed to see one other household at a time. Wearing a mask on public transport is still mandatory.

 

Ab dem 8. Mai dürfen sich zwei Haushalte treffen

From the 8th of May two households are allowed to meet

This rule was eased just in time for Mother’s Day. Two households (which also means more than two people) are allowed to meet either at home or outside.

 

Ab dem 11. Mai dürfen alle Geschäfte, Museen und Zoos öffnen

From the 11th of May all shops, museums, and zoos open

You must however still wear a facemask when going into shops and museums.

 

Ab dem 18. Mai darf die Gastronomie im Außenbereich öffnen

From the 18th of May outdoor dining at restaurants is allowed

There will still have to be a 1.5-meter Mindestabstand (minimum distance) between guests, people from two different households are allowed to meet and only the waiters must wear Mundschutz (masks). This also includes Biergärten (beer gardens), however they must close at 8pm.

From the 25th of May restaurants will also be opening, with the same rules as above but also guests can then sit inside as well, and they are allowed to stay till 10pm.

Ab dem 18. Mai dürfen die Schüler teilweise den Unterricht wieder besuchen

From the 18th of May some pupils are allowed to attend classes again

Many of the school subjects are slimmed down and mainly the core subjects will be taught. This means Sport (sport), Kunst (art) and Musik (music) will not be taught as often. The classes will be divided into smaller groups, who will take turns in going to school. On the days where the children aren’t at school, homeschooling will continue.

Vocabulary list:

das Kontaktverbot                                                   the contact ban

die Ausgangsbeschränkung                                   the curfew

die Haushalte                                                             the households

die Geschäfte                                                                 the shops

die Museen                                                                 the museums

die Zoos                                                            the zoos (also known as der Tierpark)

der Mindestabstand                                              the minimum distance

der Mundschutz                                                         the face mask

der Sport                                                                       the sport

die Kunst                                                                       the art

die Musik                                                                   the music

 

Germany’s relaxations of the regulations are a small twinkle of hope  that maybe things will be going back to “normal life” sooner than we think. I personally am still enjoying the slow life and taking things as they come. I find it a real hidden blessing to be able to take your time and enjoy the smaller things in life, even if this situation can sometimes be a struggle.

How are you doing from where you’re from? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading,

Larissa