Update 6 May 2020
Finally the restrictions are being lifted a little bit – besides the negative effect on the psyche which the restrictions might have done to some of us, the enormous effect on the economy can’t be measured right now – we will see that in the future. Here an update of the current Corona restrictions in Munich and Bavaria:
– the exit restrictions are cancelled – you may now leave the house without a good reason
– the contact restrictions are unchanged – until 5 June only 1 contact person which doesn’t live in the same household is allowed; in addition, close relatives can be visited
– duty of wearing a mask in shops and public transport stays
– on 11 May, all shops no matter which size, will be re-opened; before only shops with max 800m2 could be opened.
– and here certainly one of the best news: on 18 May, beer gardens will be re-opened! besides that, outdoor areas of restaurants and cafes are open too. On 25 May, also the inner areas will be opened. This effects also alpine huts in the Bavarian Alps
– hotels open up their gates on 30 May
– SCHOOLS:
since 27 April, pupils which have their final exams this year have already returned to school
on 11 May, pupils which have final exams next year as well as elementary school pupils of 4th grade will return
on 18 May, pupils of 1st grades, 5th grades of grammar schools and 5th & 6th graders of secondary schools will return
all other pupils will return to school after the Whitsun holidays on 15 June
BUT: class size is maximum 15 students – pupils take turns in classroom events and learing from/ @home. Besides that, mask duty in all areas except the classroom itself
Update 20 April 2020
Hi together, hope you all are well! We have the latest update regarding restrictions connected to the coronavirus.
The most important measure is the duty of wearing a face mask in both public transport and shops from 27 April onwards
Besides that, most of the already known restrictions stay in place
– exit restrictions until minimum 3 May, only easing: each one can pick a „contact person“ of his/ her choice NOT living in the same household and meet with him/her
– gastronomic businesses stay closed
– schools (higher grades) will gradually re-open from 27 April resp. 11 May onwards
– universities will re-open from today on, 20 April
– kindergarten and childcare facilities remain closed
– all mass events until 31 August are cancelled; the Wiesn (Oktoberfest) is currently not cancelled but we fear that this year there won’t be one…
We kindly ask you to stick to these rules! The stricter we are to ourselves, the sooner we can go back to normal life. Keep in mind, that the police will intensively control!
Infections on the rise
Since a couple of weeks we see the number of people infected with the coronavirus here in Germany rising – currently more than 110.000 people have been infected with COVID19, over 4.300 alone in Munich. Here some tips how to handle the current situation with the limitations in all areas of our „normal“ life.
The current Corona situation in Munich
Currently we are facing over 4.000 infected persons – infected means both cured and infected. Latest number from today, 11 April is over 4.300 cases. Seeing these numbers, you have to keep in mind that the dark number, the estimated number of unrecorded cases, is probably 10 times higher – the problem is, that first symptoms of the coronavirus only show 5 to 7 days after the infection. That is surely the main reason why the German government has imposed the shutdown.
„Flatten the curve“ – what does this mean and how can it be achieved?
„Flatten the curve„ means to keep the number of new infections with the coronavirus as low as possible. Only that way a critical situation like in Italy can be avoided – there the number of newly infected people exploded and capacity of hospitals was exceeded by far. The most important measure is to cut down social interactions to an absolute minimum. The coronavirus is highly contagious, 1 infected person can infect 3 others, each of them infects 3 others and there we have it, the exponential growth rate. This exponential growth leads to a collapse of the health system within short time which we have to avoid by any means!
Lockdown rules in Bavaria/Munich
Bavaria has the strictest restrictions of whole Germany. Most important thing to know: you are still allowed to leave your house and have a walk in the sun, do some sports outside and go running. BUT: it isn’t allowed to do a picnic in the park or sit on a bench for longer than just some minutes.
Here some rules:
– minimum distance to others is 1,5m, better even 2m
– if you are outside, you can only be alone, together with max. one person who lives not in the same household or with any persons living together in the same household with you (wife, children and grand parents e.g.)
– besides having a walk or doing sports, you are only allowed to leave the house for doing groceries, going to the pharmacy, visiting a doctor or for helping others
– you surely are allowed to go to work but if possible: work from home
– groups of partying people – even at home – are strictly forbidden and will be sanctioned
– gastronomic businesses are closed until further notice
– gas stations, fuel trades, garages, bakeries, and all other businesses which are necessary to guarantee essential supplies (there are indeed a lot of them, in doubt give them a call or look it up in the internet as most business have current corona news on their website)
As of today, the measures will stay in place until 19 April (included) but might be prolonged. The good news is, that the number of new infections are slowing down.
Schools, kindergarten and childcare facilities also remain closed until minimum 19 April.
Quick overview about where am I allowed to go to in Munich
Supermarkets: definitly fine of course! But please don’t do it the German way and hoard toilet paper for the next 2 years, others will thank it to you
Shopping (ex groceries): all shops where non-essential things are sold are closed. Not possible.
Doctors: Surely ok.
Work: Ok. If possible and your company allows it work from home (home office is the magic word)
Parks: fine for doing a walk or to do some sports. It’s not allowed to do picnic or even sit down on a bench for longer time
Visit friends or daytrips: Definitly not allowed
Restaurants: closed
Bars: closed
Cinemas: closed
Gyms and other sport facilities: closed
VERY IMPORTANT: if you think you are infected with COVID-19 meaning you are already developing symptoms, stay at home and call the medical on-call service (116 117) or your doctor immediately. You might be asked to visit the drive through test station on the Theresienwiese or come to a hospital like the Klinikum Schwabing
Together you will evaluate the Robert-Koch-Institut-Guidelines to check if you will be tested for a possible coronavirus infection.
– have you recently been in contact with a person that has been tested positive for COVID-19?
– have you been in high risk areas like Northern Italy, Madrid or China (Wuhan region)?
– do you show already the typical symptoms like fever, dry cough and shortness of breath?
Check out the offical website oft he Munich region for more information or call the hotline under 089-233-44740.
Corona-Tipp 1: buy groceries online
These days shopping groceries online has become essential for some people, especially the elder ones who belong to the high risk group. Others just feel uncomfortable and want to avoid to run in danger to get to close to others in the narrow aisles.
Instead of risking getting an infection while shopping we are currently doing all of our grocery shopping online. Our favorite online grocery service is REWE.
Corona-Tipp 2: online streaming options for free
Many of you are probably already Netflix or Amazon Prime users. As you can imagine, streaming traffic has sky-rocketed since the restrictions have been put in place. If you shouldn’t use any of the streaming services until now, then the time might have come for it! Below a list of gratis streaming options
Disney+: currently all Telekom customers with a mobile or internet Magenta contract are being offered a 6 month trial for free. All others can test it 7 days gratis
Joyn: German streaming plattform, some of the content exclusively is only available here. You definitly need to watch Jerks, one of the most hilarious German TV shows ever. 1 month free trial.
ARDmediathek: general broadcasting station of Germany – lots of interesting shows, always for free (well, you pay ca. 240.-€ per year to the GEZ so it‘s not really for free)
Netflix: THE streaming website, a lot of exclusive content (I only say Casa de Papel : ) 30 days trial gratis
Amazon Prime: Prime Video is included when you have already signed up for this Amazon service. 30 days trial gratis
Hoping that the current status will not last longer than 1 or 2 more months, you should at least have enough options for free and legal(!) streaming for the upcoming weeks.
We try to keep this list up to date with the latest developments, stay #home and stay safe people!