2020 comes to an end, Corona remains.
The pandemic has changed life in Germany in unimaginable ways.
Some dream badly.
Others fear for its existence.
Blago was 21 when he met Sabine.
She was 17. That was in 1971. Blago came to Germany from Croatia.
Their families were initially not at all pleased with the relationship.
But Blago and Sabine knew very quickly that they wanted to spend their lives together.
They married and had two children.
The children grew up and moved out.
Blago and Sabine remained inseparable.
Then
the year 2020 began
.
In January Sabine found out that she had cancer.
Chemotherapy started in February.
Corona * came in March.
As a
result of the protection regulations
, Blago was soon no longer allowed to enter the hospital.
He had to hand his wife over to the hospital porter.
“Like an object.
I wasn't allowed to carry her bag into the room.
I wasn't allowed to put her closet away.
I wasn't allowed to be with her and hug her.
I wasn't there to comfort her.
It was horrible.
I can hardly describe it. ”Sabine was also no longer allowed to see her children and grandchildren.
“The disease was bad enough,” says Blago.
"But Corona turned it into a nightmare."
The frequent traveler: Corona has turned many people's everyday lives inside out
Corona has changed the lives of countless people.
One of them is Tobias Sauer from Berlin.
He hasn't been through anything bad, and yet nothing is as it was with him.
The 37-year-old is a journalist, primarily a
travel journalist
.
Last year he made 80 to 100 flights.
“Since I was 16, I've basically been spending all of my money on travel,” he says.
"I don't have a large wardrobe or a well-furnished apartment, all the money goes into traveling."
At least that was the case until March.
He hasn't flown a single time since then.
He is thrown back on his small apartment.
For the first time in his life he bought an expensive piece of furniture, a sofa for almost 1,000 euros.
It's comfortable to sit on.
But the wanderlust keeps getting bigger.
Sauer dreams of America.
“For hours on the highways, always straight ahead.”
He lacks nightlife even more than traveling.
The Berlin music clubs have been closed since March.
“I'm not into illegal stories because I thought we are in a situation here where we should be a little careful.
There were a few open air stories, but of course that was a completely different mood.
The times were different.
It wasn't at night, but during the day.
Almost mirror-inverted. ”If he left earlier, it was often without a cell phone.
For a few hours he was out of reach, in another world.
Then he didn't know what time it was either.
It's completely different now.
“You never forget where you are.
You live in the Corona year *. "
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Corona effects: "I have developed a great phobia of crowds"
Yes, there are, the
positive changes caused by Corona
.
Wiebke and her family from Düsseldorf have friends in Hamburg whom they see more often in video chat than before.
And yes, Wiebke has also developed weekly menu plans so that you don't have to go shopping that often.
“It's relaxing not to think about food every day.
In addition, we are sure to save money. "
The
negative is far more important
.
“I've developed a great phobia of crowds.
For example, when I see a group of young people, I directly have negative thoughts and feelings about how bad these people are.
These are only young people who absolutely need their social contacts. ”The 54-year-old now has a recurring nightmare:“ I regularly dream that I stand in the supermarket without a mask and wake up in panic.
I hope that ends after Corona.
On the other hand, although I am absolutely not a concert-goer, I dreamed that I was standing in the stadium with thousands of people yelling songs from some band.
Was great."
But the worst
thing
for them is the
constant fear
that someone in their family could become infected and die from it.
"This fear is slowly wearing me down."
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Unemployment due to Corona: what will happen now?
Heinz Krämer (42) from Düren near Aachen has set
up and dismantled concert and show stages for
21 years
.
A roadie, as the scene says.
“We were only on the move.
I spent more time on the street than at home with my wife and children.
The job is not just a job, it's a passion. "
Then the cultural sector was shut down as part of the corona measures.
The company he was employed by no longer received any orders.
After six months it went bankrupt.
Heinz Krämer has been unemployed since then.
What will happen now?
He don't know.
If the
pandemic ended tomorrow
, he would have work again immediately.
But the pandemic is not over.
“I can still take it for half a year.
After that I would have to look elsewhere. ”The employment office has already signaled to him that nothing will happen anytime soon and that he will have to retrain.
But Heinz Krämer is still reluctant.
He still hopes.
Because he loves his work.
Read here:
Odor and taste disorders caused by Corona: Doctors treat with the help of "smell training".
Country doctor reports on changes in everyday practice
Christina Neumann is a country doctor from Denklingen near Landsberg in Bavaria.
Corona has
messed up your daily practice.
"On the one hand, it is extremely difficult to deal with the bureaucracy because we are constantly getting different regulations on how to settle or code which corona smear and how."
The other is
dealing with the patient
.
Every day people come to her who fear that they have been infected with Corona.
If possible, these patients should not come into contact with the others.
That is why Christina Neumann has introduced a special “infection consultation hour” from 11.30 am.
Only two people are allowed into the practice at a time, the others wait outside in the car.
During this treatment, the doctor wears a gown, mask and visor.
That would have been unthinkable before Corona.
“That's a cultural story.” Before Corona, everyone expected the doctor to shake hands.
It now seems a long time ago.
“I would not have thought that a society could change so quickly,” says Neumann.
On average,
one patient a week tests positive
.
“Of course, as a doctor, you have a somewhat queasy feeling.
There is a fear of making a mistake and getting infected.
The practice staff is also unsettled.
I can already say that it is my toughest year. "
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Expert gives new recommendation.
Corona pandemic depression is on the rise
When the first lockdown began in the spring, there were some rosy prospects for the future.
Drive down and slow down, that will be good for society, they said.
Back then the sun shone for many weeks.
Now winter is just around the corner and you tend not to hear such sounds any more.
"Many people are in a
depressed mood,
" says Conny Wien, a psychotherapist from Dortmund.
“Let's imagine an older woman with a demented man who sang in the choir before Corona and who looked forward to the Christmas Oratorio every year.
For them everything is gone that made life more or less bearable. "
Vienna knows many older people who say that they lack contact.
“By that they don't mean cuddling or kissing, but simply being hugged.
Or just a handshake or a pat on the back.
Being touched in conversation, sometimes putting your hand on your knee, for example when the other is crying.
It does something to people when they sit there alone with their tears. ”The
psychologist fears that a quality will be lost
if everything goes on for much longer.
Can you unlearn human closeness?
At the moment you can't even smile at a saleswoman.
There is the mask.
“Most people go shopping and go home quickly.
They see to it that they come back to their safe space. ”Sometimes it seems to her as if a gray veil had fallen over the land.
Read here:
Immune to Covid-19 due to previous illness - cross immunity protects children above all.
The year 2020 ends - Corona remains
The year 2020 is coming to an end.
Unfortunately Sabine didn't make it.
She died in June.
Fortunately, the isolation was lifted in the end.
The family was with her and could say goodbye to her in peace and dignity.
Not only for Blago, but especially for him, 2020 was a bad year.
Yet he is not left empty-handed, as he thinks.
More than all years before, 2020 made it clear to him: “My Sabine was a special person with a big, big heart.
The
isolation only welded us closer together
.
I am infinitely grateful that I was able to be with her for almost 50 years. ”
(Sca) * Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen digital editorial network.
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List of rubric lists: © rolf kremming via www.imago-images.de
