"It was the winter of 2020 and all eyes were on us," starts an announcement from the German government published last week.
In the video, set in the future, Anton Lehmann recalls that "invisible danger" that threatened "everything we had believed in until then".
The protagonist, a 22-year-old engineering student when the second wave of the coronavirus raged, recalls the complicated mission faced by the youth of the time: to stay home, lying on the sofa, thus avoiding spreading the virus.
"Being lazy as raccoons" is how young people "became heroes that coronavirus winter of 2020," concludes Lehmann.
This tragicomic story, loaded with epic and with which the German Executive aspires to sensitize the population, has become viral at enormous speed.
For example, the video exceeds 1,300,000 views on the Twitter account of the government spokesperson, Steffen Seibert, two days after it was shared.
The video also circulates through the networks with subtitles in other languages, as in this case, in which the video labeled in Spanish has more than 285,000 views.
The campaign launched by the German Government to fight COVID.
Subtitled in Spanish.
h / t @RegSprecher @StefanLeifert pic.twitter.com/GL5ndiidRO
- Pablo Pérez (@PabloPerezA) November 15, 2020
Since the launch of that video, two other ads have been published labeled #besonderehelden -special heroes- and that convey the same message: reducing contacts is the key to appease covid-19.
The three ads add up to more than 600,000 views on the German Government's YouTube channel.
The ads have received an avalanche of compliments on social networks, highlighting the correct tone, as well as the surprise at the unexpected sense of humor of the Germans.
But how could it be otherwise, there has also been not a little criticism of the government's initiative.
The controversy was gaining intensity during the weekend, until it ended up being reflected in the pages of the main newspapers.
Some consider that the advertisements reflect only part of the reality, that of the fortunate and well-placed young people who telecommute and have decent housing.
The sensationalist
Bild
even turned to historians, who criticized the parallels to World War II as out of place.
The well-known blogger and columnist specialist in Internet, Sascha Lobo considered the debate absurd on Twitter and considered that ads like these are "the only way to reach some people."
Germany is facing the so-called second wave of the coronavirus like other European countries.
At the time of publication of this campaign, the pandemic has already left 12,547 dead and 801,327 infected, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute.
For this month of November, the Government and the States have agreed restrictions that include the closure of bars and restaurants, as well as cinemas, theaters, and in general cultural activities.
Schools and shops remain open.
* You can also follow us on Instagram and Flipboard.
Don't miss out on the best of Verne!