District - The world is struggling with the corona virus - and even if the focus is currently primarily on local events at home, the cities and communities in the Ebersberg district are in contact with their partner communities abroad.
A look at the different countries.
Ostra
Margret Bartoli recently received a letter from Ostra, the Italian partner municipality of Markt Schwabens.
From a friend in her mid-30s who, for fear of being infected, hardly dares go outside.
"That made me very sad right away," says Bartoli, former chairman of the partnership committee.
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Coat of arms of Ostra
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Her successor, Silke Staab-Thuro, confirms that Ostra is being hit much harder by the virus than in spring 2020. An Italian exchange participant who was already visiting Markt Schwaben and hosting guests from Germany died of Covid-19 in her late 60s .
The “Marken” region around the 6500-inhabitant community near the Adriatic port of Ancona is in the middle of the third wave with incidence values of over 250 - including curfew from 10pm to 5am.
“What happened in the Milan region a year ago traumatized people,” says Staab-Thuro.
She keeps in touch via email and Facebook.
The gregarious Italians suffered from the situation, but put up with it pragmatically.
In May, the Markt Schwabener would have liked to welcome an Italian delegation.
“Utopian,” states Staab-Thuro.
Video events are being considered.
Alem Katema
The high plains of Ethiopia are like a different world compared to Central Europe.
This also applies to the coronavirus situation, reports Alexander Bestle, who has been campaigning for the partnership of the 30,000-inhabitant city with the municipality of Vaterstetten for years.
“People live with it,” he says.
There is no other way.
Bestle remembers a video call with a friend on site who was coughing and sweating in front of the screen.
Corona, it turned out later.
There is no preventive testing or contact follow-up.
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Partnership coat of arms from Alem Katema and Vaterstetten
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The partnership association financed masks, hand washing stations, disinfectants.
There was never a lockdown in Ethiopia, the schools were closed in spring and summer 2020.
Now children from the age of six have to wear masks there.
Overall, the hospital did not observe any higher mortality - this could be due to the lower average age, the climate and the remoteness of the city, Bestle speculates.
The high-risk patients, who are particularly at risk in Germany, hardly know Ethiopia: What is called pre-existing illness in this country is often a death sentence in Ethiopia.
What is striking, however, is that there are fewer other infectious diseases.
"The hygiene measures are effective."
Saint Marcellin
Between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. there is a curfew in Grafing's French partner community of Saint Marcellin.
The incidence is moving upwards at 180, the British corona variant is rampant.
Schools have remained open throughout, but the weekly market, the social center of the town near Grenoble, has shrunk to a few vegetable stalls.
The mood on site is “pretty bad”, regrets Udo Helmholz from the partnership committee.
The French are annoyed by the slow vaccination campaign: the center in Saint Marcellin only administers 75 syringes per week.
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Coat of arms of Saint Marcellin
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Nevertheless, Helmholz is hoping for a visit from France in the autumn, if the situation is better.
A previously planned concert by the two music schools has broken off.
"She is currently sleeping," says Helmholz about the town twinning.
Carrigaline
Kirchseeon's former mayor Udo Ockel is in regular contact with the Irish partner community via video.
In some cases, the lockdown in Ireland was stricter and longer than in Bavaria - but overall the situation is comparable, which is shown by the knowing nod in the video chat when it comes to the measures.
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Carrigaline Coat of Arms
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In the second wave, Ireland recorded significantly higher numbers of infections.
“But they put up with it quite well,” reports Ockel.
Nevertheless: There will be no big on-site visit this year.
Neither in Carrigaline nor in Kirchseeon.
Porec
Hoping for a good start to the tourist season is the main focus in Poing's Croatian twin town Porec.
There was no curfew, but with the exception of the food retail trade, all shops were closed, reports Niko Sadric, who is in contact with the Istrian port city via (video) telephone.
The boss of the Poinger Hof is the son of Ivo Sadric, who initiated the partnership at the time.
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Porec coat of arms
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Older citizens currently have to travel to the capital Zagreb to get vaccinations, and the campaign will soon be expanded.
The problems of other parts of the country with the virus have largely passed by in Porec, which has contributed to a certain amount of Corona skepticism.
The daily new infections reported by the province of Istria are in the single digits for weeks.
Little is tested, says Sadric.
One hopes for mutual visits in the summer.
All news from the Ebersberg district at the Ebersberger Zeitung.
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