District administrator after two years of Corona in the district of Miesbach: "The start was tough"

Created: 05/03/2022 06:18

By: Katja Schlenker

Olaf von Löwis only knows the office of district administrator in crisis mode.

Shortly before the election in March 2020, the corona pandemic also reached the district of Miesbach.

© LRA

Miesbach - Two years ago, on March 5, 2020, the first corona case became known in the Miesbach district.

A summary by District Administrator Olaf von Löwis.

On March 5, 2020, the first corona case became known in the Miesbach district.

At that time, Olaf von Löwis was still campaigning and was elected district administrator a short time later.

Since then there have been more than 23,000 infections.

160 people have died from or with Covid-19 so far.

, he explains how he got on with this tough start to office and what he would decide differently today

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District Administrator von Löwis, the first corona case in the Miesbach district became known on March 5, 2020 - exactly two years ago.

On March 15, 2020 there was a local election and two weeks later there was a runoff, from which you emerged as the winner.

Did the topic of Corona and the pandemic that was looming already playing a role for you at this point?

We were still pretty much in the election campaign phase when the first reports about Corona came, the cases at Webasto at the time.

I had a feeling it was getting more serious.

From a campaign point of view, this affected us because we had to cancel many events and organize digital events for them.

Sometimes the thought came to me: what if you become a district administrator.

However, I wasn't too worried about not making it.

Why not?

At the time, as mayor of Holzkirchen, I was also spokesman for the mayors of the Miesbach district.

My predecessor invited me as spokesman for the mayors of the district to attend the meetings of the Corona coordination group.

There I had the impression that the employees of the health department had it under control very well.

It was important to me to maintain communication between the health department and the mayors on how we deal with Corona.

For example, it was already clear back then that contacts had to be minimized.

And what was it like after taking office?

I was reassured that the new district administrator was not immediately expected to save the world.

There are also many good people here in the office, some of whom I already knew.

Did your experience as mayor of Holzkirchen help you with crisis management, for example after the snow disaster in winter 2018/2019?

It was helpful because I learned how to do something like that through crisis management at the time.

On the one hand, during the snow disaster a year earlier, as the mayor's spokesman, I was often the one who invited people to meetings that discussed how to deal with it.

On the other hand, I got to know how to go about it, for example when it comes to public relations.

And how was it then as a district administrator in practice?

Sometimes you have to ask for a decision, gather information and weigh it up.

Coordination alone is not sufficient.

A position must also be taken.

Getting started was tough, but I didn't have time to really think about it.

Shortly after taking office, restless nights caused me the problems in the Schliersee retirement home.

We have tried everything.

All the employees involved and I put my heart and soul into achieving the best for the residents.

We gave everything, but in the end we had to realize: It doesn't work in the facility.

How did you manage to keep track of that?

In the course of the weeks, the topic around Corona was structured by the federal government.

There were also many national meetings, for example among the district administrators of Upper Bavaria, where you could exchange ideas.

It became clear that all authorities feel the same way.

I felt that I was in good hands and well informed with the team here in the district office.

I also brought together a group of twelve people from different offices who I still trust to this day.

I also think to this day that it is important when the experts say something, that the scope of the Corona rules should be varied if possible.

All in all, I think we have come through the pandemic well so far.

Are there any decisions you would make differently in hindsight?

Yes, there are.

Looking back, I would say, for example, that we should have been much more supportive in the summer of 2020 and 2021 when the numbers went down, but the experts have already announced that it will start again in autumn/winter.

One should have acted more acyclically instead of lagging behind the infection process.

For example, we know that minimizing contacts helps.

Perhaps they should have been limited in the summers of 2020 and 2021, even if it would have been difficult to convey.

Have you been attacked for decisions you have made?

As mayor, I've always received threatening messages, but I've dealt with them quite well.

When I issued the general decree in January 2021 that day trips to the Miesbach district were prohibited, I received a lot of messages.

But, it just didn't work anymore.

On the one hand, it reached a level where nature was damaged, people simply left their necessities and rubbish behind.

On the other hand, our district hospital was burdened by many winter sports and car accidents in addition to Corona.

The hospital staff finally reached out to me to do something.

I don't regret taking this step either, even if I was attacked for it.

How do you deal with that?

I now divide these messages into two categories.

Some are the ones I understand when a family writes to me that they want to get out, for example from big cities.

The others are the ones I don't understand, for example when someone writes to me "We know where you live" or "We know your family".

A line is being crossed, because it's also about my family.

That was really bad and still continues.

What do you mean?

For a few weeks, Monday strollers have been passing my house.

Now you have to know that I live in a cul-de-sac, so it's no coincidence.

Then rattles and whistles are used to chant.

It's scary, even for my wife and grandchildren.

But it's also strange because private things are mixed up with work.

I would love to tell people that nothing is changing.

I stand by my opinion, for example with regard to compulsory vaccination.

Is mandatory vaccination the right way out of the corona pandemic?

The institution-related vaccination requirement, as planned from mid-March, can only be the first step for me, because otherwise a two-class society will arise.

I am convinced that compulsory vaccination is the right decision.

I myself have been vaccinated three times and always had a bit of side effects, but I think that's reasonable.

I've tried myself to convince people to get vaccinated, but I've sometimes hit rock bottom.

But I also know people who say: "When the vaccination comes, I have to." If such a hard core of maybe 25 percent refuses the vaccination, I have to think about something.

For me, compulsory vaccination is the ultima ratio – maybe limited to two years for the time being.

March 20th is supposed to be Freedom Day, when almost all corona measures are dropped.

Is that too early?

I don't believe in such days.

I understand that the longing is there and that people want a day like this, but in the end we close again on November 1st.

You can't promise that Corona will be over on day X.

What do you expect from the federal government over the summer so that there are no third Corona winters?

We need to introduce compulsory vaccination earlier so that there is still some time between the vaccination process and winter.

We also have to generate more trust among people – both from the authorities and from the medical side.

This jumble of often contradictory statements is not good.

What would also be helpful over the summer is that not everything that was missed is made up for.

We should continue to be careful, wear masks indoors and observe hygiene rules, even if the number of infections is low.

How do you still manage to motivate employees after two years at the limit?

Listening, communicating and being a role model, for example by having the boss wear a mask.

It is important to make employees feel that their work is valued.

I try to always stay positive and spread good vibes.

But doesn't the boss have a weak moment too?

Yes, yes, but it's important to be self-critical without being a know-it-all.

That keeps you humbled on the ground.

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