Catching up with Coronavirus in Germany

Life was easy and normal before the arrival of the dreaded corona virus. No one ever envisaged the whole world standing still because of a pandemic. Definitely some of us have read and heard about a pandemic but we never saw it coming in our own time.

It was like a joke when the first case was mentioned in Germany. People thought it was going to end without getting to other states. Before we could say Jack Robinson it has spread like wild fire. Nose mask was quickly introduced; no one could use the public transport without a nose mask. New cases increased and many deaths were recorded. In order to curtail this, businesses, schools and universities were closed, the whole country was in lockdown. We thought it was going to be over after some weeks but new cases were speedily increasing.

After few months of staying at home a new lifestyle was introduced to everyone “online lifestyle”. Approximately 95% of businesses moved online, churches, schools and universities were included. For almost two years, this has been our life style in Germany. People couldn’t travel to visit their loved ones, some of us couldn’t meet our new school colleagues, some were depressed and many lost their jobs. Looking consistently into the computer was the order of the day.

Like they say “there is light at the end of every tunnel”, a glimpse of hope returned at the beginning of summer when number of new cases dropped drastically. Businesses and churches have opened, people are back in the street and most importantly schools and universities are optimistic about resuming physical class next semester. This is a huge improvement since the beginning of this pandemic. We are all expectant that the condition will further improve such as being able to go into shops, churches and public transport without wearing nose mask.

- Onyinye Nfiaji