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BERLIN – The Schönhauser Allee Arcaden shopping center in the Prenzlauer Berg district in Berlin He used to be quite busy at lunchtime. Monday afternoon, 20, the first day of operation after almost a month closed due to the pandemic of coronavirus, However, it was flies. Even with him reopening gradual trade announced by the chancellor Angela Merkel early last week, signs of economic recovery are still timid in the capital of Germany
With 151 thousand cases of Covid-19, 106,000 recovered and just over 5,000 dead, the country has seen the contagion rate drop from three to less than one infected by the transmitter. The decline encouraged the government to authorize the gradual reopening of trade. With restrictions
Bars, restaurants, hotels and cafes are still closed, but shops of up to 800 square meters, schools, churches and kindergartens are partially operational again. Starting this Monday the 27th, the masks will be compulsory on public transport. In some states, the requirement will be extended to supermarkets.
In announcing relaxation measures, Merkel emphasized the importance of people staying 1.5 meters away and wearing masks, especially when in contact with groups at risk and in places of high movement. Cautiously, he noted that advances against the coronavirus are fragile as “thin ice,” and encouraged the Germans to stay home.
Since March 22, quarantine has paralyzed part of trade in Germany, with the exception of services considered essential, such as bakeries and pharmacies. In these places, long, spaced lines, often made up of customers wearing a mask, often overflow on the sidewalks. The scene is now repeated in other establishments.
People talk in the streets in circles, but always at a distance. Alexanderplatz Square, a landmark of Berlin, is deserted. Where thousands of passersby passed daily, there are now a few dozen.
Customer limitation
Access to shopping centers is also controlled. The government’s recommendation is that the number of customers be limited to one person per store. On Wednesday morning, 22, about 50 people waited an average of 20 minutes on the sidewalk to enter one of them.
– I think it’s too early to open all the stores. Pharmacies and essential stores, okay, but clothing stores? – asks student Jule Spieckesmann, 16, who would go to a pharmacy. – Now we have everything under control, but the pandemic can return with more force.
He also criticizes the reopening of schools for special cases, such as that of students who finish high school. Her friends, who would normally take one test per week, have to do three.
– I have very unhappy friends with this, these tests last up to five hours – she says.
Day care centers are only open to children of doctors, police, nurses, or single parents who need to work. For designer Valeria Buzun, 31, restrictions are welcome.
– My son has not been in the nursery for two months, my family stopped contracting the viruses that he brought from there – she says. – I find that schools and kindergartens are the most dangerous places.
In a supermarket, the security guard ensures that each customer has a shopping cart, the length of which also serves to keep them away from each other. Almost all establishments now have masked security guards who control the entrance.
In one view, the door only opens when customers arrive. A mother tried to accompany her daughter and was excluded. An impatient vendor approached the young woman, poured alcohol on her hands, and handed her a mask.
– We have to respect – the mother gave up.
“Everyone collaborates”
Churches and hairdressers will open on May 4. The cults, however, must respect the limit of up to 50 people, as well as the marches. Weddings and funerals, only with less than 20 participants. However, crowds so far have only been seen on the subway, despite the fact that the number of passengers and the frequency of trains has decreased. The Berlin public transport company BVG registers daily losses of 500 thousand euros.
– We are having our meetings online, but we are already preparing to open every day – says Portuguese pastor Bruno Lopes, from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Berlin.
Events with more than 5,000 people are prohibited until October 24. Even the Oktoberfest, with its 6 million viewers, was not spared. No crowds or more than two people are allowed together in public places, with the exception of families and residents of the same house.
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Catering companies and hotels are the most disadvantaged in the service industry. Both sales decreased by almost 85%. The restaurants, which still have a delivery service, have suffered a 73% drop in sales since the restriction measures began, according to consultancy Statista.
Niels Schmidt, 43, a homeless man who sells newspapers, laments the drop in donations of money and food he used to receive from employees at Prenzlauer Berg restaurants:
– I was used to selling newspapers in bars and cafes, now even that. I also stopped winning.
New measures to contain the virus changed the routine of Lorena Lahrem, 23, a saleswoman at a bookstore in the Mitte neighborhood. Accustomed to cataloging books and registering purchases at the registry, Lahrem now spends her evenings disinfecting shopping baskets.
– People are very kind and helpful, they all collaborate – she says, who returned to work last week after almost a month.
Security rules
To avoid layoffs, many establishments have relocated their employees to new roles. Security guard Thorsten Klein, for example, stopped pacing the floors to disinfect the escalator handrails. For three weeks, and now more than ever, he stops from 10 a.m. at 8 p.m., holding an alcohol wipe on the rotating handrails, standing like a robot.
– Customers are happy with what we do – says Klein.
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Not all stores were able to prepare hygiene measures to open on time. Establishments of more than 800 square meters had to block access to part of the area. There are exceptions for supermarkets and garden stores, which may be larger.
The number of clients must not exceed the rate of one person per 20 square meters. It is not allowed to attract them with promotions or musical performances, or offer tables and chairs.
In the bookstore, customers must carry a basket if they wish to enter the store. There are 12 baskets, exactly the number of clients that the manager, Christine Krause, wants to keep within 470 square meters. He spread the tables around the store to keep customers away from each other. According to her, the bookstore had to invest in boxes, acrylic walls, alcohol gel stations and a lot of disinfectant in all branches in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The tapes taped to the floor mark the positions where customers should be.
– The most difficult thing is having to remember, every day, all the safety rules – says the manager.
