Forona Catigue

 

Forona Catigue 

Rona has officially been a thing for a full calendar year as of December 19th. We even celebrated the virus' birthday on Facebook. That bitch had a whole event page and everything. She has destroyed all of our lives as we knew it in regards to connections, gatherings and cleanliness. She has been a whole vibe killer and has no plans on stopping anytime soon. For the new year she has graced us with not one but two brand new mutations spreading rapidly over multiple continents. In regards to Germany, well she just got us a three week extension in world's most perpetual lockdown. Unfortunately, for all of us this means a new year of mask wearing, regulations and restrictions. Everyone is so tired of her and all her accoutrements. I'll even admit as a pro-masker and not go outsider I am pretty much done with her too. As we go into this new year I am evaluating all the steps we have taken in society and carefully debunking them. This story is full of plot holes and I am over accepting it as is. Something has got to give in regards to submitting to this tiresome bitch and all the things we are unsuccessfully trying to do to get rid of her. It just seems like all of this was pointless and it is time we try another approach.

Germany ran its course allowing states to decide what was best for their own bürger and bürgerin. Slowly these individual states realized their terms were either too loose or too extreme. The national lockdown was supposed to be a happy medium devoid of curfews and mandates. This time everything considered non-essential was to be shuttered until January 10th (as of today January 31st). Other than the occasional holiday ban our liquor sales only public drinking was to be curbed. The mask wearing while normally non compulsory outdoors is now a required thing on busier streets and anywhere social distancing cannot be properly done. That means mask wearing is everywhere now. I adhered to that before but I was thankful when I could rip it off my face to freely breathe. Now I must wear that fucking mask from point A to B without a break. I have learned that my upper lip sweats. It is by far the most uncomfortable sensation similar to stepping in a puddle or having water in the ears. In order to avoid it I stay home which is what I am basically being told to do. Staying home is the only healthy solution to avoid catching and spreading the virus. It isn't mask wearing or distancing oneself. 

The hysteria around distancing is a funny one. We have been told to stand 3 feet/1.5 meters from each other. In some cases 6 feet is more appropriate. However, science tells us particles from a sneeze, a loud phone call or unmasked moderate conversation with some laughter can travel more than 20 feet. It is damn near impossible to stay 20 feet from someone in this country unless you live in the middle of nowhere. But even we took a walk in the cornfields zwischen Langenfeld and Opladen on Sunday and there were still a shitton of people on the trails too. Because schools, offices and restaurants are all closed now everyone is everywhere all times of the day. I cannot avoid people and distance accordingly by shopping earlier or later because everyone is free 24/7 now. Older people are out all day long. Children are unattended everywhere especially teenagers. An early Saturday morning or late Sunday night is still an opportunity for crowded public transportation, busy streets and unwanted close interactions with people - masked or not. Some of the smaller, service based operations say only two or four customers can come in at a time. This creates queues outside of the packet kiosk, backerei or bank. It is impossible to make people distance accordingly when waiting down a public street, blocking other businesses and winding through parked cars and abandoned bikes. People are still wanting to be kind so this means holding doors, handing back change and petting ones dog. I cannot avoid people when this continues to happen. I myself am guilty for holding a door expecting for someone to pass through with ten centimeters in between us. My neighbors still want to share the elevator or engage in small talk in our miniscule lobby. My in-laws wanted to have breakfast this Sunday and we reluctantly went but technically we are allowed to do this. But then there are people who ruin it despite orders. My own husbands family still got together traveling from Munich to Düsseldorf. That meant a house with more than ten people if they included au pairs, stepchildren, friends, their children and my mother in law. People are tired in a way that is selfish yet expected. I expect for people to continue doing whatever they want even if I try to do it all as told. It is futile. 

Germany had this summer in a bubble. There were months of biergartens, Kölsch off the Rhein, gelato strolls down busy streets and even block parties since the clubs remained closed. Basically Germany never had a full on lockdown or even a partial one. The government cherry picked the places they felt would be virus friendly and kept all the things open that are apparently, allegedly responsible for spread now. The schools didn't close. The salons were open. People were in Primark trying on underwear. Now everyone is in their houses and apartments eating themselves to oblivion. The gym was safe. The kinos were safe. But no now that too is a risk. There are plenty of people who cannot manage life without being social and together. I am lucky in the respect that I am not alone but so many people are. And then there are those who are essentially trapped with their bad roommates, neglectful parents and abusive spouses. We needed to be able to leave our homes and do things in a safe manner like go to a gym, watch a movie, have a coffee at an outdoor table - but now and for another three weeks this is verboten. And no one can tell us why. There is absolutely no proof that closing these spaces curb the virus. There is no proof around mask wearing. There is no proof around lockdowns. And curfews are a joke. Is this how it is going to remain all the year long - locked inside and prolonging the immunity we need? Is this how it will go with a vaccine as well? Take me back to waiting for it when I could at least get a beer. 

I used to be a diehard about this thing. I wore goggles, a mask and gloves everywhere. But I was going everywhere and now I am simply not. I cancelled my abo for the trains. I wish I would have never gotten that gym membership I cannot use. The dimness of all the closures of bars, vereins and other non-essential businesses keeps the streets dark and empty. I tend to walk my dog without a mask now and I also jaywalk because there aren't even cars on the road. I was able to get a photo of myself by the Dom with absolutely no one in the background. There are questionable grey areas that I wish to try. Can I go to the mall just to shop in that bigger Rewe? Is the bakery supply open because frosting constitutes food? Is the petting zoo open because livestock is food too? I need something to do other than circling Aldi once a week. I must having a dirty, never sanitized cart or basket. While I am being steered in whatever direction in a store it is full of unmasked stockers. Today I bypassed the waste workers and none of them had on masks and they refused to social distance. I had a man reach by my shoulder to grab a bag of pistachios but he lingered way too long handling each bag as if one bag had more nuts than another. No matter how many times I wish to pay for my stuff without touching a cashier he or she reaches outside of that fucking plastic shield to guide my Payback card. I hate it here. 

It would be far easier to just stop participating. Either I get this virus and get over it so I can get on with my life. Or I wait for this vaccine and then I start disobeying all these orders and mandates cause I can. Either way I want my freedom back and with the above options the lockdown still remains preventing me from living. I do not care to live in fear in my own house. I want the choice to get out and do something. I am tired of declining invitations because I fear someone will bring the virus to me or I will bring it to them. I am over watching the same human on my block continue to wear the dirty disposable mask they purchased last March. I am over watching gross humans cough all over the trains. My husband watched finally "Contagion" and still wears his shoes in the house. I am over fifteen minute news broadcasts with ten minutes of rules and uncertainty around them. Everyone is so fucking tired and our mistakes in the fatigue isn't killing us so why should be go on believing this stuff. When is someone going to put their foot down and open the world back up. We aren't even testing the measures to see if they worked. We just keep extending, enforcing and waiting around. There is no incentive for any of us to listen anymore.

 Ughhhh. Fick es.