LOCKDOWN LIGHT

… Or the fight for toilet paper! As in: empty shelves everywhere!

Germany’s government has declared new measures for the fight against Covid-19, calling it “Lockdown Light”. And as soon as the news hit the masses … toilet paper was already sold out again. It’s a mystery! Every time again. And someone like me – who stocks up on everything not only in time but plentiful (what’s the point in just getting one tube of tooth paste? Shower gel? Facial creams? Shampoos? I want to have the choice at home too what to use next!) – wonders, what’s wrong with these people:

What happened to the tons of paper they stocked up on for the last “lockdown”? (Which was NOT a lockdown, supermarkets, drugstores and home supply stores were still open!)
How much toilet paper does one actually need? (Well, if you use it to play Egyptian mummy, I can understand, that one needs 20 rolls a week!)
Do they usually buy toilet paper just by the time the last roll is on the holder? What an organized and sensible way to live ones life!
And why in the hell toilet paper? Should everything actually run out … everyone in our civilized Western world has a bathroom with shower or bathtub. So, there, problem solved … Well, I personally would rather stock up on unperishables like dried food, preserves, frozen food and water. But that’s just me: to have my freezer filled all the time and my pantry stocked up with everything.

The new rules here in Germany until the end of November? (At least for now …) Team sports activities, fitness clubs, swimming pools, theatres, Christmas markets, restaurants, coffee shops, hotels will be closed. Travelling across Germany shall be reduced to business trips. Meeting outside with 10 persons max. from two households. Bla bla bla. At least the shops will remain open and I won’t have to miss out on my weekly Saturday Cordon bleu from my restaurant around the corner to pick up.

What I don’t get, though, is the incredible stupidity – once again – to start the Lockdown on Monday, November 2^nd, instead of right away. As in BEFORE Halloween! And what happened? Exactly what I would have predicted! Every single German being was out on the streets, enjoying coffee and breakfast, lunch, dinner in restaurants and coffee shops, attending as many forbidden Halloween parties as possible and hitting the pubs in the evening to get drunk before curfew in the company of at least a couple of kindred spirits … or to say it in simpler words: They partied as if Corona didn’t exist. Typical! Stupid! Predictable!

(Speaking of curfew: this is quite a new experience for the Germans! Not being able to buy alcohol anywhere from 11 p.m. till 6 a.m. Not being able to party until the wee hours, getting so drunk to pass out. (Not that one wouldn’t be able to achieve that as well until 11 p.m.) And I don’t really get the outrage! The British have had curfews for more than 100 years now. And? Do you hear anyone complaining?)

Oh, and not to mention trick or treating and visits to the cemeteries on Sunday with all kinds of family members. Good plan, gooood plan! Sometimes one wonders about those on top and their IQ. And as expected, after the last weekend before the Lockdown everything got even worse. With the numbers rising even more and hospitals fighting a possible collapse! Well done! Weeeell done! There’s not much more to say for me right now without hopping mad … so, stay well and healthy and take care!