3 observations: life in Munich during a pandemic

I moved to Munich a year and two months ago, a solid 10 of which have been marked by this covid chaos. Here is what I could observe through my expat glasses with regards to the pandemic.

Sunset as seen from my first flat in Munich

Poster-child during the first wave, lagging behind during the second wave, Germany's response to Covid and life under it have taken multiple facets.

1. Rules are generally respected

Very cliché but close to the truth. There is more order, people queue properly outside of shops and will generally speaking respect distances from you. At least in Bavaria. This was also the case b.c (before covid), where I was observing, astonished, that pedestrians do not cross at a red light even if there is no car.

There are exceptions of course. The first outside bar we went to when they reopened had a table of about 20 people, and despite a little visit from the police, the table still somehow flocked back together. Not very nice. Also when I was queuing for a PCR test, the girl behind me was generously coughing and smoking mask-free, despite multiple attempts from me and the crowd to kindly remind her to not give us her virus.

Yet people do actually wear their masks, in shops, public transports, etc.

2. Urban space is key

This is something that came to my mind while I was back in France for the festive season. All shops were opened in Paris, and everyone was doing their last-minute Christmas shopping, resulting in what felt like hundreds of people packed in the streets. And a lot of them mask-free, as they were smoking, eating, drinking a take-out coffee, or on the phone. I definitely felt a new kind of road rage observing all of that. Like, who are they to talk so close to me mask free and think I deserve their droplets.

Maybe I am too much of a rule-follower myself, but in times of pandemic, better safe than sorry.

Anyway back to the space subject. To the defense of Parisians, the trottoirs and pedestrian areas are super small. Even if you want to self distance, it is close to impossible. Munich trottoirs on the opposite are just so spacious, you can happily cross someone else at a 3-meter distance.

3. Trust in the citizens

Hard to title this one, but here I want to mention that comparing France to Germany, the German states had definitely a bit more confidence in their citizens, and vice-versa, as the lockdowns have never been monitored by signed authorizations, strong curfews, or ridiculous distance limits. I do think that this was key in getting the rules respected as naturally there was less of an inclination to break them, and there was not a sense of freedom being curtailed to the point of the unbearable.

We are still free to roam in nature, to enjoy the great outdoors or lengthy walks to give our mind and body a break from the lockdown life. This is key to keep sane and healthy, to calm down. While I was in Paris, I did feel that everyone was on edge, that months of very strong lockdown created a palpable tension, which is totally understandable. Add to that the recent police fuck-ups (to say the least), the terrible covid numbers and tragedies, the economic crisis...

I will not wander here into an economic point of view, as I definitely do not know enough about it.

Do you agree with these points? How was it in your experience?