The Sunday Times - UK (2021-11-28)

The Sunday Times November 28, 2021 3

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L

ast weekend I had my first

mulled wine of the season. I

was at a hip interpretation of a

Christmas market, with snow

machines and DJ decks, but it

wasn’t these modern twists on festive

traditions that made it feel odd. Just hours

before, new statewide Covid measures

had been announced, including the

imminent closure of Christmas markets.

Some had been cancelled in Berlin

and elsewhere; in other German

cities they would go ahead, albeit

with restrictions. Yet here in

Bavaria all would shut. So my

first market could also have

been my last of the season. I

wondered if I should have been

there at all, despite having

flashed my vaccine app to get in.

And yet I certainly wasn’t the

only one out and about last

weekend. According to reports, the

latest measures, which also affect bars

and clubs, resulted in large crowds hitting

the town for a final blowout.

The market I was at was in the

Werksviertel, a huge new development in

the east of the city that includes offices,

flats, creative spaces and restaurants. It is

also home to Munich’s 78m-high answer

to the London Eye. It was here in

September that the city held a pop-up

event as part of a nationwide initiative to

boost vaccine uptake. Get a jab, get a free

ride on the wheel was the idea — a very

different strategy to the present approach.

High case numbers and low vaccination

rates have resulted in the tide turning

against the unjabbed in Germany,

particularly in the states with the most

alarming figures. As a result, Bavaria has

been operating under stricter variations

of the rules sooner than much of the rest

of the country. Since November 16

unvaccinated people haven’t been

allowed to visit indoor areas of many

public spaces, including restaurants and

bars. Under what is known as the 2G rule,

visitors must prove that they are one of

two “G”s — geimpft (vaccinated) or genesen

(recovered) — to enter. Previously 3G

applied, which included getestet (tested).

In what Bavaria’s state premier Markus

Söder referred to as a “de facto lockdown

for the unvaccinated”, the latest

measures, which came into effect last

Bavaria’s

premier

announced

a ‘de facto

lockdown

for the

unvaxed’

The Olympic Park

in Munich, above.

The city’s New

Town Hall, below

week, have extended 2G to additional

environments, such as hairdressers and

nail salons, and imposed greater

restrictions on social gatherings for those

who haven’t had the vaccine. Clubs and

bars are closing for three weeks and

restaurants have to shut at 10pm. There

will also be greater checks and controls,

which have so far been lacking.

Interestingly, it seems social checks

have also begun. This week in a café

I witnessed one customer ask

another for their vaccine status

because they hadn’t shown it to

staff upon entering. They

replied that it was none of their

business; the other said that it

very much was if they intended

to sit anywhere near them. It’s

not the first time I’ve seen

someone reluctant to show a pass,

but this is the first time I have seen

such a debate unfold in public. I

wonder if it comes not only from the

numbers, but also from the sudden drop

in temperatures that is forcing everyone

to sit inside, even the more cautious who

previously avoided it.

Just like winter, it feels as if Covid has

crept up on the city. Only a few weeks ago

closures seemed unlikely; now they seem

inevitable. Söder’s announcement also

included lockdowns for any district in

Bavaria where the seven-day Covid

incidence is greater than 1,000 per

100,000 people. Several places close to

Munich are at that point. People are also

nervously watching developments and

unrest in neighbouring countries to see

what could come next.

The fact that Christmas market

preparations were under way

demonstrates the extent to which we’ve

been taken by surprise. However, people

don’t seem too shocked. Maybe that’s

because this happened last year — or

maybe because Oktoberfest fell victim to

the virus again in the autumn.

In the square near our flat a few stalls

now sit empty, waiting to be taken away.

Next to the train station entrance, a lone

stall selling roasted chestnuts and

candied almonds remains. Allowed to

stay (for now) because it isn’t connected

to a market, the sugary smell reminds you

of what the freezing cold air is missing.

It’s bittersweet.

PARK IT

This whole debate seems to be based

on the assumption that all those visiting

national parks are fit, young people

(“National Park and Ride”, last week). We

don’t all go there to walk, climb etc. Some

of us like to drive through the area and

admire the scenery because we’re no

longer fit enough to go hiking over rough

terrain. Then we like to drive to a local

village or town, find a pub or tearoom

and spend money in the community.

JohnG, via thetimes.co.uk

The Lake District National Park

Authority is making noises about banning

cars from certain areas and advocating the

use of buses. In reality there are very few

Lakeland fell walks you can do by relying

on public transport. Instead people would

be pushed to the few that can be reached,

leading to footpath erosion by their

overuse. While there has been an increase

in traffic due to people enjoying

staycations, this will fall back as many

return to the beaches abroad.

J Will, via thetimes.co.uk

National parks should use the “park

and ride” model that towns use, with nice

coaches to tour the parks and cars banned.

England where my heart lies,

via thetimes.co.uk

SCENE STEALERS

Your article (“How Norway became

cinema’s hottest property”, last week)

reminded me of travelling in winter on

the Hurtigruten ferry from Tromso to

the Lofoten Islands. We stayed for three

nights in a former fisherman’s cottage in

Svolvaer. We loved the dramatic snow-

capped mountains, the boat trip with

sea eagles flying overhead and the dark

haunting racks for drying cod.

Heather Honour, Sutton

As Covid rates soar and new rules kick in, residents are

policing each other’s vaccine status, says Kate Mann

MUNICH

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