Merkel bans meetings of more than two people to slow coronavirus

Re:Merkel bans meetings of more than two people to slow coro... by Slartie on Sunday March 22, 2020 @03:46PM (#22657960)

Actually the measures in Germany started on Monday, six days ago. That's when all the schools and kindergartens closed down, many stores closed, and those interventions also triggered the first significant changes in people's behavior. Of course effectively it was a gradual change over the week, with more and more stores closing and public spaces emptying, but that Monday six days ago was clearly the major tipping point.

So I would expect to see first effects in new infection numbers over the coming week, with nearly full effect probably visible some time during the following one.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Merkel bans meetings of more than two people to slow coro... by foepys on Sunday March 22, 2020 @04:15PM (#22658229)

Nothing really changed. In my city people still went to parks together and were more or less cuddling with each other in the supermarkets.

Most might have stayed at home but the 5% that didn't are still enough to spread it exponentially.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Merkel bans meetings of more than two people to slow coro... by Slartie on Sunday March 22, 2020 @04:40PM (#22658436)

I've observed significant changes. Can't say much about parks (haven't been in one during the last days, for obvious reasons) but at stores and supermarkets people were trying to keep their distance. My regular supermarket has painted lines on the floor in all places that typically get crowded to help with keeping the 1.5m minimum distance while waiting. Multiple hardware stores have limited the number of customers admitted to the store at once, surplus customers have to wait in line outside (at appropriate distance).

Home office has changed from being the exception to being the norm for a week now at my workplace (an IT company), and I've heard the same from members of my family working elsewhere (in non-IT businesses).

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Merkel bans meetings of more than two people to slow coro... by catalogia on Sunday March 22, 2020 @06:11PM (#22659210)

If you spend 8 hours a night sleeping next to somebody, I don't think a little public cuddling is going to hurt.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Merkel bans meetings of more than two people to slow coro... by foepys on Monday March 23, 2020 @01:39AM (#22661517)

Well, this got lost in translation. "Cuddling with each other" ("miteinander kuscheln") in this context is a German idiom that means strangers standing really close to each other.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Merkel bans meetings of more than two people to slow coro... by lakkal on Monday March 23, 2020 @09:51AM (#22664082)

Sounds like "huddling" together might be an English word that conveys the meaning slightly better than "cuddling".

[ Parent | on HN ]