#freiburghaeltzusammen

Red Baron introduced splinters last year. Here comes a heap of Corona splinters.

Fake News

The corona epidemic gives birth to lots of fake news on the Internet, e.g., concerning disinfectants, most of which are excellent for bacteria but useless against viruses. Used in excess, they present severe overkill. Remedies against SARS-CoV-2 do not exist. Those offered are fake, and some of them could even be deadly.

It was only a matter of time until good old Nostradamus would rear his head. Allegedly he wrote in 1521: "There will be a twin year (2020) when a queen (Corona) from the East (China) will come. In the darkness of the night, she will spread the plague on a land with 7 hills (Italy) and turn the people's twilight into dust to destroy the world. It will be the end of the world economy as you know it."

Linguists looked through Nostradamus' work and could not locate the above quotation.

Corrupt News

Air pollution over northern Italy (©boredpanda)

Italian scientists have claimed that there may be a link between air pollution and the frequency of Covid-19 cases. Viruses could persist on fine dust particles for several days, especially in humid air, and be spread by the wind.

This "scientific" news fueling panic is bullshit and deserves POTUS's newly coined comparative form of fake news, i.e., corrupt news.

It is common knowledge that the lungs exposed to fine dust over extended periods are damaged. Such prior damage makes lung tissue prone to additional attacks.

During his professional life, Red Baron learned that miners working in a dusty environment develop silicosis. This is "minor" compared to workers in Schneeberg, Erzgebirge, digging uranium ore for the Soviet Union after the war. In addition to dust, these miners were exposed to high airborne radon levels. While radiation exposure is already a health hazard, those miners, almost without exception, developed lung cancers later in life due to the combined effect of dust and radioactivity.

Money

Note the empty seats in the Bundestag. The deputies keep their distance.
Some took their seats in the otherwise open public gallery above.

Last Wednesday, the Bundestag (Germany's House of Representatives) unanimously passed a 50% extension of Germany's annual federal budget. A sum of 156 billion euros is devoted to fighting the effects of the Corona pandemic on the nation's health system and the economy. Within a few minutes and unanimously, the lawmakers buried Germany's Holy Cow, the Black Zero, i.e., a balanced budget the federal government had enjoyed over the last five years. The Bundesrat (Senate) representing the Länder (states) followed suit on Friday.

Research Efforts

Minister Kaliczek is touching her face on national television.

The same day our Federal Minister for Education, Science, Research, and Technology, Anja Karliczek, held a press conference announcing a pact between all German universities and national institutes* united in a joint effort to fight the Coronavirus. While competition between the various institutions for federal research money was keen in the past, the situation must now change. Anja's ministry will inject 150 million euros in a pact bundling research on medical methods, medication, and vaccination in a first effort.
*e.g., the Frauenhofer Gesellschaft or the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

Encounters

Many people in Freiburg walk ... alone or with one partner only. So during my forced marches, I meet friends and less-known people on the street with whom I exchange comforting words while keeping a due distance.

One of the most enjoyable encounters on my way to the pharmacy on Friday was with the Director of Freiburg's Carl-Schurz-Haus, charming Friederike Schulte, walking her son in the spring-like sun. While in intense social contact, we talked at a physical distance of 4 meters larger than recommended.

Children's Insight

Coronavirus is stupid

Walking his self-imposed goal of a least 20 minutes in the afternoon on Saturday, Red Baron passed by some street art. Children not accustomed to distancing, neither social nor physical, are more frustrated by the present situation than widowers.

City Anniversary Goes Online

Freiburg sticks together

Last Wednesday, Lord Mayor Martin Horn announced in Freiburg's Amtsblatt (Official Journal):

The ban on events decreed to contain the Coronavirus has far-reaching consequences for the city's anniversary. However, the goal of celebrating a festival for and with the people of Freiburg remains the same despite changing circumstances.

Therefore, over the last few days, various players have met under the motto "Freiburg sticks together" and have come up with ideas for a digital offer. As many cultural and educational events as possible will be made accessible In the coming weeks from home.

All present and future offerings will be bundled on the anniversary homepage, www.2020.freiburg.de. The site currently contains the digital offerings of the municipal library, the municipal theatre, and the city museums, with more to follow.

Gruesome Numbers

Today at 1830 hours, MET.

Here are the latest graphics I recorded on the Internet just a few moments ago. While the German curve of new Corona cases is still increasing substantially, the steep slope for the States looks dramatic. Such an increase is observed at the onset of a pandemic until protective measures start to slow down the rate of new infections.

Protective measures, even in Plattdütsch (Lower German)

The most effective protection measure is not "washing your hands," but rather, don't pick your nose yet ...

Two-way traffic and a minimum 2-meter distance to be observed for joggers
 at the west bank of Hamburg's Außenalster (Outer Alster lake) (©Die Zeit)

... above all, keep a physical distance from your fellow men/women. The mitigating effect of protective measures will only become visible with the incubation delay of the Coronavirus.

Although the curve starts to bend, it's not over yet (©ntv).

This is the increase of Corona cases in Germany over time on a logarithmic scale. The curve is slowly becoming convex.

Do not rejoice: not all the cases have been counted for March 29 (©ntv).

Here is another way of presenting the infection data. The percentage of cases per day in Germany now is low but not as low as to allow full churches at Easter.

Chancellor Angela Merkel told the German people that the strict measures would continue until April 20. It is Führers Geburtstag, a bad day for Germany.

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