The lockdown – though it’s not called so – has Switzerland firmly in its grip. Schools and kindergartens are closed. Children turn themselves into permanent nuisances at home where parents who lost the luxury of their office desks try to define a new normal. Children at home during work days is not normal. Parents at home isn’t normal either.
For us, the situation could be worse. We are lucky in that Flucha’s lab has been closed. Since her work is largely experimental, there’s not much to do at home besides reading papers, revising manuals and operating procedures, and staying in contact with the collaborators on the European research project that pays half her salary. Flucha is thus assuming most child-care duties while I, whose workplace remains operational, try to achieve some productivity at my desk at home.
The streets in our town are empty. People aren’t ordered to stay at home, but most do. There’s not much to do anyway, and the weather has taken a turn for the worse. Most shops are closed. Groceries are available and thus far unaffected by hoarding or panic buying. The mobile phone outlets remain open as if one couldn’t extend or expand one’s plan online. The bookstore is closed but has a sign in its down alerting passers-by to its online presence. It offers free shipping on orders of more than 20 francs. I didn’t even know they were online.
Restaurants and cafés are also closed. Some offer take-away, but their success varies. The local Subway has given up and removed the strips of black-and-yellow tape on the sidewalk that were accurately spaced to ensure social distancing. Playgrounds are deserted, which our children don’t mind at all.
I get increasingly aggravated by the situation. It’s the repetition that gets at me, the lack of variety. In parts, I’m to blame for it myself. I get up in the morning, fire up my home office, have breakfast with the children, continue home office, eat some, continue home office, eat more, put the children to bed, and go to bed myself. There are days when I don’t move at all and don’t speak to anyone. I need to build a routine that goes beyond the obvious. Maybe I should go jogging during my lunch break. Sadly, there is not much else.
I’m also aggravated by the unavoidable advice of what to do with all that extra time. Watch Netflix, people say, but be aware that the data rate might be throttled to leave enough bandwidth for everyone. Here’s a list of twenty books to read before life kicks back into action. I don’t have more time than before. Just the opposite. Being at home, I either work or play with the children. The time to read books is on planes, but my flight to San Francisco has long been canceled.
We’re all learning how to deal with corona. The approaches might vary, but to me it’s clear that one should try to make as few changes as necessary while staying safe. Keep going out. As long as you’re not in a crowd, it’s safe to go for a walk or a jog. There are no viruses hiding behind bushes, and if you stay inside for days or weeks, you're bound to lose your mind.
The numbers from Germany indicate that young, healthy people aren’t liable to suffer complications upon infection. They’ll just ride it out and become immune, putting a block to the further spread of the virus. The key is to separate the young from the old, to protect grandparents and old folks from infections. They are at risk, in particular if they have pre-existing health conditions. I’m still undecided on where I fall in this continuum.
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