Post-Covid-19 situation in Germany

The pandemic in Germany is truely over.

Hardly anyone wears a mask (and there are no mandatory mask mandates any longer, except at some medical institutions like hospitals or old-age homes), all restrictions were lifted and life has returned to normal - at least on the surface.

That said, there are, however, some changes that endure:

• Many more people are working from home now than before the crisis. Experts expect this to continue..
• Consequently, office rents have declined, streets and public transport is (slightly) less crowded during rush hours.
• Conversely, residential rents have increased, since people seek more space (to work from home) - plus, we have a huge influx of refugees from Ukraine who need to be housed, increasing demand further.
• There seems to be a trend towards living in further-out suburbs and the countryside - many don't need to live near their work place any longer and life is more affordable there, too!
• Restaurants, cafes, shops and other public venues, which had to close for many months, have reduced in numbers (many went bancrupt) and are still much less frequented than before. This might have to do with inflation and cost pressures, rather than customers' changed habits. The same is true for cultural events. Online shops are booming while inner cities appear to be dying out.

Only time will tell how things develop in the long term.

I have a slightly different view on the situation than Beppi. Covid is still going around and likely to do so for the unseen future. What is over are most restrictions in Germany. Enough people have been vaccinated and/or have had Covid that the majority are not in danger of serious effects or death. But the level of immunity to provide herd immunity and stop it from spreading was never reached. What this means is that one is on their own to stay protected. For immune compromised people that cannot be immunized it is in fact a disaster. I myself still wear a mask when in public transportation and often in shops. But I also understand that people have fatigue and it has become basically unenforceable to try to get everyone to mask up when the majority feel they have little personal risk.

When it comes to shopping and/or events it is a bit of a paradox. There is pent up demand so many people are looking to hold events with a passion after not being able to do so for a few years. I see this clearly as a performer. On the other hand, both many communities and individuals took a hit during Covid and have less financial resources to party or to buy things like they would like.

Another thing that is clear is that many people seem to have left the work force. Germany has always been known for having a lot of bureaucracy and now there are still restriction and backlogs in getting official things done. Seems many civil servants as well as teachers are missing. But one is seeing an unprecedented amount of advertising of job opportunities in many fields. So it is a bad time to get things done but never been better for finding a new career if one has the qualifications.