Actually, no. Not even in Germany.
Man denied German citizenship for refusing to shake woman’s hand – The man aced the German naturalization test, but refused to shake hands with the female official handing over his citizenship.
You get one guess which rich cultural background this guy had. Wow. You got that one on the very first try!
And the masks work, right? So why does the number of COVID-19 infections in Germany keep rising?
Coronavirus in Germany: Angela Merkel urges people to stay home ‘whenever possible’ – Angela Merkel has called for solidarity as Germany enters a “very serious phase” of the pandemic. Germany has again set a new daily case record, as ministers call for thousands of additional contact tracers.
“The comparatively relaxed summer is over; now we are facing difficult months. How winter will be, how our Christmas will be, will be decided in the coming days and weeks.”
Any kind of international crime organization you want sees Germany’s justice system as a joke.
Italian mafia sees German justice system as ‘a joke’ – The Italian mafia has hundreds of members in Germany pulling strings in the international drug trade. The latest major trial shows how lengthy legal procedures and lenient verdicts are no match for organized crime.
“Our prosecution system is a joke for mafia groups. In the mafia, they price this in — they expect to face trials and even convictions. But the penalties threatened in Germany are laughably mild. They’re not a deterrent. The mafia isn’t bothered by them.”
It depends on who you’re counting in Germany – and their birth rates.
German population declines for first time in decade – Pandemic has caused a fall in net immigration in the first six months, federal data show.
Translation: The only population growth in Germany comes from those who are not German. And Germany is like Japan (below)? Sort of. Only the Japanese don’t let anyone into their country. Germans no longer have any control over who comes into theirs.
Germany has long been grappling with a Japanese-style combination of low birth rates, an ageing society and a stagnant population of working-age people, which economists say raises concerns about productivity, growth and public finances in the future.
That means curfew.
The first one in Berlin in 70 years. It’s a good thing that Germany (and the German capital) has this corona thing under control, right?
Coronavirus: Berlin’s first curfew in 70 years kicks in – The German capital has implemented a nighttime curfew in response to a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases. On the first night of the new regulations the mood was somber in the Friedrichshain district, a virus hot spot…
Leaving a Späti — the Berlin colloquialism for a kiosk — a group of friends is struggling to haul a crate of beer outside into the heavy drizzle, joking that they need to stockpile supplies — or, as Germans would say “hamster” — before the new curfew kicks in.
Especially when you live in Germany. Take the “coronavirus risk threshold,” for instance. Please.
Hmmm. No longer head of the mask class, Germany? 4,500 new infections yesterday, and rising. Do you have this under control? Does anyone?
Berlin and Frankfurt both hit German coronavirus risk threshold – Germany’s capital and financial capital have both hit the level defined by the government as risky — 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period. It could lead to travel restrictions at home and abroad.
“We must avoid reaching the point where we lose control.”
That means errand boy.
An example would be Russian Putin critic Alexej Nawalny saying of ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (SPD, head lobbyist for Gazprom AKA Gazprom Gerd): „Schroeder is an errand boy for Putin who protects murderers.”
“Schröder ist ein Laufbursche Putins, der Mörder beschützt.”
This is a real German dilemma. How do you gracefully call in sick to stay home when you’re already home playing sick in the first place? OK, to avoid being sick. But still.
Coronavirus: Fewer Germans call in sick during pandemic – With many avoiding the doctor’s office and working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, the number of German workers reporting in sick has fallen to below average levels.
“After a record high at the end of March, the number of sick employees insured by TK dropped to a below-average level.”
PS: And this at a time when other folks refuse to call in sick when maybe they ought of sort of should.
But don’t tell anyone, OK? It’s too embarrassing.
Berlin’s new international airport can open next month after an embarrassing nine-year delay despite the coronavirus pandemic taking a big bite out of air travel, its chief manager said Tuesday…
BER was set to open in 2011 but the date was repeatedly pushed back over a series of issues, including fire safety and corruption.
In the meantime, the cost of the facility exploded to 6.5 billon euros ($7.6 billion) from a 1.7-billion-euro budget initially.
“There won’t be a big party, just an opening.”
In another breathtaking German Alleingang that Germany promised never, ever to do again under any circumstances we promise this time really, Germany has now declared the rest of Planet Earth a Coronavirus Red Zone.
For those unfamiliar with what that means, a Coronavirus Red Zone is a place the German Foreign Ministry recommends Germans not to visit. You can if you want to but you shouldn’t, as a German. That you are exposed to more Coronavirus in the Berlin subway system than you will find in most of Spain, for example, makes no difference. A recommendation is a recommendation and red zones are red zones.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry has warned against non-essential travel to the new red zones, where new COVID-19 infections have exceeded 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days. Anyone travelling back from such areas will need to undergo a test and go into quarantine pending the results.
In recent weeks, the German authorities have repeatedly warned of a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. About 15 European Union countries are now on Bonn’s restricted-travel list. In some cases, such as Spain, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic, the entire country is coded red, while in others, only some zones are listed.
