Saturday was May 1st, Labor Day. Well, in these times of Corona, there's not much room for demonstrations or even parties, and thanks to the "federal emergency brake," that will remain the case for a while until a large part of the population is vaccinated or the virus simply disappears because it has achieved what it wanted: death and division.

For me, as a self-employed musician, DJ, and photographer, May 1st is a welcome respite, but usually still involves work the day before, assuming celebrations are even permitted. Now, in the second year of the pandemic, it's rarely been as quiet around May 1st as it is this year. While last year, at the beginning of the pandemic, everyone was optimistic, and the wedding industry in particular took to the streets to demand the right to celebrate, launching petitions and initiating various campaigns to draw attention to their precarious situation, a year later, things have become quite quiet.

A year ago, I was also very busy finding alternative dates for my clients and postponing everything possible. Now it's similar again; things are being postponed, and we're hoping for a small window in July/August where, maybe, if the infection rate allows, we might still be able to celebrate.

The federal emergency brake is a planning killer.

I'm still doing relatively well, since I don't have any employees and my fixed costs are rather low, but I'm still worried about when I can finally get back to DJing. Over a week ago, the so-called federal emergency brake was introduced, which now regulates the coronavirus measures uniformly across Germany in the Infection Protection Act. The measures of the federal emergency brake will expire no later than June 30, 2021. Okay, that's a date, but it can be postponed indefinitely as long as the incidence rates remain too high.

Conversely, this also means that no events or celebrations should be expected before June 30, 2021, which makes planning them virtually impossible, since you never know what the incidence rate will be on a specific date in a particular region/district/city. Has anyone in the wedding industry actually filed a lawsuit against this? Asking for a friend...

Indirectly, this means that all celebrations and events should be postponed until 2022. Many well-known artists are already doing this, such as Jan Delay, Die Fantastischen Vier, and many others. Everything is being postponed until 2022, except for the stupid European Football Championship, which is allowed to go ahead, and UEFA is insisting on spectators in the stadiums. The number of spectators is only tied to the respective incidence rate, at least here in Munich, where, as is well known, four matches of the Corona European Championship will take place.

409 days of standstill, but not for everyone...

Yes, I have to admit I'm itching to party with great guests and DJ again, but since clubs are closed and private parties are now also impossible thanks to the federal government's emergency brake, I'm wondering: are we all really the same...?

The simple answer is NO, we aren't, and probably never will be. Football, especially the European Championship, is allowed to be played, even with spectators. The Federal and State Garden Shows have opened their outdoor dining areas, not just for takeout, but with tables and chairs spaced according to COVID-19 regulations. Meanwhile, regular restaurants remain closed and aren't even allowed to open their outdoor seating areas, despite hygiene protocols and everything else. Yes, I've even heard of people going to their favorite restaurant at least once a week to eat in a private back room. Okay, you can do that, but it's neither considerate nor does it help bring about a return to normality for everyone in the foreseeable future...

Hope for vaccination...

Germany has now also switched on the so-called "vaccine turbo" and progress is being made, but unfortunately still too slowly to allow for a carefree summer in 2021. I myself have already received my first dose, and with the second, I at least feel a bit safer. I don't necessarily want any privileges as a vaccinated person, but I do hope that it will allow me to play a DJ gig or two abroad without having to quarantine before and after. We'll see how things develop and how the vaccination strategy will further divide the population, because one thing I already know for sure is that an 80% vaccination rate (the rate always cited when aiming for herd immunity) by autumn 2021 is unrealistic.

And if things go really badly, not just for me but for the entire world, we'll get a mutation in the winter of 2021 against which the current vaccine will be ineffective. Therefore, I hope this won't happen, but since industry has been the least restricted and limited sector in this pandemic so far, apart from the strict lockdown at the beginning, it's quite possible that this mutation could arise through "business travel"...

But what do the millionaires, the influencers, and the industry care, for whom Corona may already exist (superficially and for the media), but who are not affected in the slightest (home office and rapid tests for every employee - oh come on), if their actions during pandemic times further exacerbate the division of society and the "rabble" has to accept ever greater losses?

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed many things to us, from the crippled healthcare system caused by budget cuts to the brazenness of large corporations begging for government aid while simultaneously paying out billions in dividends to their shareholders, to the black sheep in our own social circles. The pandemic is bringing us closer to the reality of the state of our society and our world, ruthlessly revealing what we have suppressed in previous decades through superficiality.

Whether this will lead to a change in thinking, behavioral changes, or even a paradigm shift remains to be seen, but quite honestly, I have very little hope...

For my part, I'm trying to make the best of a situation I'm in through no fault of my own, in order to discover and pursue new paths...