Yo, it's June 1st, 2021, and we're halfway through the year. Okay, time to take stock. We're still in a pandemic situation, meaning the dreaded C is still not defeated, but progress is being made with vaccinations. I've already had my first shot, and the second one is due in 7 days. So far, so good...

The highlight of the first half of the year was the "commissions for mask deals" affair, and, most recently and unexpectedly (no one could have predicted this), the billing fraud at the testing centers. Well, if you don't receive emergency aid, bridging aid, or restart assistance, you might as well open a testing center.

That way you can make a few euros, and I've been wondering why some clubs, discos, shisha bars, and gyms have now installed testing stations. But a cynic might suspect something fishy...

Furthermore, we also have the whole mess with the digital vaccination certificate, which isn't being implemented quickly or effectively because, once again, the EU can't agree on minor details. Let's hope these minor details aren't the color scheme... 😉

For those who are vaccinated, it will be interesting to see what privileges they will then have compared to those who have recovered and been tested. Personally, I'm already preparing myself to carry my Reclam booklet on diseases with me at all times. Some people are already designing protective covers for the old-fashioned vaccination record booklet—yeah, right...

Private parties in the summer...?

Currently, the incidence rates are quite low, and things are opening up like crazy—well, not everywhere. We shouldn't forget that it's currently the Pentecost holidays, and more people are already traveling again. As we've seen in the past, incidence rates always rise again after holidays and vacation periods, once everyone has returned. Strange, isn't it? Doesn't a virus just stop at the border...?

In some German states, private celebrations are already permitted again, but still depend on the incidence rate at the venue. For example, in North Rhine-Westphalia, a celebration is allowed if...

• Incidence rate up to 35: Private events are possible outdoors with up to 250 guests without testing - indoors they are possible with up to 100 tested guests.
• Incidence rate above 35 to 50: Private events are allowed outdoors with up to 100 tested guests and indoors with up to 50 tested guests.
• Incidence rate above 50: Private events are not permitted.

And in Bavaria...? Well, private gatherings of up to 10 people are permitted there, depending on the incidence rate. But honestly, can you really call that a celebration? It's more like a meal with good friends...

So, nothing new on this front either, and if the Infection Protection Act, which actually expires on June 30, 2021, is extended again because the incidence rates rise again after the Pentecost holidays, then celebrations in the summer of 2021 are pretty much out of the question anyway...

Good news for me: In Austria, celebrations are allowed again from July 1st, 2021, even indoors and with significantly more than 10 people. Well, I'm glad I'll have already had my vaccination by the time my events in Austria take place...

Corona and Protest Tired...

Last year at this time, many more people and businesses were out on the streets to draw attention to their plight. This year, especially wedding service providers, no one is making a fuss to point out that, for example, Bavaria hasn't yet considered how to handle private events in its reopening plan, or at what incidence rates they might be possible.

I'll give that a thumbs up...

The only event that will take place again this year is the "Red Alert" campaign, where last year all buildings belonging to related businesses and venues were bathed in red light for one night. Let's see who else will participate this year, because it feels like 90% of the population already considers Corona over and merely a means to an end to control the citizens...

What have I learned from the pandemic so far...?

Some things, especially believing nothing and no one anymore without critically and thoroughly questioning them. Okay, some government measures that don't affect me so much right now (homeschooling, working from home, etc.) I won't question too much, but others I will, like the fact that while the restaurant and event industries and private parties have been completely shut down, UEFA is still allowed to hold three European Championship football matches in Munich with a maximum of 14,500 spectators.

Further lessons learned from the pandemic:

We are not and never have been all the same; it's a fairy tale like that of the Yeti...

The rules of decency should be continued in certain areas even after the pandemic...

The pandemic has exposed what's really going wrong in this country. From digitalization to vaccine procurement and many other things, I honestly wonder how Germany intends to remain competitive in the future...

Egoism comes first, because the "considerate respect for social distancing" so often described in rural areas is nonexistent in a city like Munich. Perhaps it's due to a lack of space, but here nobody voluntarily crossed the street or stopped to let anyone pass...

Stupidity is far more widespread than I initially thought, even among people in my own circle where I would least expect it...

Solidarity only exists among Berlin clan families, because everyone is looking out for their own interests, and in areas where they could achieve more together, they are only accepted if they share the same attitude towards Corona policies...

As a self-employed artist, once you were no longer allowed to work, you suddenly became an unsuitable contact person for other topics. Just like that, you were out. While this gave you more peace and quiet to reorient yourself, it also revealed that you were only ever superficially questioned...

When you change direction and start something new during a pandemic, it's often met with ridicule or even completely ignored. Well, there are plenty of people who just drift along, which isn't the case for me, because I can finally produce and release music, something that's always been a key part of my master plan...

We need to rethink some things...

Greed and exploitation are commonplace even during pandemic times (even in politics), or how else can I explain someone with a permanent job simply helping themselves to the emergency aid program for the self-employed...? (I know a few like that, sorry, I knew a few, because that's just unacceptable)

Showing consideration and seeing oneself as part of a society is more of a philosophical approach to a way of life, and if I had received a euro every time I heard the phrases "nothing will happen to me" - "I'm being careful" - "it's not that bad" - "it's just another kind of flu" - "it doesn't apply to me" or "oh well, it doesn't matter, they're not checking anyway", the lost revenue would have been more than compensated...

Social media has become nothing more than a recirculating ground for half-truths and conspiracy theories, dividing society more than it bridges distances. I personally try to spend as little time as possible on Facebook these days, currently only for promotional purposes for my own songs. Anyone who enjoys disharmony and whining only needs to read the comments on any Facebook post about Corona.

Every time I watch an Avengers movie, I wonder if they haven't been sucked into another dimension. "Netiquette" or reasonable interaction, even in the comments, is currently impossible, and even I, who has learned in social media that deleting comments and blocking users should only be used as an absolute last resort when dialogue fails, had to block and delete a comment and a user on Facebook because the sheer amount of drivel was dripping from the comment section.

Try to stay calm and not let yourself be deterred from your goals, even if people are just spouting nonsense. And the virus ruthlessly reveals which people you are, want to be, and will remain friends with even after the pandemic...

All expenses and no results...

Well, another six months of pandemic and regulatory chaos has passed, and I don't think things will get much better until the federal elections. Nobody knows what will happen after that. And honestly, is there actually a statement from the Green Party anywhere regarding their COVID-19 policies and what they would do...? I couldn't find one, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong...

With that in mind, stay healthy, get vaccinated (so we can enjoy many more freedoms again) and go vote... (I'm not allowed to vote as an Austrian citizen, but in Austria I wouldn't vote for any of those "Washkins" either, they're also kind of clueless and "slightly" corrupt...)