It took a long time for restaurants to be allowed to reopen, and implementing the hygiene regulations was an additional burden due to the coronavirus pandemic. What's even more difficult, however, is the acute staff shortage in the industry. During the lockdowns, many restaurant employees were either put on furlough or laid off, and the temporary staff, well, they simply weren't called back for a while. Now that things are starting up again and everything has reopened, it has become increasingly difficult to find suitable staff willing to return to the restaurant industry, as many employees had sought other jobs during the pandemic and are now staying there.

Few are returning, because it's quite different to have an office job where Corona wasn't really relevant, if you could do your work from home and, above all, the risk of infection is lower there, unless you've been hired to work in an open-plan office, but even there Corona was only a marginal phenomenon.

Now, skilled workers in the catering industry are in short supply, and many catering businesses are starting to rethink their approach, not only because of Corona and the pandemic, but also because of their staff, who have been inadequately paid for years, with changing working hours and sometimes up to 12-hour shifts.

The pandemic caused some people to rethink their approach, including myself, and so many venues are scaling back their event and party business and establishing clear rules, because they don't want to burn out the few good staff they can still get...

I generally think this development is a good thing, but whether it will still be the same in a year remains to be seen, as we still have another autumn and winter with the coronavirus ahead of us...

During the pandemic, I've been observing things very closely, and currently it seems the 3G rule for events is working, because the organizer only needs to submit a list of which guests have recovered, been tested, or vaccinated, and that's it. I haven't witnessed any checks of these lists to date, and even in Munich, I haven't been asked for my digital vaccination certificate even once. Here, it's still enough to submit your contact information or check in via an app, and then you're good to go...

In Austria, for example, stricter checks are carried out in the restaurant industry to ensure that people are recovered, vaccinated, or tested. I think that's good, and the Austrians know, at least since Ischgl, how things can get out of hand...

Okay, but honestly, what's the point of making rules if they're neither followed nor enforced...?

The reason I'm writing this is that I got sick at the end of August and then (no, it wasn't a cold or a cough, you conspiracy theorists) felt for a week like I had the worst vaccine reaction ever. Nevertheless, I'm well again now, as I self-isolated to avoid bringing unvaccinated people to the hospital... (Oh yeah, a little challenge tip: Try getting an appointment for a PCR test as someone who's had two doses of the vaccine – share your experiences in the comments...)

But what will happen in autumn and winter when many events move indoors again...? Do I now have to expect to get sick more often because, after a certain time, neither social distancing nor hygiene rules apply at events...? Because what I've also observed in recent months is that when people are partying, everything is forgotten and all regulations are disregarded, as if a collective amnesia takes hold among the guests and Corona never existed.

Looking at Israel, which was once considered a model country when it came to vaccinations, we see that 60% of people who have received two doses of the vaccine are currently contracting COVID-19, and not always with mild symptoms as the vaccine leaflet claims. They are already administering the third dose on a large scale there, and we can only wait until that's offered here as well...

So, what now...? Good question, and I can understand anyone who used to work in the restaurant industry and isn't going back, precisely because the risk of infection is among the highest there, and due to a lack of controls, not much will change. Sure, there's a shortage of staff everywhere, but to give guests a sense of security and to protect employees as much as possible, perhaps more attention should be paid to this...

For my part, I will now pay more attention to ensuring that social distancing is maintained even later in the evening (and anyone who wants to make a request should please wear a mask; I will do so in the future). It won't be easy, and I expect to face various forms of hostility again, but it's still better than having to cancel booked DJ gigs again and perhaps ending up with long-term health problems from Covid...

But what do one life or the long-term damage of others matter when we can celebrate again... Here's to an exciting autumn/winter 2021/22 - stay healthy...