#staythefuckhome: Switzerland in corona times

 desperate times call for desperate measures?

hey. yes it's me, greeting you from the comfort own my (new!) home in Berne, Switzerland.  February 25, 2020 was the day the corona virus was first diagnosed on a Swiss citizen. Three days later our federal council (our executive) first issued concrete measures in order to fight the spread of the virus: events with more than 1000 people were prohibited. Further, they started an awareness campaign on how to wash your hands properly and keep your distance to other people. The reactions of the people to the virus and the measures taken so far differed highly: some predicted the #apocalypse, some became very anxious, some got angry at the government for taking away their liberty, and others remained ignorant and unconcerned. 

Obviously, the virus did not really care about the then lax measures and continued to spread happily. The proximity of Switzerland to the center of infection in Europe - northern Italy - quickly posed a threat. The virus spread incredibly quickly in Italy and put strain on their health care system. What is to say is that Switzerland is highly dependant on other countries, especially the surrounding countries (Germany, France, Italy and Austria) - we have a lot of cross-border commuters that work in Switzerland but live abroad (a lot of them in the health care system). Therefore we cannot close our borders easily and must allow for the free movement of people (as provided for in the Schengen-agreement). The canton of Ticino (the one bordering to Northern Italy) quickly became our center of infection and the virus spread from there. By now every single canton is affected, however, the bordering cantons as well as the cantons with big cities are most affected by it. Numbers do not look good. For this reason, the federal council decided to take more extreme measures and announced the 'extraordinary situation' (ausserordentliche Lage) on March 16th. Schools were closed, leisure activities in which social distance could not be assured (such as e.g. skiing, fitness in the gym, choirs, weddings, concerts, etc.) were prohibited, businesses and stores that are not vital for our everyday life were closed and people were asked to #staythefuckhome. 

This is a rough outline of the measures taken. But what does that mean for me?

Well, I haven't been up to date with some of the people who might read this post. So a quick summary of the past few years  (can't believe it's been years!!) of my life: when I got back from LA in 2013 I started my studies at the University of Berne in English literature, language and linguistics, as well as history. I lived in a shared appartment in Biel (my home town) with my two best friends. 2015 was when I met my now boyfriend Max. He now works as a photographer, videographer and content creator, however, we met at University because he's a part-time student majoring in history as well. In 2016 I was offered a job as a research assistant in the history department. Ever since then I both worked and studied part-time at the University. I now am in my final year of gradschool, getting my Masters' degree in history, specializing in the Early Modern Period (1500-1800), mainly focusing on European countries and sources. I'm mostly interested in social and cultural history, in the everyday lives of the people living in Switzerland (or anywhere else in Europe). 

On March 1st this year I moved from Biel to Berne because I got tired of commuting every day.  I now live in a one bedroom loft-style (but tiny) apartment on the seventh floor of a run-down apartment building that was built in the 1970s, located in a lower-income neighborhood. But as bad as it sounds I promise, my apartment is cosy, has a very nice view and lies in close proximity to the center of the town. It's a multicultural area and people are open-minded and friendly. I was lucky I moved when I did, just before more extreme safety measures were taken. In times of social-distancing, moving seems somewhat impossible to do. 

The week after I moved the history department advised us to prepare for home office. So that's what I did. March 17th was my last day I went to work at the office and also marked the day my office building (the University in general) was closed to the public. I now work from home, mainly doing research, writing papers, and finalizing the copy editing for my professor's collective volume on the history of family life in the Early Modern Period that is scheduled to be published this year. I try to maintain as much of my previous daily routine, that is, to get up early on week days, go for a run, work on my assignments, eat lunch, work some more, do chores around the apartment, and finally (can't wait for this part of the day) enjoy some freetime before and after dinner. 

Life drastically changed after the announcement of the 'extraordinary situation'. Especially my social life has changed tremendously. In my opinion, solidarity is most important during this time and every single person should contribute to #flattenthecurve and avoid unnecessary social contact, in order to protect those who are most vulnerable and also, to avoid straining the health care system and workers. It will only work if we work together. This is why I haven't visited my family in weeks (3 to be exact) and limit my social contact to my boyfriend Max. Every other social contact with my friends and family is maintained with the help of facetime, skype or zoom. I'm glad my grandfather (85 yrs old) knows how to use his computer (he's probably more knowledgable in this department than I am). He calls me once a day on facetime.

Another thing I can do to contribute to the solidarity that is needed is to go grocery shopping for my neighbors who are at high risk (elderly, diabetics, etc.). But they prove to be stubborn: I have to enforce my help on them because a lot of Swiss people are too shy, proud or embarrassed to accept help. The easiest way to do that is by calling them every morning before they had the chance to leave the house and ask them what they need, ensuring them that you'd go grocery shopping anyway. When you go grocery shopping for people at high risk, you then need to disinfect evey single item you got for them. But my neighbors slowly start to accept my help, and in turn give me chocolate or money as a way to say thank you. 

This is a very rough insight into my life in a country that is very much affected by the virus. Switzerland is very densely populated and it is likely that the virus continues to spread over the next few weeks, making it more important for people to #staythefuckhome. Luckily, they started to regulate the amount of people they allow in the grocery stores, a measure that ensures that there's always enough #toiletpaper and groceries for everyone. Personally, I'm trying to stay sane  and #staythefuckhome as much as possible. For people struggling with #stayingthefuckhome I suggest to keep busy: do an at-home workout class on youtube (there's plenty), start knitting or crafting, improve your guitar or piano skills, learn a new language, start improving your cooking skills, bake those muffins you crave, listen to audiobooks and podcasts, and (let's be real here for a second) also #netflixandchill. Personally, I'm improving my Greek (started to learn Greek a few months back). My teacher is happy to give me lessons via Skype. So who knows, maybe I'll be proficient by the end of the year. 

As much as this situation is tragic and dangerous, try to see the good side of it (but don't downplay the severity), use it to be productive, but also, to learn how to relax and do nothing for once. 

The measures taken by many goverments around the world may seem to be desperate and severe, however, in the light of the severity of the virus, these measures are not desperate at all. They are needed! Needed, in order to ensure the safety and health of the people, but also, in order to avoid a #systemcrash. So please, listen to your governments (unless they provide useless information #stablegenius) or (if you have a #stablegenius as leader) to the advice provided by the WHO, the CDC, or the federal office for public health in your country and #don'tbeanidiot (that is to say, I don't think any person who reads this post is...!). And, most importantly, #stayhappyandhealthy! 

I miss you guys a lot. I'll update you (maybe soon-ish) on my life (if you wish, haha) and would be very happy to read you guys' stories and updates as well. 

Take care.

Love

Amanda 

Here's a picture on how to stay in line at the grocery store: