Shopping Malls, Summer 2020
Holidays 2020 - and now for something different
I am at an Outlet Mall during my first vacation since C19 began. It has been an, well, an interesting experience. We traveled to another state in Germany and like the US, each state can make their own decisions on how they want to react to this virus. We arrived late Sunday and were shocked to see the number of people outside our hotel at the waterfront, lining up to rent paddle boats, sitting along the shoreline and just enjoying themselves. Our hotel had no requirement to wear masks while in the building or in the elevators. Dinner in the hotel also had none of the wait staff wearing masks either. I felt very uncomfortable. After 4 months of practicing my best at keeping a distance and when going out covering up here was this here the real „new normal“?
Are we done with the new normal?
It was a beautiful summer day and everyone wanted, maybe needed, to get outdoors. The state had determined 2 weeks earlier that the risk was very low and only a suggestion to wear a mask was in place. Obviously, everyone had gotten this message and enjoyed going back to what they had practiced before. The next day my wife and I spent over 5 hours of our social distancing exercise by hiking the local hills as that was our reason for coming to this area in the first place. Well, the other reason was to see what would a return to travel, holidaying feel like? How comfortable would I feel being not as distanced, not as protected? Well, our arrival and first interactions had me quite unnerved. Should we depart early? Were we being just a bit to overcautious?
Well, by dinner on day 2, the hotel staff was all masked up. We were encouraged to sit outdoors and then on day 3 breakfast from the buffet only the day before had disappeared and was replaced with a „order from your table“ process. This is actually the process I had expected and now it was ‚back‘? Did the course of the weekend just show how quickly a potentially dangerous situation might develop? I have not seen anything in the news here stating a change or anything but it was like night and day.
Today is day three, our final full day and it is being spent shopping and relaxing at the hotel. Currently, I am at an outdoor (open air) shopping mall where it is asked that everyone wears a mask in the shops as well as when walking around. This is also what I expected. I am a heavily bearded, glasses wearing guy. Wearing a mask means fogged up glasses and the fur coat around my face is far from comfortable. Most everyone here is wearing their mask. There are plenty of those with „my nose is not involved“ and „Chinkinis“ if that is the word for it.
I‘m not ready for this. Honestly.
Generally, I just don’t feel like I need this yet. I know the businesses need the business. €3.40 for a coffee is always a bit over-the-top but maybe it helps them to stay in business a bit longer. I look forward to returning home tomorrow, setting up shop in my garden, cardboard box and all. I am not ready for the old normal. I do wish it would return quickly but the news at the time of writing this is not giving us the all clear. This has changed me and the way I am interacting with my environment and I am not sure how long it will take for a full return to my previous ways will take but stay tuned.
