Franconian Beer Message Board

Situation update in Franconia
Posted by Jason Watts on 2021-05-06 13:08:41
As most of you are acquaintances on Facebook, I think most will be aware from my posts, but for those not things have taken a drastic turn for the better here in the past 2-3 weeks. Infection numbers are falling, vaccinations are rising fast and loosening is beginning. As a personal sidenote I'm a little caught out by all the optimism in a country that seems to wallow in it's own negativity (during the past 14 months anyway). Last year when they announced beer garden openings I booked a week off work! I'm not so fast out of the blocks this year, for the simple reason that I miss ALL things that make life normal, and last year's expectations left me feeling rather empty - life is a sensitive balacing act and one cannot cram months of abstinance into a week of gluttony. 

So it seems that much of the gastronomy were also caught out by the announcment this week. So far only Cafe Abseits to my knowledge have come out and said they will open from Monday (only Bamberg City is under 100, the Landkreis remains over but things are slowy improving there too). Problems are of course uncertainty about the rules (not yet clarified) and how to 'police' them, mustering staff to work, wondering howe long the volotile incidence will remain under 100 and, not insignificantly, wondering if people will actually come - with a reservation and with a negative test (quick test). On the basis most Franconian kitchens work on a 'pile it high sell it cheap' canteen style operation (albeit good quality) this makes for a lot of uncertainty. 

Of course, coupled with the falling numbers etc, it's very positive news and no doubt if the trend continues many places will slowly open throughout May. It helps that the weather is currently terrible and apart from a very short heatwave over the weekend and Monday doesn't show many signs of improvement. 

It's bizarre that in the 1st lockdown here a day felt like a month and yet after 6 months now a month feels like a day. Possibly why, although I will try to get somewhere next week, I'm not really rushed. Maybe that's a small indication of the wide ranging impact this has had on all of us. 

Here's to summer!
 
Followups:
   Situation update in Franconia by Reto on  2021-05-07 01:25:19
     Situation update in Franconia by Jason on  2021-05-07 01:39:15
   Situation update in Franconia by JohnRatcliffe on  2021-05-07 01:57:11
   Situation update in Franconia by Gerhard Schoolmann on  2021-05-07 06:50:58