#33: Corona exceptionalism, Delivery Hero, murder sentence

And supermarkets that are open on Christmas and Boxing Day.

Dec 24, 2021

Not just any Christmas tree! A very Berlin Christmas tree (see factoid below). Photo: IMAGO

Merry/Happy Christmas 20 Percent!

Today is the day that most German children will be ushered out of the living room about dinner time to be entertained by one parent while not noticing the absence of the other. An hour or so later, they will be allowed back into the room to marvel at a freshly decorated tree that is surrounded by presents that were brought by either Der Weihnachtsmann or some entity known as the Christkind (Christ child) which, depending on the religiosity of the family, is either Jesus or not Jesus. Parents then grow hangrier and hangrier as the kids unwrap and play with their new swag. At some point there’s food and then an argument about whether real candles should be used to decorate Christmas trees (as is German tradition). Usually after the Christmas tree has caught fire due to the use of real candles.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, we hope you have a good holiday break and that, at the very least, the epidemic gave you a good excuse to not visit your family and instead hang with your friends (your real family). Or, maybe you’re finally getting to see your family for the first time in months, if not years.

Happy holidays.

Andrew & Maurice

The Berlin corona stats for Friday, Christmas Eve

Fully vaccinated: 71.1% (70.7% Tuesday)
New cases in one day: +2,000 (2,941 Tuesday)
Total deaths: 3,988 (+19 over Tuesday)

🔴 7-day Covid-19 incidence (cases per 100,000): 325.8 (325.8 Tuesday)
🟢 7-day hospitalization incidence (also per 100,000): 3.9 (5.2 Tuesday)
🔴 Covid-19 ICU patient occupancy: 20% (20% Tuesday)

Source: Berlin’s corona information page

Hauptstadt exceptionalism

The Berlin government earlier this week ratified a number of new corona regulations passed by federal politicians (the list is here in the previous newsletter) that will close clubs and limit the number of people who can meet. However, Berlin made an exception that allows spectators at large sporting events and variety shows, which is not allowed elsewhere. The 2G+ rule will apply but the events and shows in Berlin can have 2,000 people inside and 3,000 outside. The exception will mostly only affect Alba Berlin basketball games and skimpily clad dancing spectacles at Friedrichstadtpalast. The exceptionalism ends January 28.

Delivery Hero gone again, sort of

Berlin-based food delivery giant Delivery Hero shut down its Food Panda grocery delivery service throughout Germany, though it will remain in Berlin as an innovation laboratory. The company, which also halted restaurant deliveries in Germany years ago, said competition is just too tight. But that’s only a half-truth because the company remains in the German grocery delivery game via a €200 million investment that got it 8% of anti-labor delivery service Gorillas. Oh, could Delivery Hero maybe teach Gorillas some manners when it comes to labor relations? No. Delivery Hero CEO Niklas Östberg has complained about Germany’s pro-worker laws before, according to Tagesspiegel, and would prefer the exploitative conditions of the gig economy. If you want grocery delivery, maybe try this zero-waste startup from a 20 Percent reader, Alpakas. The site’s all in German but give it a go!

Sentence in Potsdam murders

A woman found guilty of murdering four residents of a Potsdam home for the disabled was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in a psychiatric hospital. The woman, who had worked at the home for years, was found to have a psychological disorder that led to the April attack - a fifth victim escaped with severe injuries. The murders weren’t discovered until after the woman ended her shift and went home and confessed to her husband.

Factoid

The official Berlin Christmas tree is on Breitscheidplatz adjacent to the Gedächtniskirche and amidst the capitalist mayhem that is Ku’Damm, KaDeWe and Bikini Haus. This year, it couldn’t be more Berlin - it was donated by a Marzahn homeowner who said it had grown too big for their plot.

What’s open when nothing’s open

Like with any holiday (or Sunday), shops are going to close. Most of them, that is. This sparks the semi-annual holiday ritual of panic shopping among locals (which seems odd considering their knack for planning) and leads to pure panic among foreigners who have not yet developed the sixth Teutonic sense of when shops are open and closed. But we've got you covered with a directory of places that will still be open and that offer more than your neighbourhood Späti.