After enforcing a lockdown on 17 March, Germany has finally decided to gradually lift restrictions and open up their economy. Shops are reopening and people are going out and about, while social distancing is still being enforced.
The owners of Cafe Rothe in Schwerin were allowed to reopen their doors to visitors last Saturday after the coronavirus restrictions were lifted.
While people were excited about the reopening, a cafe celebrated theirs by handing out pool noodles to its customers in order to maintain social distancing.
Well, that looks interesting.
Instead of taping and marking the floors to keep people apart, the owners of the cafe got creative and distributed straw hats with two pool noodles attached to the top. It was indeed amusing to see how social distancing could be done creatively while still making it work!
The cafe owners shared a photo on their cafe’s Facebook page, gaining massive attention on social media. Many had shared and reposted this particular photo, exclaiming how brilliant the idea is.
The Facebook caption reads: “Today it’s like this: distance measurement.”
Heute mal so ,, Abstandsnachvermessungā
Posted by Cafe & Konditorei Rothe on Saturday, May 9, 2020
The 54-year-old owner, Rothe, told CNN that many customers flocked to the cafe to enjoy a coffee, cake or a beer in the sunshine. Not forgetting to acknowledge that the pool noodle hat was a hilarious idea, Rothe expressed that this was the perfect method to keep customers apart.
She had also mentioned that it was not easy to keep a safe distance of 1.5 metres, and was glad that her customers were happy about wearing the DIY-ed hats.
“This was the perfect method to keep customers apart, and a fun one.”
“It was a perfect gag and of course it was funny, our customers were really into it. But what it did show to us (was) how difficult it is to keep a distance of 1.5 metres,” said Rothe.
In order to comply with the new hygiene and social distancing measures, Rothe’s cafe had only 12 tables inside and eight outside. She explained that on a normal day, the shop would have 36 tables indoors and another 20 outside when the weather is warmer.
Rothe mentioned that her cafe remained open during the lockdown, and patrons were not allowed to dine in. Seeing how it still affects her business, she had no choice but to observe the situation as Germany continues to lift the restrictions.
Despite the easing of lockdown restrictions, the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, warned that the country may risk a new spike in infections if people stop adhering to physical distancing measures.
It’s so refreshing to see cool ideas like this amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Not only does it works, but it also lifts our spirits in some kinda way!
Also read: Schools In China Get Kids To Wear Cute 1-Metre Wide Hats To Teach Them About Social Distancing
