The Nation of Non-Stay-at-Home Parents

The topic has arisen in German in recent days and it circles around this fact....a great deal of the men and women in the country work, and they count on Kita (childcare services), kindergartens and schools to be open and serving the public's need.

So with the virus chatter in full swing....those three operations are now under a threat.  The number of Germans in this serious situation?  No one is really saying.  I would make an estimate that out of every ten families....probably three are in the position where the one parent, or both parents work in some capacity and the schools/kindergartens/Kitas have to function for the most part.

If a school shuts down for the remainder of the year....leaving two kids (say between 6 and 10) at home?  How do you handle that?  If the Kindergarten says it's shutdown for two weeks?  If the Kita says one person there has the virus and the place is non-op for two weeks?

You could be looking at literally hundreds of thousands of German employees who can't do their job because of the virus interfering with regular day-to-day business.....maybe for months.

The system.....as devised over decades....was never geared to handle this type of event.

Where this will go?  I think you will see various industries and businesses in Germany go through a slow-down.....maybe 10-percent in March....going up into the 30-percent range by early May. 

It'll be a list of odd things.  You show up to a ATM-machine, and it'll be empty of cash for three days.  You show up at McDonalds, and there's only half the shift there.  You will stop at the pharmacy for a pick-up situation, with only one clerk there to help.  You will shop for clothing that had three cashier desks throughout building, but only one with manpower to operate.  You stop at a gas station to discover they no longer function after 6 PM.  You try to get dental treatment accomplished but the staff is on 50-percent manpower because of their kids at home. 

The odd thing is that the government will have to keep funding schools, kindergartens and Kitas.....while they are closed.  Resolution?  Probably not fixed until a vaccine hits the market.