Pandemic review

“We were all afraid. When will corona come?”

Certified nurse Andreas Brunner remembers the early days of corona.

(Bild: Max Skanda)

Five years after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Austria, people from very different walks of life look back on a time that brought both personal and social upheaval. 

The first news of the virus conquering the world came like an ominous murmur from afar. But suddenly it was there - tangible, real, and had arrived in even the most remote valleys of Carinthia. The lockdown came faster than many could have imagined. There was a fear in the air that not only paralyzed bodies, but also hearts. 

"I can remember the first coronavirus case in Carinthia like it was yesterday. An Italian woman in Bad Kleinkirchheim. In our minds, that was patient zero - for us in Carinthia. Then the infection rate gradually rose and the measures began," recalls Andreas Brunner, a qualified healthcare professional and nurse, who is also a ward manager at Klagenfurt University Hospital. 

"We take the disease home with us"
"We were all scared. They were existential fears. The ethical dilemma of having an obligation to help the population and society in terms of adequate healthcare and at the same time not knowing what we would do if we were affected. We take the disease home to our children and family members. In the beginning, we only heard about deaths and ventilators. The beginnings were very difficult." 

We had to equip ourselves with disinfectant, isolation overalls, FFP2 masks, isolation equipment, changing rooms, etc.

Andreas Brunner, diplomierter Gesundheits- und Krankenpfleger

The measures were sometimes met with resistance from patients. "There were always smiling or derogatory opinions. Those who tested positive also left the rooms, but thankfully not the ward. I tried to explain in a conversation that the hospital is a sensitive area. There are patients here who don't have a healthy immune system. Then I appealed for solidarity." 

"We looked like Martians"
Brunner, who also studied nursing and healthcare management, faced every challenge with his colleagues, which was not always easy. "What I found very difficult was dealing with nursing home patients. Because these patients in particular need extra protection. Most of the patients in a nursing home have dementia. You can imagine: The poor old person falls, is stressed, doesn't know their way around. He comes to the hospital and doesn't see a normal face, doesn't feel a human touch - he just sees us walking around dressed like Martians. That was very difficult for us as human beings. Emotionally, it was very bad, but there was no other way."

Empty halls for the actress
The streets remained empty, conversations in the cafés died out, the stages remained dark and people looked uncertainly into the future. The well-known actress and speaker Eva Maria Frank can take something positive from the corona period.

Eva Maria Frank is currently in front of the camera with her husband Otto Jaus for "Neo Nuggets".

(Bild: zVg)

"I was relatively lucky because I was well booked as a voice actress. I was also able to work during Corona. I was also pregnant at the time - I had my maternity leave, so to speak, when no one else was working anyway," recalls the likeable Carinthian. 

Lots of time for family
"We went for walks a lot and had time to ourselves. That was the good thing about the pandemic. We had a lot of time for ourselves as a family." However, coronavirus also had some unpleasant moments for Otto Jaus' wife: "I had to tell my sisters via Skype that I was pregnant, that was a horror, that was the first lockdown." 

In the beginning, after corona, it was kind of strange to greet people with a kiss and kiss again.

Eva Maria Frank, Schauspielerin

The shaken art and culture scene stood still for a long time. "It was incomprehensible for the people on stage that they couldn't do their job for a long time. People had to change jobs because they could no longer do their profession," recalls Frank. "Now I'm just glad that we're rid of it, that it's no longer an issue." The Krumpendorf native is currently filming the movie "Neo Nuggets" (the sequel to "Pulled Pork") with her husband and acting in Vienna. Frank is also in the movie "Pfau", which is currently showing in cinemas. "I can highly recommend it," smiles the lively actress.

Silence began to grow in the villages and towns. People stood on supermarket shelves wearing masks as if the world was in a foreign movie. The smell of disinfectant rose to my nose and settled in my mind as if it would never go away. Completing my A-levels during this time was more than a challenge. Not only at school, but also in a developmental phase where friendships are immensely important. 

Anna Wachernig graduated in the first corona phase.

(Bild: zVg)

"The first lockdown day, March 16, was actually my 19th birthday. At first we thought it would last two or three days, then we'd go back to school as normal anyway. After a week, we realized that corona was more serious after all." Every day they waited for new information. "We were always looking to see what the Minister of Education would say about what would happen with the Matura." The thesis presentation was also canceled.

At first we thought it would take two or three days, then we'd go back to school as normal anyway. After a week, we realized that corona was more serious after all.

Schülerin Anna Wachernig

Semester grade instead of oral Matura
Because the oral Matura was canceled, the semester grade was then used for the Matura certificate. "It was good for me because my semester grade wasn't that bad. Others speculated that they would get a good grade in the oral Matura, which unfortunately wasn't possible. The written Matura was then relatively normal." The preparation for the Matura took place online, without any contact with her classmates. "It was a great pity. Especially in the final year, you knew that you wouldn't see each other that much afterwards." The graduation ceremony was then a strictly controlled celebration. "Of course, the graduation trip also fell through."

"I think it's a shame that we didn't have an oral Matura, because of course you want to prove yourself somehow. For me, the Matura felt a bit easy to earn." However, Wachernig finds prejudices about the Corona Matura inappropriate. "You have to prove yourself later on anyway, so it doesn't matter what you did at A-level."

The former A-level student missed the contact with her friends, but in principle the first lockdown was somehow nice. "My mom said to me and my siblings: 'Make the most of your time at home with your family - you'll never have it this long again'. Because we have a big house, it was very harmonious."

The first days of the pandemic in Carinthia were characterized by a fog of uncertainty, fear and a hint of hope. But they left behind an indelible memory - the memory of a time when everything changed and the world was never the same again.