The waiters are wearing masks and there is no singing in Church but some Germans got a taste of normal life at the weekend as restaurants and places of worship reopened after weeks of coronavirus restrictions.

In the northeastern state of Mecklenburg – Western Pomerania , residents took advantage of the sunny weather to flock to their favourite eateries and cafes for the first time since mid- March .

The state on the Baltic coast , which has Germany ’ s lowest infection numbers , became the first in the country to reopen restaurants .

For the hospitality sector , the restart hasn ’ t come a moment too soon .

“ Economically , it has been a disaster for us , ” said Thomas Hildebrand, manager of Cafe Prag in the state ’ s picturesque capital of Schwerin .
Other states are set to follow with restaurants , cafes and hotels reopening across Germany in the coming days and weeks .

But dining experiences will be different in the age of the corona .

“ Our employees must wear masks and our customers must respect social distancing , ” Hildebrand told AFP , his own mask hanging around his neck .

Staff are also following other hygiene rules “ such as disinfecting tables , no common usage of certain utensils” , he said .

“ We ’ re trying to put this in place, it’ s new for us . But we are happy to be able to reopen . ”

Chancellor Angela Merkel recently said Germany had passed the “ first phase ” of the pandemic , allowing for a gradual return to normal – even if a spike in cases since then has revived concern about the country’ s infection rate.

AFP