The car and boat supplier company Webasto from Stockdorf in Bavaria made the first coronavirus headlines in this country; eight employees were infected. 1000 employees had to work from home for two weeks. The company headquarters was closed and thoroughly disinfected. Webasto was only able to return to normal business operations in mid-February.
German sailors isolated
Meanwhile, the experience of the Berlin 470 duo Daniel Göttlich and Linus Klasen made sailing circles sit up and take notice. The two junior sailors felt the effects of the virus outbreak on the island of Hainan in the South China Sea. The 19-year-old helmsman and his predecessor of the same age actually wanted to train with the best Chinese teams from January 10th; they had accepted an invitation from the Chinese Sailing Association. But then suddenly they were only allowed to leave the training center with face masks and only to sail. Visitors were generally no longer allowed to visit the athletes, and they too had to submit to numerous restrictions in the center. On February 7th, the two Germans returned from Hainan.
In the weeks that followed, other German competitive sailors felt the consequences of the coronavirus crisis. On their return from the World Championships in Australia, some in Asia had to make a stopover. Nothing worked there without a face mask.
Olympian danger?
International sport is now watching the Olympic Games that are to take place in Tokyo in the summer. In the meantime, England has already been discussed as a replacement location. He was "seriously concerned," said Toshiro Muto, head of the Japanese Olympic Organizing Committee, that the spreading viral disease could lay "like a cold shower" on the dynamics of preparations. He hopes that "the virus will be eradicated as soon as possible". Saburo Kawabuchi, mayor of the athletes' village, in which up to 11,000 athletes are to live during the Olympic Games, said, according to a report by the FAZ, that he "really hopes" that the disease will "somehow" subside so that the games can take place "smoothly".