KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 — Germany has figured out a clever way to encourage people to stay home to stop the spread of Covid-19 as the pandemic rages on.
Instead of demonising those who refuse to stay home to flatten the curve, the German federal government took the route of positive reinforcement by hailing couch potatoes as heroes.
It was all captured in a witty 1.35-minute video titled “#specialheroes — Together against corona” that was released over the weekend.
The coronavirus battle in the ad is told from the perspective of an elderly man recalling his younger days as a university student when the second wave hit.
The German Govt's latest Corona advert - now subtitled in English. Quite good. pic.twitter.com/nbRZIm9RcN
— Axel Antoni (@antoni_UK) November 14, 2020
“In the winter of 2020, when the whole country’s eyes were on us.
“I had just turned 22 and was studying engineering when the second wave hit.”
The scene then flashes back into the past as his younger self, informing audiences about an invisible danger that threatened everything they believed in, including their lifestyle.
“Suddenly the fate of this country lay in our hands so we mustered all our courage and did what was expected of us, the only right thing,” the man said.
“We did nothing. Absolutely nothing. Being as lazy as raccoons.
“Days and nights, we stayed on our a***s at home and fought against the spread of the coronavirus.”
Accompanied by dramatic music, the man is seen lazing on his couch as he eats potato crisps and takes a swig from a carbonated drink can while watching television and waiting for takeout pizza.
“Our couch was the front line and our patience was our weapon,” he said.
“Looking back, this was our fate, this is how we became heroes.”
The ad ends with a government message: “You too can become a hero by staying at home.”
The clip on Twitter, which has English subtitles, has been watched 1.8 million times, receiving 9,700 retweets and 16,600 likes.
Germany has 800,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases with 12,692 deaths.
The European country initiated a month-long partial lockdown in early November which saw the temporary closure of bars, restaurants, gyms and a limit on the number of people in public and home gatherings to control the spread of the pandemic.
