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Rhine water levels 2020 and similar topics


notamermaid
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7 minutes ago, Wannawander said:

Yes, our minister has broken away from the WHO wording. No idea if this a good idea, but it is in line with the BBC reporting about the government of the UK having issued a plan to control the virus. Perhaps it helps to keep people from panic buying, hoarding essential stuff and ensures tougher measures to keep the health care system on top of this.

 

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1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

Yes, our minister has broken away from the WHO wording. No idea if this a good idea, but it is in line with the BBC reporting about the government of the UK having issued a plan to control the virus. Perhaps it helps to keep people from panic buying, hoarding essential stuff and ensures tougher measures to keep the health care system on top of this.

 

notamermaid

 

I agree that is most likely the intent. Hopefully people will also be more conscientious about seeking medical advice if they have a “cold,” since it could be indication of a less severe case of the virus. The numbers reported are only those who have been tested as far as I have read. An aggressive plan is by far the best answer at this point.

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Coronavirus in Germany and how it might affect river cruisers. I do not mean catching it, the logistical and legal stuff this time.

 

By government decision, when you enter Germany on a plane from Northern Italy you are obliged to fill in a form. Here is the wording with a link to a sample form: "Die Passagiere müssen auf sog. "Aussteigekarten" Angaben zu ihrem Flug und zu ihrem Aufenthaltsort in den folgenden 30 Tagen nach Landung machen sowie eine Selbstauskunft zu ihrem Aufenthaltsort in den Herkunftsländern, Kontaktpersonen und gesundheitlichen Befinden abgeben. Die Fluggesellschaften übergeben die ausgefüllten Karten an die Gesundheitsämter zur Aufbewahrung." Taken from the BMI website: https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/pressemitteilungen/DE/2020/03/krista-medizinische-schutzausstattung.html

 

Also note that now your follow-on travel plans could be impeded, as witnessed here. Deutsche Welle says today, at the given time: "15:30 Israel has insisted upon a 14 day quarantine on visitors from France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland due to the coronavirus, after imposing similar restrictions on Italy and several Asian states." From the article: https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-latest-italy-closes-schools-and-universities-as-death-toll-surpasses-100/a-52630937

 

The figures update: Germany 262.

 

As I shall be busy with normal life in the next few days I have decided to give you the German website that is updated twice daily: https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Fallzahlen.html

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

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Let me wind down the day (for me as it is after 10pm here) with something joyous. The Geoffrey Chaucer has arrived in Rüdesheim and will overnight there. It is her first proper journey after trials around her harbour. Unfortunately I missed her for a photo shoot but the guys from Binnenschifferforum caught her on camera. She looks lovely, the standard elegant hull design from Scylla that I like. Safe travels to her always.

 

Water levels: going up after more rain, predicted to go to over 630cm at Maxau which means river traffic has to slow down. Wider problems due to flooding not in sight.

 

notamermaid

 

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I just found this most useful thread! We are traveling on the AmaStella, departing Amsterdam on March 23rd to Basel. We are rolling the dice and still plan on going...purchasing extended trip insurance at this point won't help us, so off we go! We are mid-50's, and in great health with no underlying health issues. Any insight as to what the river cruise companies are doing at this point? Hoping the COVID-19 virus calms down in the next 2 weeks. What are other soon-to-depart river cruisers doing?

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Much rain has made the river rise and Maxau is now at 630cm. This means river traffic slows down for safety reasons. The level should peak tomorrow. According to the predictions there will be no more than the mildest of flooding in the next three days along the French/German river.

 

notamermaid

 

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Coronavirus:

 

Patient Zero in Baden-Württemberg has been released from hospital. More cases reported in the state since yesterday. All quarantined, search for all contacts underway as is standard procedure.

 

No new cases in Rhineland-Palatinate. Great!

 

So I am off to work with a lighter heart. See ya. 😃

 

notamermaid

 

 

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If I understand it correctly the pop-up message from the hosts(?) restrains me to talking only about the happy things and water levels along the Rhine.

 

Edit: message restricted to roll calls now. Right?

 

So, I am fine, my family is fine, a friend is not as he is self-employed and has just lost 80 Percent of his customer contacts.

 

The level at Maxau has risen to 661cm, should peak tomorrow but could remain so high that traffic is slowed down. The impact of that you feel mostly going downstream, upstream traffic is naturally slower anyway.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited by notamermaid
Clarification - I hope
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I hope it is okay to draw your attention to the  Deutsche Welle article, see entry for the time stamp 18:04: https://m.dw.com/en/coronavirus-latest-global-cases-reach-100000/a-52657896 

 

This is a new dimension I do not like at all.

 

To give you more info. I do not know where Deutsche Welle got it from, but on the RKI website (disease control) it just says Landkreis Heinsberg, not the whole of North-Rhine Westphalia. Heinsberg does not border on the Rhine. The clusters are neither in Bonn, nor Cologne nor Düsseldorf, but there are cases in all of those cities.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited by notamermaid
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39 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

I hope it is okay to draw your attention to the  Deutsche Welle article, see entry for the time stamp 18:04: https://m.dw.com/en/coronavirus-latest-global-cases-reach-100000/a-52657896 

 

This is a new dimension I do not like at all.

 

To give you more info. I do not know where Deutsche Welle got it from, but on the RKI website (disease control) it just says Landkreis Heinsberg, not the whole of North-Rhine Westphalia. Heinsberg does not border on the Rhine. The clusters are neither in Bonn, nor Cologne nor Düsseldorf, but there are cases in all of those cities.

 

notamermaid

 

Thank you. The banner only said roll calls.💗

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1 minute ago, Wannawander said:

Thank you. The banner only said roll calls.💗

Thank you. Yes, that banner had shocked me for a bit. I suddenly had this big red box of text on my smartphone...

 

I have now found the quote that came from Jens Spahn. He had said "... in Risikogebiete in Nordrhein-Westfalen". Which, explained for the other readers, means the risk zones within North-Rhine Westphalia. Not that I am perfect, far from it, but I wish Deutsche Welle would stick to the proper wording more. It is the second mistake I have found in two days.

 

Hope your family is doing well.

 

notamermaid

 

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3 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Thank you. Yes, that banner had shocked me for a bit. I suddenly had this big red box of text on my smartphone...

 

I have now found the quote that came from Jens Spahn. He had said "... in Risikogebiete in Nordrhein-Westfalen". Which, explained for the other readers, means the risk zones within North-Rhine Westphalia. Not that I am perfect, far from it, but I wish Deutsche Welle would stick to the proper wording more. It is the second mistake I have found in two days.

 

Hope your family is doing well.

 

notamermaid

 

 I read that Germans refer to Jens as “hyperactive Jens Spahn.” 😂 That risk area is northwest of Cologne and I read that many  have been released from their house “arrest.” I Wish they would publicize more recovered cases. I have not communicated with my cousin’s daughter for the second day now because I need to find and send photos I found In my mother’s things of her aunt, my other cousin,  when she visited my mom years ago....not just virus related. I have 3 female and 1 male cousin living just west of Cologne. They were little kids when they fled from the Russians with their mother, 3 siblings and my 23 year old mother....they loved her so much. Looking forward to better news soon! Thanks for all you do!

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The river this morning. The level at Cologne has risen so much that they have put up the movable flood protection walls. With the Moselle having added much water to the Rhine at Koblenz flooding is now moderate in the downstream areas. River traffic is still running but it is slow. At the level's peak on Sunday 7.40m are expected. It will fall after that but remain relatively high as rain in the upper valley will bring a constant high volume of water.

 

notamermaid

 

 

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To show you how quickly things are changing in these days of crisis here is my post #103 from Wednesday: 

On 3/4/2020 at 9:15 PM, notamermaid said:

Coronavirus in Germany and how it might affect river cruisers. I do not mean catching it, the logistical and legal stuff this time.

 

By government decision, when you enter Germany on a plane from Northern Italy you are obliged to fill in a form. Here is the wording with a link to a sample form: "Die Passagiere müssen auf sog. "Aussteigekarten" Angaben zu ihrem Flug und zu ihrem Aufenthaltsort in den folgenden 30 Tagen nach Landung machen sowie eine Selbstauskunft zu ihrem Aufenthaltsort in den Herkunftsländern, Kontaktpersonen und gesundheitlichen Befinden abgeben. Die Fluggesellschaften übergeben die ausgefüllten Karten an die Gesundheitsämter zur Aufbewahrung." Taken from the BMI website: https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/pressemitteilungen/DE/2020/03/krista-medizinische-schutzausstattung.html

 

Also note that now your follow-on travel plans could be impeded, as witnessed here. Deutsche Welle says today, at the given time: "15:30 Israel has insisted upon a 14 day quarantine on visitors from France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland due to the coronavirus, after imposing similar restrictions on Italy and several Asian states." From the article: https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-latest-italy-closes-schools-and-universities-as-death-toll-surpasses-100/a-52630937

 

The figures update: Germany 262.

 

As I shall be busy with normal life in the next few days I have decided to give you the German website that is updated twice daily: https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Fallzahlen.html

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

 

Germany now has 684 cases. District Heinsberg near the Dutch border is a risk zone, so is the South Tyrol part of Trentino-South Tyrol in Italy. In Bamberg in Bavaria 60 families are quarantined as they had returned from South Tyrol. A precautionary measure that I understand can be changed with negative testing. Check with your company if you enter Austria and Germany from Northern Italy if such measures could apply to you. Check your country's travel advice. Austria now does random health checks at the border with Italy. Many flight cancellations as regards Northern Italy.

 

There has been criticism over a US newspaper article giving the impression that Italy exports the virus all over Europe. Fact is that very many reports from individuals infected with the virus have come in, saying they fell ill after having returned from an Italy trip. South Tyrol was not happy about being turned into a risk zone by Germany. Fact is also that Iceland has received the Coronavirus by people returning from Italy and Austria. Now people are starting infecting each other. It is a state of emergency for the island, having 43 cases among less than 400.000 citizens. I hope for the best for them.

 

As regards islands: Malta has refused docking for a cruise ship. It has been diverted to Italy. Malta so far has reported no cases.

 

When we read all this, we also must not forget how it compares to this influenza season. In Germany so far 200 people have died.

 

With people raiding shelves and supposedly hoarding disinfectants in Germany, masks being stolen from hospitals, you would think they all fear being quarantined next week. It is crazy. Do not tell anyone I have still got a bottle of disinfectant in my office. I might be robbed...

 

notamermaid

 

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https://www.sbs.com.au/news/it-s-not-mad-max-police-call-for-calm-after-shoppers-trade-blows-over-toilet-paper  Sadly the panic shopping is evident in Australia too.

People are perhaps fearful about the potential mandatory isolation and related issues.

We love river cruising and reading about how things are in Europe but have not got any bookings at present.

This current situation will pass as all serious wide spread infections have done in the past, but the impact will take time to fix.

We used to be concerned about the river levels but this is beyond anyone's imagination.

Thank you for the updates. 

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Malta no cases, I said above. It was too good to be true. Barely two hours later the first case was published on Deutsche Welle as having been confirmed.

 

The situation in France is deteriorating. As that also could effect cruisers along the Rhine, here is a good round up of the situation, courtesy of Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tamarathiessen/2020/03/07/what-travelers-must-know-as-coronavirus-skyrockets-towards-epidemic-in-france/ 

 

The Rhine being an international river with no travel restrictions between Kehl in Germany and Strasbourg in France for example, I wonder what will happen next.

 

One thing I am sure of is that it will get worse before it will get better.

 

My colleagues still plan to go to a tourism fair. I am not happy about it.

 

notamermaid

 

 

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Let us talk about something completely different. Remagen bridge.

 

75 years ago today, US troops captured the only bridge over the Rhine still intact. There was a commemorative gathering and service earlier today. Report of SWR news channel. The eyewitness Hans Schwartz was a young soldier of the age of 16 at the time: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/koblenz/Wendepunkt-im-Zweiten-Weltkrieg-Gedenken-an-Eroberung-der-Bruecke-von-Remagen-vor-75-Jahren,remagen-festakt-bruecke-100.html

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

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As much as I would like to just get on with normal life, it is impossible to ignore the Coronavirus for more than a few hours. At work I got two advisory emails (which is good), got one of the scarce hand wipe travel packets at the pharmacists (the drug store had sold out days ago!) and was assured by a dear person that there is "lots of toilet paper still at Aldi". A crazy world. In Germany here when the first cases emerged connected with a travelling Chinese visiting a company in Bavaria, it was a major headline, but I do not think anybody could have anticipated that six weeks later we would have a risk zone here and hundreds of people quarantined, with hundreds more in self isolation. As of this morning there are 847 cases, a few of those are declared recovered. In my home state Rhineland-Palatinate there are only 15. It is still unlikely that I will meet an infected person any time soon. For some, life is more interrupted. From hospitals banning visitors to cancelled student exchange programmes.

 

Just in case you are wondering: along the Moselle in Germany there is not a single case (unless one includes Koblenz into that calculation, which has only two). They are more concerned with the streets impassable at Cochem, etc. due to the flooding.

 

Suddenly, the fact that there is quite a bit of flooding is reduced to almost a footnote. But here are the figures: Maxau 662cm, Koblenz 575cm, Cologne 710cm. All three figures mean flooding and currently slow traffic. At Maxau, although on a down path right now, is likely to stay on slow traffic at least until 14 March.

 

notamermaid

 

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6 hours ago, notamermaid said:

In my home state Rhineland-Palatinate there are only 15

Now there are 19. Not much, I know. I just have the feeling it is getting closer to me.

 

If you are interested in details, here is the map for Baden-Württemberg and the one for Rhineland-Palatinate: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/Karte-Coronavirus-in-Baden-Wuerttemberg-und-Rheinland-Pfalz-Uebersicht,coronavirus-karte-100.html

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

 

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Germany can deal with flooding easily. It does not sound like a big deal to them. Mosel and the river has this tendency to first rise and the go down. I have been to Mosel a few years ago. Were visiting its local vineyards. Its the only valuable thing that the flood can damage. Apart from it there is nothing really to care about if you live in Mosel. I would also suggest going somewhere else cause Mosel is a super boring place to visit lol. If you are into wine than Mosel might surprise you. Otherwise, just go to Dusseldorf or Munich or Berlin...and just have fun 

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So what has happened overnight as regards the Coronavirus? The politicians have been talking, and also talking to the press. You can read the latest on Deutsche Welle Top Stories. And Germany has, just a day after France, crossed the 1,000 cases threshold. France government says the country as of last night has 1126 cases, Germany as of this morning has 1112 cases. Rhineland-Palatinate still has 19 only, but I have the feeling I should not say that, as there will more in a few hours time...

 

Now Jens Spahn (health minister) says that all large scale events with over a thousand participants should be cancelled. The thing is, in our federal system the politicians in Berlin can only advise on this matter, the power lies with states and/or districts. Will see how it goes, football matches are supposed to take place, but games without spectators are being contemplated.

 

As has been suggested above, flooding is being handled better. The river will continue to stay high till the weekend, but a closure while not fully ruled out, is highly unlikely. So, doing okay there.

 

Wanted to tell you a bit more about the Rhine bridges and then move onto telling you about the village of Fahr and its connection to the US, but this virus keeps getting in the way.

 

I am off to lunch.

 

Stay healthy and keep in touch, hope most of you are still coming.

 

notamermaid

 

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Of yesterday’s new cases in the Toronto area, all were travel related, but not from hot spots particularly. Unfortunately for my future trip, 2 of them were from France and Germany the 2 main countries on my upcoming trip.


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AMA Waterways send a ltr to my travel agent stating that if any customers wanted to cancel upcoming cruises; they would give a future cruise credit; however the decision has to be made by Mar 15th.  We don't sail until May 10th

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On 3/9/2020 at 1:25 PM, AF-1 said:

AMA Waterways send a ltr to my travel agent stating that if any customers wanted to cancel upcoming cruises; they would give a future cruise credit; however the decision has to be made by Mar 15th.  We don't sail until May 10th

Brutally speaking, it is nice to give the option for you to change your plans, but the company will also be better off financially if they let the customer decide now, rather than them being forced to cancel because of travel warnings, logistical problems, etc. It is not an easy decision and one's health and comfort zone is the best deciding factor I would think which will inevitably be different from passenger to passenger.

 

With new things happening every day, the way to proceed will become clearer for everyone. To be honest, at the moment I think the situation will get worse for every European country before it can get better.

 

Yesterday, Germany has sadly joined the list of countries with death counts in the column. Quite frankly, we had been lucky so far with only two. The third death of a German citizen occurred in Egypt, he had been on a Nile River cruise. His case has entered the Egyptian statistics.

 

Will we see border checks again? Random health checks? Who knows. The voices calling for cancelling large scale events are getting louder. There will be the first "ghost game" Geisterspiel football match, i.e. played without spectators soon.

 

And me? I have become the contact person of a contact person of a contact person of an infected person in the Koblenz area. With the figures rising I definitely expect to be a step closer in the chain some time this Spring. I am not paranoid, I still do not panic buy and shook my lawyer's hand today - he is helping me in a health insurance dispute!

 

The weather is neither wintery nor really pleasant. After a mild winter we can see early budding on bushes though.

 

The frequent rain will keep the water levels high and probably on slow traffic until 15, possibly 16 March.

 

notamermaid

 

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