Van handen wassen naar handen schudden (From washing hands to shaking hands)

When Hildegard Hick’s first photo book, Sitlstaan ​​en doorgaan – het virus versus Eindhoven, ‘Corona’ seemed almost under control. Shops opened their doors again, terraces were allowed to be visited and hairdressers could cut hair again. Vaccines were being made.

However, the road to the ‘new normal’ was not yet completely paved. At the end of December 2020, the second lockdown in the Netherlands was a fact and everything was locked again. Various companies had a hard time, because strict measures remained in force and new measures were introduced. This led to layoffs and even bankruptcies in various sectors.

No theatre, museum or cinema visits, no events, food and drinks were only allowed on the terrace at a sufficient distance, no audience at sports events, no holidays abroad. mouth caps were made mandatory, ‘get vaccinated’, curfew, keep one and a half meters away, no shaking hands and no hugs.

“We’ll do it all together”, we said during the first lockdown. This took on a different meaning during the second lockdown. Unrest arose, the atmosphere grew grim and led to demonstrations and even riots of unprecedented proportions.

Because many people were vaccinated, the number of infections decreased.
In September 2021, a large number of measures were relaxed, bringing us closer to our ‘old normal’. The most important measure, one and a half meters away, was cancelled! From washing hands, now to shaking hands and even a hug!