Page 6 - eurotopia - Communities and the pandemia

Anton Marks
Valsølillegård (Denmark)

Valsølillegård has from the start 35 years ago changed into living divided into
families/couples. So we do not associate as much as we usually do. Several of the people
consider themselves being vulnerable if they have another disease and we are all older
than 60. Eating together has been suspended and so have the meetings until things change.
I am the only single here, so I am more isolated than the others, but 2 of the other women
have checked if I am still alive, and I go on bikerides with one of them. We talk together
when we meet outside – at distance. I am a nurse, so I do get out and meet other people at
my job. None of us are by now ill. May it stay so.

Dorte Gringmuth Aagaard

Solens Hjerte (“The Heart of the Sun”) (Denmark)

Of course, the Covid-19 is something that we have been talking about a lot and that have
affected our lives and all 50 people in our community on many levels.

Already at the end of February, we made a group consisting of our doctor and other
members of our community. Together, we read about this new disease and it was clear for
us that it would come to Denmark at some point and that it would be necessary for us to
have a plan ready for that time.

It was very good for us to be able to talk all the different aspects through and to help each
other finding the right information and throughout this whole process, we have had
meetings of all the members in our community, where we could talk about our knowledge
and our plans. That has been really good and has created a lot of security in an insecure
time.

No one really knows how hard the disease will hit, if they get ill and on top of that, the
oldest one here is 92 years. We really want to take good care of each other and make sure
that no one gets ill.

So now, we buy our groceries online and we have been closed off for guests and visitors for
almost a month. No guests, no people passing by, no relatives visiting. That is a huge and
unprecedented step and we have never tried anything like this before. Luckily, everybody
in Denmark and Germany is in “the same boat” so there is a lot of understanding.

The children are at home, but luckily there are quite a few good teachers here. Until now,
the kids loudly declare that they don’t miss school at all!

Most people here working can work from home and the last few, mainly people working on
the hospital, is wearing masks when they are in our common house and otherwise sticking
to themselves in order to not infect anybody.