20. 5th anniversary. corona crisis you can find more information online dot com. hello and welcome to focus on europe show and it's great to have you with us sometimes a life can change from one moment to the next that is what many ukrainians have been experiencing lately not just because of the corona crisis their country in

just witnessed the driest winter in 100 years followed by a dry spring these conditions allowed wildfires to burn it relentlessly in northern ukraine whole villages were consumed by the flames a lack of water made putting out to the fires challenging clouds of smoke and dust traveled hundreds of kilometers engulfing the capital kiev in small the area surrounding the town of chernobyl has also been affected although wildfires are nothing new in this part of the country they were particularly severe this year many families have been hard hit they lost everything they had within an instant. pile of bricks where once there was a home these tall stoves old what's left of wooden houses built to just minutes disappear in the flames yvonne's was one of them. it was a thursday before easter. all of a sudden we saw smoke rising in the sky over there. all the men drove over to the

neighboring village to help. but once we got there the minimal there was nothing left to put out who voted for wouldn't when we tried to get whom our route was blocked by flames with a bullet from the flames jump to treat all 10 meters above our heads. somehow i managed to get my wife out. nothing around us was on fire. thousands of back to the forests have been destroyed and noble the sides of the world's worst nuclear accident is less than 100 kilometers from these villages many had feared the fires would see radiation levels jump well there's no evidence of a dangerous rise in radiation it's not just these isolated villages of the defeat of the pain. in the capital kiev millions were left struggling to breathe a smoke and dust from the fires covered the city making ukraine's capital the world's most polluted city for days at

a time. back in the village the flames came so quickly that yvonne had to leave everything behind including his animals the barn was under there. and you couldn't we left it we release the goats in the chicken on the roof but they got scared look at what the ran back into the barn when the what would you call if you had seen it he goes for not here the. stick all the. that's how good. you keep it. we just can't get this fire out however much water we throw at it right off and you . even within sight of the village the fire as a still smoldering weeks after the main fire was put out the light dry peat sewell's and other fall it spread underground among the trees roots putting these fires out is getting harder and harder. we have to drive further each time to get water all the ponds around here are dry. we didn't have

a real winter and now we don't have any water. only the rain can save us now we're begging god to send us rain that would be salvation for us and the whole country. what exactly caused these fires is still a matter of contention was it were just a careless lee discarded cigarette perhaps farmers burning waste but none of these things and you what has changed is the climate. will be to shit all now be under water as you can see it's all just dried out to be mining. the. podium is what you chris been looking off to forests in this region for years he's seen them get dry and dry the poor who we've never seen fires like this new crane on a totally different scale. in the past 5 years we've seen temperatures rising even faster than before so there's a previously we've seen summer temperatures no higher than 25 to 28 degrees so in

the past few years we've had up to 38 sometimes even 40 degrees. or so so that it's really painful to see it like this it's a catastrophe. for we had only seen far as like this on t.v. in australia california which is your thumb can you what i mean you. sit around this home once stood in this forest clearing she and her 2 sons only just made it out in time. but the boys had just started eating lunch when we heard a strange whistling sound at 1st we thought it might be a train in the distance that sound was the wind and the trees and the flames. other we couldn't see it only here and suddenly it was here we managed to get out at the last moment we walked 8 kilometers down that way to the main road we would not have made it to the nearest village when we got to the road it had melted it was that

hot we think. everything's woodlawn has left is now in this mobile home gift from people she's never met who read about her situation online. it's a story you hear time and time again in these villages from food to clothing and even building materials the villages can barely keep track of the donations flooding in from across the country. almost see everyone as helping as i write to them from wouldn't talk to us through the russian and the ukrainian churches money but it will be their own supporting us on the ground because the on the disaster like this reveals who people really are. we have people here in the village who made a big deal i think patriots if they were the 1st high school or some people there were others with bad reputations we actually were the 1st to run into the flames spiral out of. the fall of. no one wants to leave. yet but they were all just praying for rain the only rain complete an end to these miners because

you're right the fire brigade would manage a little. polluted as you can with over there when the smoke is rising you can or you can put the michael not. the long awaited rain of finally came down on this money after we finished filming this report but scientists are warning about the danger is not over the soil is still too dry and it's not even summer yet. here in the we have gotten a very much used to being able to travel from one country to another without having to go through border chicks in fact most of the times you don't even notice that you've crossed from one country to another but because of the corona crisis that has changed we visit the village of that is divided by the german a danish florida family is a living in different parts of the village cannot visit each other most likely for a couple of more weeks but some are trying to make the most of the current

situation sylvia broder some is hurrying to meet her sister kiersten they live in the same village but sylvia lives in germany and her sister and on mars. to do it with. 2 months ago the german danish border crossing here was closed dividing the village into. that's but now all of the 2 sisters can do is meet at this barrier. yeah. and here's tim boss and her danish husband live on the danish side of the village sylvia runs a restaurant on the german side and they often me at the border to exchange greetings and chat about what's happening in the village it is important to them. that. many of my friends live on the other side i don't know how they're doing i can't see them drive over there and visit them that hurts. but understands that the

bush it's about my sister has 2 grandchildren they're like my own grandchildren i'm like a grandma to them and of course they want to see me sometimes my niece mutely at the border as well and then they stand on the other side asking why i'm not able to hug them. yet so we have to explain to them that the border is shut and that they're not allowed to visit my home because they're in denmark i did them not since. the german and danish coronavirus lockdown means many friends and families in the border region who no longer meet. even though over 20 years ago the local border post here was dismantled and border checks scrapped. the barrier is all that's left a reminder of long bygone days. usually sylvia's terraces frequented by mostly danish guests the restaurant serves hearty german fare and has

a menu in both languages. but with the lock down so it was forced to close down. so many takeaway meals alone simply won't cover her costs she is facing financial ruin . the month that i couldn't we normally have space to accommodate $120.00 guests. but with the social distancing we will only be allowed 40 or $44.00 people. we'll try to get back to normal when we're allowed to reopen and the border is open again. so if that doesn't work out we'll have to close for good she's not sure how many years now we've been a family business for 95 years we've run it for 29. i local farmers like yon's hans and are concerned about the situation too. he grows crops on both sides of the border. he can no longer take the direct

route 200 hectares of land on the danish side. he's got a special permit for designated border crossings but that means yes to take major detours. the ads that i'm suspicious we're very worried these measures will stay in place until harvest season. that would mean transporting large farming equipment and machines and combine harvesters back and forth. along with the harvest says what a nightmare. nobody knows when the border will be reopened. at least the members of this german danish band are keeping their spirits up every saturday they meet at the border to play. to rehearse as they say

and to send a message that europe needs open borders and to highlight the importance of good relations between germany and denmark in spite of the border closure. sylvia broadus and shares the sentiment. she says even though the coronavirus lockdown is making life in the border region difficult for germans and danes villagers now feel more connected than ever and corona cannot prevent that the. northern italy has become a symbol of the devastating effects of the coral on a pandemic the virus has killed thousands of people in this part of the country businesses and schools have been forced to close and many have lost their jobs but after months of mourning and fear life and a whole parsed slowly returning to italians like flabby all mortal was just recovering from cope with 19. virus that is spreading

around the world slipped its way into me it's devious invisible and bloodthirsty wilder than an animal on the savanna more toxic than a desert snake quieter than a thief in the night. love your mortal contract to cope with 19 wound up in intensive care and was released before he fully recovered now he's spending 3 weeks in quarantine at home all alone. because. i have time to remember the friends i've lost. would you like some water. priests davido hands out food to the needy and back him up he lives with 320 other people mainly refugees and poor italians. so went on davida got coronavirus they feared for the worst he's the heart and soul of this center.

a little do something funny. they collected money and sent it to africa to the priest so he perform right. now and healthy again a few of them believe that it works ok if that's what they want to believe. during the worst days of the corona crisis there to most city center was completely closed off no one could come in or out the waiting list for those in need of help or shelter grew by another 300 people. carpentry business has had no confirmed cases of coded 19 although a few employees did have fevers and now they're able to return to work and are trying to adapt to the government strict safety regulations agazzi understand the need for rules but says like so often in italy they're extremely complicated.

you know if you. are trying to get a handle on the requirements needed to reopen our business especially the protective equipment you can't find mass anywhere or gloves either. or you find them i don't know if they're the right ones or you don't know where they come from because there's a lot of fraudulent offers. just because speculators are profiting from the tragedy . agazzi wonders how italy will ever recover because the corona virus has crippled not only the country's health but also the entire economy. baerga mole lives in the heart of lombardy the city of 120000 people has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic in all the italy some have even called the italian. but slowly people here are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel if the word out. flavio moros family lived in fear after he started running a fever and having trouble breathing but now he's on the road to recovery next week

he'll be tested for coated 1000 again but until then he and his wife are keeping their distance ok. we speak to each other this far apart. she smiling at me i can see it in her eyes. i long for her brace a caress even just a cautious little kiss. everything will be all right says his wife could go on that i ben has become the mantra in italy in recent weeks don davido is also confident but he knows that what's happened in belgium 0 where military vehicles have carried away countless coffins will change his home city it's changed him to. the us. what if i learn. to seize the day. to live it with joy as if it were your 1st move on with responsibility you hold the support as

if it were your last. coronavirus the invisible threat has shown him life can be over in a flash. flood of god he is still worried not just for himself but for the future of his company many businesses depend on state aid but if it doesn't arrive until july many will have already gone bankrupt. not only. on the institutions. but it's a bureaucratic timeframes and conditions are like the ones we're familiar with initially and that will help us. entirely different decisions than the ones released here because we're not just us and we must be there on the usual italian standards the heart of everyone. has faith in the e.u. so he's optimistic people member states will support one another especially in times of crisis like this otherwise he says the e.u. is pointless. moral says he's been born again he's patiently waiting out his

quarantine he and his loved ones are pursuing a common goal helping flavio get better even if that means he's all on his own. i'm just waiting it out like one of many. one of the many who are fortunate enough . and we wish him all the best and a quick recovery life under lockdown that's what millions of french people have had to endure for weeks and then finally this week some restrictions were lifted people are now allowed to leave their houses our correspondent in paris kept a video diary documenting of the psychological toll that the stay at home order took on him we met him on his 1st day out and about in paris. i i'm on my way to work in my editorial office for the 1st time in 8 weeks for the

1st time since the coup in a long time but somehow this quiet on the streets. even though we were allowed to move around freely many are seeing a woman working from there for the persians are probably afraid of the virus there was. a look back at 13th of march 2020 locked down the crew on a virus is spreading throughout france many people do not understand why from one day to the next if you no longer leave the house. my father and i are aware of the danger because he is a doctor he said but i still have to go to my practice. patients who have the coronavirus calm and i have no protective equipment that's impossible for health authorities are supposed to protect us and they have let us down that's especially painful. i'm worried as 64 my father is in the risk.

to keep him safe at work because a program for remote testing on his computer every morning he no sees his patients on the street because many are afraid they have the virus. should. i think it's highly unlikely that you've become infected with the coronavirus. the situation is different in hospitals. friends of my father work in crowded intensive care units. hospital staff also lack protective clothing my father is upset the soo many people are infected. several doctors and nurses have died. is there. every evening at 8 pm sharp applause for the doctors and hospital staff. our neighbors want to show support for those who are risking their lives by fighting on the front line against the fires. i joining the day can do is cook meals for once my girlfriend elaine has come by she

lives with her parents and 3 siblings in a 40 square metre apartment like many provisions. i the streets are entier than ever i say are deserted the death toll is rising and rising i nevertheless we try to maintain a normal rhythm of life getting up early every morning. sure. we celebrate my father's 65th birthday as best we can establish normality even when nothing is normal anymore. and as much as i try to top place self into accepting house arrest i'm really feeling closed and i have only one thing on my money so to get out of paris. i find an excuse to sneak out of town early in the morning i want to visit my mother in the halls on the 600 kilometer dry i see just by cars just a river i never seen our country so empty one that is like

a science fiction movie and this is for. after a 5 hour journey i reach my destination despite the beautiful landscape my mother is not doing well either my grandmother is in an old people's home and she is not related visit her for weeks she can only talk to her through the window. for one moment hello mom i brought you flowers at different. points she could i can't have physical contact with her anymore but that is important to her and i can't take care of her clothes anymore since the lockdown i have not brought her any because i'm afraid i might be carrying the virus she won't get the should you. think back in paris my father now wants to see patients in his practice again under strict safety rules but he has to get the masks and other protective equipment himself on the internet for a lot of money but difficult to fool patients are only allowed to come to the

practice if they have an appointment. so no one is allowed to sit in the waiting room. there too i could see that all the patients must disinfect their hands. every morning we also have to clean the floors thoroughly sufficiently clear that 11th of me 2020 after 8 weeks of lockdown and more than 25000 dead we take our 1st steps back into everyday life restaurants remain closed. meaning if the love that is left to life will not be the same as before we must be patient and learn to live with 5 years. void of us because existing restrictions have to take that we all did and we are. one thing that we are getting more and more used to is seeing people covering their faces with a mass in the several countries in europe people are required to cover their faces

in public spaces like in the czech republic now because i'm asked as sometimes hard to get by some artists in the czech capital of prag have come up with a way to offer a mass to anyone who needs them. the prague spring 2020 comes very special blossoms facemasks hanging from a tree in the prague district. events are no longer taking place in the atrium cultural center so the staff here has started connecting people differently not through art and culture but by producing facemasks every day around 50 face masks are hung up on the tree and fence and each person is allowed to take a maximum of 2 masts free of charge. is that i'm up about it because it's free of charge it's just neighborly help on a simple level where the people here help one another one person will bring textiles others will come to sew and some bring finished facemask for other people to pick up the wearing face masks has been made compulsory in the czech republic

for more than 4 weeks now and has become a part of everyday life in prague. unlike germany the masks need to be worn at all times in public there were shortages of face masks here too but people reacted quickly and the country turned into a giant sewing machine of sorts. foreigners living in the czech republic can only take their hats know their masks off to the us and off like paul weight from england. compared to britain or france or spain or the states has been much stronger. but i think the czechs have played a big part as well. designed to work together to do things like making. and to be genuinely socially responsible yeah as i think really helped. when in prague even john lennon wears a mask now and as he's saying in his song imagine it's easy if you try.

and press the how the people practicing their imagination to get through of the crisis and that's it for today's show i thank you for watching and bye bye.

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