Like any other company, Bremeninvest is very concerned about the health of its employees abroad. Wang Lu is head of the Bremeninvest office in Shanghai, around 700 kilometres from Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak. There are still restrictions in Shanghai, as she tells us:
“Masks have to be worn at all times in public spaces, and most people are still trying to avoid anywhere that is busy. Your body temperature is taken whenever you get on the metro or enter public spaces such as residential areas, parks and shopping centres. Recently, the number of new cases has risen slightly in large urban centres such as Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou due to an influx of people from other areas.
The crisis is having an impact on the economy, of course, but we appear to be returning to some form of normality. Some restaurants, cafés and gyms have reopened, but cinemas, museums and theatres remain closed. The office block where I work is once again accessible via both main entrances; access was restricted before.
In most places, you now have to show your health code app on your phone if you want to enter somewhere. This app uses a traffic light system to indicate whether you are potentially at risk, and if it is green you may enter. Fortunately, the number of inquiries and the interest in setting up companies in Germany – especially in Bremen, of course – is increasing again, which is a good sign.”
Bremeninvest has other offices abroad, and we have summarised the situation in each location in this article.