Dear members, partners & friends,

It's been another week #WFH and if you were among the more than 80.000 MA residents who lost power this week due to the storm on Monday, I hope you are back online: the lifeline to almost everything these days.

All eyes will be on Germany and the recent announcement of some relaxations of lockdown measures which includes most notably the opening of stores (up to a certain size) as April 20 and the partial opening of schools as of May 4th. And judging from our poll results - one third of you are banking on the easing of the still-in-place travel restrictions as you are making travel plans for this summer.

We have a great lineup of events coming up - please register - and we also feature a few recommendations to events through other organizations that might be of interest.

Also, this week, we share with you a special communication by the Deutsches Altenheim . Please see below for their letter. As always, news around our sponsors and local and international press stories. If you have any news to share for us, please reach out.

Stay healthy.

Emily Westhoven
Executive Director
Weekly Poll
This poll will close on April 23 at noon. We will publish the results in the next newsletter.
This week's poll
Results from last week's poll:
Are you making international travel plans for this summer?
News from our sponsors
MilliporeSigma is helping to aid in the fight against Covid-19 in more ways than its products and services. This infographic -- click on the image to see the next pages -- explains how.
Repatriation Flights
Over the last few weeks, Lufthansa and its crews carried out more than 150 repatriation flights worldwide in order to bring more than 41.000 travelers home safely. This was also part of a concerted "Rückholaktion" by the German Foreign Office who announced today that they have brought back to date more than 240.000 German citizens from across the Globe.
Lufthansa Flights to and from Boston
Lufthansa Group flights to and from Boston are currently suspended until May 17th 2020 due to the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. More information about rebooking options as well as entry ban for non-EU citizens and rules for entering Germany can be found here .
Translating Washington for Germany
Excerpt from Andrew Adair's April 16 Newsletter:
" Economic projections worsen; no concrete plans yet to restart economy: 
(...) A robust political debate has emerged about how quickly to “reopen” the U.S. economy. Trump and many Republican allies want to do so soon, despite health risks — in order to soften the economic damage. Gary Cohn, Trump’s top economic advisor during the first 18 months of his presidency,  has cautioned against moving too quickly  and said it must happen in stages. Trump has now empaneled a “ Council to Reopen America ,” comprising mostly business leaders, as a counterweight to his public-health team. Nevertheless, on the group’s first conference call (held yesterday), many of these business leaders urged Trump to  dramatically increase testing  before restarting businesses. (To date  only 3 million Americans  — less than one percent of the U.S. population — have been tested.) On a separate track,  governors of seven states on in the northeast  (including New York) as well as  three states on the west coast  (including California) have begun to establish frameworks for restarting their economies separate from Trump’s. " Newsletter in English | Newsletter auf Deutsch
In the News | Pressespiegel
As seen in
NIH partners with 16 drug companies in hopes of accelerating Covid-19 treatments and vaccines
April 17, 2020
" The partnership, to be known as Accelerating Covid-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines, or ACTIV, is meant to standardize research between the federally funded researchers and a broad array of drug companies, and prioritize research into drugs and vaccines that are having high near-term potential."

As seen in
An Army of Virus Tracers Takes Shape in Massachusetts

April 16, 2020
" Asian countries have invested heavily in digital contact tracing, which uses technology to warn people when they have been exposed to the coronavirus. Massachusetts is using an old-fashioned means: people ."

As seen in
SBA's $349B Paycheck Protection Program officially runs out of money

April 16, 2020
>>The notice,  posted on the SBA’s website , states the “SBA is currently unable to accept new applications for the Paycheck Protection Program based on available appropriations funding. Similarly, we are unable to enroll new PPP lenders at this time."<<

As seen in
Germany to relax coronavirus lockdown measures

April 15, 2020
"Germany will reopen many of its shops next Monday and some of its schools from May 4, as it joins other European countries in relaxing the draconian shutdown measures adopted last month to slow down the coronavirus pandemic."

Upcoming Events
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the world’s financial markets into a rapid decline, making individuals, financial experts and organizations question the best strategies for navigating investments and business. In this discussion, we will hear from experts at BlackRock and the Progressive Investors Network as they examine where the market is, where it is going, and how to think about the macroeconomics of the new financial policies put into place in the US to address the current economic challenges.

This event is organized by Swissnex Boston in parternship with GABC.

Date : Thursday, April 23
Time : 3 to 4PM EST
Have EU-US Trade Talks Stalled During The Pandemic?

Before the coronavirus burst onto the global scene, there was an expectation that the U.S. had an interest in finalizing at least a “mini” EU-US trade deal before the November elections. Join us for an assessment of the state of U.S.-Europe trade negotiations as well as other political and economic observations with Washington insider and Founder of DC / Berlin Consulting, Andrew Adair who is currently based in Berlin. This conversation will be facilitated by GABC board member Leslie Griffin, Principal at Allinea LLC.

Submit questions for panelists before event here .

Date : Wednesday, April 29
Time : 11AM to 11:45AM -- via ZOOM
Save-the-Date: Virtual Wine Tasting

We are partnering with VinoDiVino to launch our first virtual wine tasting!

Please look out for more details in the coming days to be part of this first and exclusive event that will include a delivery of wine to your house and secures you a spot in the tasting experience that will be led by VinodiVino's wine expert Mike Mendes.

Start the weekend (what's a weekend?) off with a relaxing tasting of wine while connecting with GABC members & friends over ZOOM.

Date : Friday, May 8
Time : 6PM to 7PM.

Registration details to follow.
The May Stammtisch Goes Zoom, Again!

The Young Professionals April Virtual Stammtisch was fun and will be back in May via Zoom -- including new Trivia questions!

Sit back, relax and zoom with the YPs -- everyone welcome!

Please register to receive a confirmation email with the Zoom link prior to the Stammtisch.

Date : Tuesday, May 12
Time : 7PM to 9PM
Other Virtual Events of Interest
  • Crisis Management Programs: Venture Lane has dedicated 100% of their programming to crisis management for early-stage technology companies. These virtual programs are free and open to all. Throughout the week. View here.

  • The European Union's Response to Coronvirus: Speakers are Sergio Fabbrini; Alvaro Renedo; Nicholas Burns. Organized by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School in partnership with Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship; Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies. Register Monday, April 21 8:30 to 10:00 AM.

From our Members
We live in extraordinary times and many parts of our society are affected. Senior living facilities are under particular severe threat of the Coronavirus pandemic. Supporting them is an important responsibility. As these times are calling for extraordinary measures, GABC would like to share with you this particular request from the Deutsches Altenheim Foundation and we appreciate your attention and support. -
- GABC

Host Families Wanted: GISB hosts a group of exchange students every year in grades 9 to 12. Students join GISB from Germany and the global network of German Schools abroad for 5 to 10 months. They contribute to the cultural and social diversity of the Upper School, making GISB an even more exciting place. Be part of this rewarding experience by opening your home and heart to an international exchange student! Allowing a student to discover America as part of your family, will give you the opportunity to learn about a different culture, its values, traditions, language and food. A monthly stipend will be provided. For more information on becoming a host family, please contact  Susanne Friedman , International Student Program Manager. 

GISB seeks Preschool Teachers for the Early Education Center for the upcoming school year. This is a full-time flex position. Preschool teachers at German International School Boston co-teach with another full-time educator in a mixed-age group of 2.9 – 5 years. Among other things, teachers design and lead activities to promote physical, mental and social development such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips. Read more about the position in the  German   or   English   description .  
GABC Young Professionals
This past Tuesday, the YPs held a successful first virtual Stammtisch and the next one is already on the calendar. German/American trivia was part of the conversation and they even had a YP founding member join from sunny San Diego! We are wondering: Who had the best virtual background?
Help Needed? Help Wanted!

Are you in need of help?
If you are in the Metro Boston area, sick at home, alone and not able to go out to buy groceries, get to the pharmacy or are "stuck" in some other kind of way, reach out to the GABC YP Helpline. They may be able to assist you with a run to the store or assist in other ways.

Are you able to help?
Would you like to volunteer to help someone in need who is alone and appreciates the assistance?

Send an Email to the GABC YP Helpline: gabcyphelpline@gmail.com
Donate Blood : Another great way to help right now is to donate blood. However, it's important to check the eligibilty criteria first. If you have lived in Europe for a certain amount of time, you are most likely excluded:
  • Inquire here about eligibility and to make an appointment at Dana Farber
  • Review Mass General's Blood Donor Eligibility Guidelines
Our Annual Supporters -Thank you!
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
GERMAN-AMERICAN BUSINESS COUNCIL of BOSTON
 Email:  info@gabc-boston.org     Web Site: www.gabc-boston.org