Germany’s government said on Wednesday that suggestions of how to adapt to summer heatwaves like a public health group’s call for siestas should be taken “very seriously” given sharply rising temperatures.
While Germany has escaped the kind of temperatures that hit southern Europe this week, it has sweltered in the mid-30s Celsius, with Bavaria seeing the country’s record high so far at 38.8 Celsius.
Johannes Niessen, the head of the BVOeGD public health officers association, had said Germans should follow the habits of people in the hotter climes of southern Europe in an interview published by the RND media network on Tuesday.
“Get up early, work productively in the morning, and take a siesta at midday,” he said.
The World Meteorological Organization warned a heatwave in the northern hemisphere was set to intensify, increasing the risk of deaths linked to excessively high temperatures.
“People are not as efficient in strong heat as they are otherwise,” Niessen said. “Moreover bad sleep in the absence of cooling in the night leads to concentration problems.”
A government spokesperson on Wednesday said such initiatives had to be “taken very seriously” against the backdrop of a “massive change in the summer temperatures”.
He noted some workplaces, including those outdoors, faced serious challenges as a result of the heat.
“I do see this as a serious topic which will concern us for the coming years.”
German health minister Karl Lauterbach had said on Tuesday a siesta was “certainly no bad proposal” but employers and workers should negotiate this together.
On holiday in Italy, Lauterbach tweeted that high temperatures had stopped him going on a day trip to Rome.
“My daughter would rather stay in the pool while I will read. Next try tomorrow.”
The BDA employers association said more flexible working hours could enable employees to take longer midday breaks if it suited both parties.
Niessen also called for “sufficient fans and lighter clothing, even if the attire rules for an office don’t allow it.”
“A cold footbath under the desk would be another option to stay cool while working from home,” he said.
(Reuters)