| Ok... but that mostly just seems like Germany. At least the stereotype of Germany is that all the rules are very strict and it's very important to follow them. From "What makes Germans so orderly?" https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200531-what-makes-germa... On the high-speed train gliding smoothly from Berlin to Düsseldorf, a young man started chatting to me. He eventually asked, “What are some of the cultural differences you’ve noticed between Germans and Americans?” As if on cue, a middle-aged woman hovered over us and gave a harsh, “Shh!” with her finger pressed against her lips. She pointed to a sign of a mobile phone with a cross through it, indicating that we were in the Ruhebereich, the quiet carriage of the train. “You must be quiet,” she said, before returning to her seat. “That,” I said to the man sitting next to me. “That’s different.” From "The lines a German won't cross" https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/weekinreview/05KULISH.htm... As their eyes alight on the small sign that goes with it, which reads “barefoot zone” in German, grown men freeze as though they have hit a force field, or had an electric shock administered for being foolish enough to try to pass it still shod. But I can not say what the repercussions would be. This being Germany, I have never seen anyone wearing shoes on the far side of the line and certainly would not risk it myself. These are articles published in respectable, mainstream, western news. I'm not alone in thinking that German society is somewhat stricter than most other western societies. |
You are right in saying Germans love to follow rules. The restrictions in Italy were also not as hard as in Germany. I gave the example of Germany since that's where I lived during the pandemic, but Poland for example I heard was similar to Germany, and much of Eastern Europe was _worse_ (since for them it was properly life or death -- all the doctors left, and the medical infrastructure is in shambles).
edit: actually, those restrictions did get tightened, like in Germany: https://italygreenpass.com/new-decree-on-super-green-pass-re...
Italy is not associated with strictness or rules, obviously.
edit2: Germany also counts natural infections as 3G+/Superpass. I didn't get naturally infected for a _long_ time.