German coronavirus ad praises couch potatoes as the ‘special heroes’ of lockdown

"Our couch was the frontline and our patience was our weapon."

A German government advert has praised couch potatoes and lazy people as the 'special heroes' of the coronavirus lockdown. Germany has seen a sharp rise in cases of Covid-19, which has prompted the government to take drastic measures. These measures include a series of comical public health videos urging Germans to 'do nothing' and embrace laziness. That is, to not venture outdoors or make unnecessary contact with others. The first video features an elderly man from the future looking back at the winter of 2020. Entitled "#specialheroes - Together against corona", the translation recalls how the German population became heroes by being lazy and doing nothing. "The fate of this country lay in our hands," the old man says. "So, we mustered all our courage and did what was expected of us, the only right thing. "We did nothing. Absolutely nothing. "Our couch was the frontline and our patience was our weapon." https://twitter.com/antoni_UK/status/1327701477008285696?s=20 A second video depicts the elderly man's girlfriend. She joined him in the fight against Covid-19 by also staying in and eating a bucket of fried chicken alongside him in bed. https://twitter.com/antoni_UK/status/1327935888727347201?s=20 A third German government advert told the story of Toby, a keen gamer whose laziness stood him in good stead against the coronavirus. 'Toby' says his laziness was so great, he was rewarded with a military-style medal. "When the virus spread, I remained the same lazy sack of potatoes that I was before. But unlike me, the world had changed: to contain the virus, people were urged to stay at home, doing nothing suddenly became a public service, laziness could save lives and I was a champion in that." https://twitter.com/antoni_UK/status/1328296156733075457?s=20 The German government hope these tongue-in-cheek videos strike a chord with the population, helping to remind them of social distancing guidelines and the need to restrict contact with others.