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RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to terry70)
Nothing much happening in Denmark. All arrangements with more than 10 people are banned. 3-4 events I wanted to go to was banned. Now I fear for my Iceland-Faeroe Islands trip in June-July but Denmark will be opening bit by bit after Easter, as we have a positive prognosis and a downward spiral for patients committed to hospital.
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RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to mrstwinkle)
quote:
Key worker so still going to work - on mad shifts to split workers into groups. Body clock wrecked.
Never think your efforts are not appreciated by the majority. And I hope not forgotten when we come out the other side of this. Thank you.
Yes it is odd but here in Spain the food we put out for the sparrows and odd blackbird is being visited by Egrets. The odd thing is that the natural food of these fellows is not directly associated with humans. On the other hand the hoopoes who normally wander the lawns are somewhat absent. The bats seem unaffected. I guess they don't feel guilty
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nigel (el raton de Watford - now Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz)
Posts: 3467
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to pbekkerh)
pbekkerh, In the US we have an evening program called the PBS Newshour which usually takes an in-depth look at three or four topics of the day. Yesterday (Wednesday), they had a segment comparing the different approaches to Covid-19 by Denmark and Sweden. Denmark, like most countries, is practicing social distancing and stay-at-home except for groceries and pharmacies.
Sweden, on the other hand, is doing the opposite. the program indicated that restaurants, bars, and other places where people gather were open, and it showed crowds of Swedes drinking together, eating, and carrying on as if there were no problem. The program further mentioned that the Swedish health minister was deliberately encouraging people to get out together in order to catch Covid-19 and, according to the health minister, create "herd immunity." Apparently the Swedes think they have kept the vulnerable segment of their population safe, but it is hard to imagine how they do that if the vast majority are deliberately catching Coronavirus.
I would be interested in your assessment of how Covid-19 is affecting the Swedish population, and with their different, and dangerous, approach, has Denmark instituted any ban on Swedes entering Denmark? Or has Denmark closed its borders to all visitors?
Bill
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And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to pbekkerh)
Perhaps, but perhaps getting it over with (given no vaccination exists) is the only realistic solution. The current path is leading a significant chunk of the world population towards poverty.
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to pbekkerh)
Herd immunity is not a guaranteed exit strategy without a vaccine. As with other coronaviruses, natural immunity may only last a few months and you risk many more deaths by allowing high infection. Sweden is already considering tighter measures.
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Neil)
True, but at least it gives us a short to medium term exit strategy. A mutatioin of covid will happen either way. Spreading worldwide economic collapse while praying it magically goes away is all we're doing at the moment. For people not in nice safe permanent jobs, this is a disaster.
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to pbekkerh)
quote:
Spreading worldwide economic collapse while praying it magically goes away is all we're doing at the moment
No-one is praying it magically goes away. The current suppression (although implemented too little and too late in many cases) is about making sure health services have at least half a chance and we can save as many lives as possible. Once the numbers are down, testing, tracing and control methods can be used to contain it while we search for an effective treatment or vaccine.
Herd immunity is about committing to millions being infected and accepting a heavy death toll while overwhelming the health services to try and protect the economy with no guarantees it will work. The current strategy is about trying to minimise the damage to the economy and human life until a clear exit strategy is found.
I was pleased to see the EU nations finally come to an agreement on the half a trillion rescue plan yesterday but we will have to wait to see the details and how effective it is. I agree with the point El Burdo made about releasing funds and mutual support - the economic mechanisms are there if they choose to use them.
BTW, we had our first confirmed case in our village this week. It was a younger man and he is now in hospital and should be okay but we have a lot of older people here so it has brought a lot of fear. No testing available yet apart from those who had direct contact with the guy in the last three weeks.
Posts: 6440
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Neil)
Looks like the lockdown will be lifted here in Italy, on May 4th, although we are not sure to what extent. Another 3 weeks is not going to hurt us much but the economy really needs to get moving again.
Posts: 3467
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Neil)
quote:
Herd immunity is not a guaranteed exit strategy without a vaccine. As with other coronaviruses, natural immunity may only last a few months and you risk many more deaths by allowing high infection. Sweden is already considering tighter measures.
I was interested in Pbekkerh's take on Sweden since he is right next door. As it is, statistically (per capita) Sweden has a considerably higher infection and death rate due to Covid-19 than either Denmark or Norway, both of which are observing "stay-at-home" and "social distancing" regimes. Apparently the Swedish Health Minister thinks that is a valid trade-off, although I, too, have read that Sweden may be re-thinking that approach.
The whole idea of creating "herd immunity" without a proven vaccine is a shot in the dark. No one knows if those who have survived Covid-19 have permanent immunity or not. How long do the anti-bodies remain? It reminds me of the anti-vaxxer crowd who have bought into the false claim that MMR vaccine causes autism. There have been reports that parents would bring their children together to have "measles parties," in order for the children to actually contract measles and thus become immune. Those ignorant parents had no idea the risk at which they put their kids with such nonsense.
Bill
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And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to pbekkerh)
Not my locality but perhaps all,the world. Not my faith but inspiring...
Avi Maria sung in Notra Dame this good Friday
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I prefer my flamenco guitar spicy, doesn't have to be fast, should have some meat on the bones, can be raw or well done, as long as it doesn't sound like it's turning green on an elevator floor.
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to flyeogh)
Great figures again today for Spain but we will see in a week or so what impact restarting the economy has.
This morning the carpenter came to collect a deposit for work we are waiting on. The wood supplier is delivering again so he can get the wood and do the preparation.
I asked him what he had planned to say if the police stopped him, thinking he might claim he was shopping or visiting a vulnerable person. He said he'd tell them he gets no help and he needs money to eat. It will be interesting to see what happens when more people start to run out of money
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nigel (el raton de Watford - now Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz)
Posts: 6440
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to flyeogh)
Folks are getting a bit tetchy here but in the campagna, life goes on fairly normally as they are pretty self-sufficient plus the food shops stay well stocked. We make a shopping trip once a week and I have paid work online, so life is not much different for us.
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to pbekkerh)
Had my first (since lock down) cafe con leche in a bar yesterday. Since the move to Level 1 it has rained most of the time. That may explain most bars staying closed. The waiters were glad to see me but the whole thing was a bit depressing.
Of course there are no tourists so it is up to us locals to do our best. The problem is that I have quite a lot of beer, wines and spirits (for cocktails) to get through. And I know from talking to the delivery guys that many others are in the same boat. And of course there is no football, and many of my neighbours only ever go to the bar when a game that includes Real Madrid, Barca, Sevilla or Cadiz is on.
It'll be a long haul but at least we can freely move around
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nigel (el raton de Watford - now Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz)
Posts: 221
Joined: Mar. 17 2015
From: Virginia USA
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to pbekkerh)
The golf courses are open in my area. They have very strict rules regarding social distancing at those courses owned by the county, one player per cart, no doubling up unless the players come from the same household. As soon as the carts were returned after play, the attendant sprayed the whole carts with disinfectant, I heard hydrogen peroxide was used, to get them ready for the next players.
Costco opens one hour just for seniors in the morning, several days each week. The line was long and it took me 20 minutes to get to the front door. I was reminded several time by a Costco employee that only 3 meats were allowed. He walked around checking on everyone at the meat station. I was told that I could buy as much fish as I wanted, but there was not much fish to buy.
The other day I had to go to the local Kaiser Permanente for a blood test. As soon as the lady saw me approaching the front door, she ran outside and asked me 6, 7 questions. I had to answer all correctly before she let me walk inside. I felt some hostility like at the airport security checkpoint after 911. There were only one other patient inside. But all medical staff were courteous and friendly.
So my main activities during coronavirus lockdown include playing golf, grocery shopping and practicing my flamenco.
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to rombsix)
Looks like Madrid will be going into phase 1 on Monday. Big difference this week is that masks are now compulsory, so the amount of people wearing them shot up drastically. The rules on when and where you have to wear them are a little bit murky so in the end people are just wearing them everywhere to be on the safe side.
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"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
Posts: 6440
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Piwin)
All wearing masks (and gloves) here, as they have been for weeks. Places are opening up like bars, restaurants and shops. Travel restrictions have been lifted and incoming international visitors from June.
So far, so good. One upside is that the Italians do actually know how to queue politely
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Escribano)
quote:
Italians do actually know how to queue politely
I wish the same could be said of the Spanish, but based on what I experienced this morning at the grocery store, I'm not optimistic. The Mercadona nearby is apparently no longer controlling the amount of people who are in the store at any given time, as it was jam-packed (well, really it was just busy like it would be on a normal Saturday in a pre-pandemic world, but now it feels jam-packed). People could just stroll in without having to wait and inside there was no way to maintain proper distances. Well, there would've been a way, but, well... Spain... Highlights include a man wearing his mask as some sort of decoration for his glasses, just stuck there on one side dangling down, covering nothing, a woman wearing the mask below the nose, and a man grabbing my shoulder... The words "second wave" come to mind, but, well, hopefully the majority will be responsible enough to mitigate that.
They hand out single-use plastic gloves when you enter the grocery store, but I haven't seen many people wearing any outside of that setting.
I need to asks my friends how they're doing up in France. One thing I'm curious about is what will happen to certain cultural norms like "la bise". I wonder whether those norms will disappear or whether, as the saying goes, "chassez le naturel, il revient au galop".
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"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
Posts: 1759
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: The Netherlands
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to pbekkerh)
Here in Holland, it is easying down. Only in public transport you need a mask. 1.5 meter society is rule here, terraces and restaurants open 1sr of june. In restaurants are not more than 30 people allowed. My son, who is a dentist can work full time again. And all the people are asked to work at home.
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Piwin)
quote:
I wish the same could be said of the Spanish
Guess near Cadiz we have a nicer type of spaniard We use 'ultimo' so no need to queue. People mill around outside until their ultimo has finished.
For those unaccustomed when you arrive at the shop you say 'ultimo'. The last person waiting acknowledges your position behind them. You are now ultimo and pass the title on to the next person to arrive. Means you can wonder about and chat without fear of losing your turn.
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nigel (el raton de Watford - now Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz)
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to flyeogh)
They do that too here. Not really at the grocery store though. To check out at the grocery store it's just a regular queue. But it's not that people were impolite or cutting in. They were just very close to each other. The 1.5m rule has apparently vanished. Mercadona's fault for no longer limiting the amount of people who can go inside at the same time. I wonder if it's not also that people feel safe with their masks on now and so they're less respectful of the other rules. Dunno.
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"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
Posts: 6440
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to flyeogh)
quote:
For those unaccustomed when you arrive at the shop you say 'ultimo'. The last person waiting acknowledges your position behind them. You are now ultimo and pass the title on to the next person to arrive. Means you can wonder about and chat without fear of losing your turn.
In Italy it is also 'ultimo' as in 'chi è l'ultimo?', you then acquire the title which also allows you to wander around a little. When the supermarket gets quieter one can enter freely.
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to pbekkerh)
Just comeback from the local sports bar. Saw Real Madrid beat Eibar 3-1 but it was a poor match. Real went to sleep after scoring 3 and in truth Eibar deserved a draw. So the locals, including my spanish brother-in-law - visiting from Jaen, were not overly pleased.
But almost as many people in the bar as last year for a Real Madrid game. Only the staff wore masks. And the tables for sure were not 2ms apart, many shared between different groups, and even some children running about.
And a guy outside pumping Sevillanas and getting good palmas support. Even a bit of cante. Never seen that near that bar before.
I get the feeling less and less people are taking the virus very seriously here. I guess here being one of the lowest impacted areas in Spain is bound to lead to lethargy towards the hidden enemy.
Vamos a ver. We will see
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nigel (el raton de Watford - now Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz)
"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
Posts: 3446
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Piwin)
All I have to go on is what I read on the internet. I am essentially sheltering in place.
Bars and restaurants are supposed to be open at reduced capacity, with social distancing. Restaurants seem to be complying, numerous bars are flagrantly violating guidelines.
The city still requires face masks in social settings, but the governor's emergency declaration forbids enforcing the wearing of face masks (!) Reports vary from some businesses denying entry to people without masks, to nearly complete absence of masks elsewhere.
The number of new cases per day has nearly doubled, starting on June 9. Counting two weeks back from then gets you to the Memorial Day weekend, when large groups gathered in parks and other public places.
For the last week the streets downtown have been packed with protesters against police violence. Little or no social distancing is evident in news photos and videos.
The rate of new hospitalizations has slightly exceeded 20 per day. This is the rate the City Public Health Department set as a threshold to consider issuing more stringent guidelines. I haven't read the new guidelines yet, but i expect a sizable segment of the population to ignore them.
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to Piwin)
Typed up a pithy reply but found slicing it up brought tears to my eyes...
HR
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I prefer my flamenco guitar spicy, doesn't have to be fast, should have some meat on the bones, can be raw or well done, as long as it doesn't sound like it's turning green on an elevator floor.
Posts: 6440
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: In your locality – what’s it... (in reply to flyeogh)
Things are getting back a kind of normality here. Italians are not naturally socially-distant animals, but they are all wearing masks everywhere, keeping their distance and sitting outside bars and cafes.
The market in town was very busy yesterday, even though it is horribly overpriced tat. People are just glad to get out and about, I guess.
I remain hopeful that the epidemic can continue to be contained and that the country gets back some of its tourists for the Summer months.