In Praise of Boris Johnson and His Efforts to Overcome Covid-19 - Page 4

No. Just my way of trying to get the message across. I know you are trying to help too. I am buoyed by many facebook entries from Mojacar and its environs and especially with like-minded posters here. Most people want a favourable outcome to the pandemic, but still there are those airheads who think all this will blow over shortly. 

Twelve weeks is a target set by some governments to review the situation, but this is just the initial target. The truth is that things won't return to some kind of normality this side of 2021. For those who still have not got the message life in Spain and the UK and Ireland (and nearly everywhere else) has changed. Investors of Spanish property should start refunding deposits for summer and autumn rentals as it is likely nobody will be coming. The long term rental market is about to become more competitive so such tenants can confidently look forward to cheaper monthly rents. I bet some more ears are being pricked now. Those looking after property e.g. cleaning people are about to have much more spare time on hands. Waiting staff in restaurants/bars have no work as I post. I am only scraping the surface of the bad news that's ahead.

If you are still in Spain and doubt what I am saying have a chat with an estate agent who is capable of informing you of the full truth without cliched words.

Our best friend and business partner is an Estate Agent here so yes, you speak very much the truth.

By this time of the year, Valle del Este is not wildly busy, but there’s still normally a few people here - now, it’s like a ghost town.  The only people I’ve seen are the guys maintaining the gardens etc, trimming hedges and the like.  Even if Spain comes out of its lockdown after two weeks ... which it won’t (government already saying likely to continue to April 12 minimum), tourism this year is over already.  UK is a couple of weeks behind Spain in trying to contain this outbreak and still hasn’t put in very strict measures - it is very possible - probable evening - that restrictions may be placed on UK visitors to Spain on entering for a few months yet.

As for Madrileños attempting to come down to the coast, the army has been drafted in to assist and has been given the authority to arrest and fine people breaking quarantine.  For those coast-bound Madrileños, roadblocks on highways and large fines await.

  Australia has placed a ban on international travel for 6 months .....

It’s not all doom and gloom, we WILL come out the other side of this and carry on - but the world has changed and there will be a few months of economic recovery ahead.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-51970379

Good Morning Everybody - We're receiving startling television pictures from various  countries of europe and beyond. Most of what we're seeing suggests that if we ever make it to the Final Chase on Bradley Walsh's show we don't need the kind of people from the television news on our team. 

On the other hand we see pictures of Irish supermarkets where distances of 2 metres have been indicated on the ground in the check-out zones. I'm not saying we Irish are getting everything right, but I'd have more confidence that we could beat the Chaser.

Enough of the humour and back to the pandemic. The main cause of spreading the Covid-19 range of virus is through droplets caused by sneezing, spitting, coughing etc. (If you take nothing on board of what I post, take this one). Most supermarkets insist that you use hand sanatizers before you enter. They even supply them and have staff at hand to ensure you obey. Fail to observe instructions and suddenly the security staff will escort you from the premises. 

Bulk buying is a thing of the past since a fortnight ago. Queue jumping is obviated. Shouting at shop staff no longer happens. Once again, I reiterate that I'm not trying to say we have all the answers, but we.re getting some things right. 

I would hate to be the guy who sneezed openly in public around here. Our national media carry advice to sneeze into a paper hankerchief (or your elbow) and immediately do some simple cleansing procedures. Hand shakes and hugging are a no-no. Today is Mothers Day and physical visits from children/grandchildren should not happen. We are advised to wash our hands for no less than 20 seconds in the proper way and using lathering soap and water. Don't laugh, but touching our face is to be kept to a minimum. (Wearing paper masks demands more touching of the face in adjusting etc, so anybody wearing a mask is not as safe as you think). Don't knock it, try it. It ain't that difficult in practice. 

In our house our system is not to go out unless necessary (we have underlying medical conditions). We try to clean as we go without being candidates for advising on How Clean is Your House. 

The surge in Covid-19 confirmed cases here has begun. The predictions are not pretty. But, most of us have bought into trying to do our best in the circumstances. There are exceptions though.

Stay Safe - It is never the wrong time to do the right thing.

Some updated stats.

3 months to reach 100,000 cases.

12 days later 200,000 cases.

4 days later its hit 300,000.

The overall death rate is just under 1 in 24. 

Morning Matthew, the measures you outline in supermarkets were pretty much what were put in place here just on a week ago now, along with restriction on number of people inside at any one time.  But I see Spain’s cases have had a 30% increase in the last 24 hours with 5000 new cases being reported.  This is what UK doesn’t seem to get - once the virus gets in to the population, it rips through at a frightening speed, it has a highly evolved infection mechanism.

In Australia, WA and SA have closed their borders and NSW and VIC have gone into lockdown.  Too little, too late I fear.  And what are the YS doing? Apart from labeling it a “foreign virus” and having a National day of prayer?

Sorry - “YS”?

I suspect we are all in roughly the same boat

Bored?

YS - could be a typo .... or could be code for “Yankee States” .... your choice 🤣

I see it’s been announced quarantine will continue for another 15 days. Not unexpected.

Definitely not bored - playing with my website, updating graphics, adding shadow and highlights in photoshop to make silver borders look “real” .... lots to do still

Here’s English version - it’s in Spanish in El País as well : https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2020/03/22/breaking-news-spains-government-decides-to-prolong-state-of-alarm-by-15-days-as-the-worst-is-yet-to-come/amp/#.Xnc6GZNKhQI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jpbnLBwlKo

Advice from an Irish hospital consultant regarding Covid-19. Worth watching and observing what she says.