state of emergency

[Erato]

Uh oh, a coronavirus state of emergency has been declared in Ecuador.  The mayor of Quito expanded upon it with various decrees among which:  old people have to stay in their homes.  According to my neighborhood informant, the police have been ordered to pick up any elderly person seen out in the street and return him/her home. 

I have a number of errands that must be done today.  I just accomplished the first one without incident right under the noses of several police officers.  Fortunately, I don't have gray hair so from a distance I can pass as younger.  When I saw a cop, I just looked down and assumed a jaunty, youthful step.  It worked.  I hope I can do the same this afternoon.  This is going to be a hassle, though.

[groom]

At what age are they declaring people old, Erato? 

[Erato]

Well, as I understand it, the house arrest applies to "personas de la tercera edad," which is to say 65+.  The information available online makes it sound more like a recommendation than a regulation and I saw nothing about police action to round up stray senior citizens.  I did see other oldsters out and about this morning including foreign tourists.  If the cops nab me this afternoon I will put on a bewildered foreigner act and let them escort me home.

[Llwyd]

Not a good idea to look away/down when you see a police officer - it draws attention to you. Either look at him/her or look straight ahead and walk normally.
 

[Erato]

Actually, I'm the kind of person who normally looks down while walking because I'm always looking for stuff on the ground - plants, animals and whatnot.  At any rate, I was not apprehended this afternoon, either, and there seemed to be quite a few seniors out and about boldly defying the mayor.  I'll stay in for the next few days because I already got well stocked up with food.

[Gillg]

I think people are stocking up because the government is saying that it is trying through its method to flatten the peak of the infection and change it into a much lower "bump", thus allowing the NHS to deal with the number of cases more gradually.  This would, however, mean that the pandemic would last longer, and we might all be cutting our newspaper into little squares and hangng them on a string. 

[Maiden Stone]

  This would, however, mean that the pandemic would last longer, and we might all be cutting our newspaper into little squares and hangng them on a string.

What would we blow our noses on though? 

[Romilly]

Whatever happened to handkerchiefs?

The sort that you had to boil wash!

Romilly

[mazi]

Whatever happened to handkerchiefs?

The sort that you had to boil wash!

Romilly

I still have those, clean white and neatly folded so that I can offer one to mazi should the need arise.

I am now thinking that if I moisten them with TCP we could both mop our fevered brow and wipe our hands with them.

TCP cures everything.   

Mike