Foreign Correspondence

[mare]

You left out the hand sanitiser Mare.   

    If it had its own voting papers would be the winner on the day then 

Questionable blanket approach, AC.

[Erato]

Report from Ecuador:

Here in Ecuador things are in moderately good shape, relatively speaking, at least.  Compared to its neighbors, Ecuador has done a good job with its vaccination program and is among the best situated Latin American countries.  They've got more than 50% of the population fully vaccinated now and they're only just starting on the 12-15 year-olds.  So they've done a high proportion of the adults even though they got off to a slow start. 

Getting vaccinated was hassle-free for me.  I delayed a bit because I didn't want to push ahead of Ecuadorians who have to be out and about to earn a living; I can sit at home and isolate.  I got shot at a nearby university in July.  They were doing Astra-Zeneca, Pfizer and Sinovac.  I had already decided I'd take whatever vaccine they offered me.  As it turned out, it was Pfizer.  It was easy, quick, free and well organized.  I had no negative reaction to the shots.  And we don't have vaccine protesters here; people want to be vaccinated.

Masks are required in public places and, in my neighborhood, everyone follows the rules.  I have seen very few unmasked people since March 2020.  A lot of people are double masked and so am I if I have to enter a closed space.  Mostly, though, I don't have to enter the stores.  You do your buying from the doorway of the bakery, the corner store, the greengrocer, etc.  I wish I could do more than just walk around my urban neighborhood looking at the businesses that have shut down, though.  I don't trust the crowded buses so I'm pretty much restricted to my own part of town.

I still only go to the supermarket once every two months.  Actually, I sort of like that so I'll probably keep it up even when/if  the Covid crisis abates.  The less time spent in supermarkets the better, as far as I'm concerned.  I did a supermarket run on Thursday so I'm in a good mood because the larder is fully stocked and there are even a few treats to ration out over the next two months.

[a chesters]

There was a case of a three (3) year old child who was being prevented from returning to Queensland, as he was with his grandparents in SHOCK HORROR, New South Wales. Said grandparents were on a cattle property, isolated from the general public by distance, in a location where there were no cases of Covid.

NO said Qld bureaucrats, he is in NSW, so is infectious. The press and public FINALLY shamed the politicians into allowing the boy, three years old, to return to his parents in Queensland.

If I said what I thought, I would be thrown off the  board, but I think you can get my drift

[mare]

Good to get local information and updates that may not make our news, this past week in NZ the virus has twice taken a back seat to the initial headlines with an overnight weather bomb and flood evacuations followed by a lone wolf terrorist attack. Both events in Auckland which is currently in the tightest of C19 restrictions since mid August, while the rest of the country dropped a level after the first 14 days. Announcement today, as expected with review, that all but Auckland region will drop another level tomorrow night while we stay more fully restricted for another week. Mandatory mask wearing indoor gatherings and shops has been added to the lower level of restrictions where it hadn't been previously.
Having gone into the lockdown with news of just 1 Delta Variant case detected in the community it probably seemed an extreme step to many. However, scientifically, it has been an exercise of intense testing and tracing, genome sequencing, waste water sample tests and a reminder to err on the side of caution and stay home unless for essentials once the contact numbers and places of interest quickly grew considerably. With positive cases detected at the border and MIQ it was only a matter of time really knowing, despite all precaution, there had been a few scares of transmission.
Also showing Delta, as with other countries, more hospital admissions and sadly so far an elderly patient with underlying conditions adding to our death total by 1 and the first since previous outbreak in February.
The lockdown has given time for good followup to find an index case and connections and spread into resulting clusters, one of which is a large church group and their households across the city and with travel to the Capital. Signs of a positive effect to date, including high percentage of compliance and also with more making decision to get vaccinated sooner rather than later, with case numbers now declining and isolating. We do tend to have a 'she'll be right' attitude and would say there would have been many waiting to see as well as those keen to be protected or anxious to do so, with the long run of relative freedom in comparison to other nations leading to some complacency too perhaps and so a wake up call.
We're in the retirement bracket, although husband is self employed and still working but quite enjoying the stand down time recommended, both fully vaccinated with Pfizer when available to us and our adult family and spouses have all had one or both jabs now too. Told enough Pfizer ordered for everyone, demand high between deliveries now but so far so good apart from maybe getting an appointment, those 12 years and over eligible. A number of schools places of interest where students have been in contact with infection, they are closed  through this lockdown giving time for isolation period at home as well.
Pleased to hear you have been able to venture with caution beyond your gate for basic needs, Erato. As mentioned with our own headlines, other international news of  interest will make the bulletins and there have been many major events globally sidelining virus updates. My go to has been daily visits to the Worldometer site to get a bit of a gauge of how other countries are doing. Sadly, Fiji who had managed to keep the virus at bay for a while has suffered badly as it quickly got out of control once there.
As always, stay safe and well ...

 

[Maiden Stone]

Erato, do you still get your fruit & veg deliveries?
I go to small local shops + 2 local convenience stores. Visited big supermarket twice this year. Supermarkets are within a mile; not far to walk there but I have to limit what I'm buying if I intend to walk home.
Scottish pupils returned to school last month. Upsurge in cases, more now than summer 2020. Local primary school did a lot of outdoor learning last term, in playground, park, seashore.
National Clinical Director of Health said at weekend that Scotland was ready to vaccinate 12-15 year-olds if Chief Medical Officers decided to go ahead.
There's an airport 3 miles away. There have been so few planes during the past 18 months that they have become a novelty and people look to the sky when they hear one.

[Erato]

No.  I had Rosario [the closest fruit&veg vendor] deliver the stuff for the first month or so of our lock-down when seniors were supposed to stay off the streets altogether.  Since then, though, I walk over to her shop myself and buy there from the doorway.  Most small shop owners follow that protocol - you line up on spots painted 2 meters apart on the sidewalk.  The nearby bakery, corner store and  general grocery work the same way.  I buy from these places in small quantities almost everyday, making it part of my daily walk.  Fortunately, I have almost everything readily available within easy walking distance - pharmacies, delicatessen, several bakeries, cheese store, minimarts, hardware, etc.  Occasionally I walk over to the Santa Clara market, one of the large municipal markets.  I don't go in [too many people] but I can buy specialty stuff from the shops around it - dried fruit and nuts, for example, every variety of which is sold in the sector which specializes in baking products.  I've done six supermarket runs - mostly for meat, fish, shrimp, cheese and general supplies.  The supermarket is a big chain and cheaper than the local shops.  I get dog food there, too, and when it runs out, Marco at the minimart will order a huge sack for me and deliver it to the house.

In short, I am well supplied and, except for boredom, in good shape.