COVID in Portugal: Dark Days

The situation the world over is just awful. I am so sorry to read that it is so bad in Portugal.
Here in Germany the numbers are rather erratic. We have been in lockdown since the start of November. But schools weren’t closed until the middle of December.
Basically it took Angela Merkel doing a press conference, almost in tears about the number of sick and dying people before state presidents finally pulled themselves together enough and toughened the lockdown. Her plea was not just to them, it was also to us, the people of course. At least the ones who are not being careful. Her words resonated with me so much, I almost cried through her speech myself.
All through the first wave our numbers were incredibly low. But our death rate is now extremely high. I don’t understand it. We have good hospitals and enough beds. But our death rate is way above most countries. They keep putting it down to people dying in nursing homes.

From day to day the numbers seem to vary quite a lot. Often there are around 1000 deaths a day. Which seems to me unfathomable.

Now the lockdown is fairly strict. At least in our personal lives. However there are still a lot of people going to work etc. The government recently gave out ffp2 masks to all at risk people and we should wear them in public at all times. I am so grateful for that. Recently our dog got suddenly very ill and had to be operated on quite quickly. I’m so glad we had the masks to protect us. (She’s fine again now).

Like you I am appalled by people still claiming there’s no Covid or it’s just like a cold. And I’m fed up of people not sticking to the rules. Just before Christmas I actually called the police as at the football club, next to our house, a group of young men had let themselves into the club. As I walked past with the dog, I saw not only were they not wearing masks as they sat drinking and smoking, they were actually huddled up to each other! I called the police and told them. I‘m not usually a tell-tale but I believe we all have a social responsibility to beat this virus. As the police arrived, more and more men were turning up at the club, so I think it would have been quite a large gathering.

I feel like we are fighting a war on two fronts. On one side the virus, on the other arrogance and stupidity.

Currently the rules are really tight. The health ministry and the government are really worried about the new mutations. So much so that a hospital has now basically closed down because they believe there may be 11 cases of the British mutation there. Over 3000 hospital workers have been put into ‚commuter quarantine’. That is they are only allowed to be at home or at work. But no where else. And they aren’t permitted to use public transport. They and their patients are also been tested and retested.
I think these kind of actions show that the government are currently pulling out all of the stops to try and stop in getting out of control. They talk about the UK as an example of what not to do.

On a personal level we were quite affected over the Christmas period. At some point 20 close friends and relatives were sick with the virus. Some of them very sick indeed. A couple didn’t make it. So it was quite a difficult time.
My feeling was in the UK even friends who had been extremely careful were suddenly picking up the virus. Although they only went to work or the supermarket. Of course, some were through their children who were not allowed to wear a mask at school.
Whereas I felt those that we knew here in Germany were people who generally took it all a bit less seriously.

Stay safe and well.

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