Paradise is closed until further notice.
This is our status since the authorities decreed a national confinement order and lock-down of the country. No incoming passenger flights are allowed except for repatriation flights of nationals. Anyone arriving at the airport is checked for fever-like symptoms and is also immediately transported to a quarantine centre for 14 days. As at the time of writing this we have 12 confirmed Corona-virus cases. These infections were imported by travellers arriving from infected areas.
Just prior to the Prime Minister ordering a two-week national confinement on TV some people had anticipated it and there was a rush to supermarkets for purchases. However, after the initial panic buying things calmed down. Now, only essential services are running; medical, pharmacy, supermarkets, minimum bank branches open. Essential services workers will have to carry permits to travel to work places. Police have road blocks and are checking the status of people out of their homes. All public gatherings have been cancelled.
So now we live day by day around the home. Beautiful summer weather here, sunshine 25c/77F at 9am, but we are stuck at home. Apart from the usual chores around the house we can occupy ourselves with our hobbies or just sit and read in the veranda. A whole new concept of enjoying calm and what we have instead of the usual hustle-and-bustle of daily life.
Stay safe folks, this invisible enemy is nasty but can be contained and annihilated with time. Keep the faith.
Update March 21, 2020: 14 confirmed cases and a first death due to Coronavirus.
Hi Mike, I’m catching up with reading posts so working from oldest first. At this stage in your documenting, it seems your government has worked pretty quickly. I’m sure you will have other thoughts, but I don’t think our lock-down was as good at that date.
The only way to control the virus was to contain it to the outside of your paradise island, which unfortunately was not done quickly enough, but at least now there is a chance to get it under control and eradicate it – since the blockade is now in place.
12 confirmed cases is far too many, but I hope that those become well again as soon as possible.
As you say, the rush in buying has and will subside as larders/freezers become filled-up at homes and here in England this should also be the same – in due course, where I have seem supermarket-shelves empty…
Fresh produce and especially unsealed foods need to be handled with care – especially where it is possible and probable that other people have already handled such items. That could also apply to the outside of packaged items, but in reality – only where there are large numbers of confirmed virus cases in the locality…
As Mike says, “Keep the faith” and KEEP SAFE…