So, what's going on in Lisbon these days? The streets and parks are empty. And, if you do go to the store or post office, the lines are being metered; only a few people inside at a time. The above image is from the Centro Commercial Alvalade, our neighborhood retail center; the queue is for the Pingo Doce, our local grocery. As you can see, there is social distancing at work, as folks stay about a meter apart. Some folks seem to have painters dust masks; another lady is covering her face with a scarf. If folks think this is helpful, maybe it's only to stop them touching their faces; the WHO stays it's not.
I have two texts on my phone from the ProCIV, the Portuguese civil authority. As you can see, I have a text from last September (Friday the 13th) regarding the rural fires, and one from yesterday about COVID-19, after announcing a national alert last week (also, Friday the 13th), and closing schools nation-wide. The text links a web site where the Direção-Geral da Saude (national health authority) keeps a kind of dashboard.
COVID19: Wash hands frequently. Avoid social contact. Prevent contagion. Follow official recommendations. Info http://covid19.min-saude.pt www.prociv.pt ANEPC-DGSIt's reassuring to know the (Portuguese) government is actively and consistently communicating on SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Plus, I love a good dashboard. Today, the government is meeting to consider a national emergency declaration.
So what are we doing? Staying at home. I'm cleaning the apartment - a lot. Donna is baking. We signed up for our free AppleTV+ subscription as well as britbox. And we're watching YouTube coverage of the pandemic.
We can still take walks in the park, Jardim Mário Soares, across the street, though the restaurant, the fitness center, the boat rental place all appear to be shut. The McDonald's in the park is open, but seems to be offering only drive-through and delivery (a half dozen Glovo and UberEats scooter drivers are always one standby in the turnout). It’s a bad time to introduce the Atlanta Touchdown burger.
Wearing a scarf over your face while shopping in Portugal may seem silly, but it's nowhere near the shocking levels of stupid we've seen on YouTube in the US. Young people flocking to beaches in Florida for Spring Break, putting an aging population at higher risk - filling stores, cafes, ride-shares. The Governor does not shut this down, though some local authorities impose an 11:00pm curfew. WTF. Good luck to you, lady (Tricia Wood) - read the YouTube comments only if your brain can handle it. These people aren't just fiddling while Rome burns, they are spilling gas all over town. And the politicians are asking them if they wouldn’t mind keeping it down.
Just for being among the sane, I feel like the James Cole character in the Terry Gilliam movie 12 Monkeys suffering the Cassandra Complex:
Cassandra, in Greek legend you'll recall, is condemned to know the future but to be disbelieved when she foretold it. Hence, the agony of foreknowledge combined with the impotence to do anything about it.
The other ironic head-scratcher concerns the Trump Administration's apparent plan to deal with the spread of the virus and its economic impact. After waffling for weeks, the President's team has finally offered a stimulus package that apparently includes sending thousand dollar checks out to US citizens, in addition to last week's promise to work with health insurance companies to eliminate costs for testing and care. Suddenly those two scary, socialist Democratic campaign ideas that Republicans freaked out about, 'Medicare for All' and 'Universal Basic Income', seem awfully useful.
By today, world-wide, there are over two-hundred thousand confirmed cases of COVID-19, and over eight thousand deaths. There are over sixty-five hundred cases in the US with over one hundred deaths; there are over six hundred cases in Portugal, with two deaths. If we were still in Berkeley, we'd be under a shelter-in-place order. In a way, we are doing the same here in Lisbon. In another way, we are so lucky to have retired early last year and moved from the US.
I still receive messages from a listserv for techies serving private schools in the Bay Area, and they are scrambling to remotely support teachers and classes. I keep thinking of the advantages that private schools have over public schools in the US, particularly in terms of preparation, technology, and other resources. And my old school has a program in place to support hybrid and online learning, so they are be in better shape than most private schools. They are throwing these programs together, last-minute, with little training or support, and with parents trying to work from home. Folks are rightly concerned about the health and financial impacts, but the impact in education is also going to be felt for a long time. I'm glad I don't have to deal with it, for sure, but my thoughts are with those who do.
cases: 204,700 global • 6,539 USA • 642 Portugal
deaths: 8,270 global • 116 USA • 2 Portugal
Read this to understand the nature of the disease and it's treatment.
Read this to understand the costs associated with COVID-19 treatment in the US.
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