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The Koonzt/Camus Thread (for writerly solidarity during a time of plague)

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KateESal

KateESal

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May 5, 2018
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Spain
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Many of us Litopians are now feeling the direct effects of the measures to try and limit the spread of CORVID-19 and I suspect more will join us pretty soon.

This is a thread for any observations, rants, vents, humorous takes, shared experiences etc. for Litopians who want to share their thoughts on The Plague and its effects on their lives at the moment.

Apart from following the usual Litopia guidelines (no politics, please!), do feel free to post whatever you want in relation to the current crisis.

And it goes without saying, I'm sending good health vibes to all.

:)
 
@Eva Ulian you've had the worst of it so far, how are you doing in your corner of Italy?

@Rich. and I are in an "alarmed state" (direct English translation :D ) in Spain... The Spanish love of big get-togethers and highly tactile interractions has put out a lovely big welcome mat for the coronavirus pathogen. It all started to feel a bit apocalyptic when they shut all the bars and cafes....o_O

@Rainbird and others in Ireland, they're closing the schools there, too, aren't they?

Reports from the various fronts welcomed, if you feel like it. :)
 
Schools, creches, any gathering closed. Shops are empty (even though there have been repeated confirmation that supplies are there and it's simply that they don't have the man-power to put them on the shelves). People are going completely mad, like it's the end of the world. They imagine we are in an Italy-situation, even though our numbers are low, they are containing it well and the self-isolation should halt the spread.

The fear mongering is just extraordinary: one of our builders yesterday was saying he was in the supermarket, and two elderly women were crying saying they may never see each other again, and that this was the end. That kind of fear is just bloody unfair. Kids are terrorised (blame the crazy parents).

Parents, by and large, are NUTS, wondering what will they do with these children (their own). It's like they can't make any kind of rational decisions without being told. I've never seen anything like it.

My family Whatsapp was alive this morning with all sorts of insane stats: all untrue, but enough to make my parents nearly lose their mind. My mother has been constantly disinfecting the house, her skin will be destroyed.

I have to switch off from FB etc, because my hands are so itchy at how many people are thriving on the fear-mongering. It's AWFUL and terrifying, but being proactive like Taiwan or Japan shows, with the extra effort, it can be managed.
Getting people to actually stay the heck away from each other is going to be the biggest problem. Once the hysteria calms down and people get bored, I fear they will start gathering again...
 
It seems that Spain will basically be closed from 08.00 on Monday. Supermarkets, petrol stations and pharmacies will be open, and people can move around for essential activities, but confusion reigns. No one is quite sure if walks in the country are included in the ban on use of public highways, and whatsapp groups are alive with questions about civil liberties. Someone was just asking if taking kids to the other parent in cases of shared custody counts as "essential travel". The issue of liberty runs deep in Spain. The memory of Franco's dictatorship is vivid in the minds of many, and curbs on freedom are polarizing to say the least.

The most sobering thing (and interesting for a writer) is how quickly the mood changed when things began to close. There's a palpable sense of fear in the air, and I've seen heated words in the various parents' whatsapp groups I belong to. People are saturated with information and are becoming angry with those who share poorly sourced news. It makes you reflect on how fragile society really is.

The economy is going to be hit badly. I was just chatting (at a distance of several metres) to a chap who's had to close his furniture store. He was almost in tears at the thought of the bills he won't be able to pay. There's already a petition going round asking the government to bring in social security relief for the self employed (here the self-employed pay several hundred Euros a month in social security contributions regardless of that month's earnings).

And... my wife, our household's principle earner, is a flight attendant. She's away right now (stuck in a hotel in Chile until the flight returns, hopefully tomorrow). On a personal level we're wondering for how much longer she'll have a job.

Having said all that, our little community is pulling together and seeing everyone right, and the boys and I have been playing lots of football. My youngest has learned to stop and turn. Little things are often the best. :)
 
I've decided to panic buy books. Is that wrong? But I need reading material should I get stuck on the loo. I'm about to run out of paper.

The cashier at the local supermarket told me that toilet paper is selling out the moment it arrives. You want pasta? Forget it, but guess what, I can make my own. Tinned food is vanishing and judging by the rate at which baked beans are disappearing, people will definitely be needing all that toilet paper they are hamster-ing away.

I'm a tad worried about my mother. She's a retired nurse (the kind who doesn't flap at anything because she's seen it all, and then worse). But, but, but, she has only 1/4 of a lung left (she lost the rest to chronic bronchitis), her immune system is non existent, meaning she lives from one flu to the next. I'm fairly sure this would kill her, and she's just decided to go for a ride on a train to go to an exhibition. SIGH. I told her not to a few times and twice this morning, but she won't listen.

I'm waiting for the day the base closes me down. I'm self-employed and won't be earning a dime.

One other thing: I'm worried about what this is doing to society. People are already gradually drifting away from each other, tech is alienating families and strangers, phones in noses, everything is going on-line, self-check outs. There was already so much fear around; the kind of fear which meant the old lady for whom I held the door open a month or so ago, thought I was going to mug her. Now this virus. Don't touch anyone. But what if they need a big hug because life can be so hard? This virus is another wedge that drives people apart … But then I saw a clip on the news: A bunch of Italians, singing to each other, filling the streets with serenading voices, and I think we're going to be OK.

I hope everyone is safe.
 
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Woah...

Well, apart from the stockpiling, the main evidence of panic in other areas I've seen has been the flight of wealthy, non-native Spaniards to other countries. Let's hope they keep themselves isolated for couple of weeks when they arrive, eh? :rolleyes: Spain now has the fastest spreading rate of contagion in the world, which isn't all that surprising, given the point I made in my post above.

The kids in my classes at school were all pretty calm and I spent some time talking to them about it all and relaying sensible information, which I think they found reassuring. My sixth-form class had some dark humour going on and Javi took a picture of all of us together "in case it's the last time". I told him to share it with me so I can use it as our Google Classroom "memorial" picture. There were a lot of shouts of "have a good isolation!" and "see you on the other side!" as we left school yesterday afternoon. People being rueful and keeping their spirits up, basically.

Of course, the shops are largely empty, although that's down to lack of re-shelving rather than stuff running out.

There's a lovely video that's doing the rounds on Twitter: "Yo me quedo in casa...por ti...por todos" (I'm staying at home for you, for everyone)



Husband and I are busy getting our heads around the online learning tech and repurposing lessons. Our school is going to continue online as much as possible. Thankfully, we managed to borrow a couple of school IT computers, seeing as there will be times when all four of us here will have to be participating in online lessons at the same time. Whether our bandwidth will cope, is another matter. And if the internet goes down...well. We raided the school library before we left on Friday. :D

My own two children are being very calm about it all. We've kept them in the loop, telling them the facts that we know and that we've all got to be sensible and do things differently for a while. They're enjoying the novelty so far, but it's only Day 1!!

We're exceedingly lucky that we live a bit out of town, so plenty of space to get out and stretch our legs without worrying about getting into crowds. We've just got to keep our fingers crossed that we don't get the bug, or if we do, we only have it mildly and don't give it to anyone else. All healthy so far, anyway. The thing that concerns me is if we need urgent healthcare for any other reason. Our local hospitals haven't been hit so far, but I suspect it won't be long before they are. (We're in the Valencian region...Madrid has had the worst outbreak so far).

Crazy times.
 
Barbara said:
This virus is another wedge that drives people apart … But then I saw a clip on the news: A bunch of Italians, singing to each other, filling the streets with serenading voices, and I think we're going to be OK.
Click to expand...

As is always the case in a major crisis, it will bring the best out of some people and the worst out of others....
 
An ambulance is touring the streets, with a loudhailer, chivvying everyone back inside. Repeating the official message about only going out for necessary pharmacy items and food, and giving phone numbers for information.

That's the third day they've done that. I haven't been over the doorstep since the first time I heard it. The only people in streets are wearing masks or have scarves wrapped around their faces.

It's like a post-Apocalypse film set.

I think next-door neighbour is poised to scrub the shared stairs with bleach again.

Figures from yesterday, just to put it in context:
21,000* contacted virus in Italia. I morti (dead) sono 1,441
175 more dead than the day before. 17,750 currently infected. 1,518 patients in intensive care.

*Italian numbers total everyone who ever caught it, including dead and survivors.
 
Went to the village last Thursday, almost deserted. The sales people wore masks and we couldn't get near or touch the counter. At the bread shop only three people allowed in at a time and they had to keep good distance between one another. It seems so unreal. I couldn't wait to get back home on top of the hill- I felt safer there.

Ah ha, no, my little village is not immune- just discovered two people in the village have been infected. One is a nurse and therefore was exposed to it in hospital. Her daughter works in one of our three bars- but fortunately they are all closed. The other is a youth who as we know, young people won't hear of staying indoors- they have to socialize in groups, here there and everywhere.

Our Parish Priest has opened up a Telegram channel for our three parishes where he posts the days readings and other stuff to keep us from straying.
 
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I saw a girl today (aged somewhere between 9 and 12 - it's hard to tell) cover her hands with her sanitiser gel. I assume the girl beside her didn't have any because the first one then rubbed her gel covered hands all over her friend's. Not exactly a barrier technique but it did make me smile.

I got an amazon voucher for my birthday and, thanks to generous friends who clubbed together for one present, I've bought 6 books - all new so the authors get their ALCS payments, and all useful for my quest to become a traditionally published author.
 
Barbara said:
The cashier at the local supermarket told me that toilet paper is selling out the moment it arrives.
Click to expand...
Oh dear Barbara, that's tough. If the worst comes to the worst, I won't need toilet paper, every home has a bidet. I guess they never got into that habit in England, nor in Ireland I suspect, since I remember @Rainbird posting somewhere a lament on the lack of toilet paper.
 
in Italy there is no room in hospital for normal patients- This worries me since my sister and I are no longer spring chickens, and if anything happens we have to set up a temporary medical field on top of this hill and ask any local retired professional, doctor, dentist, nurse, mid-wife to give a hand.
 
Eva Ulian said:
Oh dear Barbara, that's tough. If the worst comes to the worst, I won't need toilet paper, every home has a bidet. I guess they never got into that habit in England, nor in Ireland I suspect, since I remember @Rainbird posting somewhere a lament on the lack of toilet paper.
Click to expand...
My family home in Dublin had a bidet. When I was young I thought it was for washing your feet! In my "thou shalt not talk about such body parts" household, no one corrected me.
 
Ah, I love having a bidet. Nowadays, I don't feel properly "clean" if I haven't used it. Keeps a check on the amount of paper we use, for sure.

Very handy with kids...don't want to bath them every day, but can always ensure they've got washed bottoms. :D
 
It occurred to me that one of the reasons that people are panicking so much is because they’ve been fed years and years of Walking Dead/ Zombie/ Vampire films and television series. Dystopian stories are popular. People have been brainwashed into thinking that they're a part of a plague, and they need to defend themselves.

I wonder what the preppers are making of the c-virus.

Survivalism - Wikipedia

I'm off to write a Utopian story where everything is lovely!
 
If you really have to kiss your loved one, Rene Magritte showed you how in his 1928 painting The Lovers II:

The Lovers II, 1928 by Rene Magritte

the-lovers-2.jpg
 
Barbara said:
I'm a tad worried about my mother. She's a retired nurse (the kind who doesn't flap at anything because she's seen it all, and then worse). But, but, but, she has only 1/4 of a lung left (she lost the rest to chronic bronchitis), her immune system is non existent, meaning she lives from one flu to the next.
Click to expand...

I'm worried about her too, but mothers are the worst at listening, I hear your sigh! :(

Barbara said:
I'm about to run out of paper.
Click to expand...

As quick as toilet paper comes in, it goes. Our shelves are bare too. The trick (for Sydyneysiders) is to be around when the delivery truck arrives, how bad is that? Not exactly easy to do when you're disabled :(

Rich. said:
And... my wife, our household's principle earner, is a flight attendant
Click to expand...

Oh that's scary, I hope she'll be okay and either airlines or govt step up to help. I was only just thinking I feel sorry for all the flight attendants :( In addition to the self employed (like @Barbara) and small business owners (that would have been me, but for my stroke).

Apparently, our govt is having an urgent cabinet meeting today on whether schools are shut. The kids are all set up with laptops and Google classrooms, so kids could stay home and still be in class.

On another note, I just had a sinking feeling when my carer said we're on our last roll of paper towel. Then I remembered a few months ago we bought some from somewhere else, but I didn't like what came, so I didn't use them. When she checked the garage, there were 12 or 14 rolls. I feel like we struck gold!
 
This is a special time. It is putting nations on a war footing, something 90% of us have never experienced. The good thing is that no bombs are dropping. I think by forcing people to stay apart there will be a great reaction once it is all over. People are being given a lesson in how bad things have become. To an extent, technology has created a creeping self-isolating atmosphere where fewer people interacted physically but now it is overt and orders are being given it may make people understand what they were voluntarily giving up. We all learn from experience and this is a big one with big opportunities to learn. Also small ones like the value of bidets :) and singing to one another. (actually that is a bigish one)
I have to say life is normal where I live. Coronavirus is happening elsewhere as far as most people are concerned and hopefully, it will stay like that but I doubt it. I am pretty sure the authorities are keeping the lid on the stats and hoping it will all go away. Thais never take responsibility for anything that goes wrong. It's always someone else's fault and that will not help in the current situation.
Good Luck and Stay Safe.
 
RK Capps said:
When she checked the garage, there were 12 or 14 rolls. I feel like we struck gold!
Click to expand...
Bog roll is going to become a currency at this rate. Next, there'll be rationing and black markets. After that, men in hats and long raincoats will wait on street corners offering a prime roll of Andrex. Sold in individual squares.
 
It's only going to get crazier in the next couple of months as we go into worldwide lockdown. The impact on the worldwide economy will be catastrophic, but I can't see it lasting beyond May.

Ultimately, people have to earn money, society has to function, kids have to go to school, we can't all hide indoors forever. Governments will either relax the restrictions or people will start rioting once they have no money to pay for the essentials or they're unable to source them. We just need a little more time to research the virus and get away from the Winter (sorry, people in the Southern hemisphere, this couldn't have come at worse time for you!).

This isn't an extinction level virus. Healthy people under the age of 60 will probably barely notice that they've had it. Acting like it's the end if the world is just stupid.

We will normalise the Coronavirus and life will carry on. Our ancestors once lived with Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria, Mumps, Measles etc around and society continued to function because people just accepted they were facts of life. Social events will take time to recover to ease the spread, but we just need to catch it and get on with it. We're the human race; we've survived a hell of a lot worse.
 
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