The world is being ravaged by the Covid-19 virus as it slowly infiltrates into practically every crevice of 
the earth. Most of us are in confinement but our healthcare heroes aren’t, nor many other supportive heroes.
Paris has been in strict confinement since last Tuesday at noon. The whole city has taken on an eery ghost town aura, devoid of tourists and practically empty streets.
Life limps on in, calling us all to change our routines of living and the liberties that we have taken for granted.
A new Paris ritual, rallying our spirits to show our gratitude for all healthcare workers, aka heroes, has been magically taking place every night at 8pm with tremendous enthusiasm.
Standing out on our balconies or hanging out windows we clap loudly, shout Bravos, clang pots and pans, and cars are honking! Take a listen from my balcony:
As you can hear, there is widespread solidarity in our appreciation for those risking their lives to care for Covid-19 victims. This new Parisian ritual is marvellous and it makes me feel good!
We are authorized to go out only for food, medicine, brief outings for exercise, walk dogs, check on fragile relatives in need, child care or to work if working from home is not possible.
For each outing, we have to fill in an authorization paper signed and dated. Outings can’t be more than an hour, and not more than I kilometre from your residence.
Gendarmes(police) are on the streets stopping to check for papers and all infractions will result in hefty finds up to a thousand Euros for repeat offenders.
Nurses, doctors, various other healthcare and hospital workers are called daily to the battlefront of saving others fighting for their lives.
They are at the highest risk of contamination as they go about the many various medical inventions and care needed to ensure the best possible prognosis.
Then there are the policemen, ambulance drivers, first responders, bus and subway drivers in large cities carrying healthcare personnel to their jobs. Don’t forget the sanitation workers too!
Postal workers, warehousers and truck drivers whose job is to package and deliver all sorts of life-saving equipment to hospitals in desperate need and foods to keep supermarkets full are also at risk.
You might be relying on your grocery or take out delivery person for meals. These hard-working individuals are underpaid and overworked in poor conditions.
The giant retailer Amazon is notorious for pushing workers to the brink and beyond, provide little sick days and instilling fears of calling in sick or risk losing their jobs.
Pity the poor grocery cashiers who have little protection from unscrupulous buyers snivelling and coughing in front of them and checking out their contaminated articles.
The organic grocery across my place has set up a plastic divider to protect their cashiers and supermarkets here are limiting the number of people that are allowed in at any given time to ensure keeping 2 meters distancing between buyers.
I certainly don’t mind waiting outside in a well-spaced and snaking line for my turn, knowing that once in, I won’t have to dodge other shoppers.
Surprisingly, the French in my neighbourhood are respecting keeping the required distance. It is, of course, more difficult for them as they have much less personal space than Americans.
I did witness some infractions, mostly from young joggers whizzing between the rest of us on sidewalks as I walked around the periphery of Parc Montsouris, now closed.
Inside seen through the pretty blue railings, trees were abloom and many daffodils and narcissus gently waving to us in the wind.
Getting out to walk a little felt wonderful in the sunshine as I weaved from side to side to maintain my distance from others.
I waited till the late afternoon when I saw the sun peeking out of the grey clouds, only to discover that others had the same idea.
Since Tuesday of last week, I have been wearing a mask to go out for food. Even before that, I wore one in the elevator as it is a small enclosed space where one never knows about suspended viral particles.
The wind as been quite brisk so I feel safe to take it off on the mostly deserted side streets. Nevertheless, I find myself feeling more vigilant and alert venturing outside, as anyone of us can unknowingly be a vector.
On a personal level, I start my day in spiritual reflection on a marvellous site, pray-as-you-go.org. that combines soothing music and daily scripture readings with commentary. Later on, I enjoy reading Sister Vassa Larin’s refreshing scriptural reflections and her podcasts. http://www.coffeewithsistervassa.com/
I have noticed that my motivation to do things around the apartment has dwindled as well as my mood. I attribute that to not getting out as much as I use too.
I feel that I will lose some of my hard-gained muscles, as I find myself lacking the self-discipline to work with my dumbells on a regular basis.
I was going to the gym for weight training and cardio religiously twice a week with much motivation. Now working those muscles at home is sporadic, though I hope to change this.
I still am motivated to cooking delicious and prettily presented meals at night. A ray of joy and pleasure to enjoy that has been a norm for me since seemingly forever!
Fortunately, It is easy for me to be meditative or contemplative so I have not felt any outright overwhelming anxiety.
Fear is a normal reaction to this whole anxiety-producing situation. It can be a life-saving warning us of impending danger.
Nothing to be ashamed to feel nor voice! Denial of the actual dangers that are intrinsic with this virus puts yourself and others at danger of contamination or of spreading the virus.
Better to turn your fears and anxiety into action! As soon as you come in from outside, wash up with a thorough 20-second well-lathered hand washing, top and bottom and up to elbows if forearms have been exposed to any surfaces. I lather up at least twice.
Wipe off refrigerator handles, faucets, doorknobs and handles, light switches, stove knobs, railings, cell phones, computers, toys or any objects often touched in everyday living with bleach solution on a regular basis.
Yes, I also wipe down bottles, hard and soft plastic food containers/packaging brought in from the store.
By the time articles are purchased by you or delivered, it has been touched by many human hands!
As in warfare, you have to learn to think like the enemy. Since our enemy is invisible to human eyes, we have to visualise their presence and how they spread and infiltrate.
Gather as much information about the virus that you can. Knowledge can save lives in this precarious situation.
Stay in touch with family and your friends. Offer support or help to those who may not have a family to help them.
We each have to be responsible for the common good. Rebellious defiance, denial and nonchalance are plain selfish, even sociopathic.
Prayers and much gratitude for each health caregiver in the world! Supportive Heroes too! All of you are the true heroes of the day!
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I completely agree to your text. We, in Italy, do the same and every evening you might hear applause and songs from balcony to balcony. The health caregiver, truck drivers and generally all people helping with or without protection are heroes. As Italian say “Tutto andrà bene” (everything will be all right).
Thank you Georges! You are currently stuck just southwest of the worst-hit area in Italy. Didn’t you use to live near Brescia? Being surrounded by so many victims of this treacherous virus must be extremely anxiety-provoking. The Italian healthcare givers currently deserve so much of our respect, admiration and applause. Likewise all other supportive workers too. Prayers and blessings to you, Georges.
Thank you for your advice and uplifting comments.
Thank you too, friend!
It has been a little “challenging” in south Florida this last week. Spring Break college kids filled some of the beach areas, esp. South Beach on Miami Beach . . . they have since closed down all of the beaches, the restaurants and bars. Several homes in the community with college kids have had parties and people coming and going. It is difficult for the young to self quarantine themselves. Close by neighbors include a regional manager for Publix (he oversees around 100 stores and is out daily) another is the manager of a Total Wines store, and the neighbor across the street is an EMS and fireman . . . these people have contact with MANY people everyday. I think that finally everyone is becoming self conscious of the need for “self quarantining”; but it has taken time.
While the coronavirus is may be like the flu on steroids, 98% of the people are recovering. It is mostly the elderly and those with medical problems who have been dying; and that is LESS than 2% of those who are sick (NOT 2% of the total population)). The critical issues to to try to not let the hospitals become overwhelmed by the surge in the number of sick individuals. Personally, I am concerned that the overreactions and perhaps delayed actions is resulting in dire economic impact that will permanently negatively impact our economy and our societies. But at this point we will eventually make it through all of this; and the dice have been cast with the dramatic economic decisions that have been implemented by closing all but essential businesses and laying off so many people.
Personally, I am not a Trump supporter; but I think that his statement of “We can’t let the cure be worse than the damage by the virus” is becoming blatantly and obviously true. Many who get the coronavirus do NOT wind up in the hospital; they are recovering at home like with a severe case of regular flu . . . and many people only experience light symptoms; some almost none. The medical personnel have and continue to be the “heroes of the day”working 24/7 amidst the threat of exposure to the virus themselves; and to the point of exhaustion which weakens their immune systems.. It reminds me of how it was in Vietnam (and we didn’t have the threat of contagious viruses on steroids).
Now it is a matter of enduring through it all and then facing the economic aftermath that is very similar to the Great Depression of the 1930s. This is going to be epochal changes in our(and global) economies and culture.
Best wishes for everyone.
David, I doubt that you will find many others here in Europe who share your overview of the virus nor perspective, especially in Italy and Spain, who are have been experiencing tremendous death rates. Many European health experts attribute the explosion of cases to denial, misinterpretation of it being like influenza and lack of an appropriate overreaction in the population that could have stymied the spread of the virus.
Young and middle-aged patients are not always spared from death nor having “light” cases. Yes, there are many elderly Europeans
here who are much loved and still considered valuable assets to their families and society. Any weekend, you will see family gatherings of multiple generations strolling parks and sitting down to all afternoon Sunday lunches.
Europeans come from families whose great grandparents have passed down stories of living through horrendous wars riddled with death, complete destruction of their towns to rubble and the emotional scars they left.
They know already that saving human lives takes precedence over preserving the economy. Europe today is a living model of what human beings can rebuild and restore from ashes. Human life is the most important infrastructure of any society.
In looking at the exploding rates in Florida and the news that there was an uncontrolled influx of spring vacationers, I am fearful that Florida could become another epicentre of Covid-19. Though not known how warm climates affect contagion rates, I hope all warm climate areas will demonstrate a slowing of viral spreading.
I hope that you, June and grandchildren will all be safe!
Well, I was a little hesitant to reply . . . but I think that the point needs to be made:
If societies are somewhat decimated and weaken by the economics of it all resulting from all of this for years to come, won’t that lessen our abilities to confront any future pandemics or national disasters. Personally, I value all lives. The loss of anyone, even us old codgers leave a hole in the fabric of life. However, countries OFTEN “sacrifice the young in wars and military conflicts to “protect the national interests and security of countries (and usually those are unjustifiable wars and conflicts). The hard reality is that society has aduty to do what is best in the interests of taking care of the long term interests of society as a whole. that is not a “monetary thing”; it is trying to enable the health and well being of the entire nation and exp. for the futre of the younger generations.
A doctor wass saying that they had reached the point where they were having to decide whether to use the equipment and meds on younger people who had a better chance of survival than others; and in actually taking the equipment away from those grievously ill to use on younger people who had a better chance. Just a consequence of having to deal with limited resources and trying to do the better good for all. Yeah, that is just a hard reality; doesn’t mean that anyone values anyone’s life less; just a practical consideration.
The Great Depression lasted for over a decade and many claim that it took WWII to end the depression. Lots of people go hungry, homeless, and live dire lives and even die due to severe economic times. We are currently being confronted by that type of situation; and it weakens the future for many, many millions of people, perhaps billions of people throughout the world. It is a difficult reality to have to contend with.
Sure, we would like to save everyone; but I think that simply is not going to be possible. Somewhere there is a realistic balance that has to be sought. There is the old saying about “Not throwing the baby out with the dirty bath water.” In 1918 over 50 MILLION died worldwide from the Spanish flu. With the technologies, medicines, and infrastructures nowdays, we should strive to limit the mortality rates as much as possible; but it will not be wise to decimate our economies and weaken the condition of the majority of people to have decent lives in the future. Time will tell as to the end result of what is being done.
. . . and I am an older 75 y/o at risk” senior person; but I do not wish for my grandchildren and everyone else to suddenly be thrown into economic chaos and desperation. Fortunately we and our family are all in good financial condition to survive many years of what is coming; but I am greatly concerned for the millions and millions of people in the U.S. and globally who are going to be economically devastated into homelessness, hunger, poor health, etc. by what is going on.
Yes, we all feel and empathize with the loss of anyone; but there are hard realities beyond our emotions that will negatively impact the basic quality of life for untold millions/Billions for the foreseeable future . . . there will be lots of pain, suffering, depression, and hopelessness for those who were living paycheck to paycheck with no savings . . . what will they do in a month when they are totally broke and unemployed?
I’m sure that my perspective may be frowned on by some; but we will have to see what the reality of the future brings.
Hope for the best for everyone
No hesitancy needed David. We all have our own individual opinions and I respect your points of view. I am more interested in listening and understanding as best I can, rather than getting across my own views.
Each one of us has been acculturated in our countries of birth, our families, our personality filters and beyond depending on our personal life circumstances and wherever we have lived.
I am more interested in promoting harmony and understanding, not division! Peace be with you David.
Cherry, Thank you for your beautiful words and this blog. I met your daughter about 5 years ago at an Eye Contact event. My husband and I were staying in Paris for 3 months.
You are an amazing, strong woman and your words are a balm to many. I haven’t let you know how your blog has touched me, so now you know.
Thank you and please know that you have many who follow you and wish you the best.
Gayle in Sequim, WA
Thank you so much for such very kind words, Gayle! I am humbled, yet very appreciative of your remarks that my blog might have brought you solace. That is my primary motivation or mission for the majority of my blog posts, except of course the lighter ones around my travels and life here in Paris.
I have much empathy for you and all Washington residents who have bravely withstood the intense cluster of Covid-19 that surrounds you. Please let me know how this has been on you Gayle. Hugs
Cherry, this whole situation and my medical problem that I never dream would really happen has me speechless .but not thoughtless since I went out on loa my brain has gone super hyper over thinking.
As a Eagle Boy Scout many years ago I learned to always be prepared.thank goodness I was some what prepared.but I was not prepared for cancer.
I don’t like having to go to the doctors offices,hospitals, clinics on almost every day .Being as careful as I can be my brain is over thinking,what if……
My faith has taught me to DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY,BECAUSE EVERY LITTLE THING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT!
HUGS TO YOU 😷
What you are going through right now can never be envisioned, nor “prepared” for, any more than this viral crisis. I have so much empathy for you to be caught in the middle of this when you are already beginning to battle one illness. Focus your strength on self-care physically and mentally. Replenish your reserve with whatever brings you joy or pleasure. Find solace and perseverance in your faith. Many hugs my friend.