Covid numbers

[anotherbanana]

As you may know, the Pas de Calais is currently one of the worst areas for covid cases with about 400/100,000.

The numbers seemed to be improving significantly with the latest local lockdown. Did they heck, the bl**dy things have gone up again though not quite so much. Even if they do seem to be vaccinating everyone and his or her dog, cat, dustbin and even the odd passing kangaroo.

So what is happening; people round here are going on with their lives as usual, meeting in supermarkets in whole families and there are several cars outside homes for family Sunday lunch...! Come on guys, get your fingers out.

Or is it those dam*ed Rosbifs s ending their foul virus in revenge for Mr. Barnier and the charming Mrs Van der Leyen getting on at us?

I am getting worried, even if I have had me jabs.

[nomoss]

Maybe if zee frogs keep refusing zee jab, passing zee Coveed on to each other and getting deaded, and  zee rosbifs keep taking it and surviving, we will get some or all of LBF back again.

[Lori]

Always been that way round here Wooly.  If I could post photos here I would. 

Folks gather in huge numbers all over the place here.  Danse gatherings in the park (20 or more no masks/distancing), large lunch groups set up in the park (no idea what that is about, but they are catered groups in closed tents / tables nearly touching each other), large groups of late teens hanging about no masks, no distancing.  Huge families (at least they appear to be families) gathering in the parks no masks, no distancing.  I see less and less masks as time passes and I saw few in the beginning.

The parks are supposed to close at curfew (19h00) and as one of them is visible from my kitchen window, I can see when it gets closed as I prepare dinner.  The park is always packed with people at 19h00.  The car comes around to close it anywhere from 19h20 to 20h00.  Those remaining in the park (and there are always quite a few) have to climb over the fence to get out, passing baby strollers, trolleys and toddlers over the fence to go home. 

There is never any enforcement, other than closing the gates on the parks - eventually.

The numbers here are terrible, but from all I can see, the only people who care (and this is a presumption) are the ones dying - or those that probably would if they get it.

[mint]

If you look at a map of France, you will see that France is divided neatly into 2 halves with the Eastern half coloured red with the highest numbers and the West in blue and relatively "saved" from cases.

Yesterday, for the first time in over a year, we went to our local outdoor market, me having established from French friends and neighbours that there aren't many stalls and not many people. Indeed it was all comparatively quiet with only food stalls.  The vast majority of customers and traders were wearing masks.  No cafés open so nowhere for people to get drinks and sit around as usually happens.

Our vaccination programme not bad either with 21.22% having had at least one dose.  You can imagine I wasn't too happy to hear someone on TV news about les vacances des Pâques recommending that they go to the Dordogne[6]  Our infection figures aren't great, the incidence being 233 or so, admittedly below the national average but very high compared to earlier in the year.

Our hospitals are alas very well occupied with beds in short supply. I myself have been nastily impacted by the unavailability of hospital beds and I am left frustrated and depressed.  At the moment, I am unable to see any very great improvement.

[nomoss]

There are a few French who are not happy "On cumule tous les travers de l'hôpital"

[Lori]

[quote user="mint"]The vast majority of customers and traders were wearing masks.  No cafés open so nowhere for people to get drinks and sit around as usually happens.[/quote]

Sadly, round here market day is like it has been forever.  All vendors are set up, including the rug seller and clothes sellers.  Some vendors wear masks, many do not (including the vendor selling the masks !).

As to the customers it has progressively gotten worse. This week, I'd say less than 50% of customers were wearing masks, many on their necks.  No one ever distances at the market, so unless I need to buy some fish (which is where I usually get it), then I avoid the market, but I can see it as I pass by from the side streets.  If I do go for my fish purchase, I rise at 7h00 and get to the market when they are still setting out their goods.  Then, none of the vendors are masked.  They only put them on when customers start arriving.

Plenty of cafés are open for take out here, so on any given day at any given time, you will see half a dozen or more people standing outside ordering beers, coffees, etc. and standing in the streets drinking them - no distancing.  Up to this point, I haven't seen anyone picking up any to go food, though I'm sure that must be going on.  This bit is far worse on market day when dozens of people can be seen hovering outside all the cafés drinking and smoking.

[mint]

Oh my goodness, Lori, I am shocked, horrified at the picture you paint.  I can see it in my head, the way you have described it.  Absolutely dreadful and you are right to think of moving as far away from your area as possible.....

Good luck with the house hunt, hope you get away in as short a time as possible!

[Lori]

Thanks Mint.

It has always shocked me the level of apathy round here.  Even our own landlord has refused to mask or distance, from the very beginning (a year ago).

Come hell or high water, we will be out of here before year end.

[Gardengirl]

Lori, it sounds dreadfully unsafe and must make life difficult for you both.

I do wish you well with finding a place to live that will feel more safe from infection but have all that you both need to make it your home.

[Lori]

Thank you GG.

We spend the better part of each day searching and inquiring. Unfortunately for us, it is now a huge sellers market in almost all of the southern areas of France.  Husband has had enough of renting, so wants to buy.  We'll have to rent at first as buying will take time. 

Short of the 7h00 pick up of a boulangerie order on 24 and 25 Dec., a quick trip to the doctor for our vaccine prescriptions and entry to the vaccination center for our shots, we have not been in a four walled shop since last October. 

Too many people remove their masks when in the shops and only Auchan has a security guard.  He will require people to wear a mask on entry, but he cannot police the entire store once people get inside.

Living here (in this specific area) is a reminder that there are FAR too many people on this earth.  When you are living in a high population density area, like we are, you are reminded that this is the case.  Too many people, too close together.  Tends to bring out the absolute worst in people.

[mint]

The numbers of new infections, hospitalisations, rèa bed occupany, deaths are all scarily high, simply horrible[6]

So what's been in the news and what is the government discusing?  The desirability of life getting "back to normal" next month!!!!  Don't believe me?  Just try some of the news media!

I despair, I really do, how can they possibly even think such a thing, never mind talk about it openly as a real possibility?

The pandemic isn't going away.  If it were a fire you could say that people in authority are throwing extra fuel at it and using bellows to fan the flames[:@]

I know I am at my most misery guts mode but, if anyone has anything contrary to say and good news to bring, I challenge you to tell me what it is ( gauntlet thrown down)

[Lori]

I know how you feel Mint.  The talk of lifting restrictions next month is almost laughable. 

How is it possible, well, if I didn't know where Mr. Macron lived, I'd swear it was in  my neighborhood.  Apathy and no enforcement.  It is no wonder the case loads remain in the 30,000 numbers each day.  But hey oh, today's headlines talk of a stablization of the virus.. 

The only happy note I can write is that the weather this week looks to be quite nice.

[Ken]

Verun has said that talks are in progress regarding easing 'lockdowns' region by region. (This mornings news) Apparently, he says, things have improved considerably over the last three weeks!

Strange! On the same piece there were 450 deaths from Covid in the last 24 hrs and Alsace has reported over 3000 alone!!!

Perhaps we have differing ideas as to what constitutes 'improvement!!!

[anotherbanana]

Well, numbers arent down here to any significant extent, so I guess we are stuck with being stuck, so to speak.

[nomoss]

[quote user="Lori"]

I know how you feel Mint.  The talk of lifting restrictions next month is almost laughable. 

How is it possible, well, if I didn't know where Mr. Macron lived, I'd swear it was in  my neighborhood.  Apathy and no enforcement.  It is no wonder the case loads remain in the 30,000 numbers each day.  But hey oh, today's headlines talk of a stablization of the virus.. 

The only happy note I can write is that the weather this week looks to be quite nice.[/quote]

I think a fire has stabilised once it is burning well.