I’m not sure I really thought I would be writing this diary for 64 days. I’m not sure that I thought I was going to be in isolation that long. But, I suppose, logically, we could be in this state for a year or more. That is a possibility.
Although it is quite likely that they will ease us out into some semblance of normality, along with an element of risk, before that.
The USA continues to boggle me. It has one and a half million cases resulting in over 90,000 deaths at a rate of 1,500 a day – and yet they are talking about reducing lockdown and opening the country up. They are in complete denial. The sooner Trump gets a dose of it the better. It might shock him into some sense. It might also stop him peddling bogus cures!
Meanwhile in the UK our infection rates seem to have stabilised and our death rates – reportedly only 127 today – are coming down.
It seems incredible that the three countries doing worst in the whole world are the ones who elected populist leaders – Trump, Johnson and Bolsonaro! Seems they are good at getting elected (through scaremongering, division and racism) but are extremely poor at doing anything. Trump is just inept and stupid, Johnson is lazy and Bolsonaro is just an extremely unpleasant elitist.
One of the good things on the horizon is the return of football and cricket. That would certainly add a dimension to my day – three or four weeks to go!
I think we will soon be allowed out to mingled, at distance, go to pubs and restaurants, with suitable distancing, and even theatres and cinemas – if they can figure a way of keeping us safe.
I like the idea of the old US style drive-in model for cinemas, theatres and such – that would be fun – for a while!
I also like the way petrol prices have come right down! But I notice the roads are clogging up. I hope this is all not too soon!
Today I played my Byrds, went for a walk up my favourite hill, worked on my Sci-fi novel Star and helped lay out John Philip’s book.
All good stuff.
I’m off to cook dinner – prawn something or other!!
Stay safe!!
Opher, you need to look at it in terms of deaths per million population, not just the raw deaths figures. In those terms, the USA is currently 13th, and Brazil 28th. Of course, both are well behind European countries in the progress of the epidemic.
The UK is 6th currently on the deaths per million metric – 4th among major countries after Belgium, Spain and Italy. I’ve been looking a lot at the figures, and my best guess is that the UK will overtake Italy and maybe Spain, but not Belgium. I suspect the US will end up about even with the UK. As to Brazil, who knows? The time to judge political (and health care) systems will be after the dust has settled.
Neil – if you want to look at it that way then China and South Korea are doing brilliantly – as is Germany and New Zealand. There’s no getting around the fact that America and the UK are abysmal and I bet Brazil comes out appallingly too.