How is everyone coping?
 

Hi Y'all ...citizens of the world and fellow brothers and sisters of this human race

How are you doing has never been such an important question and the answer really matter. So how are you doing? How are you coping? What is keeping you focused and forward thinking?

Dips xx

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Well I have to say that the 4 day a week 24 hour curfew and 3 shopping days has me focused on keeping sufficient food and supplies in house but the local supermarkets and merchants are doing a good job with keeping shelves stacked. Also focused on being up-to-speed on new developments locally. Never thought that I would become an avid Facebook user.

I used to be a forward-looking guy, with plans for travel and for other options while in retirement but I've found that I'm now totally in the day and one-day-at-a-time. Don't even long for the end of this curfew period.

Can't really plan for anything. BA cancelled our flights back to the UK for a short stay and other trips planned within the Islands in May. Wouldn't expect there to be much change before say October at the earliest and then long haul air travel is likely to look and feel very different.

Lived in Bermuda for many years and they used to have an expression of being "Rock Happy" if one had been on-Island too long. Can't say that being confined in-house is making us stir-crazy yet but being allowed out to exercise while maintaining social distancing doesn't seem like a big ask, but it clearly is.

(only) Looking forward to ONE big trip into town next week to sort out things that have been sitting waiting for weeks now, like going to an ATM machine, for instance. Local supermarkets do not always have card machines.

The toughest thing to cope with is living in a neighbourhood where everybody has at least one dog and being chained up for the entire day, they bark at all and nothing during waking hours and sleeping hours. Under curfew, one has no respite.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

One thing, I’ve seen nobody here complain on local media channels like FB and ask for the ability to walk or swim at all. I do think that the authorities are very knee jerk in their reactions and only aligned with previous experiences.

Locals don’t exercise much, though many walk quite a lot to work, adverts saying covid 19, stock a months food are simply rewrites of hurricane preparations, which I suspect is also why access to shopping was ridiculously limited early on (supply issues post hurricanes)

More worrying is that the current stance has no locally applicable exit strategy so far as I can see, the loss of the next years SGU students which would be decided in a few months will cripple the economy, plus of course tourism.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Interesting reflection on learning to live in the present Pete. How long has the curfew been in place now?

Here in the UK we are in our 5th weekend but as our numbers are not dropping significantly I suspect we will be doing the same in weekend 8. I don't have a garden here and should be moving right now to a house that does. So I am eagerly looking forward to the restrictions on moving house being lifted as I think the housing market will be one of the first stimulations as part of exiting full lock down.

Apart from that I am actually doing more exercise than I did before and am very calm and relaxed ans addicted to watching Rue Pauls Drag Race (guilty pleasure) lol

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Hey Grenada how are you coping though was my question? Just wanted to personalise our conversation and get to connect a little rather than our normal external reflections

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

I/we personally are coping very well. The lack of exercise is an issue but we lack for nothing physical. The troubling things here now [after the initial hiatus of government not knowing what to do] arent really about us personally, sure it will be nice when we can travel again, but the recent info from the uk on vaccine pricing [if/when] from bill gates and glaxo makes it clear it wont be coming here for the general population [350 pounds a shot], and there is no herd immunity forthcoming, so how does a nation recover ?

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

We've been on 24 hour curfew but with designated shopping days since 6th April. Curfew is due to end tomorrow morning at 7 - not sure what the new guidelines are yet.

We have a six-month State Of Emergency now in place from last week - to avoid Parliament having to go back to update as needed.

Initially, the shopping day routine was a bit chaotic if only because shops didn't have enough time to restock, so shelves got empty really fast. There were also long queues such that it could take a couple of hours to get into the store. As a senior, I was able to get priority sometimes but not always - two hours in the sun and I would be done-for. This last week or so has been easier in my out-of-town area as most shoppers have been able to get into town to shop at the market and fisheries, while also getting hair done etc. and getting cash from the bank counters.

There was a shortage of cooking gas but that seems to have corrected itself. No other shortages (loo paper??) apart from Dutch onions and hand sanitizer for a while. Local rum distillers got into the alternative alcohol market, as UK Grenada had mentioned elsewhere. 99% alcohol Jack Iron rum from Carriacou should 'do' it.

There was some confusion as to whether one was permitted to BUY alcohol for takeaway during the first week or so and this was clarified as a restriction only on buying and then consuming on the premises, so we were then allowed to buy and take away a couple of weeks ago. Coped with limited alcohol for a couple of weeks. Was in Morocco for five+ weeks in January/February so I knew I could do it (wink).

Some bus drivers were arrested for not initially following social distancing rules (one pax per row) in the overall confusion but that seems to have been sorted out now - personally haven't used a bus (minibus) in six weeks. Coped without transport.

Indeed, I'm very happy with my well-used VPN connection to keep up with the multitude of programming that now seems to be on offer. They have got to compete with Netflix! Recaps on Trump Covid-19 White House briefings had been kind of entertaining, if tragic for the Nation and the World Leadership stakes.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Next week is this week again i suspect in terms of days but they have announced opening up pf ports/couriers/postoffice, a few other types of store too. I do wish they would allow physical distancing walking. The buying alcohol from stores thing was overly zealous policing i suspect, they had no mandate to do that.

while i have an excellent vpn, never had an issue with iplayer. i rarely use it these days, netflix doesnt need it, and anything decent on the bbc or other uk channels is widelÅ· streamed/made available via bittorrent. Of course some of the best is actually joint productions with netflix anyway.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

It's kind of weird that the herd immunity thing has come and gone and come and gone in various fashions. As I now understand it, the UK Government for example, found itself so ill-prepared for the onset of the virus, due in part to other perceived priorities and lack of execution expertise, that Herd Immunity was simply a sort of silver lining cum-fallback perk from the population at large being largely inundated with the virus - hardly a sound policy action. In any event, though nations had used the concept of herd immunity for future (flu-like) pandemic planning post-SARS and MERS, there was obviously no evidence that it was applicable here. However, BTAIM, there is now simply no evidence anywhere that we are close to the infected percentages that bring herd immunity into play.

SO, it would seem that pretty-much everybody (at least in the West) is in the same boat and the starting gates are being opened for a second go at it. Some have enough intensive care beds to cope now (or always had them) and enough PPE and fit and healthy healthcare staff ready and waiting in facilities now primed. They also have strong leadership and a generally compliant and sensible population (a la Germany and Sweden for example).

For others, like little Grenada, the football has in all honesty simply been kicked down the road for a month of so and the virus is still waiting out there and there is no vaccine, and as you say, no likely available vaccine any where soon. Not even a start to herd immunity and the virus will likely be in full tilt again in the 'tourism markets' this fall.

Hopefully, something has been learned in the first blush as to how to do more prompt contact tracing, safe operating practices for healthcare workers, and to keep the population at large in some form of disciplined lock-down (I hear stories of carefree partying in some quarters here, no masks, no care).

I do worry about how far the current very cautious approach is going to take us, but as I have said, it is best to keep in the present and not let myself get frustrated that with all of this we might be actually achieving very little.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Yep I had thought that was the case - sometimes it is hard to keep up with information feeds and going back to read the actual legislation. Will check bittorrent.

I had to cope with execution of various cancellations of flights, hotels, trains for the aborted trip to the UK from earlier this month.

For flights, BA is still 'processing' rebooking to late August and have issued vouchers for the flight back to Grenada which was a return trip to the UK (for that late August). I am likely to now have to ask for my money back which it seems that the airlines ARE NOT OFFERING in spite of the CAA rules. BA are not accepting phone calls at this point - they want us to be patient.

The hotels (Premier Inn) were giving refunds in full even though the bookings were non-refundable - it was easy . Travelodge have given vouchers good for this year - that took time and follow-ups.

The trains (thetrainline.com) (advance tickets) wanted me to MAIL the tickets back which was a challenge what with no mails on offer here. They then accepted photos of cut-in-two tickets and I have my refund. Service was good!

I spoke to a RGPF officer outside the supermarket earlier this week regarding going to Immigration for an extension because of our non-clocking-up-another-ninety-day-allowance when we planned to leave and return to Grenada earlier this month and he said it wouldn't be a problem here this coming week. Fingers-crossed!

Very much looking forward to actually SEEing Grenada and more Grenadians. Oh! and the take-out roti at Nutmeg??

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

The post offices will be open next week, but I would stay away for possibly all week as the backlogs will be huge. British Airways, I really would never ask for a refund now, as I understand you will only get about half of the money back as the government has already taken its taxes when you pay for the ticket. I have flights booked, from here to the UK, and these are just rebooked into the future and probably the dates will be changed again but they do at least guarantee to carry me for no extra money.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

I didn’t have to interact with BA at all. A few weeks prior to flying they cancel the flight and email a link to cancel or rebook, rebooking is into any flight same route for no charge, so I just move it up a month and have done it twice so far. Pain free....

I do suspect community spread is here, and won’t be going away but who knows. Immunity is the only endgame, a vaccine is not a forgone conclusion, and if you don’t have herd immunity yet, lots of testing and tracing is the only palliative till then hence tracing apps etc. This is the uk exit plan and is happening now in Korea.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Yep - did the easy rebooking routine where we haven't started our journey yet but we came out from LGW via UVF successfully but BA cancelled the return and specifically rejected a refund and the booking reference is now gone when looking online. They (BA) can only re-book to another date themselves and that is via calling them, as asked to do, and they say the new booking date is available and then they 'send' it to an office for a check as what the new pricing is. They never emailed back as promised and the phone-calls from me dis-connect. I've emailed them and await a response. It will likely take time as I'm sure that BA are not certain to operate, even in August, which is hardly peak for them on this run.

A pain in the which-what really as we have onwards flights booked to France from Stansted on that 27th August day we arrive and then a one-way BA back to Grenada mid-September. Hence need to have the comfort of the firm booking to connect and all.

Or they can cancel the lot and we will have to stay put, again.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

? Never cancel if you can... My flights are all returns in theory, but booked direct with BA and seemingly not a problem to move to any available flight on the correct route? Mine are from Trinidad, i asked online if i couldnt get GND-POS what then?

They assured me that force majeur meant they would either move me to a GND direct flight - just pay the difference if any - or allow me to hold the POS-LGW booking for 12 months.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Indeed, but we are running out of ideas as we were due to only return to Europe from this region (after this August) on a cruise (OK - don't start!) from FLL in April next year which is when the voucher runs out. We didn't plan to cope (staying on topic here) with Covid-19 hangover or whatever by being anywhere other than Grenada and maybe St Lucia only briefly to see family and friends.

So by cancel I only mean BA canceling.

Will have to see what we can do with the ticket vouchers that we have 'in hand' from BA. Don't believe in flying for flying's sake, particularly now.

If in due course we cancel the cruise then voila. We can rejig flights.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Dutch Onions lol? am I asking a silly question as to what a "dutch" onion is and why it is in short supply?

6 months lockdown ??? wow that's a long term approach. What will be different for you guys at 7am today?

When the UK government put the lockdown details to parliament the opposition party insisted on a 3 weekly review which has proved to be a relief as it forces a focus on next steps. I have to say that I am impressed with the way the UK government is handling this - they have paid us all to stay at home and watch tv and allow us opportunities to ask a lot of questions, although it would be great to be taken on the journey of the potential exit strategy which they will not even discuss right now. Boris has just made a statement on his first day back at work just asking us to be patient as we are coming to the end of phase 1 of CV19.

People here are getting itchy feet as we do not know what the changes might be or when anything will change and car travel is going up so the sooner he gives some hope on next steps the more buy in they will continue to get.

What happens where you are if people flout the rules? 90% here are not doing that even though the fine is only £30. What are your numbers looking like for cases and deaths?

For me life is not hugely different as i'm kind of introvert so not a "going out person" and also work from home, although I have just been accepted as a local volunteer for making calls to isolated or lonely people and for shopping deliveries and medicine pickup. I am also doing a lot more walking/exercise being consciously aware when I feel too lazy that for other countries they don't have this luxury. It is probably the reason why our numbers are higher than rest of Europe but I suspect that numbers will shoot up for those countries when they take a hybrid approach like us and let people out.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Actually I had to google what a 'standard' onion is, as opposed to red onion, which was not in short supply. I guess they, along with Holland peppers, come in the European containers and there was a stock-out. So one of my favourite expressions - "none on the Island" (from Bermuda days) came up. Same for that propane cooking gas.

Yep Irish potatoes, as opposed to Sweet Potatoes, is another generic.

I'm not sure it IS a six-month lock-down, only six-month State Of Emergency so that they have the legal 'equipment' to indeed impose a more drastic lock-down and curfew IF the need urgently arises without having to convene parliament in some fashion and draft the requisite legislation at the time.

Curfew here drops in 35 minutes and frankly I'm not sure, aside from what UK Grenada has advised regarding post offices and all, what today will look like - having again gone through Facebook to see what the Ministry of Health and RGPF are advising, which is basically nothing new.

I have to make that call to Immigration today so that will tell me whether the RGPF Immigration offices are functioning at anything close to normal.

I have always been a big walker, in spite of my gout problems and joint pain, and so I really miss being able to get out and walk up the nice steep (cardiac) hills around here. I have to say that when we lived in St Lucia, we were not positioned to do much walking but there was the garden to be worked on and the pool to be kept clean and all so there was a degree of exercise available and that was all good as power walking in this sort of climate can get overly-sweaty - mad dogs and Englishmen and all.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

HI Dips,

Thanks for checking up on all of us personally, we are doing fine. My husband is considered an essential working, as we own commercial fishing boats. thank fully that keep him busy, as well as his fisherman and their crew employed. he's been going to the Bridgetown fishing complex several times a week, when the boats are in and also making sure that shipments of Tuna are being sent to Miami. (they stalled for a bit, but have resumed.. thankfully)..

My pastry chef is keeping us fat and happy with breads and pastries etc. my 2nd daughter is in North Carolina, living and not working as her retail job stopped and the restaurant, where she was a hostess is only doing take out and delivery. Thankfully they are giving their staff at least 1 meal a day, if they want it. She's happy..

my son is in his Upper 6th Year of secondary.. finished the syllabus, but no schooling as the government has them closed.. except that apparently some are doing online teaching.. mostly private schools. He was due to sit his CAPE Unit 2 exams in May/June and that's been postponed till late Jun/July.. and even then we aren't sure about what's happen. he received his acceptance offer to the University of his choice in Canada to start in September. but.. we still don't know what's happening there. lots of Balls in the Air... as they say.

I'm fine.. been shopping 3 times in about 5 weeks. was a huge fiasco here when the PM shut the major supermarkets.. but. .Bajans brought it on themselves. Things are starting to work again.. less lines at the markets etc..

Unfortunately, we can't go to the beach or into the sea.. ugh. thankfully we have a good size yard and have a "walking track" to use (you walk around the yard enough, it packs down the soil..) and we live in the country with 5 other houses. connected by 1 gravel road off the main road.. My husband and daughter have been going out about 4pm and walking/running up the longest section.for about 1/2 hour.. . and then the 2 houses down neighbors and their children come out between about 5pm and 530 to let off some steam by letting the kids run around. it works... thankfully.

I'm keeping up with Facebook (too much COVID info but.. whatever) , doing some walking in the yard and Zumba online for exersize. .(doesn't beat the class I was taking in person but.. it works) and trying to jumpstart my slowed down online businesses.. one of those is cruise sales.. which isn't a great topic these days.. .. but I'm keeping my travel info page in FB open with travel photos.. we can live in hope..

Barbados did a great thing, in my opinion. .not others, by allowing stranded cruise ships to offload passengers and send them home. we have had up to maybe 20 different ships "hanging out" off the coast, awaiting their orders to move. limited crews are onboard..and the lines have been buying from local suppliers to keep the crews feed and watered..

That's it for the moment. Take care
Sunniebgi.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Our 24 hour curfew continues this week with normal Mon, Wed, Fri shopping days but it's Mon, Wed, Sat, Sun this particular week as Friday is a holiday here. At long last we have been given our shopping days as exercise days from 5:00 am but no swimming here either.

After about six attempts, I finally got our BA flights back to the UK re-booked for late August, so I now have something to show Immigration here tomorrow vis a vis return tickets.

Have to say that I'm still confused as to how Caricom CSME and OECS free movement works in practice as that is what we are here based largely upon, because we plan to be here just more than a year. Will find out tomorrow when we see Immigration in person. They seemed relaxed when on the phone yesterday. Was surprised they were at their 'desks'?.

In the meantime, I am coping with some support from (new found) Jack Iron Westerhall Estate 69% overproof rum based punch. Westerhall Estates various (Rum No.7 and 7 Year old) have become solid favourites, in spite of my love for rums from Demerara Distillers in Guyana, which our local mini market typically has a bountiful supply of when they restock. The Westerhall distillery is down the road on our bus route, so will need to visit and give thanks when we ever get out.

Since this is a Barbados thread, I have to say that there is no exciting Mount Gay rum stockage here, that I am aware of yet - I'm not sure that Grenada has as much, if any, linkage with Goddards for distribution that we were used to in St Lucia. There is Brydons here but they don't function the same way. I stand to be corrected.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

our curfew is 6pm to 6am. . no one allowed out of our home/yard, without an essential services pass during that time. from 6am to 6pm, it's technically a lockdown, stay at home order.. they are calling it a curfew. but.. we have gone to a letter system for shopping.. we get 2 1/2 days.. .. this is for supermarket, fish market, minimarts, veg markets.. . and time to do banking. all the rest, you should be at home. technically not let out to run or do exercise etc.. no beaches open or in the water... no restaurants open,even for take out or delivery, and no liquor sales.. however.. we are making do with what we have.. some gin, whisky, rum (mount gay XO and black barrel) and others..

the government extended the Public Heath emergency order until the end of July. . that simply means the government can make changes to the situation (curfew, shopping etc) without taking it to parliament for a vote. I suspect we will find out on Friday or Saturday, what will happen from the 4th May. I suspect they will continue with a little more ease... We shall see..

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Only significant variation from yours, here in Grenada, aside from the exercise thing and the liquor, is this I think, for permitted:

Drive-through or takeaway services by food vendors and restaurants from 8 am to 5 pm from Monday to Friday

Also, grocery stores can do delivery service as thus, in this holiday week:

Grocery stores through a delivery service from Monday to Thursday, and Saturday and Sunday

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Nice to hear from you Sunnie I actually clicked on bEX to update asking if anyone had heard from you so was happy to see this update.

Well Boris just had a baby boy I don't think anyone realised how far gone his partner was so no wonder we haven't heard much from him. New beginnings for him with a new lease on life (literally) and new life to give him reason to fight for a great future so lets hope that this makes him the best leader he can possibly be. Right now we all have itchy feet and are desperate to have a plan projection of what might happen - hope - that the things we dream about will begin to happen.

For me that would be moving to my new house with a garden ready for the summer - I would then be happy to isolate for as long as needed. Having had the virus (I think) I don't live in dread of it like many I know although im not being complacent that it cant come back and taking all the necessary precautions.

Dips x

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

We got our Immigration extensions sorted out yesterday without too much administrative hassle. Staff there were rather pleasant and laid back, though looked confused when we said we were STAYING in Grenada (for about a year). Well I did tell the Immigration guy at arrivals at the airport that Grenada would be our HOME (we have nowhere else that isn't rented out to somebody else) and he was un-phased.

Only problem was that the Government Treasury at the actual Immigration office had been suspended so we had to walk 1 1/2 miles each way to get to the main Treasury at the Ministry of Finance to pay the fees.

Loads of folk there who are stuck on island and with no way of knowing if/when they can get 'home'.

Biggest problem is that buses are simply not functioning as a service due to the obligation to meet social distancing rules - one pax per row. So it seems most are only for charter and that can be expensive and subject to negotiation. There were NO buses at the main terminal and it is not clear how anybody waiting there would have actually got home.

Got to the ATM machine at the bank ok - security are there to ensure proper social distancing in the atm foyer. All good!

St George (the capital) was actually VERY BUSY yesterday. A lot of queues, for banks, for grocery shops, for takeout and for water, and activity in the harbour (Carenage) area with boats loading for Carriacou (island) shipments of supplies. A huge amount of traffic congestion in the downtown area.

Don't plan to head back into town anytime soon after that one. One other thing that I had wanted to do was get some fresh fish from the market - glad I didn't as the fisherman was by our driveway when I got home with fresh yellowfin at the right price (7 EC a pound for almost all usable). The fishermen fairly regularly coming into our road makes a big difference while we are in lock-down.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Wow loving hearing all the different variations on how coronavirus is impacting our lifestyles. Eagerly awaiting May 7th for our next review however it would make sense to me that they extended for a further 3 weeks but at least this time with an overview plan of what will happen for coming out of lockdown. Interestingly Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have already given this to their people. England is the only country that hasn't but seeing as we are where the majority of the 26000 deaths are then I guess its a harder proposition to analyse.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Changes from Monday 4 May in Barbados.. additional work places can open, but Mia has asked that employers please try to allow employees who actually can work from home, to do so... less people to be around. obviously there will be some that can't. She is opening the construction, some manufacturing etc.. I will state publicly..I have never not wanted to listen to Aunti Mia (as we call her) speak.. but my attention span failed at one point and I couldn't do it. I'll try to post the "official gazette" information, when it comes out.. usually on Fridays.. but today is a public holiday.. (really?!!?).. so.. it might be Monday.. 1 thing added, which I'm not sure about. She says.. everyone working in an office, etc.. has to have their temps taken ands washed before going into the work place.. so like.. does that mean i now have to invest in a portable sink and put it by the door??and hope I have water to use it.. AND to purchase one of the hand help temp senor devices.. Lots and Lots of questions. I'm not a business owner, so it doesn't have an affect on me.. but others, it will.

the best news. .BEACHES!!!. ARE OPEN.. YEAH!!!. well ok. 6am to 9am.. social/physical distancing.. for swim and exercise only, no liming etc.. it has been surmised that this this is because our older population likes to go to the beach in the mornings, early, swim, exercise, socialize.. which they shouldn't be doing now, and go home. I'm afraid the most popular beaches will be busier than normal. . but i'll find out monday morning. It's been over 6 weeks. .and I need some salt water in my veins..

our curfew from 4 May, will move to night time 8pm to 5am (nuff time to get up and get to the beach for 6am..) it is understood that the shopping days will remain the same, with the letter of your last name being the day and time you can shop. and mostly, the government STILL wants you to "Stan home" unless absolutely necessary.

and we may have our first case of community spread. as of yesterday.. 30ish year old male, tested positive and has know idea how he got it.. they will have to check where he has been, what he has done etc. to get at least an idea. someone suggested he was a front line worker. and if so.. we should know that as well. .but.. may not..

have a good day.. Happy Labour Day to those who celebrate and stay safe.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

As of this week beaches have been opened to the public here and we have gone to seven day a week grocery shopping. Indications are for the island borders to open up in the first week of June. In light of restrictions on travel in the market countries such as USA and UK it is unlikely that any travel will be from there for quite a while.

The ferry service between St Lucia, the French islands and Dominica is due to restart this week and there is potential to reach Paris from St Lucia on Air Antilles and then Air Caraibes/Air France. Hopefully LIAT (selling flights from first week in June) will allow for connections - as also Caribbean Airlines. Looks like the entente between France and the UK for quarantine-free travel is in a state of flux though.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

I'm hearing this is being considered - if you travel outside the region, the regional carriers will not take you on return until you have undergone 2 weeks quarantine at your expense wherever you landed from the us/europe... If this happens watch the ferries do the same. NB Beaches here are not opened fully, only in mornings till 11 for exercise as other islands have allowed.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Ok I am sure you would have heard of the Lockdown Lifting Comms Debacle from Sunday's prime ministererial announcement. The viral memes and videos of Boris saying "Go to work but stay home, Go out but stay in, lime on the beach with lots of strangers but not aloud around more than 1 person who you do know" sum up the absolute sham of the messaging.

Since then to sum it up most restrictions for activities outdoors are lifted. Indoors is a different matter with no socialising in other peoples homes including gardens. Return to work is encouraged but under strict social distancing rules that are agreed by unions. Discouragement of utilising public transport and the relatively unheard of message "Drive to work if possible" is making for headline news as people cant go to work in London without utilising transport and social distancing is just not happening. Watch the next wave be back again in London!

Yesterday they allowed the housing market to restart which made a big difference to me as waiting to move house to one with a garden before they lock us back up again!. Garden centres opened but other than that only shops catering for food or DIYstores are allowed to open. The takeaway market was never forced to close however due to footfall issues many chains like KFC Subway and McDonalds did. Yesterday they reopened the Maccie D's on my road and a bus driver friend said it was causing tail backs.

Depending on the numbers in 3 weeks time they will then look at primary schools going back for a month before the summer holidays. They will also look at non essential shops reopening ie book stores, clothes stores, furniture stores.

You will not be able to get your hair or nails done until July (subject to numbers) and restaurants and theatres is anyone's guess!

Interestingly looking out my window the swathes of people I expected are not out and about - to be honest what is there to do unless its to go to work? BTW these rules only apply to England where ironically we have lifted lockdown with over 25,000 deaths. The remaining death toll in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland are between 200-1300 per country but they are staying in lockdown. We don't have border control between our 4 countries and so are only allowed on day trips - you cannot stay at a second home, this I guess is to prevent mass exodus to the rest of UK.

All this has had to be explained in detail again and again because the messaging was so off!! Whoever delivered the update campaign needs sacking - up until then the government had a high approval rate but the exit strategy has been chaotic. I can see the logic in many of the decisions but with most people on short attention spans they are just confused so will either go out and break any rules (not sure if there are any left that are legally punishable) or just stay at home because they are scared that another peak is in 3 weeks.

On a summary note someone outside the UK said to me that our government does not care about their people and care about the economy more - I disagree with this sentiment. The government are literally paying people to stay at home and are constantly looking at ways to help anyone who needs it. I am not a Boris or indeed a government fan, I see them as necessary to force human beings to do the things they know they should do anyhow, however, for me, apart from Sundays debacle I really feel they have done their best with the knowledge they have had. In hindsight of course there will be things they could have done faster or shouldn't have done at all but in terms of getting there in the end I would give them a round of applause.

UPDATE 04/06 Now we are "coming out of lockdown" I withdraw my round of applause as the communication and handling is haphazard

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Message seems to be "don't even think about it in 2020". Same message is coming out of the UK right now. Quite where that leaves the airlines, cruise lines, hotels and in particular Caribbean tourism and the wider economy isn't quite clear. Many have already written off 2021 too.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Updates please on what is happening your sides with the virus.

I have just updated my previous comments re government as right now they need a slap rather than a clap - it's like having drunk teenagers at a party defining the rules - confusing, not a lot of common sense but lots of bravado. However at least we don't have Trump to deal with... God Bless America!

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

No change inGrenada, blursday everyday.

The bug arrives next month when we open up, there are some coded statements that appear [to the careful observer] to indicate the government has had enough of the economic impact and is at last getting real to the fact that you cant beat it without a vaccine, and one of those is dubious or certainly over the viable horizon, so we have to live with it, and people will die eventually, but you cant say that, after all the bravado and - charitably lets call it bug prevention practice, the real need for prevention will arrive with the opening.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Actually, im a bit surprised they havent opened restaurants and open air bars, with distancing, they will have to do it ar some point, and also if they want tourists. Same for beaches, and a 7pm curfew will put a lot off. Its noticeable that as tracing is made available, small gatherings are being allowed in other countries, growing in number over time. Nothing like that here, maybe the big bang approach is being considered, hope not.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

from 1June (it was a holiday).. 2 june for some..
there are protocols in place.. physical distancing, temps taken at the door.. LOTS of hand sanitizer being spritz.. etc etc
Beaches.. 5am-630pm
Most/more businesses back open
Restaurants are allowed to open.. big protocols.. not sure they are even ironed out, but .. they are opening slowly. have had more doing takeout/curbside for the last 2 weeks.. among other things
they can sell alcohol, but only in the restaurant. no stand alone bars allowed.
NO MORE ALPHABET SHOPPING.. YEAH!!!
Many things. Still no commercial flights etc repatriation

only 4 left in quarantine, only 7 deaths (last one was end of April) , less than 100 cases.. HOWEVER. 200 bajans etc arrived from the UK Yesterday.. ALL have been tested and MUST go through 14 Day either government or hotel (at their expense and specific location) quarantine.
sports are ok.. but.. like 2 people playing tennis across a net, solo sailing, swimming. etc.. no group sports etc.

and more..

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Shoppings pretty normal here now except distancing/masks. Its prep for opening our skys in 3 weeks, they will have to open restaurants, hotel bars, beaches etc, and imho thats when the precautions start to be needed, imho, all the islands will see cases in numbers, testing regardless, we are just rejoining the real world where the bug can be contained but not eradicated, because if we dont, things will be even worse but in different ways.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

that's the issue for us as well. that Scare Factor of.. for our economy, we need to open up, but in reality, it's going to come at us.. again and again.. .. at this point, I do have faith in our medical systems (believe it or not).. but it's going to take much more than just letting people walk in. it will be interesting to see what the results are of the 200 that came in yesterday. and any other subsequent flights that may bring others home.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Well citizens are invested in the country, tourists are not, and the 2 week quarantine thing will be stopped shortly, its not tourist compatible.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

There were actually 98 who came into Barbados (my daughter was one).. all apparently tested negative. The others on the flight were moved onto other islands. The one worrying this is that some of those on the flight were apparently allowed to quarantine at home... wonder who they know!.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

Ian.. they have said publicly. I think, at least on women is pregnant and I think there was a family with small children. I'm not 100pct sure.

I know 2 people who are supposed to come in on the Tuesday flight from the US. one has been doing medical treatments in Miami since February and her sister has been with her. the sister was to have come home in Mid March and the Son was to fly up.. but that never happened. I believe they have asked for quarantine at home. .No one else lives in the house.. and she still has to go through her treatments, so not sure how any of this will work. They actually have been quarantined in a hotel room (except for going to the treatments in Miami) for almost the whole time they have been there.

The don't want people in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. They have closed one of the COVID Centres. they have Paragon (part of the military) and the New Harrison's Point Facility. If they aren't allowed to stay at home, they will likely stay in one of the hotels..

I'm not suggesting that being allowed to stay home is the RIGHT thing to do.. but they, and others , have a support system who will bring them food, etc.. and the house is separated from others.. others may not have that ability.

I have a friend who had been in Canada since February and came home just before the doors closed. she "self-quarantined" in an empty small home on the west coast.. 2 weeks her husband brought food every day.. left it on the step.. they would take many feet away from each other. she is fine, but of course.. it doesn't matter if she didn't get it, because at this point, she still susceptible to virus as long as it's still out there.

and I'll add. I was driving in Bridgetown this Morning and afternoon.. and was NOT amazed to see hundreds of Bajans walking around.. No physical distancing.. No masks.. or no masks on properly. going about their normal Saturday Morning Choirs like they always have. it's not done yet..

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

When the islands open its coming back, but thats inevitable, there is no other viable option.

Re: How is everyone coping?
 

If some people were offered - or gained - the option of quarantine at home it ought to have been out there for everyone. I too have a totally separate building my daughter could stay in, but instead I have to pay for her to stay at Sugar Cane Club.. and the government has the cheek to charge the room levy as well...

I know you are going to say did she need to come home... but you argue with her mother lol....