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Archive for March, 2020

COVID-19: What to do on your birthday

March 18, 2020

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

scooter and bicycle traffic at an intersection

The day before my birthday we ventured out to a clinic where I had a follow up for breast cancer which showed zero signs of recurrence. Woo hoo! 27 months free and clear.

It was a beautiful sunny spring day. There are signs that life is getting back to normal, like the increased scooter traffic. Traffic and pedestrians are still light, but it is a step up from empty streets.

small businesses, sidewalk, people lined up at a food stall

People are starting to line up at the food shops for buns or dumplings.

temporary tents at a business gate, piles of boxes dropped off by delivery personnel

The gate at the clinic building was a bit chaotic with people coming to work, deliveries piled up, and the temperature check station.

sunny day, empty street

Another sunny day on my birthday. We ventured out for a meal. I really wanted sushi, but since I am not sure how safe that is (how safe is it ever?) I opted for cooked food — pancakes. When we arrived at the restaurant our temperature was taken and recorded on a form with our names and phone numbers. A short time later two police persons (one male, one female) came into the restaurant and spoke with the staff. One waitress came to our table, took our temperatures again and recorded them again. I’m not sure if she thought we had been missed the first time, or what. The restaurant closed at 5 pm (abnormally early).

blue berry pancakes with blue berry syrup and whipped cream on the side

Blue berry pancakes – super yummy.

inside of a taxi with plastic sheeting between the driver and passengers

Our second taxi was taking some extra virus protection measures. It was not air tight by any means, but I suppose it would stop any sneezing or coughing splatter.

crosswalk where twelve people are crossing all wearing face masks

This is how it is done, everyone. Wear a protective face mask. For decades China has had severe air pollution with a significant mortality rate from respiratory disease, however only a small percentage ever wear masks for that. A fast spreading virus and government restrictions = masks on everyone.

line of taxis waiting in front of a major grocery store

The best part of the virus situation is that taxis are lined up in front of the Carrefour store. This never happens normally. It is so nice to go in, shop like crazy, and know that you can get right into a taxi with all your goods when done. This I will miss when things are fully back to normal.

store display of three printers

Our printer has died, so we stopped in to get a new one. We nearly missed the display as there were only 3 models to choose from. However, there were nine models of fancy door locks to choose from. Also, the sales staff couldn’t be bothered to assist the only customers in the section.

nine electronic door lock models on display

The day ended with fig and pear pie. Quite tasty.

a plate containing a large piece of pie

And, the perfect gift for a librarian.

a box containing two pins, one shaped like eyeglasses, the second shaped like a pile of three books

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COVID-19: the Continuing Saga

March 12, 2020

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

We are now coming to the end of my 5th week and DaddyBird’s 6th week in the Shanghai coronavirus experience. The schools are still closed, so I work from home. We go out once a week to meet friends and get a little socialization.

Many of the international schools have put out the call for teachers who are still abroad to come back to Shanghai to do their 2 week quarantine. There is still no official opening date for the schools from the government. The concern seems to be that if the disease is soon considered under control in China, but is only beginning to spread in the rest of the world, the borders might close and teachers would not be able to get back.

Many concerns were expressed by teachers abroad, especially those with children. They wanted to know as many details as possible about the process of return and what will happen. The health check at the airport is more stringent now. Anyone with symptoms would have to go into official quarantine. Those who have traveled in countries with high chance of infection will quarantine at home under some supervision. All others can quarantine at home with few restrictions.

More restaurants are opening. Museums and parks are opening. Corporations have called their workers back to work. Things are getting back to normal slowly.

Two weeks ago, this is what it looked like at Starbucks. The chairs were all arranged to keep individuals apart and not facing each other. There were signs with instructions on how to behave and to not rearrange the furniture. (It didn’t keep people from doing just that, however, as a couple came in and rearranged the chairs so they could sit and talk face to face.)