by There are signs of breakdown in our lockdown. The official case and fatality numbers here are low compared to the tragic figures in western Europe, and there’s a sense that we could be over the worst of it. Foot traffic was up today. I’m concerned by all the non-essential work on our pavements, carried out by men in orange hi-viz jackets, often centimetres apart from each other. Some of it has already been completed, and it looks smart, but I doubt any of it would have happened in normal times. There are also people working in the parks and gardens, as usual (Timișoara has always done a good job there), and honestly that’s fine – you can keep your distance fairly easily.
I’m still watching John Campbell’s videos with interest. How and when will countries (or parts of countries) relax their lockdowns? Just how terrible will it get in Africa? Does warmer weather help significantly? Of particular interest to me: Can New Zealand eradicate the virus completely? (He thinks they can.) There are so many inter-related difficulties and issues that I never would have imagined. For instance, an oil from a specific type of Chilean tree is often used as a binding agent in vaccines, but that tree is only harvested in the Southern Hemisphere summer. Glass is used extensively in medicine (it’s inert, unlike plastic), but there’s a shortage of sand because so much has been used in construction.
The lockdown cracks are only emerging in the daytime, as yet. It’s 9:45 pm and I can hear an owl and intermittent trains.
