Everyday the government is taking stronger measures to combat the spread of this new coronavirus. Yesterday they announced that as of this morning, private transportation is prohibited until April 20. That means no one can drive except for those with permits, which would entities like fire trucks, hospitals, food delivery trucks, etc. Thankfully the city is not like an American city and people live within walking distance to grocery stores and markets.
I was watching CNN and New York state governor Andrew Cuomo was talking about how President Trump’s idea of putting a quarantine on New York, New Jersey and Connecticut was illegal. Not here, where the president has stopped all incoming and outgoing flights, blocked travel between regions and now is stopping vehicle traffic in the city. It is against the law to go out without a mask and to gather in groups of more than 3 people.
I am in favor of these drastic measures because the sooner we can stop the spread of the virus, the sooner we can get back to normalcy. Being in a foreign country when these things are taking place does bring a bit more unease to expatriates, but after over 25 years living abroad, I am taking these actions in stride. I am concerned about getting to school although I live a short distance from the campus. However, the law is clear that people are only to leave their home for food or medicine/medical care.
We will see if these measures stop the number of cases and limit deaths. The Ministry of Health announced 29 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, the single biggest daily increase since the first case was detected on March 15. I think in part because of increased number of testing kits in the country.
Bill's Blog 