Northern Europe during Pandemic -- Summers 2020 & 2021 & onwards

[reynoldsa]

Wondering about an eventual visit to Morocco, looking for recommendations for a good current cruising guide, does anyone think this might be good? https://www.landfallnavigation.com/w...RoCnTkQAvD_BwE

Other suggestions?
Thank you

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by reynoldsa

Wondering about an eventual visit to Morocco, looking for recommendations for a good current cruising guide, does anyone think this might be good? https://www.landfallnavigation.com/w...RoCnTkQAvD_BwE

Other suggestions?
Thank you

That was either spam or the weirdest set of typos and miss-posts I have ever seen

[reynoldsa]

Sorry, tried to include a link, but the link was wrong anyway.
We are looking for a good cruising guide for the med side of Morocco. Any suggestions?

[reynoldsa]

The link is wrong.

We are looking for a good cruising guide for the Med side of Morocco.
thank you

Originally Posted by Macblaze

That was either spam or the weirdest set of typos and miss-posts I have ever seen

Originally Posted by reynoldsa

Wondering about an eventual visit to Morocco, looking for recommendations for a good current cruising guide, does anyone think this might be good? https://www.landfallnavigation.com/w...RoCnTkQAvD_BwE

Other suggestions?
Thank you

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by reynoldsa

Sorry, tried to include a link, but the link was wrong anyway.
We are looking for a good cruising guide for the med side of Morocco. Any suggestions?

Not Northern Europe at all. Morocco is in Africa. Maybe you could start a new thread in: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f17/

[dannc]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

This relates to the UK not specifically Northern Europe during the pandemic, but I thought we all needed some light relief.

One family has made good use of their enforced time together and released this YouTube:

https://youtu.be/vYmSAMcwXA8

That was brilliant!

I have always loved that song though some people hate it for some reason.

The family did a great job with the lyrics and they ALL can SING so well.

Made me smile and I needed a smile today.

Later,
Dan

[Montanan]

Wondering about an eventual visit to Morocco, looking for recommendations for a good current cruising guide, does anyone think this might be good? https://www.landfallnavigation.com/w...RoCnTkQAvD_BwE

Other suggestions?
Thank you

Originally Posted by Macblaze

That was either spam or the weirdest set of typos and miss-posts I have ever seen

Should shift that post about cruising around Morocco to the Northern Africa during Pandemic -- Summers 2020 & 2021 & 2022 & 2023 & to infinity thread.

So how many more years shall we keep adjusting the title of this thread?

[Seaworthy Lass]

Covid-19 vaccination numbers have just reached 200+ million worldwide (up from 100 million on the 2nd of this month):
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/c...-distribution/

Apart from Scotland, northern Europe is unfortunately only proceeding slowly still. These are the figures for the percentage of the population that has received at least one dose:

Denmark 5.2%
Norway 5.2%
Finland 5.0%
Estonia 4.6%
Lithuania 4.3%
Sweden 3.9%
Latvia 1.4%

(EU average: 3.7%)

In comparison Israel, the UK and US are proceeding at a cracking pace:

Israel 47%

U.K. 25.8%

U.S. 12.9%

In the UK the top four most vulnerable groups (including aged 70+, health and aged care workers, and others at highest risk) have now all been offered the vaccine. All figures are satisfyingly plummeting. Compared to their peak in January:
Cases are down to 20%
Hospitalisations are down to 50%
Deaths are down to 40%
The latter lag case number by a few weeks, so coupled with vaccinations kicking in (this also takes a few weeks) they should drop further very shortly.

The graphs look very impressive:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...inations-today

In the UK nothing has changed with the “stay-at-home” lockdown restrictions yet, but Boris is announcing a possible timeline for easing these tomorrow. Easing of restrictions is occurring slower than I expected, but I am hopeful this won’t be delayed much longer. The situation has improved dramatically here. Detected case numbers are down to those seen here in September and the rate of testing then was about half of what it is now.

As an aside, the first people were vaccinated in Australia today, including the Prime Minister. They are initially targeting quarantine and border control workers plus frontline healthcare workers and those in aged care. Of the 142,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine that were delivered earlier in February, 80,000 of these will be available this coming week, with 50,00 of these going to workers and 30,000 to aged care residents. The rest of the elderly will be waiting a while.
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/first-pf...rive-australia


Dockhead, any news on why the vaccination rate in Latvia is so low compared to all the other Baltic countries?

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

As an aside, the first people were vaccinated in Australia today, including the Prime Minister. They are initially targeting quarantine and border control workers plus frontline healthcare workers and those in aged care. Of the 142,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine that were delivered earlier in February, 80,000 of these will be available this coming week, with 50,00 of these going to workers and 30,000 to aged care residents. The rest of the elderly will be waiting a while.
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/first-pf...rive-australia

I expect to get vaccinated by the end of March.... assuming Slomo can get his act together.

Then the only hurdle for me is an easing of quarantine for returning travelers.

Covid is all a bit of a hohum for most Australians now with numbers of localy aquired cases vanishingly small.
https://www.health.gov.au/news/healt...d-case-numbers

A bigger worry is Buruni Ulcers....
https://www.theage.com.au/national/v...09-p525h4.html
https://www.theage.com.au/national/v...19-p5740v.html

[El Pinguino]

This looks like the future..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bwGFZ8c8C8

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

A bigger worry is Buruni Ulcers....
https://www.theage.com.au/national/v...09-p525h4.html
https://www.theage.com.au/national/v...19-p5740v.html

That article needs a “May contain images that will put you off your breakfast” warning .

The world has become such a very, very dangerous place. We need a few stricter regulations to ensure we either all sit safely alone at home (sharp objects and locked away in approved containers) or only be permitted to venture out if suitably protected:

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

. .. Dockhead, any news on why the vaccination rate in Latvia is so low compared to all the other Baltic countries?

No idea. People in Latvia grumble about the clumsy inefficiency of the health authorities. Could be that. Or could be somethign else I don't know about.

Although gorgeous Riga as a city deserves its sobriquet as the "Pearl of the Baltics", Latvia as a country is a bit behind Estonia in emerging from Communism, which adds to its charm, but not to its efficiency.

As far as travelling in the Baltics is concerened, here is an update:

Rules for crossing borders are considerably tightened since mid January but controls seem to have loosened.

I travelled Riga-Helsinki-Tallinn-Riga during the past several days, and experienced:

1. Flying into Helsinki airport is (as usual) a lovely experience despite the controls. Free COVID test upon arrival by cheerful ladies, in and out in 5 minutes, and results by SMS in 12 hours. Waved through passport control since I have a Finnish residence permit. Honor system quarantine only 5 days. Got to hand it to the usually cold Finns -- officialdom seems to be going way out of its way to project friendliness and warmth to counteract the fear and isolation of the pandemic. "We're all in this together", is the atmosphere.

2. Ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn now without any control whatsoever. Previously you had to go through passport control and explain your reasons for arriving. Now you just walk right off an into the city. Incidentally they offer a free COVID test in the ferry terminal, which I did not take because I had a fresh Finnish one.

3. Travelling from Estonia to Latvia is theoretically very difficult, requiring a really good reason to travel plus a fresh COVID test. I took a bus (since flights have been severely curtailed, down to a couple a week from previously 4 or 5 a day). The whole control amounted to this: Get on the bus, and the bus drivers asks you for passport, COVIDPass (the Latvian electronic declaration about where you will live, whether you have been tested, and whether you are aware of the quarantine requirements), and COVID test. I showed all this, which he examined for about 5 seconds, but since I don't have a Latvian residence permit, he asked what is my reason for coming to Latvia. I told him I am the director of a Latvian company. He "wow, cool" (in Russian), and waved me through without asking for me to show any document. Then no control upon arrival.

Note that the checking of the test certificate is everywhere completely perfunctory, making this requirement kind of a joke. I guess most of the certificates are fake.

There seems to be a flourishing trade in fake test certificates, e.g. https://fakecovidtest.com/. And read here: https://www.travelandleisure.com/tra...d-test-results. This is horrible.

They should either not require testing, or should do it properly, with some kind of scannable and fake-proof electronic certificate like what the Russians do. Like this, conscientious people have to pay €300 and go through this immense hassle (if they were not lucky enough to get a free test at an airport), whilst the less scrupulous just fake it. This is not fair or good.

Likewise with the quarantine requirements. The Latvian quarantine is theoretically mandatory, but they have no means to check, inviting scofflaw behavior. It should be honor system, like Finland. The Nordic social trust and solidarity again showing its immense value in a crisis.

[wolfgal]

(warning: this is not a data-driven update, but more of a personal observation)


i'm in northwest france, on the coast, and this is what i can say about the overall situation here in Seine-Maritime (a part of the Normandy region):

although the number of cases has come significantly down from its peak last october, when, of significance, the majority of the hospital's staff (docs and nurses) were out sick with the virus and needed to be replaced urgently, the area is still a major hot spot in terms of transmissibility (perhaps new variant?) and has highest amount of clusters in the region.

i do not know how the vaccine front is coming along but, for the moment, folks seem a bit resigned, waiting for the vaccines to either arrive or get distributed.

and although i'm obviously not up to speed as to the latest news, i am a bit surprised by the laissez-faire attitude i've observed.

i say this, because some of the inhabitants (of all ages) are walking around without masks, especially on saturdays, the fresh-market day, the day everyone goes to buy food while brushing shoulders along narrow streets.

to consider here is the fact that the market streets provide a much-awaited opportunity for folks to gather and talk in hubs in the middle of these streets, all in close proximity to the passers who squeeze around them

why aren't some (i'd say 1 out of 8 to 10 people) wearing masks?

i asked my neighbour who is 71 (who is always very eager to see me, so much that she broke my doorbell), and she told me that the mask was complicated to wear due to her hearing aids.

in response, i told her that i wear two masks (two types, one on top of the other), because i cannot bear the thought of being a vehicle of a virus that winds up killing another soul.



as Walter Cronkite used to say, and that's the way it is...




wolfgal

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by wolfgal

(warning: this is not a data-driven update, but more of a personal observation)


i'm in northwest france, on the coast, and this is what i can say about the overall situation here in Seine-Maritime (a part of the Normandy region):

although the number of cases has come significantly down from its peak last october, when, of significance, the majority of the hospital's staff (docs and nurses) were out sick with the virus and needed to be replaced urgently, the area is still a major hot spot in terms of transmissibility (perhaps new variant?) and has highest amount of clusters in the region.

i do not know how the vaccine front is coming along but, for the moment, folks seem a bit resigned, waiting for the vaccines to either arrive or get distributed.

and although i'm obviously not up to speed as to the latest news, i am a bit surprised by the laissez-faire attitude i've observed.

i say this, because some of the inhabitants (of all ages) are walking around without masks, especially on saturdays, the fresh-market day, the day everyone goes to buy food while brushing shoulders along narrow streets.

to consider here is the fact that the market streets provide a much-awaited opportunity for folks to gather and talk in hubs in the middle of these streets, all in close proximity to the passers who squeeze around them

why aren't some (i'd say 1 out of 8 to 10 people) wearing masks?

i asked my neighbour who is 71 (who is always very eager to see me, so much that she broke my doorbell), and she told me that the mask was complicated to wear due to her hearing aids.

in response, i told her that i wear two masks (two types, one on top of the other), because i cannot bear the thought of being a vehicle of a virus that winds up killing another soul.

as Walter Cronkite used to say, and that's the way it is...

Hi Wolfgal

I guess people are now very weary of all the restrictions and have resigned themselves to plodding along at whatever level of care they feel is reasonable.

What is the infection rate like in your area? It is a pity for your neighbour to relax too much when rates are high and the vaccine will soon be within reach for all the most vulnerable.

I had a look at the overall current level of excess deaths in France:
https://www.euromomo.eu/graphs-and-maps

The graph is shown below shows Z-score on the vertical axis and the last 4 years on the horizontal axis. Excess deaths are currently a little higher than the normal range, but not much different to the previous two winters.

I am very much in favour of taking all due care (masks, distancing, hygiene etc) when there is little impact on the overall quality of life or when in close contact with those at high risk, but for the elderly living alone the quality of life must go down dramatically with prolonged isolation. Not seeing people’s faces and smiles. No physical contact with others. Here in the UK not even the chance to sit well apart on a park bench and chat with a friend. Let alone not seeing young grandchildren for months on end. It must be so terribly hard.

Given the possible low life expectancy for some of the elderly, spending a couple of their remaining years in isolation may not be the most appealing option particularly since catching the virus is not necessarily a death sentence. Even those in their 80’s have a 95% chance of survival.

I don’t know what choices I would make in this situation if I had spent so long isolated and alone.

SWL

PS I remember the wonderful farmer’s market at Saint-Pierre-Église (about 200km west of your location) when we were boat hunting. I can understand the appeal .

[wolfgal]

Hi Seaworthy Lass,

i do not know the infection rate except to say that the clusters are higher here than anywhere in the region.

my feeling is that, overall, people have covid-fatigue, especially since the mess up with the vaccines. some long to socialise, but there's a bit of just-don't-care-ism out there too.

and yes, so many elderly have spent this time in isolation and are doing poorly because of it. this is the reason for which i call (telephone) the lady across the street to chat and ask what she needs from a store, etc.

however, meeting and chatting without masks is not something i'm prepared to do. and please understand, it was after having unsuccessfully convinced her how important it is to me that she wear the mask that it became clear to me that it was time to draw the line.

i've been alone this entire time too (and grief, it is demoralising!)... except when a girlfriend (69 years old) stops over on her way elsewhere and spends a night at my place. this girlfriend (who has high bp and not-so-good-lungs) is the person i'm trying so desperately to protect.

it is a tough call and very sad, but this world of covid is ever-so complicated.

wolfgal