Now there is an almost complete lockdown. We are only allowed to leave the house in groups of less than three (apart from family members or people in the same house). You have to keep a minimum of six feet distance from everyone else. Walks or cycles outside for exercise are permitted but otherwise you are only meant only to go out if you really have to - to buy supplies for instance. Since Friday two weeks ago I have only left the house for walks around the neighbourhood. I am doing my part to "flatten the curve" as much as possible.
It's been hard. I'm a social person and miss meeting up with friends and I tend to get cabin fever when stuck at home for a long time. Every event we had planned this year has been cancelled or postponed. I get so upset reading about the amount of people who have lost their lives already to this deadly virus. Naturally, I am also particularly anxious about my own family and friends here and abroad. Being an expat in Germany makes this harder as I know that if something were to happen to anyone back in Ireland, due to the current travel restrictions, I wouldn't be able to fly over there which makes me feel extra helpless.
So far Germany has a lower death rate than other countries, possibly due to their very good standard of health care, and I am hopeful that in a few weeks after everyone has been isolating themselves, that the situation could look a little less grim. I find it particularly hard without an end in sight to the current lockdown. However, we are well and safe right now and that is something to of course be grateful for! It feels like life is on hold in many ways but we are still trying to make nice memories with out daughter. I've been able to do skype and whatsapp video calls to keep in touch with people and there is a virtual get together planned among some of my friends here this weekend.
I hope you are keeping safe and well wherever you are in the world!
Switzerland has the same rules, except here it's no groups of more than 5. All non-essential medical procedures are also cancelled so I won't be able to have another embryo transfer until all the restrictions are lifted... i.e. May at the very earliest.
ReplyDeleteI heard about IVF clinics closing and treatment being suspended.. I feel so sad for the people who are affected by this. I hope once the restrictions are reduced that this will include infertilty doctors and patients.
DeleteOh, yeah. I'm glad you are doing okay and that you have such good protective measures! Feeling less confident in there US, especially because I live in NY. Not NYC, thank goodness. I think about how two weeks ago my county had 1 case and I was off at my last day of school with people but didn't know it, and now we have 148 confirmed cases, 4 deaths, and 19 people in the ICU, and NY has over 37,000 confirmed cases... HALF of the U.S.'s total cases. It just keeps going up up up, and there were ago things were relatively normal. It's beyond bizarre.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Germany's death rate is low. I'm glad you're surviving this new reality. I hate too that if family gets sick, there's no way to be there. I don't have family out of the country, but my dad is in California which may as well be and he lives alone... Which made me before before but now? Ugh.
Stay safe and healthy, my friend! So good to hear an update from you!
Thanks Jess. Since you wrote that the situation in New York has gotten so much worse. The news is so sad lately- I can't even watch it some days.
DeleteI hope your Dad is keeping well. Yeah California is really far during times like these when travel isn't possible. They are deciding today whether to reopen some of the schools here for some of the students and whether to reduce some of the restrictions here in general.
It's rough for sure - especially without any real guidance on when the end of all the restrictions might happen and worrying about friends/family. I'm so glad that Germany is able to keep their death rate low. Hopefully things will start looking up sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteYeah I find the not knowing really difficult. Like are we talking weeks, months, years?! I've read some articles saying life will never be the same again. It's interesting how different countries are trying different approaches to when they reduce restrictions so hopefully we can all learn from each other!
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