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Wednesday 18th 45-47F, very windy and wet with a heavy overcast. Walked in steady rain. Traffic very light between the odd clusters. I had a wave from several drivers for giving them room on the road by taking to the verge. I saw no passengers on the two buses which passed by. The government is hoping people will avoid public transport as much as possible and stay at home. The council [Danish: kommune] recycling centers have had to close to private citizens. Visitors were completely ignoring the government advice on distancing themselves from each other. This was considered far too great a risk of further contagion to be allowed to continue. Businesses can still use the recycling centers. It seems that normal, home refuse removal services will continue.
Most other, local government services have closed now. All meetings of greater than 10 people are banned. All schools and further education services are closed. All shops, except supermarkets, food and chemists are closed. All shopping malls are closed except for the food shops and chemists. All businesses with close physical contact are closed. [Hairdressers, therapists, etc.] Dentists may offer emergency treatment only.
All sports facilities are closed. All theaters and places of entertainments are closed. All bars, pubs, restaurants and clubs are closed. Though restaurants and cafes may still prepare food for consumption elsewhere. Supermarkets must adhere to strict guidelines on hygiene and customer numbers and distancing. They will have to limit a maximum number of customers per square meter of floor space. Religious services are discontinued or video streamed.
The Danish government has now announced fines for individuals and businesses where gatherings exceed 10 people. It seems that too many individuals feel entitled to ignore the restrictions.
I liked the idea that some country's were opening supermarkets an hour early. To allow the elderly and infirm a chance to avoid having to wrestle goods from the grasping clutches of aggressive hoarders. Some shops will now be rationing goods per customer to reduce hoarding. One may well ask why only now? When it could and should have been done much earlier!
We are seriously considering doing our grocery shopping online from now on. As members of a high risk age group I would rather totally avoid visiting the shops in case I bring the virus home to my wife. Our most used supermarket has a "personal shopper" system. You order from the supermarket online and pay a little extra for the delivery with a bank card. Just like any other online purchase. The "personal shopper" does the shopping and brings it out to the customer for pocket money. Whether the service is available locally in our rather rural area is another matter.
Some interesting statistics for European hospitals were published today. Denmark has the second to last, fewest hospital beds per capita in Europe. Beaten only slightly by Sweden. Conversely, it has close to the highest number of doctors and specialists compared with many other European nations. Which means patients usually enjoy a very high level of expertise, on site, on hospital arrival, whatever their symptoms. Medical healthcare was also free on demand. Though dentist's fees were payable.
Most "ordinary" health care has stopped now, it seems. With heavy concentration on the pandemic's most seriously ill victims. We must hope that this low bed count, specialist team model, can cope with the expected, large numbers of virus infections. Hence all the business and other drastic closures to limit the number of victims as much as possible.
Most "ordinary" health care has stopped now, it seems. With heavy concentration on the pandemic's most seriously ill victims. We must hope that this low bed count, specialist team model, can cope with the expected, large numbers of virus infections. Hence all the business and other drastic closures to limit the number of victims as much as possible.
Today's Pandemic Darwin Awards goes to hospital thieves. These serial killer sociopaths moving freely in normal society. i.e. Those who feel they are entitled to steal masks and hand wash from those fighting the pandemic on the front line.
Not to protect themselves out of panic. But simply for corrupt, personal gain. By selling the stolen goods onto those who never [ever] question the source of stolen goods. It is said that these masks and hand wash were offered for sale on the Danish, small ads websites. Which, if true, shows a callous level of drooling idiocy, rarely matched in peace time.
Not to protect themselves out of panic. But simply for corrupt, personal gain. By selling the stolen goods onto those who never [ever] question the source of stolen goods. It is said that these masks and hand wash were offered for sale on the Danish, small ads websites. Which, if true, shows a callous level of drooling idiocy, rarely matched in peace time.
These "loyal citizens" have ensured that multiple hospital entrances must be closed and/or guarded. That police must be stationed at hospitals to avoid further material losses. Instead of being available for their other, more pressing duties. Rather than having to escort away those with absolutely no reason to be there. Now everybody entering the hospitals has to be screened for would-be thieves.
Let it be absolutely clear that denying a single person hand wash in a hospital toilet could cause tens of thousands of additional deaths and long term misery over time. Not least economic. All thanks to the domino effect radiating out from a single infection point. Doubt that? Remember that this entire global pandemic started with a single person passing on their infection to just a few others.
The inverted pyramid of globally spreading infection could still cause the entire world to topple into economic chaos. It is absolutely certain that "our" world will never ever be quite the same again. Vast numbers of people are being thrown out of work to avoid gatherings passing on the virus to countless others. All this is taking place at such short notice they cannot possibly be supported by the usual services. Jobs centers, social welfare, etc.
These support services have already been closed down. Few manual workers have a healthy bank account and may already be in debt. This must be seriously addressed to avoid a petty crime wave of desperately poor ex-workers seeking essentials without the funds to do so. Landlords, mortgage lenders and the banks are going to suffer as well. Every decision sent down from above has a serious knock on effect down the line. Tourism is a huge industry which supports countless businesses and workers.
These support services have already been closed down. Few manual workers have a healthy bank account and may already be in debt. This must be seriously addressed to avoid a petty crime wave of desperately poor ex-workers seeking essentials without the funds to do so. Landlords, mortgage lenders and the banks are going to suffer as well. Every decision sent down from above has a serious knock on effect down the line. Tourism is a huge industry which supports countless businesses and workers.
So, in summary, I really wouldn't recommend that hospital thieves be escorted off the premises without charge. Let's just assume they have personally volunteered their bodies for open-ended, "cutting-edge" medical research and proceed from there. 😉
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