The world has gone mad, but who knew the end would come quite so soon?
For some reason the world will be safe if we have enough supplies of toilet paper, which one assumes is the main reason this particular commodity seems to be unavailable in UK supermarkets. I don't know this for sure, because I haven't been home for nearly a month, but it has been in the news, so it must be true. Likewise there is a similar shortage of soap, because of the number of people who have only just realised the importance of washing their hands! I would like to say I can't believe it, but I have used public conveniences and often witnessed what the Gents don't get up to - and occasionally what they do, but that's a different story 😈
You'll know why I have been in Italy and France if you read the first part of this series of posts. I want to write this because I have now been back in France for a fortnight and am on the fourteenth day of what has variously been referred to as "self-isolation", "quarantine" or "distancing".
There was no public notification about the seriousness of the covid-19 threat in Italy until some thirty-six hours after our party arrived in Venice. It is no understatement to suggest there was shock and a certain amount of panic in our group of thirty "masks", photographers and supporters. To reiterate, although Carnevale was officially closed two days early Venice was not in lockdown. Visitors were free to come and go as they pleased. However, that didn't prevent two or three members of the group feeling the need to wear surgical masks from that point on. I haven't shown any of the symptoms of the virus although I was confined to quarters after someone bought me two fritelli and promised me they'd made sure these ones were okay for vegans. The same thing happened with some pasta in a restaurant. I haven't eaten dairy or egg products for so long I seem to have lost some of the ability to digest them, but you don't want to read about that! It was nothing to do with any virus and, besides, the symptoms were rather different!
I decided to stay in France rather than risk coming back to England for the best of reasons, but I now realise I didn't think it through thoroughly enough. My thinking now is that I should have gone back as planned, because the situation being reported in the media today seems far worse in Italy, France and the UK than it was a fortnight ago. Today is Friday and I have decided to travel, as planned, on Tuesday in four days' time. At the rate the situation is changing I might find myself having to stay in France for months, specially if I leave it much longer. It really is difficult trying to make the right decision.
On the one hand, I am almost certain I am not carrying the virus. On the other, P went back to school this week and schools can be pretty unsanitary places at the best of times, so nothing is certain. It seems to me that I shall have more control over my own degree of isolation at home. I don't live near other people, so I shall be able to get some fresh air without the risk of meeting anyone. Whilst not exactly stir crazy I haven't been outside the flat for fourteen days except to go downstairs once from our aerie on the fourth floor to fill the recycling bin. I chose a time when I was unlikely to meet anyone else and indeed I guessed correctly.
In deciding not to return to England as planned I had to relinquish three jobs, two gigs and one workshop. One of the gigs was with a band. In my messages to both the band leader and the gig organiser when I was still in Venice I mentioned that I was withdrawing on account of the panic being stirred by the mainstream media in the UK. I made it clear that neither the band nor the organiser should be placed in a position where they would have to account for me being there. I was sorry, and I was probably being overly cautious, but I just knew that someone in the room was likely to make a fuss. After all, the advice in Italy at the time (and even by the time I left) was that self-isolation was not considered necessary in my case. I was just trying to spare my friends from having to go into detailed explanations and to put people's minds at rest. Unfortunately the band leader, one of my closest friends, thought it appropriate to send me a reply chastising me for not taking the dangers seriously enough! That hurt ... a lot.I was already distressed about letting people down. He was one of the last people I would have expected to react so strongly. To his credit I later received a message from him apologising for reacting so strongly, but not exactly retracting the burden of the message. Today, coming to the end of my quarantine I received another message from a member of the same band telling me that home is where I lay my hat and that it is time to put a halt to international travel. Again, quite hurtful. I have had time to think my actions through and I believe I am making the best decisions I can under the circumstances. To the best of my knowledge I am not putting anyone else at risk, but there is a chance that travelling by rail is risky for me. This is why I shall go back into isolation when I return. As for "international travel", is my friend seriously suggesting that British trains are somehow safer than French ones? I suppose having to change trains in, firstly, Paris and then London may carry more risk. I shall follow the usual advice.
As I see it, we don't know how the situation will roll out. Neither do we know how long it is likely to last. The indications are that things are still getting worse. I have responsibilities in the UK that I need to be able to meet, including a family member who may be at risk of not looking after themselves properly. I can't do anything about that from France, but I stand a chance if I am in the right country, even if I isolate myself for a further couple of weeks on arrival. I have gigs for which I need to prepare. I cannot assume they will all be cancelled. In order to be able to prepare I need to have access to the correct instruments. I have a guitar with me in France and my harmonicas (eek! another virus alert?), but not my drums. If I play the gigs the audience can't have me arriving unprepared. That wouldn't be fair on any of us. I have been making good use of the instruments I keep in France.
This is a time of uncertainty. I haven't flown for years, but I still receive regular e-mails from easyJet, presumably in the hope that I shall relent and come back to the fold. Today's e-mail informed me that, for the foreseeable future, they were waiving the fee they charge for changing travel arrangements, the so-called administrative fee. It may not be much, but I applaud them for recognising that many people are being placed in a situation (as I was a fortnight ago) where they are forced to change their travel dates. If one is exposed or suspected of being exposed to the virus one has to be isolated and it is the socially responsible thing not to travel. Inevitably that means many will be changing travel arrangements at very short notice. Other travel companies need to take note of easyJet's example on this. When I changed my booking on the SNCF train from Geneva to Paris this time I could not simply alter my date. Their system requires me to cancel my train and rebook. Cancelling my train was subjected to an administrative fee - and I'm not at all clear why, because the process is carried out by me on the web using the SNCF app on my phone. I doubt that anyone can tell me that such action costs SNCF anything. The admin fee for cancellation wiped out the fare - oh wait, they refunded €0.30 to my account. This has to stop. We are all in this together ... aren't we?
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