Thank you for sharing the story @(10F) Seven of One , and a looot of energy and a big hug. The things will be better soon, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon!
Well, I should say that maybe we're in that process. Because Wednesday our Congress will vote the extension of the state of alarm (In short, here the government could declare the state of alarm, but if a extension it's necessary, it nees to get the approval of the Congress. And so every 15 days), and maybe the Congress rejects the extension this time. In that case, well, it would be chaos. Yes, I'm not kidding, the main opposition party could vote against that extension (other opposition party has been voting against the extension other times). Again, if you want to read more about this: https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-05-04/spains-pm-gears-up-for-fight-to-extend-state-of-alarm.html
If you wonder why our Congress it's so complicated, here you can see the distribution of our current Congress.
Yes, we have 20 different parties with representation.
Fascinating!
The opposition in Italy is protesting too, but at least things are more predictable and the state of emergency declared in January will last at least until the end of July.
We're also at the beginning of "phase 2" now, where some of the restrictions are gradually lifted. there are lots of arguments and annoyment, but generally speaking, there should be no surprises.
I just hope that people will be responsible or we'll be back to phase 1 in no time
(I mean, we have a lot of political movements in our parliament too, but most of them are in coalitions, so it mostly comes down to 6-7 forces that can be assigned to 3 big groups, and their behaviour is usually very predictable)
This should certainly be a unique Mothers Day on Sunday, at least for a few reasons:
(this list made by a typical guy who doesn't plan. Won't say if that's me or not)
1) I can't offer to clean the house for you, the house has been clean for a month.
2) I can't offer to cook a homemade meal, every meal for the last month has been homemade.
3) There's 4 days till Sunday, I have plenty of time!
3a) Oh crap. Everything is closed, I can't run out last minute.
Shan - aww your kitties are super cute - thanks for sharing!!
And sending virtual hugs and positive vibes to everyone.
Thsi pandemic is taking its toll on so many people, not just in the tragic losses from COVID-19 but also on people's mental health and worries for the future. So many people have lost their job, or had their hours cut or are trying desperately to adapt a small business to the new reality and its hard. It is really important to be able to reach out to others - even if they are half a world away.
For much of Europe, this Friday is an important day, the 75th anniversary of VE Day - Victory in Europe over Nazi Germany. Many countries will be commemerating this in their own, socially distancing way, remembering the lives lost and the defeat of facism in Europe (though sadly, facism still raises its ugly head in today's world).
Then, just as now, people had to adapt to drastically different ways of living. And just as those people of WWII did, we will get through this together, by supporting each other, helping each other through the grief and loss of loved ones and hoping that we can build a better tomorrow.
Well, yesterday the Congress approved the extension of the state of alarm (it's a weird name, I know xD) other 2 weeks, but we would need at least another extension, but nobody knows what will happen in Congress next time.
Here we're in phase zero (except some islands that are in phase 1), that means the small business could open, under capacity limitations, appointments and other measures (the restaurants could open but just to takeout). We can go to walk and even make some exercise, but just one hour per day, and the exists with these purpose are organized for ages ranges (the adults at certain hours, the old people at others, the children escorted by one adult at others...). Now the government is discussing which territories qualifies to go to phase 1 or even to phase 2.
(I mean, we have a lot of political movements in our parliament too, but most of them are in coalitions, so it mostly comes down to 6-7 forces that can be assigned to 3 big groups, and their behaviour is usually very predictable)
Yes, here it's similar. We have two big blocks (the left-winged parties and the right-winged parties), and some of the smaller parties are in coalition (someones are called "confluences") with one big party (from left or right). But right now, neither of the two big blocks have majority in the Congress (Spain as Italy is a parliamentary system, not a presidencial systen like the United States). And then we have the regional, nationalist (nationalist from their regions) or independentist parties (in total these parties have 39 of 350 seats in the Congress), and some of them are really unpredictable. Because these parties have all kind of ideologies, from right-winged to far left-winged, included one anti-establyshment, anti-capitalist and almost anarchist party, and one party whose leaders (or some of them at least) had ties with the terrorist group ETA (in fact one of the leaders was a former member of ETA).
So in short, to get an extension of the state of alarm (the only constitutional tool that allow the government to limit the people mobility. And yes, it gives exceptional powers to the government, but damn, this is a reaaally exceptional crisis!), the government have to negotiate with these groups if the opposition doesn't support the extension.
The politics involved are quite interesting. Of course we have the conspiracy theorists out there saying it’s a way for the government to take more power but honestly what are they supposed to do? Their job is to govern. If they did nothing they would be wrong for that too. Then you have people like my father who say this is all just media made mass hysteria. My wife told him that’s fine, if you think it’s bogus and don’t take precautions then you can’t come to my house. Doesn’t even matter. He does t come here anyway. I told him to go to the hospital where my wife’s co-workers are on ventilators and ask them how much someone paid them to fake their illnesses. To say my father and I don’t see eye to eye on things is quite an understatement
Well, yesterday the Congress approved the extension of the state of alarm (it's a weird name, I know xD) other 2 weeks, but we would need at least another extension, but nobody knows what will happen in Congress next time.
Here we're in phase zero (except some islands that are in phase 1), that means the small business could open, under capacity limitations, appointments and other measures (the restaurants could open but just to takeout). We can go to walk and even make some exercise, but just one hour per day, and the exists with these purpose are organized for ages ranges (the adults at certain hours, the old people at others, the children escorted by one adult at others...). Now the government is discussing which territories qualifies to go to phase 1 or even to phase 2.
(I mean, we have a lot of political movements in our parliament too, but most of them are in coalitions, so it mostly comes down to 6-7 forces that can be assigned to 3 big groups, and their behaviour is usually very predictable)
Yes, here it's similar. We have two big blocks (the left-winged parties and the right-winged parties), and some of the smaller parties are in coalition (someones are called "confluences") with one big party (from left or right). But right now, neither of the two big blocks have majority in the Congress (Spain as Italy is a parliamentary system, not a presidencial systen like the United States). And then we have the regional, nationalist (nationalist from their regions) or independentist parties (in total these parties have 39 of 350 seats in the Congress), and some of them are really unpredictable. Because these parties have all kind of ideologies, from right-winged to far left-winged, included one anti-establyshment, anti-capitalist and almost anarchist party, and one party whose leaders (or some of them at least) had ties with the terrorist group ETA (in fact one of the leaders was a former member of ETA).
So in short, to get an extension of the state of alarm (the only constitutional tool that allow the government to limit the people mobility. And yes, it gives exceptional powers to the government, but damn, this is a reaaally exceptional crisis!), the government have to negotiate with these groups if the opposition doesn't support the extension.
This sounds like a very complicated situation
It's definitely not like that in Italy, fortunately. We have a center-left group, a center-right group (which currently includes people who are pretty far removed from the center though ) and for the last few years, a third force that was born as a populist protest party. The current government is a coalition of the center-left group and the populist party, which took over directly from a previous coalition of the populists and a right-wing party. The head of government is the same person. Given how messy the starting point was, it's actually surprising how well things are going
But I guess that part of what makes a difference is the fact that the current government has a majority in the parliament and no one really wants to take their place in a moment like this. Also, the populist protest party politicians are proving quite responsible and reliable, doing very little campaigning and making practical decisions and suggestions, which those of us who didn't vote for them didn't really expect either
Well, today I share another story (well, not exactly a story), this time about the Camino de Santiago (or Way of St. James), the most travelled way of pilgrimage in Spain. In fact there are several "ways", you can see in the picture.
Many people do the way (or a part of it) for religious reasons, others for cultural reasons, others do it as exercise, others do it as a promise for everything, and even there are people that do it as some kind of "adventure". There are people that do it with money, but there are many people that do it like backpackers, because the Way follow the spirit of the pilgrimage of medieval times, and there are many shelters, hostels, inns and hospices along the way, many of them free for the pilgrims. In any case, everyone do it walking, or by bike, and everyone need to have a very big bag!
So, you could imagine what I'm mean. There was many people doing the Way before the lockdown, and well, during the lockdown many of them are in these shelters. People for many different countries, some of them without speaking Spanish or English, living together during weeks in a shelter. And well, there all kind of shelters, some of them are modern buildings, some of them are ancient buildings restored, some of them in remote areas. Some there are in good condition and had plenty food and wi-fi, so the people are relatively comfortable, but there are others in no so good condition, even with problems to have power, that rely of the nearest village or from the Red Cross or Protección Civil (Civil Protection) to get food.
Some people could go back to their countries, or at least to go to the nearest city, but many people there are still living together in these shelters. I guess this will happen too in many places of pilgrimage of all the world.
I forgot to say that today Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, have made a live reading of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien for charity. He read the whole book, about 10 hours. Unfortunately the video is no longer available, but maybe he upload excerpts later.
But well, I share this short video that a friend send to me. He is reading one of the riddles of Riddles in the Dark.
I think Scotland has extended it's lockdown for another three weeks. There's a little confusion because Scotland is a part of the United Kingdom but also we have our own government. I believe the British Prime Minister is supposed to release a statement tomorrow so Scotland got in a bit early and said no, we aren't lifting it. I'm not absolutely sure because I haven't read the news for a month.
This week was a difficult one for home schooling. The novelty has worn off and my son is fed up with all the boring written stuff with none of the enjoyment like practical experiments or seeing his friends. We've moved from set times to giving him set work and if he finishes early he gets the rest of the day to do what he likes. I'm going to try and add some cooking in there and maybe some easy science experiments too. Also need to fix the chain on his bike as PE has started a mini triathlon and he chose bike riding.
Today is a cooking day for me! The timelines discord has a food channel which has inspired me to share todays dinner with you all, balmoral chicken 😍 a favourite of my OH.
This week was a difficult one for home schooling. The novelty has worn off and my son is fed up with all the boring written stuff with none of the enjoyment like practical experiments or seeing his friends. We've moved from set times to giving him set work and if he finishes early he gets the rest of the day to do what he likes. I'm going to try and add some cooking in there and maybe some easy science experiments too. Also need to fix the chain on his bike as PE has started a mini triathlon and he chose bike riding.
Maybe this could be a nice diversion from the usual activities?
I'm not entirely sure if this is the correct link (I googled it) but I know a scientist who does these things and she said she loved it and the children she skyped with were all very enthusiastic about it
(I can also ask her to confirm if this is the correct website and if it's available outside of the US, but I think it is).
Square Enix are selling a bundle of 54 games on Steam. According to the description, "A full 100% of the Square Enix revenue from these bundles will to be distributed to charities across North America and Europe, including food banks and more"
I hope you are all hanging in there.
These coming weeks will likely be a bit hard to navigate with some relaxing the restrictions, others not, and then people going about their business as if there was no longer any threat...
Keep on face masking, hand washing, physical distancing.
Speaking of masks.. we are definitively not all equal on how they fit/easy to use they are depending on the size of our nose! Grumble, grumble! ;p
I have a narrow nose, but a tad long so that makes it hard to breathe.
Oh and fog on glasses weee
I decided not to put my contacts in one day. My glasses fogged up, so I have been wearing my contacts everyday now. I like to let my eyes breathe normally from time to time, but that will now be a luxury on days when I don't go out.
This sounds a joke, but is truth, I swear, but you can laugh all you want, of course. The president of the regional government of Madrid said yesterday on a TV interview that the "d" of COVID-19 is because the disease started to spread in December 2019
This sounds a joke, but is truth, I swear, but you can laugh all you want, of course. The president of the regional government of Madrid said yesterday on a TV interview that the "d" of COVID-19 is because the disease started to spread in December 2019
This sounds a joke, but is truth, I swear, but you can laugh all you want, of course. The president of the regional government of Madrid said yesterday on a TV interview that the "d" of COVID-19 is because the disease started to spread in December 2019
Well, at least that was a harmless mistake
On another note I just read that a 113 year old woman recovered from the virus in Spain
She has luck, the management of the care homes here has been a mess, and many, many people has died in them. So she have the luck of living in one of the well-managed.
This sounds a joke, but is truth, I swear, but you can laugh all you want, of course. The president of the regional government of Madrid said yesterday on a TV interview that the "d" of COVID-19 is because the disease started to spread in December 2019
Yeah, I only wanted to talk about one funny mistake, not the serious mistakes by her or the mistakes of the country government. But today I changed my mind. We will overcome the COVID-19, but I'm not sure if we could go through the infernal political climate that we have here and the stupidity of some people. We're still in a strict lockdown, Madrid is still in phase 0 and probably remains in this phase a few weeks more. But some people simply don't understand anything.
Dozens of people on Wednesday broke the coronavirus confinement measures to march in the street to demand the resignation of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. This was the fourth day in a row that residents have gathered in Madrid’s wealthy Salamanca neighborhood to demand Sánchez resign over his handling of the coronavirus crisis. The protest was sparked on Sunday when dozens of neighbors gathered outside an apartment that was playing loud music from the balcony.
The protesters on Wednesday wore masks, but did not respect social distancing rules. Instead, they gathered in groups to block traffic from entering the street. Many carried Spanish flags, some of them from the eagle-emblazoned pre-constitutional Spanish flag (franquist flag). They shout "Freedom", "Sánchez/government resignation", "murderous government"... At 8.30pm, residents of the neighborhood, began to bang pots and pans and hit traffic lights and trash cans.
And today theses protest were supported and defended by the president of Madrid regional government. Oh, and talking about Madrid...
The face masks that the Madrid regional government has been distributing for free this week do not meet European Union regulations, according to the Business Association of Personal Protective Equipment. In a press release on Sunday, Madrid president Isabel Díaz Ayuso stated that the regional government had purchased 14 million FFP2 masks for €32 million, which “met all European Union regulations.”
According to this statement, the masks are “reusable” and can be used for up to “48 hours straight.” But there is nothing to certify any of this information, not even that the masks belong to the FFP2 category. The packaging of the products has the CE sign, which indicates that the products comply with EU regulations regarding masks. But this certification is false. The manufacturer of the masks, Wenzhou Haoshuo Home Textile, has deleted its official page from the site Alibaba, which is the largest e-commerce site in the world.
The masks, which have been handed out for free at pharmacies to people with a Madrid health card, do not contain any cleaning or disinfecting instructions (I can attest to that). Nor is there information about what levels of protection are appropriate for different risk groups, where they were manufactured, what type of protection they provide or even the “R” symbol to indicate that they are reusable.
What’s more, the masks are not appropriate for children under the age of four. On Wednesday, pediatric primary healthcare coordinators asked pharmacies to “immediately” stop handing them out to infants.
Well, with infernal political climate I mean for example since 2015 we have four general elections (december 2015, june 2016, april 2019 and november 2019), and a succesful motion of no confidence in between that meant the destitution by the Congress of the President Mariano Rajoy (from PP) and the investiture of Pedro Sánchez (from PSOE) as the new President of the government.
Yeah, I only wanted to talk about one funny mistake, not the serious mistakes by her or the mistakes of the country government. But today I changed my mind. We will overcome the COVID-19, but I'm not sure if we could go through the infernal political climate that we have here and the stupidity of some people. We're still in a strict lockdown, Madrid is still in phase 0 and probably remains in this phase a few weeks more. But some people simply don't understand anything.
Dozens of people on Wednesday broke the coronavirus confinement measures to march in the street to demand the resignation of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. This was the fourth day in a row that residents have gathered in Madrid’s wealthy Salamanca neighborhood to demand Sánchez resign over his handling of the coronavirus crisis. The protest was sparked on Sunday when dozens of neighbors gathered outside an apartment that was playing loud music from the balcony.
The protesters on Wednesday wore masks, but did not respect social distancing rules. Instead, they gathered in groups to block traffic from entering the street. Many carried Spanish flags, some of them from the eagle-emblazoned pre-constitutional Spanish flag (franquist flag). They shout "Freedom", "Sánchez/government resignation", "murderous government"... At 8.30pm, residents of the neighborhood, began to bang pots and pans and hit traffic lights and trash cans.
And today theses protest were supported and defended by the president of Madrid regional government. Oh, and talking about Madrid...
The face masks that the Madrid regional government has been distributing for free this week do not meet European Union regulations, according to the Business Association of Personal Protective Equipment. In a press release on Sunday, Madrid president Isabel Díaz Ayuso stated that the regional government had purchased 14 million FFP2 masks for €32 million, which “met all European Union regulations.”
According to this statement, the masks are “reusable” and can be used for up to “48 hours straight.” But there is nothing to certify any of this information, not even that the masks belong to the FFP2 category. The packaging of the products has the CE sign, which indicates that the products comply with EU regulations regarding masks. But this certification is false. The manufacturer of the masks, Wenzhou Haoshuo Home Textile, has deleted its official page from the site Alibaba, which is the largest e-commerce site in the world.
The masks, which have been handed out for free at pharmacies to people with a Madrid health card, do not contain any cleaning or disinfecting instructions (I can attest to that). Nor is there information about what levels of protection are appropriate for different risk groups, where they were manufactured, what type of protection they provide or even the “R” symbol to indicate that they are reusable.
What’s more, the masks are not appropriate for children under the age of four. On Wednesday, pediatric primary healthcare coordinators asked pharmacies to “immediately” stop handing them out to infants.
Well, with infernal political climate I mean for example since 2015 we have four general elections (december 2015, june 2016, april 2019 and november 2019), and a succesful motion of no confidence in between that meant the destitution by the Congress of the President Mariano Rajoy (from PP) and the investiture of Pedro Sánchez (from PSOE) as the new President of the government.
This is sad
Especially since (from what I've heard) Madrid was hit as hard as Lombardy in Italy and they should be aware of what could happen if the lockdown is lifted.
Also, who wants to go through a government crisis in a moment like this?
Comments
Fascinating!
The opposition in Italy is protesting too, but at least things are more predictable and the state of emergency declared in January will last at least until the end of July.
We're also at the beginning of "phase 2" now, where some of the restrictions are gradually lifted. there are lots of arguments and annoyment, but generally speaking, there should be no surprises.
I just hope that people will be responsible or we'll be back to phase 1 in no time
(I mean, we have a lot of political movements in our parliament too, but most of them are in coalitions, so it mostly comes down to 6-7 forces that can be assigned to 3 big groups, and their behaviour is usually very predictable)
It helps to know that what you are feeling about some things is not yourself being not right (I know that was a double negative). It’s normal.
(this list made by a typical guy who doesn't plan. Won't say if that's me or not)
1) I can't offer to clean the house for you, the house has been clean for a month.
2) I can't offer to cook a homemade meal, every meal for the last month has been homemade.
3) There's 4 days till Sunday, I have plenty of time!
3a) Oh crap. Everything is closed, I can't run out last minute.
Elbow Macaroni Art it is.
And sending virtual hugs and positive vibes to everyone.
Thsi pandemic is taking its toll on so many people, not just in the tragic losses from COVID-19 but also on people's mental health and worries for the future. So many people have lost their job, or had their hours cut or are trying desperately to adapt a small business to the new reality and its hard. It is really important to be able to reach out to others - even if they are half a world away.
For much of Europe, this Friday is an important day, the 75th anniversary of VE Day - Victory in Europe over Nazi Germany. Many countries will be commemerating this in their own, socially distancing way, remembering the lives lost and the defeat of facism in Europe (though sadly, facism still raises its ugly head in today's world).
Then, just as now, people had to adapt to drastically different ways of living. And just as those people of WWII did, we will get through this together, by supporting each other, helping each other through the grief and loss of loved ones and hoping that we can build a better tomorrow.
It must be a bird or a squirrel. My money is on a bird.
Here we're in phase zero (except some islands that are in phase 1), that means the small business could open, under capacity limitations, appointments and other measures (the restaurants could open but just to takeout). We can go to walk and even make some exercise, but just one hour per day, and the exists with these purpose are organized for ages ranges (the adults at certain hours, the old people at others, the children escorted by one adult at others...). Now the government is discussing which territories qualifies to go to phase 1 or even to phase 2.
Yes, here it's similar. We have two big blocks (the left-winged parties and the right-winged parties), and some of the smaller parties are in coalition (someones are called "confluences") with one big party (from left or right). But right now, neither of the two big blocks have majority in the Congress (Spain as Italy is a parliamentary system, not a presidencial systen like the United States). And then we have the regional, nationalist (nationalist from their regions) or independentist parties (in total these parties have 39 of 350 seats in the Congress), and some of them are really unpredictable. Because these parties have all kind of ideologies, from right-winged to far left-winged, included one anti-establyshment, anti-capitalist and almost anarchist party, and one party whose leaders (or some of them at least) had ties with the terrorist group ETA (in fact one of the leaders was a former member of ETA).
So in short, to get an extension of the state of alarm (the only constitutional tool that allow the government to limit the people mobility. And yes, it gives exceptional powers to the government, but damn, this is a reaaally exceptional crisis!), the government have to negotiate with these groups if the opposition doesn't support the extension.
This sounds like a very complicated situation
It's definitely not like that in Italy, fortunately. We have a center-left group, a center-right group (which currently includes people who are pretty far removed from the center though
But I guess that part of what makes a difference is the fact that the current government has a majority in the parliament and no one really wants to take their place in a moment like this. Also, the populist protest party politicians are proving quite responsible and reliable, doing very little campaigning and making practical decisions and suggestions, which those of us who didn't vote for them didn't really expect either
(via Twisted Sifter website)
Could you please continue the petty bickering? I find it most intriguing.
~ Data, ST:TNG "Haven"
Many people do the way (or a part of it) for religious reasons, others for cultural reasons, others do it as exercise, others do it as a promise for everything, and even there are people that do it as some kind of "adventure". There are people that do it with money, but there are many people that do it like backpackers, because the Way follow the spirit of the pilgrimage of medieval times, and there are many shelters, hostels, inns and hospices along the way, many of them free for the pilgrims. In any case, everyone do it walking, or by bike, and everyone need to have a very big bag!
So, you could imagine what I'm mean. There was many people doing the Way before the lockdown, and well, during the lockdown many of them are in these shelters. People for many different countries, some of them without speaking Spanish or English, living together during weeks in a shelter. And well, there all kind of shelters, some of them are modern buildings, some of them are ancient buildings restored, some of them in remote areas. Some there are in good condition and had plenty food and wi-fi, so the people are relatively comfortable, but there are others in no so good condition, even with problems to have power, that rely of the nearest village or from the Red Cross or Protección Civil (Civil Protection) to get food.
Some people could go back to their countries, or at least to go to the nearest city, but many people there are still living together in these shelters. I guess this will happen too in many places of pilgrimage of all the world.
#SherylCrowVids
She is at her farm. Her band is at their houses, and it sounds like they were all together in a studio........
But well, I share this short video that a friend send to me. He is reading one of the riddles of Riddles in the Dark.
This is his charity campaign with Best Begginings.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/thehobbitathoncovid19appeal
This week was a difficult one for home schooling. The novelty has worn off and my son is fed up with all the boring written stuff with none of the enjoyment like practical experiments or seeing his friends. We've moved from set times to giving him set work and if he finishes early he gets the rest of the day to do what he likes. I'm going to try and add some cooking in there and maybe some easy science experiments too. Also need to fix the chain on his bike as PE has started a mini triathlon and he chose bike riding.
Today is a cooking day for me! The timelines discord has a food channel which has inspired me to share todays dinner with you all, balmoral chicken 😍 a favourite of my OH.
Check out our website to find out more:
https://wiki.tenforwardloungers.com/
Maybe this could be a nice diversion from the usual activities?
https://www.skypeascientist.com/
I'm not entirely sure if this is the correct link (I googled it) but I know a scientist who does these things and she said she loved it and the children she skyped with were all very enthusiastic about it
(I can also ask her to confirm if this is the correct website and if it's available outside of the US, but I think it is).
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/14956/Square_Enix_Eidos_Anthology/
I hope you are all hanging in there.
These coming weeks will likely be a bit hard to navigate with some relaxing the restrictions, others not, and then people going about their business as if there was no longer any threat...
Keep on face masking, hand washing, physical distancing.
Speaking of masks.. we are definitively not all equal on how they fit/easy to use they are depending on the size of our nose! Grumble, grumble! ;p
I have a narrow nose, but a tad long so that makes it hard to breathe.
Oh and fog on glasses weee
But, mask on it will be, no question about it
Group hug
Well then ;p
Well, at least that was a harmless mistake
On another note I just read that a 113 year old woman recovered from the virus in Spain
Yeah! Maria Branyas, in Olot (Catalonia). In fact she is the oldest person in Spain. She was in isolation in her room in the care home that she lives. Forbes has published her story. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sofialottopersio/2020/05/12/spains-oldest-woman-aged-113-has-survived-coronavirus/
She has luck, the management of the care homes here has been a mess, and many, many people has died in them. So she have the luck of living in one of the well-managed.
At least he's not suggesting you inject bleach 🙂
Yeah, I only wanted to talk about one funny mistake, not the serious mistakes by her or the mistakes of the country government. But today I changed my mind. We will overcome the COVID-19, but I'm not sure if we could go through the infernal political climate that we have here and the stupidity of some people. We're still in a strict lockdown, Madrid is still in phase 0 and probably remains in this phase a few weeks more. But some people simply don't understand anything.
Dozens of people on Wednesday broke the coronavirus confinement measures to march in the street to demand the resignation of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. This was the fourth day in a row that residents have gathered in Madrid’s wealthy Salamanca neighborhood to demand Sánchez resign over his handling of the coronavirus crisis. The protest was sparked on Sunday when dozens of neighbors gathered outside an apartment that was playing loud music from the balcony.
The protesters on Wednesday wore masks, but did not respect social distancing rules. Instead, they gathered in groups to block traffic from entering the street. Many carried Spanish flags, some of them from the eagle-emblazoned pre-constitutional Spanish flag (franquist flag). They shout "Freedom", "Sánchez/government resignation", "murderous government"... At 8.30pm, residents of the neighborhood, began to bang pots and pans and hit traffic lights and trash cans.
And today theses protest were supported and defended by the president of Madrid regional government. Oh, and talking about Madrid...
The face masks that the Madrid regional government has been distributing for free this week do not meet European Union regulations, according to the Business Association of Personal Protective Equipment. In a press release on Sunday, Madrid president Isabel Díaz Ayuso stated that the regional government had purchased 14 million FFP2 masks for €32 million, which “met all European Union regulations.”
According to this statement, the masks are “reusable” and can be used for up to “48 hours straight.” But there is nothing to certify any of this information, not even that the masks belong to the FFP2 category. The packaging of the products has the CE sign, which indicates that the products comply with EU regulations regarding masks. But this certification is false. The manufacturer of the masks, Wenzhou Haoshuo Home Textile, has deleted its official page from the site Alibaba, which is the largest e-commerce site in the world.
The masks, which have been handed out for free at pharmacies to people with a Madrid health card, do not contain any cleaning or disinfecting instructions (I can attest to that). Nor is there information about what levels of protection are appropriate for different risk groups, where they were manufactured, what type of protection they provide or even the “R” symbol to indicate that they are reusable.
What’s more, the masks are not appropriate for children under the age of four. On Wednesday, pediatric primary healthcare coordinators asked pharmacies to “immediately” stop handing them out to infants.
Well, with infernal political climate I mean for example since 2015 we have four general elections (december 2015, june 2016, april 2019 and november 2019), and a succesful motion of no confidence in between that meant the destitution by the Congress of the President Mariano Rajoy (from PP) and the investiture of Pedro Sánchez (from PSOE) as the new President of the government.
This is sad
Especially since (from what I've heard) Madrid was hit as hard as Lombardy in Italy and they should be aware of what could happen if the lockdown is lifted.
Also, who wants to go through a government crisis in a moment like this?