Day 277, part 2 – Masks optional

We’re back down in Cape Agulhas, enjoying the sunshine and the fresh air (outdoors). It’s certainly less busy than we would usually expect at this time of year, but equally, it’s far from empty.

Once again, it does seem like the constant pleas to wear masks and socially distance are not being heeded here, and once again – surprise surprise – that approach is having a detrimental effect. I received this from the local CPF group last night:

Cape Agulhas has reached the stage where about 40-50% of tests done are positive. We appeal to patients who are being tested to ensure that they give the correct telephone number as well as answer their phones if they are contacted. If you are awaiting results, please remember that you are in quarantine for 10 days and therefore may not walk around. Unfortunately, results now take longer than expected, but please remain in quarantine! You are endangering other people’s lives if you insist on leaving quarantine!
There is a limit to the amount of beds available and people can no longer just be sent away to the next hospital. Otto du Plessis hospital and surrounding hospitals have almost reached their capacity and everyone needs to please take care. Those who continue to behave as before are endangering the lives of high-risk patients. It’s going to get even worse over the next week or two so please be responsible. Some of our patients have been dying almost daily due to Covid over the last few days, and we only have a limited bed capacity.

…from the Western Cape medical manager for Swellendam and Cape Agulhas subdistricts, which is fairly blunt and to the point.

40-50% positivity is pretty horrendous, but does at least indicate that people are being tested, which is the only way we can gauge the situation and protect others.

But you only have to drive around the area to see the behaviour that will lead to even higher numbers in the next few weeks.

Day 257, part 2 – A quick note

Hello again.
This morning, I was hiking in the fresh air amongst the incredible rock formations of the Cederberg:

This evening, I am doing parenting stuff in a warehouse in Claremont.

Swings, roundabouts.

We’re back in the land of the wifi though, at least, and so I was doing a quick catch up on the latest news from the Whatsapp groups when I saw this:

Cape Agulhas Municipal area has gone from 8 active Coronavirus cases to 107 in less than 3 weeks. By comparison, the top peak of our first wave was 43 cases mid July. The Coronavirus spreads through human contact. Therefore the spread & control is literally in our own hands!
Our health services & health personnel are under strain & the Festive Season hasn’t even begun yet. If our system is overwhelmed we, as healthcare workers, will be forced to turn away people who could ordinarily be saved. This is not a situation we ever want. We care deeply about our patients and community. We desperately need people to wear their face masks, observe social distancing & avoid unnecessary risks.
Keep yourself and your family safe. Help us to help those that need medical care.

That’s an increase of [counts on fingers] 1237.5%.

However could this have happened?

[roll eyes emoji]

As an aside: We were very glad to note the excellent precautions being followed at the place we were staying this weekend.

Day 248, part 2 – Ask and you shall receive…

In Cape Agulhas, no-one is wearing a mask. Not in shops, not in bars, not in public.

There’s no sanitiser to use on your hands as you enter buildings.

It’s like there’s no viral pandemic happening.

Also in Cape Agulhas, there has been a 317% increase in cases of Covid-19 according to the latest stats from the Western Cape government.

What an astonishing coincidence.

Day 220 – Death by beach run

With the moon so full, the tides are fairly hefty at the moment and so we decided to make use of low water this morning to head down to the shipwreck. I decided that I’d combine this with a morning run, and meet the rest of the family there. It’s not too far – just over 3km on the road, so I decided to make a five of it by doing a couple of laps of the village and then heading down there via the coast.

The laps around the village went very well. Fast, fun and happy on the dirt roads. And then I went around the corner onto the beach – and into the 50kph headwind.

Eina. Ouch. Aïe. Huy. Autsch. Ey.

The combination of beach sand, pebbles, that southeasterly wind and yes, some (or more) beers yesterday evening, has actually killed me. Dead.

However, when what remained of me did eventually reach the shipwreck, it was all worth it. The kids had a climb and it was great to be out and about in the (very) fresh air and sunshine.

If you can find somewhere out of the wind, it’s a glorious day. It’s just sad that we’re heading back to Cape Town and reality again in a couple of hours.

But this wasn’t a bad start to the day at all.

 

I still can’t feel my legs.

Temporary escape

I mentioned that I had had to leave Cape Town for a urgent trip before we lockdown on Thursday evening.

It wasn’t a decision I took lightly: travel is one of those things that needs to be curbed if we are to stop the spread of Covid-19. But it’s been two months since we’ve been able to get down to Agulhas, and I don’t think we’re going to be able to get down here for probably another two months now, and so I needed to make sure everything was ok at the cottage.

It was… it is. Well, just about. It wouldn’t have been if I hadn’t have come though. We needed electricity putting on the meter, the gutter had been damaged and needed some work. Nothing huge, but nothing you want leaving for however many weeks either. All the minor things that would normally have been done if we’d popped down for the weekend like we used to be able to before real life and sickness and now lockdowns got in the way.

And so the trip was worthwhile and we have had minimal contact with the locals: this is usually a pretty quiet place anyway.

But it was life as usual all the way through – restaurants are open (but quiet), Caledon and Bredasdorp were relatively busy and bustling with shoppers. But not in any way manic.
Struisbaai was also busy – lots of activity in and around the harbour particularly.
In Agulhas, we were the only customers in the 7/11. It was fully stocked, and the guys in there were stocktaking and getting their next order prepared. Nothing out of the ordinary. And that was weird, because normality is now weird.

We walked along the beach here (not Cape Town, so not closed). A few fishermen, same as always. Some birds. Sunshine, light breeze. You wouldn’t know that the world had changed.

Half of me wants to stay here, a million miles from anywhere and seemingly several weeks back from the present. But it will all change. It has to. And I don’t want to be here when it does. This place has always been a perfect escape from the stress of modern, daily life – something it’s proving again right now. I don’t want to see it polluted by reality.

Let me rather return when things have settled – however long that may be.

But right now, I need to get back to the braai. Because some things will never change.