UPDATE to Covid

Nothing really to update. 

Dominica has remained Covid 19 free, although I think this is about to change as we are poised to reopen August 7.  We have been repatriating citizens during July.  The entry protocol is very good, but many repatriated people have not been complying. The Government has heartily reprimanded them.  I hope it will be different for foreigners.  Well, we will see.

We have made very little progress in rebuilding the Peter House and won't be moving in, as planned, this summer.  It is plumbed though, water, shower, toilet functioning well.  Now it needs to be wired, and stove, and fridge bought and installed.  If we get any tourists when the borders open next week we may make a little money to do this. 

This is also high season for storms, tropical waves, tropical troughs, hurricanes.  Last night the sea was very high.  It brought us some nice pieces of driftwood, but not stones and, happily, no rubbish.  We had put up a galvanized barrier along the fence to protect the plants and the patio.  It will stay up for the next couple of weeks adding to the construction site ambience of the place!

DOMINICA STRONG

COVID IN PARADISE

There are certainly worse places to be. Definitely not 'stranded'.   Dominica is the place to be.  To date, we have had 0 active cases for four weeks.  Public education has been excellent, not frightening, but clear and intelligent and based on science.  I continue to be impressed with the level of health professionals and professionalism.  A word about education as well. Schools were immediately closed and The Ministry of Education organized its teachers and administrators to deliver the curriculum online and offline with support to parents. 

Dominica closed its borders swiftly after the first 2 cases came in from England with Covid.  The Caribbean was Covid free for the very early weeks; all cases through the Islands were imports.  Quick and complete closing was not an easy decision with so many from diaspora wanting to come home, with this island being a prominent cruise ship destination, with Guadeloupe and Martinique as very near neighbours and with a large number of sailboats and yachts looking for a safe harbour or already here.  Other Islands were beginning to close so alternative ports were now limited.  Tourism is a mainstay, closing would mean real social and economic hard times. As tourism came to a sudden, jarring halt so did most everyone's livelihood.

For us, Marian and McDowell, it has not been as bad as it has for others.  Liquor licences were suspended and all bars and restaurants were quickly shut, and still are, so we now have no income.  Lots of time, but no money to buy materials and lumber, or to finish the plumbing in the old house.  McDowell was able to reorganize his kitchen, move the Bar to the outside, expand the Bar area all with found posts and boards which had been stacked under the house.  It looks really good and will be an asset. He has used the many hours under curfew and lockdown to practice his guitar and to plan. He is forever the Sagittarian optimist. I painted, crafted, read, cleaned,  cooked, wrote, took a webinar in Caribbean bird watching and practised social media whatever the opposite of distancing is!  Boring but not difficult.  It is getting harder though.  We drank and ate everything that was in the bar when we had to close.

My biggest fear is not getting sick, but that Dominica, and the Caribbean, will rush into reopening the tourist trade, thinking we can just pick up from where we left off.  This is the time to rethink it, to understand the trade-offs, not make the same mistakes.  I hope we listen to Mia Motley, the Prime Minister of Barbados and Chair of CARICOM on this one.  Since the Caribbean is the largest tourist destination in the world we could be a leader.

I used to benignly roll my eyes when Dominicans would proudly proclaim how resilient they are, how they can overcome anything, how much they have endured, how determined to rise above bad times they are.  Well, not any more. It is all true and that is what Dominica is. The population understood and accepted what is at stake and, except for the always present rotten apples, have complied with the regulations without too much whining and complaining and too many unrealistic expectations.   Lockdown, curfew, loss of jobs, income, livelihood, places of business, the line-ups, and social distancing has its own horrors.

I do believe Dominica can rise again, hopefully, improved.

See you at the beach!

Nine Drunken Hungarian Sailors

Saturday night, pouring cold rain.  Dark.    We were just closing when we saw a group of men wandering around the street.  McD called them over offering food, drink, shelter and music.  Who could resist that!  We sat them down under the shed at the back and they ordered a round of rum punch, beer and a Sprite.  Three rounds later they were warm and happy.

 

One was a drummer and asked if he could use our drum set.  Of course.  And he was great, easily picking up the reggae beat while McD sang.  Then McD put on Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water and they all rose up and sang and rocked out.  None of them could speak English or French, but they certainly knew their vintage R and R.

Addison came to pick them up, they had no idea where their boat was or where they were.  They had just flown to Martinique from Hungary, chartered a boat and its captain and are touring the Caribbean. 

 

On the way out they all kissed my hand and bowed from the waist. 

Too funny.