My First Pandemic

A Journal for me, friends, and family. The experience from a little scenic town in Switzerland overlooking the Lake of Zurich. Tracking: health, activity, food supply. Baseline: March 9, 2020 All healthy: Me (age 48), Hubby (age 53), and Co (age 10)

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 70 - Is this thing over?

In case you’re not sure what my days are counting - Day 1 was March 11, 2020 when the WHO declared this new coronavirus a “Pandemic”.  But this was before they went through various alarm and threat levels, so my “Day 70″ label is a bit misleading.  We have been living with cases/outbreaks of COVID-19 since late 2019 (hence the 19 in the name.)

Swiss kids have been back in school for over a week, gyms, restaurants and stores are open, but we still have social distancing guidelines in place.  No private or public gatherings of more than 5 people, and people are still recommended to work from home if possible.  However, it really feels like things are returning back to normal.  It’s rare to see someone wearing a mask, people are taking public transportation, and the stores are pretty full with people.  For me, things are not quite normal yet as I am still avoiding: 

Going back to the gym

Going shopping for something besides food and leisurely browsing

Letting Co have lunch at school

Hugging someone outside my immediate family

Dinner Party with friends

Book Club in person

Taking public transportation (kind of non-issue since I drive everywhere)

My first step back to “normal” will be meeting up with a friend for coffee next week and when i find some time to back on the golf course, although I have already been to the range twice since it opened again.  I’m still waiting to see if the number of cases rise in the next week, but so far so good.  Things seem to be mostly under control.

Also, at this point, it seems there is no more need to keep a detailed history of social contacts, health status, or my food supply.  Back on Day 1, I thought people all around me would be getting sick, and we could be exposed.  I thought supermarkets might close and there would be a food shortage.  I also had no idea how long lockdown would be, which is all part of what motivated me to start the blog.

So this, will probably be the last entry for a long time, or possibly ever.  I’ll leave you with an image of the beautiful Juliana from Boho Beautiful who kept me in shape during the lockdown.

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 59 - Could’ve been worse

We are only a few days away from Co going back to school and I am pretty comfortable with this.  Switzerland has reported under 100 new cases for around a week!  It’s also very encouraging that Co’s class only has 13 kids and the teacher has already spaced the desks further apart.  Not all my friends are happy about the kids going back to school.  The feeling is that the kids are being used as guinea pigs to see if the virus will spread.  And this is a valid point, since our government has been giving us very conflicting information:

“Kids can’t get sick.”  

“Kids shouldn’t visit grandparents.”  But why, if they can’t get sick?  

“Kids shouldn’t go to school.”  So, maybe they can get sick?

My personal opinion is that since we have all been locked down for 8 weeks, those who were sick would have shown symptoms and/or recovered by now so we should be safe to come out of our cocoons.  I’m not under the illusion that the virus is not spreading anymore - and I still plan to take precautions - but the worst has been avoided, which is hospitals becoming overwhelmed and sick people not being able to get treatment, for whatever they might be suffering from.  In fact, at the beginning of the pandemic, I was worried about:

My family and friends catching COVID-19 in the dozens

Supermarkets closing and food shortages

Gas stations closing and gas shortages

Banks closing and a run on the banks

No electricity because the workers were sick

The Internet breaking down worldwide

Riots in the streets

With none of the above having transpired (so far), I am grateful and feel positive about the opening of stores, restaurants, schools, and gyms on Monday.  Let’s hope the number of cases does not skyrocket.

Social Distancing

Hubby went to his 2-man office.  Co had a playdate which included 2 kids of COVID-recovered parents.  Co and I went to the garage to change the winter tires.

Mental Status

With the sun shining, and the lockdown being lifted, it feels like everything is back to normal.  But then you are reminded by all the disinfecting stations everywhere you go and maybe one person wearing a mask. It’s a strange feeling.

Dinner

FRESH:  Peanut noodles with chicken (from freezer) and asparagus

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 58 - Escape to Laax

Just for the day - got to enjoy the nice weather and feel semi-normal in my favorite vacation spot.  Even spontaneously met up with a few friends while sitting outside and 2 meters apart.  Definitely a good way to ease out of the lockdown!  

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 57 - New Lexicon

When coronavirus first reared its ugly head and made the headlines, my mother who speaks English as a second language struggled with some of the new words that she kept reading and hearing about in the news.  They were unfamiliar to her:  “pandemic” and “vulnerable”.  I had to explain to her their meanings.  I thought it was really cute how she pronounced pandemic:  PANDA-mic, even though I corrected her so many times.

But not just for her, I realized there are now new terms that have entered everyone’s daily vocabularies and will become part of the history of this pandemic.  This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but just highlight the main ones.

SARS-CoV-2: official name of the current coronavirus

COVID-19: the name of the disease the above virus causes

Social Distancing

Self-Quarantine/Self-Isolation

Flatten the Curve

Shelter in Place/Lockdown

Distance Learning

Essential Workers

Contact Tracing

Drive-Through Testing

Social Distancing

Hubby went to chiropractor and physical therapist with mask on.  I went to the supermarket with mask on.  

Health Status

Everyone ok.  Hubby still needs painkillers for his back.

Dinner

FRESH:  Beef and Pork Goulash, Steamed Asparagus and Rice

Photo:  My finished lockdown project: “Blue Skies Again” crochet blanket

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 55 - Quarantine 15

Many of the memes and jokes being passed around during the lockdown revolve around the inevitable weight gain that results from being at home, watching lots of TV, eating, and with few options for exercise.  I have tried to make an effort to take walks and do workouts from youtube.  I even had visions of myself jogging on nice days even though I hate jogging.  But the motivation just didn’t quite reach a high enough level for this, so no new running shoes for mama.  Luckily, I am blessed with a pretty good metabolism so my weight has remained stable.

However, my skinny-since-he-was-a-baby son has managed to put on some weight.  I am so over the moon about this and even joked that I love having a couch potato at home.  There was once, just ONCE, that someone described him as a chubby toddler, and I just beamed with pride.  Since then, it has always been one of my greatest stresses to make sure he is eating enough and growing normally because he’s on the small side and just not a big eater.  Even now, he’s not chubby by any stretch of the imagination, but there is a detectable new bulk on his usually thin frame.  

I’m not worried about him becoming overweight because I know he will be active again once school starts again and he has to walk/bike/scoot 1 km to school and runs around at recess with his friends.  And he will be doing Kickboxing 2-3x/week at some point too.  So for now, there is just more of him to love! 

Reference:  “More of Him to Love” from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical.  A very funny song that we like to listen to.

Social Distancing

First time I took Co to any store since lockdown.  We went to the Garden/Hobby store which was fairly busy.  We didn’t wear masks.  Then we went to the butcher to pick up some sandwiches for lunch.

Mental Status

Co and I have been getting into a lot of tiffs the past few days.  They don’t last long but we are both fuming when they happen.  

Dinner

FRESH:  Veggies and rice

FROZEN: Steak

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 52 - Milk for Mom

I posted awhile back about my endeavour to secure groceries for my mom in NJ (Day 28).  I was so touched by the responses I had from friends with recommendations of different options.  Ultimately, I didn’t need to use any online service because my mom kept insisting she had enough food at home.  In parallel, I also came up with the idea of looking on a local Facebook group to see if there were any volunteers offering to buy groceries for seniors.  This was fruitful and I found a few contacts.

Fast forward to last week and Mom had some fresh groceries delivered by her sisters who were still heading out to the shops.  (We didn’t ask them to do this because Mom didn’t want to be a burden, but they thought of her all the same and picked up some things for her.)  However, she still was low on milk, but didn’t want to tell my aunt and sound ungrateful.  So, I suggested that I use one of the ladies that I had found on FB to get the milk.  There was a lady who lived in the same development as my mom and said she doesn’t mind picking up extra things when she goes out to shop for herself.  I contacted her, sent her a picture of the EXACT milk my mom wanted and arranged the date and logistics of the contact-less exchange.  She was very responsive on FB Messenger and super friendly.

Mom was skeptical about someone willing to do this for free and then decided to check the directory for all the residents and couldn’t find this woman’s name.  I insisted it was fine, but she still wasn’t comfortable and then called the management company to see if they knew who this lady was, and they had no record of her either.  I still thought it would be fine and in the worst case, my mom wouldn’t have milk and have lost $12.  She then called my aunt to ask what my aunt thought.  Well, my aunt thought this was the creepiest thing that a person on FB would do this and then immediately made her daughter go out and buy my mom milk.  And I had to tell Janet thanks, but no thanks, in a nice way without interrogating her and implying that she is a predator.

I am often accused of being too nice, and I wonder if it was naive of me to believe that there was a good person out there willing to do a nice deed.  Or maybe this was a sicko masquerading as a nice elderly lady out to steal milk money??  I guess I will never know...

Social Distancing

I went to the local supermarket, I was the only one in a mask.  Slightly more crowded than usual.  Boys were home all day.

Food Supply

Restocked on fresh meat, fruits and vegetables, ice cream, and butter.  

Physical Activity

Boho Beautiful Arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Mq_c-dgVY

Fitness Marhsall: New Sweat Session - intense and he’s so funny!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JElY-wQYdM

Dinner

FRESH:  Broccoli

FROZEN: Roast duck and shrimp dumplings

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 50 - Open for business

This week, the first reopening measures came into play.  This turned out to be good timing for us because Hubby was in dire need of a physical therapist and a chiropractor.  Less urgent, but somehow also bumped to needing to get done today were haircuts for Hubby and Co.  I made the mistake of putting on just a bit of make-up, all excited to leave the house, and also put on a dab of lipstick.  I forgot that I planned on wearing a mask to take Co to the hairdresser.  Note to self:  lipstick + wearing a mask = not the best idea.

I was pleased to see that they actually require you to wear a mask upon entering.  If you don’t have one, they had a good selection available for purchase.  Hubby went later in the day and apparently they managed to cut his hair while he wore a mask!

Mental Status

Fairly positive and starting to feel “normal”.  Knowing that we have so many leftovers in the house, I was happy to try a new bread recipe and then bake chocolate chip cookies for the playdate.

Social Distancing

Co had a playdate at home.  All 3 of us were at the hairdresser.  Hubby went to the chiropractor.  Only 2 people allowed in the waiting room.  Hubby and I wore masks when out.

Physical Activity

Boho Beautiful arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1FNRH-mG2E

Boho Beautiful Pilates (still too tough for me to do everything):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt2FyFYRmes&t=362s

Dinner

Leftovers

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 49 - I was right

Every woman loves to say that and I couldn’t resist putting it in the blog now that it has happened.  The Internet broke last night.  And I predicted it - back on Day 13.  I wasn’t very specific about my prediction in terms of time or duration (I actually thought there would be an extended outage) - but all seems to be up and running again today.  Hubby just pointed out, my victory is hollow as it was only a Swiss outage and only for our provider.  He really doesn’t like it when I am right.

Some other things to note since my last post, I dutifully completed cleaning out my closet with all remaining clothes that spark joy either hanging or standing vertically on the shelves.  I also finished “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn which was a must-read for Book Clubs, before I joined a Book Club.  So everyone had read it already and now I am catching up.  Time to re-watch the movie!

Social Distancing

Co playdate with a classmate yesterday and today.  Hubby went to the physiotherapist for his back.  I went to the pharmacy and Chinese takeout place.

Health Status

Everyone healthy.  

Dinner

Takeout Tuesday

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 46+   Spring Break

Today is technically the first day of Spring Break, and we should have been on a flight from Zurich to Dubai to Capetown.  I saw the writing on the wall way back in March and just waited until the airline cancelled the flight.  I’m not sure if it’s true or not, but friends were telling me that if the airline cancelled the flight (as opposed to the passenger deciding to cancel), that I would get a full refund.  It probably varies from airline to airline.  The Emirates website doesn’t mention this clearly, although there is a page specifically related to COVID-19.  I have requested a full refund, let’s see what I get.

I was really looking forward to our first trip to the African continent and spending the 2nd part of it with some dear friends at the beach and doing a safari.  This was one of the few times I planned the vacation almost a year in advance, doing research, studying itineraries, booking flights, and PRE-PAYING hotels.  Usually we decide a few months before if and where we want to take a vacation.  Oh what a bummer.  

With that said, I will probably take a break from blogging unless something notable happens that I need to jot down.

Health Status

My condolences to my NY roommate’s father-in-law in Long Island who passed away from the corona virus.

Social Distancing

Everyone home all day

Physical Activity

I usually take a break on the weekend

Dinner

FRESH:  Leftovers plus fresh asparagus and homemade Hollandaise sauce

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 45 - Goals

I’m so happy I could tick another thing off my mental list of “things to try” during the lockdown.  It was also a win, because it’s the 2nd time I managed to get Co to bake/cook with me during the lockdown.  I’ve asked him SOOO many times, almost begging, but he was never interested in helping in the kitchen.  I almost banned playing with Lego just to get him to do something with me, but the appeal of macarons and him being in a good mood made him a willing partner today.  Sadly, this meant my vision of pink and white macarons went out the window.  i present to you, “Poseidon Macarons”.  Not too shabby for a first-ever attempt.

Health Status

All healthy, except Hubby’s back is flaring up.

Social Distancing

Co and I stayed inside all day as his eyes are reacting very badly to the pollen.  Hubby went cycling with Francesco

Physical Activity

Hubby went cycling

Co and i ran, jumped, hopped up and down the stairs for 10 min, an assignment from school

Boho Beautiful arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1FNRH-mG2E

Fitness Marshall - Can’t Stop The Feeling - Intense! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5ffOxDIcwc

Dinner

FRESH:  Broccoli, Pan-fried Chinese Radish Cake

FROZEN:  Steamed Juicy Buns (xiao long bao)

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 44 - Tidying Up

Today was a very productive day for me because I didn’t have to cook lunch or dinner.  The lunch takeout from the Chinese buffet is such a large portion, that we can have it for both meals and is now a weekly tradition.  So, today was the perfect day to start sorting through my clothes the Marie Kondo way.  If you are not familiar with her method, she recommends emptying the entire closet and putting it in a giant pile.  Then it is important to hold each item of clothing, and one should only keep it if it “sparks joy”.  If not, then you should thank the item of clothing and then say goodbye to it.  (I learned this from watching the Netflix show titled “Tidying Up”.)

This was actually quite pleasant to do and I felt myself getting in the groove of sorting the clothes, and I was even talking to them after awhile.  However, I had to loosen the “sparks joy” criteria to allow for things that are good wardrobe basics as well as things I recently purchased or that were recently gifted to me.  I was quite pleased with my progress today, and have given myself one week to complete this exercise.  Goals.  One way I cope with the lockdown.

Mental Status

Tempers are short in general, but we have acknowledged this as a family and always apologize to each other shortly thereafter.

Social Distancing

I went to get the Chinese takeout.  An elderly couple came in after me and waited the appropriate distance away.

Physical Activity

Co and Hubby went cycling

I made around 50 trips between my closet and the guest room

Dinner

Chinese Takeout

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 43 - Book Club Junkie

Tonight was our 2nd Virtual Book Club meeting during the Lockdown.  I’ve been in this book club for a few years and really enjoy the ladies’ company and conversation.  They are witty, intelligent, funny, and even raunchy - the password for today’s Zoom meeting was “tits”. Also, our hostess-with-the-mostest is a kick-ass baker so we are always spoiled with some calorie-intensive treats on top of wine.  This Book Club is the reason I left my ex-Book Club where I found the ladies dull, bitter, and just plain not my cup of tea.  

More recently (late last year?) I was approached to start an English speaking book club at my local library which I felt was a great honor and eagerly agreed to.  I came up with a name and logo and everything, with the first meeting date set for March 26, 2020 i.e. Peak Corona Time.  So, that was unfortunate, but I managed to kick it off virtually anyways and we hope to discuss our first book at the end of June in person.

Just for my records and if you’re interested, these are the books I have read while in Lockdown:

Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides  <---  best of the bunch

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

All the books were very readable, I didn’t LOVE any of them, but if I had to choose which one was the best, I’d say The Silent Patient.  There are few books that I actually love, not that I’m a book snob or English literature major or anything, but the more books I read, the more I can discern a good one from a bad one.  The only recent ones I’ve LOVED, that I would read again, would be:

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

And possibly:  A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Health Status

Family and friends all healthy.

Social Distancing

Co and I went to the take-out window at the library and then popped into the local supermarket to get some ice cream.  Saw a handful of people from a safe distance.  Hubby went cycling with some friends.

Physical Activity

2.7 km walk with Co scooting to school library and supermarket and back

Hubby went cycling

Dinner

FRESH:  Chinese Radish Cake and Spare Ribs

FROZEN: Scallion Pancake that must be 5 years old at least

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 42 - The Day After

I shared yesterday’s blog post about my meltdown on Facebook to reach a wider audience of my friends, and it was nice to hear I was not alone in my experience.  There really is an emotional toll of being locked down and all the extra work that comes along with it.  Having said that, I still don’t mean to complain and consider myself lucky to be at home, able to put food on my table, and keep my family safe from the pandemic.

Also, there appears to be a positive aspect to me throwing a temper tantrum in that it made Hubby and Co a bit more sensitive to the situation.  Today, I requested that Co get my breakfast ready for me, which he actually did, but the whole while muttering to his dad that “We are both going to be Mommy’s slaves from now on...”  I also got them to help out more with the next two meals, in terms of getting things onto the table, which is my main gripe, so hopefully this lasts.

Mental Status 

The boys were walking on eggshells around me today and were on their best behavior, but I had returned to my normal even-keeled self.  We went out for a family walk in the afternoon which was a mood lifter.

Social Distancing

Saw a handful of people when we went out walking and at an almost deserted playground.

Physical Activity

40 min walk in the morning

40 min with Co at the Gottschalkenberg playground doing the Ropes Parcours and balancing on various wood structures including a game of Tag.  It was pretty cool!

Short family walk to the viewpoint at Gottschalkenberg

Dinner

FRESH:  Chinese Radish Cake (dim sum style) and Cucumber Salad

FROZEN: Siu Mai

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 41 - The Great TP Chase

One of the greatest mysteries for me during this pandemic has been the global shortage of toilet paper.  Even before people started to seek masks for protection from an infectious virus, it seems the prospect of running out of TP was more dire and undesirable.  I admit, I was also influenced by this hysteria.  Under normal circumstances, I buy one bulk pack of 24 to keep at home and only buy a new pack when this is almost used up.  When I realized that TP was the new hot commodity, I bought ONE MORE pack of 24 before Switzerland went on lockdown (which we have yet to open).  But apparently, people in this situation bought way more than they actually need and TP disappeared off the shelves making it near impossible to find anywhere for a few weeks.  The supply has since normalized.

I thought that most people would probably have a reasonable stock at home, so I was surprised to hear both my mom and brother’s family were concerned about running out and were desperately trying to buy some in NJ.  This was no easy feat, SIL drove to multiple stores with no success.  Even online it seems the ordering and delivery was not a sure thing.  Bro put up a Command and Control Board at home, which I thought was pretty funny.  Mom even said she had a paper and was ticking off the days to gauge how long one roll of TP lasts her!  I’m happy to be able to report that after a few precarious weeks, Bro’s Amazon delivery came in and Mom’s friend also got her some TP at Costco.  They are rich in TP now!

Mental Status - FIRST MELTDOWN

Something snapped in me today at lunchtime, when I laid out all the food on the table and called the boys to come eat.  I realized that for 3 meals a day, I put the food on the table while everybody else is on an ipad or computer (usually playing games) and then I sit and wait for them to come while the meal that I prepared BY MYSELF is getting cold.  No one helps me cook.  Rarely do I get help setting the table.  I know I’m partially to blame for not instilling better habits, but after 40 days at home of this - i just had it and had to express my opinion.  But this was not the meltdown...  It came later after Co’s violin lesson.  He is just in a foul mood when it comes to anything to do with the violin.  He whines, and dawdles, and is grumpy, and it’s so unfair to his teacher who is the sweetest lady.  Today was worse than usual and he also told his teacher that I was being mean and unfair.  Then came the meltdown.  I basically told Hubby and Co to go get some fresh air and “GET OUT OF THE HOUSE”.  I have never in my life done that.  But it worked - they quietly left and I tried to calm down.  I tidied up, made cookies, and did some Boho Beautiful workouts.   By the time they came back, everyone was in a better mood.

Social Distancing

Hubby and Co went to an empty playground and then the supermarket (without masks).  Not crowded at our local supermarket.

Physical Activity

5 min arms - Boho Beautiful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Mq_c-dgVY

25 min Pilates - Boho Beautiful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt2FyFYRmes&t=359s

Dinner

FRESH:  Oven roasted chicken legs, zucchini

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 40 - Normality

Today seemed like a normal Sunday.  Hubby went cycling with 2 friends, and Co had 2 brothers over to play Lego, Ping Pong, Nerf, watch Peter Rabbit, and scoot around.  It was an epic 7 hour play date that the boys really needed after being pent up inside for the last 5 weeks.  This meant I had some peace and quiet to work on my taxes and do some reading.  

We also had Movie Night and watched the latest Star Wars movie: The Last Skywalker.

Social Distancing

Co played with 2 boys who have also been self-isolating.  Hubby biked with 2 friends.

Mental Status

We feel normal!

Food Supply

My sushi supplies are now depleted:  need rice and seaweed.

Dinner

FRESH: Another round of sushi to use up the fish.  I tried making tamago (egg omelette) this time.

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 39 - The walls come tumbling down

So, with the end of the lockdown in sight - my reasoning is that if we have been self-isolating for more than a month and others have too, with no symptoms, then we are not carrying the virus.  Makes sense, right?  So, Co was allowed to have a playdate today with his dear friend J.  What a sweet sweet time they had after not seeing other kids for so long.  She is like a sister to him, also an only child, and they met back in daycare at the tender age of 10 months old.  Happy kids make for a happy mom.

I also have been getting the royal treatment with a friend dropping off some frozen Cantonese dim sum for me yesterday in my mailbox and another friend picking up fresh sushi fish for me today in Zurich.  She even let me in her house briefly when I went to pick it up!  These social distancing walls are crumbling!!

Social Distancing

Co’s first playdate with J who was also self-isolating the whole time.  I briefly stepped in my friend’s kitchen but kept 2 meters away.

Mental Status

A new high to see Co so happy and occupied and I didn’t even mind the 1.5 hrs it took to make the sushi that took 20 min to eat.

Dinner

FRESH: Homemade sushi - still enough to make for dinner tomorro

[myfirstpandemic]

Day 38 - Anatomy of a Pandemic

This is my personal perspective of how things played out and how I was affected and felt as things unfolded.  It may be boring to read, but I wanted to note key dates and events for my future reference. (The year is 2020.)

Up till Jan 22 - Numerous cases of a new coronavirus have spread in China and have already begun spreading outside of China’s borders to nearby countries

Jan 23 - Lockdown in Wuhan, followed by Hubei Province in the next few days

Jan 25 - Chinese New Year - means millions of Chinese travelling

Jan 31 - 50th Birthday party with 60+ people (people flying in from London and US) - Not thrilled about having to attend.

Beg Feb - Most of China locked down

Feb 21 - Outbreak of coronavirus emerges in Northern Italy (neighboring Switzerland) with a lockdown order issued for the affected areas the day after

Feb 24 - Start of 2 week ski holiday which we plan to spend in Laax.  Sometime during the holiday, I become more afraid of the Italian tourists than the Chinese tourists.

Feb 25 - Have coffee with a friend.  She just spent a night in Como, Italy.  And first case of coronavirus identified in Switzerland.

Feb 27 - 60th Birthday party of family with 60+ people - very close contact with many people and Hubby sat next to a man who just returned from Italy for 3 hours.  We were NOT happy.  

Feb 28 - Swiss government bans events with more than 1000 people.  Good news for us because Hubby was supposed to go to the Geneva Car Show the following week

Feb 29 - We have some visitors from the Swiss French part.  Thankfully they drove a private car because I would have uninvited them if they were coming by public transportation.

Feb 29 - We cancel our annual party with 5 families plus kids scheduled for March 3

March 3 - Our last social event.  Dinner with another family of 3.

March 5 - Head down the mountain to go home.

March 9 - We are not very happy about allowing Co to go back to school.  The whole family stops other activities this week: gym, kickboxing, etc... We asked the school to let Co skip gym and swimming and it was taken very well.

March 10 - All of Italy under lockdown

March 11 - WHO declares the outbreak to be a pandemic.  A few weeks too late in my opinion.

March 13 - Swiss government says schools will be closed until April 19.  We had already decided at breakfast time that we would keep Co home next week no matter what.

March 16 - Swiss government orders closure of bars, restaurants, sports facilities and cultural spaces.  Ban on gatherings of more than 5 people. School closures extended until April 26.

April 16 - Swiss government announces relaxation measures starting April 27 and schools will most likely reopen on May 11.

Just in closing, I consider the World Health Organization to have dropped the ball on this pandemic.  They should have acted sooner to protect the world’s population.  I said to Hubby already in February that all air travel should be halted worldwide for 2 weeks to contain the spread. That’s what I would do if I were in charge.  (Move over, Tedros!)  I truly believe this could have averted the need for each and every country to lockdown and would have been a far lesser economic cost than what is playing out today.

Social Distancing

Co and I saw some people while biking and in the little supermarket afterwards where we usually treat ourselves to a little something sweet after doing some sport.  Hubby met up with 2 friends for an epic e-Mountain Bike tour.

Food Supply

My lovely friend dropped off some frozen Siu Mai for me from her Cantonese dim sum supplier

Physical Activity

5 min arms - Boho Beautiful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Mq_c-dgVY

10 minutes with Fitness Marshall on Youtube - Senorita and Me Too

Hubby - 4+ hour bike tour

Co and I - 8 km leisurely e-bike ride to the river

Dinner

FRESH: Filet of pork, potatoes au gratin, zucchini