Celebration and Mourning: Two Flags

Yesterday was the annual "Day of the Canaries" and in theory a regional holiday and celebration of local culture! This is not Greyrocks' time of year so we have - in 28 years of visits and residence - never witnessed it. But, of course, 2020 was not the best year to do so! If you blinked you would miss it! Apart from the supermarket closing at 2 pm the only two notable features were Bob being given a chocolate bar as a gift in the pharmacy, and Gloria the cleaner sending a WhatsApp message to Ruth with a clip as shown here!

It is the pandemic that did it for the special day. Not only would assemblies not be permitted under our current Phase 2 regulations, but the nation as a whole is in the midst of a ten day period of mourning for its victims, and nothing celebratory is appropriate.
We daily inspect the statistics for Spain, followed by the Canaries and then Fuerteventura, and compare them to UK, France and Italy.
Yesterday the pertinent news item was of a passenger knowingly flying from Madrid to Lanzarote having been with his dying and infected mother and at her funeral. On arrival he was put into quarantine along with thirteen innocents who had been seated near him! This wrecked that island's record of 20 days without new cases and only two existing. It also raises fears that some other idiot will perform similarly for our island! It's a picture to cherish:- here are today's stats:

  

Now the island is "Covid-free"

Yet further good news on our island is that on Wednesday the last remaining patient was discharged from Intensive Care and declared clear of the virus, so that there are no active cases!
This hasn't unfortunately helped our personal planning, as another island that has fared very well is Crete,but Greece is proceeding cautiously with letting in the much-needed tourists for the summer season (or what is likely to be left of it!)
The UK - whose passports and nationalities Greyrocks hold - and Spain - whence we will travel - are excluded from its list of "welcome" nations. Optimistically we have booked a flight for 3rd July! "Watch this space" means more than usual this time!
In the meantime we remain on Phase 2 - (although a tentative  case was made to join the little islands moving on tomorrow). It has meant we can now eat inside at restaurants - and did during the week. We also attended a birthday party on next door's roof terrace with 9 of the 10 permitted guests. whilst still on Phase 2, but more of this to follow!