Exit Filomena - Enter Amber

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Second wave: worse??

The foul weather hung around for over a week, with the sun returning on Saturday. It was some of the worst that even the locals can remember, but nada de nada compared to that still being experienced on the Peninsula! The surfers were happy enough, but the mood amongst the rest of us was grim and often angry as we sat on terraces discussing the growing number of Covid cases on the island and particularly in our municipio. The finger was generally pointed at those parties:- the participants and/or the inadequate policing. Since the infamous New Years Eve debacle there has been a yet more defiant party on a beach near El Cotillo - allegedly by Italians, and a similar one on the beach on the approach to Corralejo involving 17 Brits. Nonetheless the island had escaped a move into the "red" state of alarm on the latest review. Another "Phew", but the word went out that the mayor had ruled that aspects of "redness" would apply in La Oliva- particularly no indoor food or drink service and a 10 pm curfew. 

(The first day barely affected Greyrocks as we spent most of the day enduring and then recovering from two very stressful. long and painful calls:- to UK NSI over their incompetence with phone numbers and to Vueling who still haven't refunded on four cancelled flights. This was so bad that a planned teetotal day was abandoned by early evening!)

On the second day we went for a walk and saw the evidence of the regulation regime. The lottery shop and amusement arcades were closed and outside bars the punters were huddled more numerously then usual. Glimpses inside showed tables and floor areas roughly taped off. We tried to think of places where being exiled would not be too cold and came up with a favourite:- El Patio Andaluz- which is indeed half open but roofed. We were welcomed and directed towards the outer tables, which worked well. Next day we were out for coffee and there was at least one group inside the cafeteria. We went into characteristically judgemental mode, but later discovered the mayor  had been ultra vires and so we are back in Amber mode and a lot of tape has been discarded!

This designation is up for review at the end of the month. Across the water Lanzarote is in Red and in theory "closed", although the ferries continue to run with not just essential freight but what appear to be day-trippers! Hold your breath! 

Greyrocks has observed that the age distribution in town of those clearly non-resident has become bimodal (Once a statistician always,,,!)  Surfers by the cartload (although the cheapest hostels are closed) and plenty of baby-boomers in various states of health, who are not resident but have found accommodation for long stays. We met some resident friends who manage villas and they told of a third significant cohort: the digital nomads. They are developing a reputation as "worse than surfers" for wrecking property!

Today however is bleak for all forms of tourism, as there are no international flight arrivals. Not so good on the infection statistics, either: today we stand at 164 active Covid cases, of which two are in hospital but not Intensive Care. Deaths still number 4.

We await our call to be vaccinated. Local policy is to move on to those over 65 after the current groups, and unlike in UK we will get both jabs.