Wholly confusing in Holy Week

Today we enter our second week back in Level 3 (red traffic lights) This change was not unexpected as the figures for Covid cases on the island (and in particular our northern municipio) had been getting worse, the hospital - which has only 6 ICU beds - had declared a crisis, and there was dread regarding upcoming festivals. Fathers' Day here is celebrated  by date (in fact Saint Joseph)  and of course Easter is a movable feast. This year they occurred just ten days apart - thus forming a puente of potentially calamitous family get-togethers ad general cavorting! 

Having begun a campaign to encourage inter-island tourism and compensate for the loss of many international visitors, our "autonomous" government banned all non-essential movement, and subsequently allowed it with testing. Meanwhile our town's demographics have gone wild as laptops, skateboards, bare midriffs and hallucinogens replace the Daily Mail, mobility scooters, elasticated waists and happy-hour booze, owing to the "90-day rule" exodus of retired Brits and the rising popularity of the island on both digital nomad and surfer circuits (see last post)

Much anger is being directed at "young people" over their non-compliance with health measures - particularly masks and parties, so the fear for this week up to Easter is fair, but in advance of that things are slowly improving. We may be back to Level 2 next Thursday if folk behave themselves!

The difference between Levels 2 and 3 is significant for Greyrocks! It's not the table size or the curfew., but the fact that all eating and drinking must be outside. So it was a chilly game of Scrabble on Sunday, and a list of favourite places we can't frequent as their terraces are not inviting!  But the council has put in place permission to extend terrace seating way beyond the registered area. Also on Sunday we saw a remarkable site in the "cobbled street". Oscars - famed for great local food, competent service and a cavalier attitude to closing time - had expanded in three directions and the majority of the tables were occupied! 

Meanwhile council workers were attaching posters to lampposts (including English text) as part of a series called "I'm complying" focused on mask-wearing.  It is quite hard-hitting, but has our support! Let's hope it works!

   

And still it's up and down, in and out, can and cant!!

 Just a couple of weeks ago there was optimism about a return soon to some sort of normality here on our "lucky" island. Bars were staying open till gone midnight if they wished and tables were being pushed together to accommodate up to ten.  How things change! Yesterday our little and modest island featured in the Canarian press for being in top position for "7 day Accumulated Incidence" of Covid. It was also the anniversary of the commencement of the first "lockdown".

The graph tells the story! But it doesn't include Lanzarote, which has - presumably as a result of the very heavy restrictions over the past month - lost the title of Plague Island, and passed into a lower level than us. The only blemish to its achievement is the death yesterday of a 49 year-old resident:- the youngest on either island by a long way! Fuerteventura basked in its Level 1 glory for about ten days. but then with Carnaval Season approaching the tables were separated again. 

There were several dramatic breaches, but the crossed fingers have worked in part and despite the run of terrible figures last week we have so far stayed out of Level 3. But Easter looms and tomorrow the archipelago government meets to decide the restriction fate of each island. At the very least there will be the special "enhancements" which started yesterday, We are still on Level 2, but back down to four at a table and a 10 pm curfew.

The good news is that licences have been granted for outdoor live music - with no dancing!! So far Greyrocks has seen Eric at Anno on two Thursday afternoons and Yiannis (Greek!) at Anno on Saturday and has caught glimpses of some street musicians. Bob saw work going on in Rock Café, but it will be a while before it can open with or without bands.

One of five installations in the High Street 

Our municipio is regularly the very last in the Canarian Carnaval calendar, so whilst other places have long since got over their "non-events", illegal parties and Covid surge we have had to wait. The date arrived and our event has been the stationing of appropriately colourful "booths" celebrating carnivals past in photographs. They are in the fully pedestrian section of the High Street, so double up as slalom obstacles for young cyclists and skateboarders! 

By the end of the month any Brits who were here on 1st January will have to leave as a consequence of Brexit (for which we suspect many voted!) unless they have Spanish resident status, so we expect quite an exodus just before Easter. The Canaries are still regarded as high risk by Germany. Testing requirements for entry from mainland Spain have been tightened and so the overall tourism picture is very uncertain.  However, there is a campaign to encourage inter-island tourism over Easter:- centred round an online video full of "holy" references. It's worth a viewing.