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.