Here in Alto Boquete we are now in week six of total lockdown/quarantine and life is becoming more and more stressful as the days go by. We are confined to our house and property and as of now there is no indication of how much longer this is going to last. Panamá stopped all sales of alcohol on March 17 supposedly for three weeks but still being enforced over six weeks later. The following week total quarantine was put in place supposedly through April 15 but still ongoing with no end in sight. The uncertainty and lack of coherency and clear communication from the government makes everything very difficult to deal with. Nancy and I are continuing to follow the rules and hanging in there as best as we can. To make light of the situation, it sure feels like we are in the movie “Groundhog Day”.
We are also doing our best to get enough exercise. Aerobics on the terrace, push-ups, yard work, and walking the property like tigers in a zoo (next time I see a pacing tiger in a pen I will be far more sympathetic to its plight) are the main ways we burn off energy. Reading, watching TV, working on our Spanish, cooking, keeping an eye on the news, and keeping in touch with family and friends are the things that, for the most part, round out our days. We have also made a couple of batches of pineapple beer with mixed results.
The number of daily new cases of Covid-19 have been fairly steady lately, and Panamá is purportedly past the peak of the pandemic. There are also hundreds of daily arrests of people for violating the quarantine, and this seems to really incense the powers that be. I read on the news the other day there is talk of making violators subject to prison terms of up to eight years which strikes me as excessive to the point of insanity. Both the government and the populace have limited funds and resources and they are going to start to run out in the very near future. What we find disturbing is that there seems to be no game plan in place to wind the quarantine down and get the economy running again. How much longer is this sustainable? Nancy and I are hoping our next post brings better news! In the meantime, we wish health and good things to all!
Saludos, Craig
