Today our government decided to go a little viral. At the moment Public Enemy No. 1 is so small it cannot be seen with the human eye but it attaches itself to people. It goes by the name of Corona virus. The first command is wash your hands. The government did not exactly say when you should wash your hands and up to now I have not seen people with their hands permanently in the sink. It has been left to our own common sense.
The next command is if you have to sneeze and you don’t have a handkerchief, then sneeze in the crook of the arm. Do not ask how that is supposed to be done. Of course the handkerchief is better, but it should be a paper one and afterwards immediately be thrown in the bin. Apparently sneezing into the hand is not very good as hands tend to get wiped in strange places and you cannot throw them into the bin. These are the first rules.
Now it goes further. Alain Berset, our government head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, is not the most popular person in Switzerland, especially in the area of Basel. Basel is a Swiss town on the borders of France and Germany and is they have the biggest carnival in Switzerland. It is a way of life at this time of the year, or was. Mr. Berset has now decreed that there will be no public events with more than 1000 people until mid March, when he is hoping that the Corona virus will then have disappeared. There will be no football matches or pop concerts held. Sport meetings may be held but with no spectators. Government sessions will be held but without the public attending and a reduced amount of newspaper reporters. Up to now no-one has died in Switzerland and the first patient has now been released from hospital as being fully recovered. As he is a golden oldie like me, there is still hope.
Someone asked Mr. Berset if church goers are also affected by the ban on large congregations. There is not danger, he added. The only church where he has seen a congregation of more than 1,000 was in St. Peters in the Vatican city in Rome. Up to now the village church in Feldbrunnen has only had large congregations at weddings or funerals and if there are more than 100 people they have to wait outside.
Mr. Swiss was worried about my son having a chance of getting the virus when in town. I managed to calm the whole family, when I told them that if anyone would get the virus, it would be me, as I am the only person that daily has contacts with people in the supermarket.
Even Mr. Swiss was more settled when he realised that. Now I am wondering if I should wear a mask when I go shopping, although I would probably be the only person in the supermarket with one.
Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss 
In some places, they have ran out of masks.
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In the Italien part of Switzerland there are no more masks. I havn’t tried to get one up to now so I don’t know what the situation is here.
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It’s mostly panic!
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The virus is troubling enough. When I hear of government taking over and keeping people from their social connections it is worrying. It wouldn’t hurt to wear a mask, and it could help. Doesn’t seem like the virus is a threat to where you are at this time, but you never know!
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We have a country with eight million population which is not so many and perhaps easier to keep an eye on. I am taking things as they come. At the moment it is manageable, but who knows for how long. And masks are getting low on stocks.
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O, I love it. I laugh threw out your comments so I am going to reblog it. It is panic and will spread faster by poor events being done.
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As long as we all stay realistic about it all . I have a feeling that some countries are not being very honest about their home facts.
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Since my background is in zoology and working as Med -Teck I realise the changes of getting are slim. However a couple from the cruise hip arrive in nearby city today. So I will Keep a watch on it.
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Reblogged this on idahobluebird50 MYSTERIES GALORE AND PHOTOS and commented:
I laugh the entire time I was reading this. It has hit on the panic here so well. Do your usually hygenic unless you come to contact
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Thanks for the reblog. the whole thing appeals to my black humour streak.
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That’s the kind of humoue I like because doesn”t hur any much.
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Thanks for sharing your government’s response to the virus. It’s not the kind of news I come across as a matter of course.
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I quite like our Minister Berset and had to chuckle about his answer to the church question
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There is a limit in force as to the number of masks you can buy here (UK), and you have to collect them the next day.
Someone I know has just come back from Tenerife and thinks that because the quarantine was at another hotel in the area, she is safe (airports and plane did not seem to register as potential dangers)
Common sense prevails and we are being vigilant as we live in a holiday resort and there are a lot for ‘lets’ here.
Keep safe.
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As far as I know, there is no panic buying of masks here except in the Italian speaking Kanton as they have the danger of It arriving from Italy. it is mainly people that were in Italy that have the virus here
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I was asking my daughter if she thought we should buy some masks to have since other places seem to be running out. I rarely go out but always take wipes and avoid the coughers. But one of my granddaughters has severe asthma and that is scary. She participates in sports a lot and exposed more than most kids. Also she volunteers at the library and I think, books are a great place for germs…
Sent from my iPad
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I have MS and we are both golden oldies, so we would both be candidates.
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“Bring out your dead! Bring out your dead!”
“But I’m not dead yet!”
“You soon will be!”
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Not that far yet, although i sneeze now and again. I wonder if we have to paint a cross on the door.
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😀
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They say when you wash your hands … to sing the “Happy Birthday song” … twice …that is the sufficient amount of time … at least 20 seconds of soap…. SLP …
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I usually wash my hands a little longer than 20 seconds and as a housewife they are often in water
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The virus is problematic enough. We should wash our hands for 25 seconds at least.
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They tell us 20 seconds here, but who really counts and I am sure I wash them for longer. The main thing is that we are aware of the precautions we should take.
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