How are you all dealing with coronavirus and the restrictions many of us have to live

A positive post from me today - a friend is now working as a vaccination volunteer at a local centre, this really cheered me up, it's happening, it's massive but they are working through the vulnerable groups bit by bit and every day more are protected.

Second thing, I discovered my local authority are offering rapid testing to key workers who work with the public, it's to check asymptomatic spread in the community. I signed up so will get tested next week for a period of 6 weeks as it's a trial.

This seems sensible to me as last summer they did random asymptomatic testing by post and my son was selected but he was working from home and not much contact with anyone so seemed like a waste of a test.

Welll I hate to bring things down again after a positive post..... But I need to vent.

I'm struggling to keep functioning. I can't find any motivation to do anything at all. Chores, exercise, cook, even work. Little things are getting to me way too much.

There's talk of our lockdown getting more strict and I'm having a hard time seeing the positive anymore. I wonder if it's going to do any good. The people who don't care now still won't care. It's only going to get harder for the people who do already follow the rules.

My favourite band cancelled their tour yesterday. It was supposed to be April last year but it got postponed without a set date, and now it's been completely cancelled. I'm too numb to even be upset about it. Like I can't even imagine what it's like anymore to enjoy something? I'm just glad in the months before it was supposed to happen I was too broke to do any planning - I was gonna do the entire tour, but I only bought 1 concert ticket so far, so I won't lose too much money. Because the crook ticket website will of course keep some of the money instead of refunding in full. I have another concert in March that's already been postponed twice so I hope they will postpone again instead of cancelled completely.

A few weeks ago we got an e-mail from work about some free counseling service. I read the flyer and considered making an appointment but I don't think it'll do much good. This is purely situational. I know how I should be helping myself, I just can't be bothered. I want to crawl into my cave and stuff my face with chocolate and cookies and waffles.

Work is also getting on my nerves. I feel like I could do with some time off but then I'd only be sitting around, getting even more depressed. I can't go see my family. Can't go for a coffee. Can't go ice skating. Can't even go for a nice walk, the weather has been dreadful the last couple of weeks. Dry most of the time at least, but so dull and grey.

Pardon but it seemed to me funny when @rechu mentioned that there are probability to banned music at bars and coffee shops. Did they specify with kind of music? Rock, black metal or the most dangerous in case of epidemic, or only ballads, that as we all know are danced with a couple. lol!

I’m also feeling depressed as I began to feel last Spring and Summer. I admit that my depression is not caused directly by what’s happening in the world but somehow I doesn’t help at all but conversely contributes to make things harder and have less hope. So, I hear you, Break, in your sad post. Thus, unluckily the weather in this Winter is being especially tough.

As to why concerts has to do, I’m not a friend to celebrate Live concerts with present audience. It’s scary when I saw the images from a famous singer here and how much people were all together in this period of the pandemic.
I have two tickets to see my favourite band next week but the concert will be online. I know it’s not the same but it’s the most reasonable.

At this point in time, regarding Rechu’s government measures in relation to music, I’m finding hard to make up my mind about which music we could play to celebrate @rechu’s birthday.
But, I’m gonna risk with one of the best Chilean’s bands. La Ley!
La Ley - Mentira (Video Oficial) - YouTube

Happy Birthday Rechu! Hope you have a nice time celebrating with your husband. X

I hear you. I too wonder if lockdowns will have enough cooperation to work, but after a week and a bit of fulll lockdown here in UK it's dropping a little already. I hope it will for you too.

I feel tired today, we walked this afternoon but it was so crowded, everything is closed and it's Saturday so everyone makes for the coast and parks. I found myself longing for just a quiet space. For me it's not fear of infection, I just find crowds overwhelming any time.

Little things irritate me too. I get grumpy!

I want to share something sweet though- on my way home a little baby, just 2 years or so, saw me from his window and smiled and waved and I smiled and waved back- his sweet face lit up into this beautiful grin and he waved even harder. It was such a touching moment amongst all this cr*p. I am not really grumpy lady, just someone very worn down by this situation like we all are.

Thanks for the birthday wishes. It was as good as a day as I could have expected considering the circumstances. My husband really tried to make it special. And thanks for the song, @AzulOscuro, I like La Ley, I even got to see them in concert once, more years ago than I want to admit. I was able to get in a walk with one of the dogs both mornings and advanced with my gardening projects too.


In the end, after much mocking, the government took a step back on the music rule, saying it is a recommendation. I mean I get the idea that if there's loud music, people tend to talk louder so they spread more virus particles. However, I think people are just so sick of so many rules and restrictions on everything they do, it got a bad reaction. Now, if they wanted to ban reggaeton, I'd have no problem with that!

@BreakForTheLight. I feel for you. Here they are discussing the same, sending our region back into full lockdown. It would be back to the 2 permits a week to go out and now they have reduced permit time to 2 hours, down from 3. That's not much time to get anything done in many places. We would still be able to exercise in the morning, which is a slight improvement. But, still, I do not think I will handle it well if it comes to that. We may get news today. I completely agree with you that it's those of us who are already being careful who will be most affected by the increased restrictions. The covidiots will still have their mass spreader parties even if they risk being detained and fined and the virus will spread. They extended the state of catastrophe and health emergency for another 6 months. Since October 2019, the only time we haven't been under some type of emergency/catastrophe declaration was a short period in early 2020. It started with the protests/looting/riots, it was eliminated I think in late December/early January but then Covid arrived in March and we were back in state of catastrophe and health emergency ever since.

Another of my friends tested positive, she has pre existing conditions so I am concerned for her.

She was so careful, followed all guidelines, infection control, but somehow it got her (she has to work outside the home so probably why).

I feel so numb and flat right now.

I have also heard that with some of the new COVID variants, it takes less virus exposure to be affected; however, since she was careful, she might be less sick. I have seen doctors explain that the amount of virus we are exposed to is one factor in how sick we become.

Yes, the lockdowns (in my case, I know I should self isolate) coupled with winter weather are not very cheering.

I'm sorry, Discombobulated. I know several people that were being very careful, but they got it too.


It really sucks that you can take many precautions, but this virus is so contagious, you can never protect yourself 100%, especially when so many people aren't being responsible.

We are nervously awaiting news on a new quarantine. My municipality is not on the list of the most likely to be quarantined. We seem to still be doing a good job with contact tracing, plus we have a much lower population density than many areas, so those things should work in our favor.

I keep getting gang up on by those who have different believes. Then last Wednesday my nephew was exposed to the corona virus by one his teacher who came to work and while in class admitted she has tested positive for the virus.

I'm trying to find a hobby I can do at home.

@rechu,
Hahahaha! I was gonna mentioned that about reggaeton but I restrained myself just in case there was here a lover of this music. lol!
Yes, I thought as you that this reason behind to banned music in coffee shops and restaurants was to prevent people from talking louder and have more probabilities to extend the virus. But it seemed to me funny. Governments are so overwhelmed that they announce a mensure, then, go back. Talk about recommendations instead of mesures.
It seems to me, but it’s only my opinion is that people what find hard to take in is so many changes in measures and with very low results.

I can’t believe my eyes! If the teachers is positive, he has to be at home. I don’t understand anything anymore.

@AzulOscuro - Too funny we thought the same about reggaeton. Yes. I feel that is a big part of the problem. I understand that the people in the Health Ministry have never dealt with a pandemic in their careers, but when they change the rules so frequently or don't explain things well, then people get frustrated and are less likely to support the policies.

The media doesn't help either. This morning, there was a lot of hand wringing about how 10 municipalities in the Metropolitan Region were about to get locked down. They had experts saying it needed to happen. Then, the Health Minister came on and said our region is not the problem. Our hospitals are actually helping to take pressure off some other areas of the country where there are higher rates of critical cases. The national positivity rate is close to 7% while the Metropolitan Region is only at 4%. It is true that the country has about the same number of cases as June or July (4,000 or so new cases daily), but back in winter they were doing only 20,000 tests a day. Now they are doing 60,000 tests a day with the same number of positives, so our positivity rate has gone down a lot, which is a good thing. In the end they only locked down some really hard hit small municipalities down south.

I think before they go with more lockdowns, they should try other options first. I mean, why are we still receiving international flights when the English and other mutations are coming in on those flights? Then, what about the special vacation permit? People are crowding the beaches now that they implemented that. They are outdoors, but still very close together from the footage being shown. And, what about places like restaurants in areas overwhelmed by tourists? I wonder if they are adhering to capacity limits. Maybe they need to limit or stop those permits for a while instead of threatening those of us who decided it is not responsible to go on vacation right now with new lockdowns.

Tomorrow, it will begin the lockdown here in my country. Each Community settled their own rules. Luckily, it won’t be a total lockdown as last year.

Here, there’s been taking place fights amongst the central government and the Communities and Politics as always is heading everything.
Sad but truth.

A joke about it all, until now we all had to be here at home at 10:00 pm. I thought this morning...wow, I feel as an adolescent when my parents said: At 10:00 I want to see you at home. lol
I feel younger lol!

It's different. I spent christmas and my birthday alone.

@AzulOscuro - we have been under different levels of curfews too, since October 2019, apart from that short time when they lifted the state of emergency in early 2020. Now it is 10 PM to 5 AM. At one point during the protests, before Covid hit, when my husband wanted to leave the house early to go to work, he realized it was before 6 AM and curfew ended at 6. He had to wait to leave the house! It's true that before all this I haven't had a curfew since I was a teenager living with my parents.

I have to say that I am getting sick of the media here sensationalizing things. The other day they were acting like all or most of our region was going to be locked down again. They had this doctor on saying it needed to happen. I realized that he is always on TV, 90% of the time calling for quarantines. If he had it his way, we'd all be locked down until 2025 and the media gives him a platform. Then, a few hours later, the health ministry came out to say that we aren't doing badly and tougher restrictions weren't needed. I comply with the restrictions and would have to deal with it if we are locked down again. At the same time, I wonder if there aren't better ways to deal with this. Some cities down south have been locked down for over a month and the active cases aren't improving.

@rechu, I understand you and I understand the worries on the population. Economy has to be held but here in the month we were under a totally lockdown as in Italy, we got to bend the curve. I don’t know what was the problem why in the region you mention, they didn’t reached up the expectations.

In relation to what that doctor from TV says and the Health ministry, I bet for the doctor. At least, he doesn’t depend on Politics.

@AzulOscuro I don't know, the Health Minister is a doctor too. They seem to bring in that other doctor because he is alarmist and brings in ratings. Positivity in our region is about 4%, which is half the national average (around 8%). Lower than 5% is considered a good indicator. The regional curve is showing a downward trend.


There are a few areas in our region with higher active cases, but those are the exception. The mayor for one of those areas with high cases, said, okay, lock us down, but lock the rest of the region down too. I don't know what to even think of that. She should be taking steps in her own municipality as ours has with tracing/testing/isolating cases.


Casos confirmados en Chile COVID-19 - Ministerio de Salud - Gobierno de Chile

This is the last data from yesterday. 664 new cases in our region (RM) overall, but we have a population of over 7 million (2017 data). Los Lagos in the south, where most municipalities are locked down, has 570 new cases, but their population is less than one million. Araucanía has 386 new cases, with a population of only 1 million. Various municipalities there are locked down too. Previous days have been similar. They aren't getting cases down. There are cities with 100-150,000 people with 1,000 active cases. The lockdowns have been going on for weeks. I guess people have just lost patience and there are not enough resources to handle enforcement.

On a more amusing note, a friend of mine said that she really needed to buy some new underwear. She went on Saturday to a larger supermarket that also has merchandise like clothes. She completely forgot that you can't buy clothes on the weekend. The whole clothing area and others such as the section where they sell appliances were tented off! Only the areas with food, cleaning supplies and personal care products were accessible. I guess no new underwear for her!