Lockdown, Hungarian style
Mar. 16th, 2020 09:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wiseheartWell, the schools have closed today, with the intention of the kiddies staying at home and not spreading the virus under the clueless elderly population. Probably for similar reasons, the playground are now closed, too.
Instead, when I went to Lidl at ungodly 7pm, behind me in the queue to the cash counter stood a benighted mother with her two children, one teenaged, one about seven or eight, both coughing a bit. Benighted mother told her friend? neigbour? acquaintance? proudly: I don't leave my kids home. Later today, when I was standing in the queue in front of the herb/bio shop, behind me - fortunately at some distance - stood another benighted mother, with three (!) children, none of them older than 4, I think. The middle child was coughing with enthusiasm and told everyone around him that the grandpa of one of his playschool mates died of the corona virus.
The kid probably interpreted the term "mates" a bit broadly, as so far is only one known casualty in the entire country, but still. Even though I was wearing gloves (for the first time since early childhood) and a shawl bound in front of my mouth and nose (hand sanitizers and face masks are currently unavailable for the normal population), this made me more than a little uneasy. Not mainly for myself but because I could bring the virus home to Mum, and that could be a real problem.
Now, I know it might be a problem with the kiddies being at home, underfoot. I also understand that mother #2 didn't want to leave three small kids alone. But there are such things as food delivery, or even neighbours who could buy a thing or two and leave it on the doorstep. Fortunately, this is a big city with a grocery shop on every corner. I find it irresistible how people don't even try to think of others.
I had to go to several places today, including the bank, the mass transport company (to renew my senior pass, as it was running out), to a local clinic to pick up Mum's description (which I couldn't, as the clinic has shut down, treating only the acute cases), to aforementioned herbal/bio shop (to pick up stuff for lessening the effects of my mild rosacea), to the newsagent's and to different grocery shops to find such complicated things as milk, yogurt, cheese and the likes. All these places (with the exception of the grocery shops) took precautions, not letting in more people than one for each clerk to deal with, a security person opening and closing the doors and so on. Even on the bus, the first door is cordoned off to protect the driver, although he has his own small cabin. But all that would do us little good if the people are complete morons.
I'm really happy that I won't have to leave the house for a few days. Thursday will be the earliest time I'll leave again, save for unexpected emergencies. *fingers crossed*
Instead, when I went to Lidl at ungodly 7pm, behind me in the queue to the cash counter stood a benighted mother with her two children, one teenaged, one about seven or eight, both coughing a bit. Benighted mother told her friend? neigbour? acquaintance? proudly: I don't leave my kids home. Later today, when I was standing in the queue in front of the herb/bio shop, behind me - fortunately at some distance - stood another benighted mother, with three (!) children, none of them older than 4, I think. The middle child was coughing with enthusiasm and told everyone around him that the grandpa of one of his playschool mates died of the corona virus.
The kid probably interpreted the term "mates" a bit broadly, as so far is only one known casualty in the entire country, but still. Even though I was wearing gloves (for the first time since early childhood) and a shawl bound in front of my mouth and nose (hand sanitizers and face masks are currently unavailable for the normal population), this made me more than a little uneasy. Not mainly for myself but because I could bring the virus home to Mum, and that could be a real problem.
Now, I know it might be a problem with the kiddies being at home, underfoot. I also understand that mother #2 didn't want to leave three small kids alone. But there are such things as food delivery, or even neighbours who could buy a thing or two and leave it on the doorstep. Fortunately, this is a big city with a grocery shop on every corner. I find it irresistible how people don't even try to think of others.
I had to go to several places today, including the bank, the mass transport company (to renew my senior pass, as it was running out), to a local clinic to pick up Mum's description (which I couldn't, as the clinic has shut down, treating only the acute cases), to aforementioned herbal/bio shop (to pick up stuff for lessening the effects of my mild rosacea), to the newsagent's and to different grocery shops to find such complicated things as milk, yogurt, cheese and the likes. All these places (with the exception of the grocery shops) took precautions, not letting in more people than one for each clerk to deal with, a security person opening and closing the doors and so on. Even on the bus, the first door is cordoned off to protect the driver, although he has his own small cabin. But all that would do us little good if the people are complete morons.
I'm really happy that I won't have to leave the house for a few days. Thursday will be the earliest time I'll leave again, save for unexpected emergencies. *fingers crossed*
