Southern Hemisphere Pandemic Update

No run on TP here - yet

Every time we think things can't get more complicated.............

Things change fast. Of course, first everything here was fine, almost no cases of coronavirus, no panic buying, etc. Then we heard senior /health compromised missionaries in Europe were being sent home on practically no notice. It wasn't fun since it included five hour waits when arriving for U.S. check-in where they could share germs before being told to self-isolate. Not easy if your house is being rented out.
So we started preparing -  we got everyone in the mission some money to buy a little food storage in case of quarantine. (Meanwhile some missions were already told to start to shelter in place ). Fortunately we had recently had our big cleaning day and had given everyone bleach products and instructions in how to deep-clean the apartment (always a good Carnaval activity)

Monday at Maderos - they said for eight days it had been like this. No problem social distancing! On Tuesday the Housemans went and said the whole mall was a ghost town (Monday it was just like a normal mall instead of super crowded RioMar) and Maderos had signs on every other table saying they weren't using this table to help with social distancing. Not that anyone was there anyway - instead of being reassuring it was maybe a bit creepy. 

In Sao Paulo missionaries had been told not to use public transportation, at first not during peak hours and then not at all. And their governor had a big press conference to tell everyone to drink lots of very hot drinks (and never anything cold, especially not with ice) and it will kill the virus - and drink every fifteen minutes to wash those germs down to be killed in your stomach. In other words, he gets his medical advice from facebook - and no one checks. Or he doesn't listen to those who do - sound familiar? Trump isn't the only one!

Then we were told to give the missionaries more money for food supplies than had been sent out, which meant another afternoon (for Elder Merrell) arranging payments and sending notices, then we (office elders) had to message them to buy a list of basic meds (A basic med pack for each apartment has been on the wish list for a while but with all the new apartments and things for splitting it hasn't been priority) and these they get reimbursed for - meaning hundreds of receipts. They were to photograph everything, which helped office staff do some educating -- like orange "alcohol gel for lighting fires for churrasco" is not the same as hand sanitizer. And deli sausages are not non-perishable food storage. Everyone did get a list of what to buy! and someone realized that if they bought canned things they will need to find a can opener to have on hand as well. (canned goods are somewhat rare here, lots of fresh food always around and the cans often rust) Finding acetaminophen has been hard for many so the office elders went looking and came back with two big bags full (current advice is not to use ibuprofen for coronavirus) but they went to about 35 pharmacies with no luck finding hand sanitizer. Then we got the "no public transportation" instruction. Boy, if we could have known a couple of weeks ago just what was going to happen, we could have been organized and efficient and taken care of the whole business at zone conference, just handing them meds and instructions and even some of the basic foodstuffs.

Instructions sent out by a local doctor who often helps the mission, if you have symptoms don't go in but call the number. This is a good idea because local public hospitals are not only full of sick people who don't need your coronavirus, but here are also full of people waiting all day. Free health care means go to the hospital and wait a few hours (no AC or soft chairs by the way) so you can get free tylenol for your headache. 

Eventually came our instructions to shelter in place, but for the office it apparently means shelter in the office all day (so no baking and lettering art for me right now). But at this point we can go out to shop for food during non-peak hours, -which isn't usually any hours on Saturday. And the US State Dept put out a Level Four Travel Advisory  -don't go to or stay (it there now) anywhere out of country unless you are willing to be stuck there indefinitely.
This will likely affect the Recife temple missionaries who had been given the choice to stay or go.

The "sheltering in place" missionaries (in sometimes pretty small rather bare apartments without much in the way of books and no electronics) are going to have quite a challenge if it goes on long. They are used to being out all day - they also have no air conditioning, just fans, though usually there are big windows, balconies, and breezes. I suspect we will no longer run across Liahonas (magazine) that have not ever been opened. As senior missionaries the rules are a bit different as we have tablets and can watch TV, and once in a while Netflix lets something decent through to Brasil. I expect we will see a boom in cute handmade envelopes and cards from sisters to sisters or from missionaries to converts in previous areas.

There were protests against Bolsonaro’s bad handling then a counter protest of support (which fizzled). So, to have a social distanced protest you all hang out the windows and bang pots and pans and yell.

I made a rough draft list sorting apartment stuff, what's ours, mission's, apartment owned, to help if we get sent home fast.  We should sort through papers and misc. as well. Meanwhile Durk has been training a new financial sec/assistant for a few days now in preparation, hopefully just prep for new mission but maybe for emergency if we are sent home. With some missionaries possibly needing to leave, this has to be considered since in Europe seniors were sent home along with "health concerns" missionaries, -- and then there are the countries where all foreigners were told to go.
Our stated preference is to stay and help, Durk has no fears about the virus since we have no underlying health issues.  The mission would be in quite a state if they sent all Americans home as almost all office staff and many zone and district leader would be gone. Every version of what could happen adds complications to everything else, but of course the ripple effect is being felt everywhere.

Now here's the latest: "The government of Pernambuco announced, on Thursday (19), the closure of shopping malls, beauty salons, restaurants, snack bars and beach shops across the state. The determination begins to take effect from Saturday (21) and is part of the series of measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, infection caused by the new coronavirus. Pernambuco has 28 confirmed cases of the disease.
As a result, bars, snack bars and restaurants can continue to operate only with delivery services. Parks and beaches can only accommodate people for sports." I think the sports one is rather funny, but I suppose soccer and volleyball aren't big germ spreaders? Durk saw closing signs on the banks yesterday but we assume the lobbies with machines where you do business like paying bills will be available. Although assumptions are dangerous. Yesterday the bank was taking people in one at a time, but of course that meant they were all standing in line sharing germs waiting to go in.....
I'm guessing a lot of places will start up a delivery service, it's pretty cheap to find a guy on a bike to take stuff around the neighborhood and most customers for luncheonettes are quite local. People do a lot of their eating on the street from little carts or stands.
More news-
Apparently Brasil has closed the border now to incoming foreigners so it's probably a good thing all our next group of missionaries are training in Sao Paulo and no one has to cross international borders. How would it be to come and be put right into quarantine?  We may find out...

Haven't had a chance to look into or try eating these, maxixe -- cucumis anguria? which look cuke-like inside but the internet is full of recipes where it is cooked  "“Maxixe do Norte” is the most popular variety of maxixe in the Northeastern states of Brazil where it is consumed boiled, fried, stewed or used fresh in salads. The fruits of maxixe, which are about the size and shape of a chicken egg, can have either supple spines or smooth skin and are pale green in color."
These are not as big as a chicken egg unless its a very small chicken.

jl