The week gone by has been very windy, even stormy.
I started on this post a couple of days ago, but got struck by Writer's Block - a condition that I regard as secondary effect of the corona virus (never mind if you've actually got the virus or not). (Adding for clarity: I'm still feeling OK as in no signs of infection.)
The WB seems to occur at that stage when pandemic news start repeating and multiplying itself daily at a speed that makes it increasingly hard to separate one day from the other and to remember what happened when, and hasn't it always been like this.*
Let it be enough to summarize that numbers are still increasing, and restrictions and recommendations still tightened from one day to the next.
Before I find myself stuck in the labyrinth of my thoughts again, I'll move on to just report from my own personal little bubble, that today I made a brave (?) foray into a chemist's shop in town, for some prescription medicines + some other stuff. I have passed by chemist's shops a few times before over the past couple of weeks without daring to go in (because of too many customers). Today, being a Saturday morning, I went for the largest of our inner city chemist's, and to my relief found it not too crowded. (And tape strips on the floor to mark keeping distance.)
I got most of the things on my list; the most important ones being my blood pressure and allergy medicines. There was one other prescription one that I could not get, not because it was out of stock, but because of a new restriction forbidding stock-piling... The pharmacist kept on kind of apologizing for this, even though I in turn kept saying that's okay, I had heard about that, I just hadn't paid attention to the date when I made my list (5 more days until allowed to buy more of that one), and I'm not out of it for a while yet, so no emergency... (I do respect why they introduced that rule just now - to prevent another "toilet paper" situation, but even more serious...)
Of course there was also (still) no hand sanitizer to be found. I did not even have to ask, because I heard another customer asking about it as I came in (and she obviously did not really expect a positive answer either).
I still have a few precious drops of such liquid in a tiny bottle in my handbag, though - and used some of those before leaving the shop.
Dear Prince, you are very sick. There is no land called Narnia.' [said the Witch]
'Yes, there is, though, Ma'am', said Puddleglum. 'You see, I happen to have lived there all my life.'
'Indeed,' said the Witch. 'Tell me, I pray you, where that country is?'
'Up there,' said Puddleglum, stoutly, pointing overhead. 'I - I don't know exactly where.'
'How?' said(Corona)the Queen, with a kind, soft, musical laugh. 'Is there a country up among the stones and mortar of the roof?'
'No,' said Puddleglum, struggling a little to get his breath. 'It's in the Overworld.'
C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair (Chapter 12, The Queen of Underland)
Oh gosh I hope you can get your meds soon! Druggists should be able to get as many drugs as they want, then dole them out very carefully.
ReplyDeleteGinny, there is no emergency and if I had checked my prescription properly I would have seen that I could not get that one until next week. The new law is to ensure that we all DO get the medicines we are prescribed, by stopping people from hoarding more than needed. A supply for three months at a time is the "normal" here, and included in a high-cost protection system, but before the new law it was possible to get round that by paying the extra cost outside that system. Which in this situation would favour rich people who could afford that, over poor people. I totally support the restriction, especially in this situation.
DeleteMany shops over here now have staff positioned near the door to make sure that not more than a certain number of customers are inside at the same time. I bought Easter chocolates at a specialised shop in town earlier this week and had to wait quite a while before the allowed three were finished and I was allowed to go inside. All these are small inconveniences that hardly matter in the great scheme of things, do they - I did not HAVE to buy Easter choccies, I don't even know yet whether I'll be able to see anyone next weekend!
ReplyDeleteMeike, you're right. If I make note of certain restrictions and their consequences, it's not really to complain but to be able to remember afterwards (still hoping that at some point we'll be back to something more like normal - even if it may take time and we might even have to adjust our defintion of "normal")
ReplyDeleteI saw your answer to Librairan as I got ready to type and I agree, we may have a new normal when this is over. with the insurance we have that pays for most of our prescritions, we can only by 30 days at a time on some and 90 days on others. we have to wait the full 30 or 90 days before we can buy again.. we get a call when ours are ready for pickup, they are on auto refill. that is for the ones we have been using for years. like blood pressure meds... I love when you say foray into town. I said that last week, I go once a week and I call it my adventure out into The World.. our new world.. this week I will wear a mask, because THEY have said wear them in public now even though THEY have said over and over, it is not necessary. right now there are looming clouds and I am praying we will get rain..
ReplyDeleteSandra, we can usually buy the next 'installment' after around 2/3 of the period has passed. (It may vary a bit according to prescription and what kind of med.) So I usually do try to keep a bit of margin rather than wait until the last minute. Just now with Everyone in stock-piling panic at the same time, it's harder than ever to get the timing right, though - for all kinds of things!
DeleteI've done it yet again. I read your post at lunchtime and mulled it over. Then probably took another bite of food and the mental effort involved meant that I forgot to comment. I sometimes worry about me. It's sheer lack of concentration.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned writers block. I suffer from that a lot. I often have ideas but my years of writing in legalese means that I find it difficult to write flowing 'storyline' prose. I often have to stop myself correcting and re-correcting thoughts (and that doesn't stop me making spelling mistakes - in fact I think it increases them because I just stop seeing them after reading the same thing multiple times).
I'm not sure if we now have prescription limits by law here. Two months is the norm for my medical practice but it differs with different health boards. I'm fortunate that my pharmacy delivers in this area.
Graham, I do that a lot, too - read blogs, and comment "in my head", but for various reasons don't get round to actually writing/sending. And the same with blog posts... They often take me a lot longer to write than I thought.
DeletePretty sky shot. Your situation sounds very similar to mine here in CA. Seems surreal when going out to p/u a prescription or groceries feels dangerous and full of risk. Stay healthy!
ReplyDeleteThanks SPP - and the same to you!
DeleteI haven't been near a chemist's since the Lockdown but I believe all shops are only allowing a certain number in and out at a time. When I was at the doctor's surgery getting my flu vaccine last week, the nurse asked me if I was all good for my prescriptions and said to just ring or email them when I needed more, they will send the script thru to the chemist (we never get any prescribed meds without a prescription) and they will mail them to me. With my daughter here to do the supermarket shopping I probably won't get to see the 'current normal'. I'll just wait to see the 'new' normal.
ReplyDeletePauline, all prescriptions here now go automatically from the doctors to the chemists, and it's all in their computers. Still have to go to the chemist's to pick them up though, or else fill in a special form to give someone else authority to do that. As I don't live with anyone, or have any young and healthy relatives nearby to send, I'll probably keep doing such errands myself as long as I'm not actually feeling poorly (or by other rules forbidden). We're still not in a complete Lockdown situation here, but basically urged to keep social distancing and think twice about what's really necessary. (And then there are special restrictions for this, that and the other...)
DeleteWe've had hand sanitizer shortages here since last December, I got lucky finding one in my bathroom drawer that my step daughter gave me months ago. I gave it to the other half to take to work with him.
ReplyDeleteAmy I had one small bottle since before and managed to buy another small one a few weeks ago. I save the sanitizer to take with me when I go out, use soap at home.
ReplyDelete