The Panama Adventure

Yes, we are still here! I haven’t written much because nothing new is going on. We are still home under the same strict quarantine rules. Women are allowed out on M-W-F during their designated limited hours, and men on Tu-Th. The men lost their Saturdays because more men are being arrested for breaking quarantine, and more men are becoming infected.

There are a few glimmers of change on the horizon. Tomorrow they are supposed to bring out the three phase plan for reopening the country. The first phase will be hardware stores, car repair shops, and other such businesses with social distancing / infection control measures. They want to give everyone the heads up so the businesses can start preparing, but no date has been set for anything to actually happen. But, they want to get people back to work as soon as possible without jeopardizing safety.

https://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/economia/reapertura-de-empresas-se-dara-en-tres-grupos-1162745

The last phase opens tourism and non-essential air travel. I have a feeling it’s still going to be a long time before I can visit my family, or you all out there can visit here. It looks like it’s going to be a long time before schools are open also. Some families are home schooling but many don’t have the technology to keep in touch with schools so not a lot is happening. I saw a radio station advertising hours for different class levels to help kids keep learning. It’s going to be quite a challenge though to get classes going again and figure out where all the kids are in their various stages of learning.

But, I appreciate that the country is being very cautious, watching the numbers, and proceeding slowly. Of course this is a huge problem for the economy and the government is trying to support those affected (which is never enough, of course) but they are prioritizing health and life above economy.

Other news is the lifting of the dry law. When a state of emergency was declared weeks ago, a dry law (no alcohol sales) went into effect as part of that. It is said that the dry law will decrease the incidence of bad behavior and thus the burden on the police, decrease domestic violence, and save money for essentials like food for the family.

But, Thursday night it was lifted, but NOT in Boquete and some other towns where the mayor said no. (No you can’t bring it in either because you’ll be busted at the checkpoints) There was such an uproar that the Boquete mayor backed down, but not until Friday evening and by then, we were all on weekend quarantine and nobody could go anywhere until Monday.

Don’t break quarantine, because if you get arrested you’ll be put to work – community service aka cleaning up the city.

But, overall we seem to be doing well. There are new cases every day but the number seems to be holding steady, and so is the number of people in the hospital. Hospitals haven’t been stretched beyond their capacity, and there is more news every day of people who have recovered and were sent back to home from either the hospital, or the hotel (where they stay if they aren’t sick enough for the hospital). Here in Chiriqui province the news is ever better. There are many days without new cases or anyone in the hospital, and there have been no deaths since the few that happened at the beginning of the pandemic.

Of course I haven’t been anywhere or talked to many people, but the feeling I get is that the Panamanian people are cooperating with the requirements. There have been some demonstrations by people who need food for their families when government help didn’t come quickly enough, but people wear their masks, wait patiently in lines, and look out for their friends and neighbors even more than ever. I haven’t heard complaints about losing rights and freedoms.

So, this continues to be life here at the moment. It’s very quiet and peaceful.  At night all you hear are the bugs and birds, and daytime is quiet too. We are contented at home but still worry about those who are out there working, or who are struggling to get by.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there! We’re all going through crazy times all over the world, so I hope you all are safe and have everything you need. Take care of yourselves and each other.

Ordinarily this wouldn’t be anything remarkable, but these are not ordinary times. We have not left the house since March 23rd, so I only knew what to expect from asking others. My goal was Pricesmart (like Costco), El Rey (supermarket), and the bank.

So, my day, (written yesterday, Wednesday) – Traffic was light around town which made driving much easier. I was alone because only women are allowed out on M-W-F. (Men go out on Tu-Th, and nobody goes out on Sa-Sun.) Most people are allowed an hour (with 30 min travel time on either side) but I’m in the over 60 crowd so I’m allowed 2 hours, 11am-1pm.

I started at the bank. It’s open some mornings and other afternoons, and today was an afternoon day so it wouldn’t open until 1pm. I got what I needed from the ATM in the lobby though.

Next was Pricesmart. It’s usually a hectic drive through the most congested parts of the Panamerican highway, but today it was easy. There was parking available and no waiting to get in. There were guards at the door, however, to make sure it was your legal shopping time. The gal in from of me was obviously young, but she had something on her phone that the guards read and let her in. Apparently my gray hair was enough for me. There were only a few things on my list that weren’t available, but there was definitely plenty to stock a house and a kitchen with a variety of meal options.

Everyone was wearing masks. EVERYONE. I saw some people driving in their cars without masks, but everyone outside had on masks, which I believe is a requirement now. We were squirted with hand sanitizer at the Pricesmart door, and everyone was staying the required distance apart. It’s harder to tell if someone is smiling though when you can only see their eyes. Usually smiles and greetings are normal when passing someone in the aisle, but there was a minimal amount of that yesterday. I hope we don’t lose our social closeness along with our physical closeness.

I drove by the supermarket on the way home but there was a line, so I went home so Joel could unload the car and get the frozen stuff put away. Next – the supermarket. There was a line and though it wasn’t long, it was probably a half hour wait to get in. But, I eventually made it to the door, had my temperature taken, was sprayed up and down with alcohol, and well sprayed on my hands. Again, the store was quite well stocked but it still involved a few phone calls home… they don’t have that, do you want to substitute with this? By the time I was done I was really tired, and it was past 1pm.

Since the bank opened at 1pm, I went over there to make a payment by sending money to another bank account. Unfortunately they wouldn’t send money to another bank, and the only open branch for the other bank was downtown, where I didn’t want to go and I was also out of time. So, I called it a day and headed home to collapse in my chair with a big pitcher of iced tea.

I don’t enjoy shopping on a good day, and this was especially stressful not knowing what to expect, and wanting to get it done within my allowed time, and in the daytime heat and with a mask. You also think a lot more about everything you touch. Who touched that shopping cart before you? Do you want to put your purse in the cart or keep it hanging on your shoulder? Are you touching everything, and then touching your glasses so you can see the shopping list on your phone? You touched your credit card and so did the check out lady, and then do you want to put it back in your wallet? What have the stock boys and bag boys touched before they touched your groceries?

There is just no way to be 100% protected, so you do the best you can and use your hand sanitizer a lot. When I got home the clothes went directly into the washing machine, and I went directly to the shower. I disinfected my glasses, phone, and keys also.

I also forgot how hot it is to wear a mask. I have a lot of hospital experience with masks, but that was years ago and not in the hot Panamanian midday sun. If you want to get a taste of coronavirus shortness of breath, wear a mask in a hot parking lot, and make a quick trip across the parking lot pushing a loaded cart. ha! But, I slowed down and got everything in the car without incident.

But, all in all, it was a successful day and the house is stocked for another month.

In general, nobody knows when things will change. There are hints, like a possible peak of the curve in mid May, and Copa Airlines talking about resuming limited flights on June 1st. But for now, this is life as we know it.

The wildlife is totally oblivious to the recent changes though, except maybe they are enjoying the extra quiet. This dove is sitting on a nest in our orange tree, probably good spot because we are careful not to disturb her, and there is a pan of fresh water out every day for her and all the birds.

Look at the brown spot in the sunlight to the right of the photo. That’s her back, and her head is to the right.

I’m very thankful that we have everything we need, and are happy indefinitely at home. It’s getting harder and harder for other people though, especially those who have lost their income and government help is not enough and too slow in coming. Hopefully we can all help a bit wherever we can so we can all get through this and come out OK.

The Panama Relocation Tours have become more and more popular as word has spread about their value, and as happy customers have shared their experiences. The tours were sold out for many months in advance, even before coronavirus.

And then, the coronavirus shut down everything! Now, even people who had tours booked are staying home, and those who want to book are having to wait a lot longer for a spot.

So, Jackie Lange and her team, intelligent and resourceful people that they are, came up with an alternative. How can you still get all that information when you can’t take a tour? Read their guide! They have taken everything they know from their years of research and experience, and put it together in a guide so you will have everything you could possibly need to know, and at a fraction of the price of a tour. It’s also updatable so you will have the most current information at all times.

Here’s the link for you –>   https://panamarelocationtours.com/guide?ref=7

Of course it is still recommended that you visit Panama to see how it feels to you before you make any life changing decisions, but the guide should help you decide where you want to focus your time and attention, and should help you proceed with confidence and success if you decide that Panama is for you.

I know I didn’t always recommend these tours, and we didn’t take one ourselves. We were really clear on where we wanted to land, and we were lucky enough to have some valuable contacts and resources before we arrived. But I have changed my mind about the tours over the last few years. So many people have told me how well the tour worked out for them and how glad they were to have taken it. And, I see Jackie Lange on line, on social media, and occasionally in person and I really respect the sensible, accurate, no nonsense advice she shares. She is not selling anything and does not get paid for recommendations. Everyone she recommends has earned it through good work and happy clients.  Jackie only wants people to have everything they need to make the best decisions for themselves and their futures, and to have the smoothest transition to their new life in Panama if that is what they choose.

So, there is my $.02 on the Panama Relocation folks.

Meanwhile, all of us are living this different existence and hoping to come out the other side without too much damage and with luck, having made some good use of our time. I hope you all are staying safe, healthy, and hopefully as calm and happy as possible under the circumstances. Life WILL return to normal, or some new version of normal. It’s going to take a while though. Meanwhile take good care of yourselves and each other.

The joke around the neighborhood these days…. what are you going to do tomorrow? I dunno, maybe I’ll stay in and do things at home. Ha!

Things are the same here. We are still allowed out for limited hours for essentials only – food, pharmacy, gas, bank, and health care. But, as authorities are increasingly frustrated with rule breakers, the penalties have increased. You can lose your license for 3 months, have your car impounded, pay heavy fines, and be arrested. Community service is the usual sentence. These folks got to clean the streets.

Daily updates and information continue. The priority is keeping people safe, but more efforts are being made to help needy people with food and money for necessities. Hopefully there is help coming for businesses also, so they will still exist to put people back to work when this is over. That’s not going to be over any time soon though. The few tentative projections I’ve seen think there will be a couple more months of lockdown, and then gradual lifting of the restrictions and a recovery phase extending until the end of the year. Of course though, as conditions change, plans and projections change. Whatever happens though, this is a life altering thing for the whole world.

My daughter shared this really interesting article with me. https://forge.medium.com/prepare-for-the-ultimate-gaslighting-6a8ce3f0a0e0

What have we learned? What good things do we want to keep in our futures like more time with family, cleaner air, different priorities, more caring for each other? What forces are going to tell us what to think, buy, believe, behave, and how much of that will not be those good things? How will we fight for something different, something better? Sometimes the most growth and change come from the most difficult times.

As for us, we are staying in today. ha! One day runs into another and I can’t remember for sure when we were out last, 3 weeks? more? But, we continue to keep busy and happy. The house has never been cleaner. Daily music practice continues. The rains have come back!! ~happy dance~  It’s the end of the dry season and intense heat, so cooling and healing rains are very welcome. I’m getting back to yard work, getting a head start on the rapid growth that comes with the rain.

Oh, and I’ve learned to make masks too. It is requested that we make fabric masks (and wear them at all times when out) and leave the commercial ones for essential people on the front lines. They even have inmates in the jails making masks. This seems to work – https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2020/04/04/coronavirus-face-mask-tips-how-make-fabric-instructions/2945209001/  though 7″ of elastic was almost twice as long as I needed. I sewed the elastic to the back instead of inside so it would be easy to take off if I needed to change the length. I also sewed a piece of large twisty tie material/wire into the edge that goes over the nose so it could be shaped to fit nicely against the nose without gaps.

Speaking essential people, the trash men are making their rounds. The dogs are going NUTS! The dogs have so little to bark at these days that if they hear a dog barking 3 blocks away, it must be SOMETHING so they all get in on it. They usually ignore a neighbor tending their yard but now that is also a time to go crazy.

Generally though, it’s pretty darn quiet around here these days. We were all confined to home for the whole weekend and I heard a car leave the neighborhood on Saturday. What was THAT?! Who is that? where are they going? why? I think that’s the only car or truck or motor I heard all weekend so it was kind of a event. But, mostly its just the sounds of nature, many bird songs, the wind in the trees, maybe a neighbor, oh yes and the dogs LOL. We’re pretty darn fortunate that we can enjoy all this without worry about meeting our daily needs. If only that were true for everyone.

Someday this will be us….

Here’s an article by Jackie Lange from the Panama Relocation Tours

https://panamarelocationtours.com/living-in-panama-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

It’s a very good overview of what’s been going on here in Panama. I respect Jackie’s sensible advice and thoughts on her site and on social media. The tours are also excellent, according to the many people who have taken them. But, of course, they are on hold now because of the world wide situation, and they are also sold out for the next year. If you are interested in a tour, get registered now. (Use my link, if you would, please, thank you https://panamarelocationtours.com/?ref=7)

As for us here, more of the same. We are home, doing fine, happy, keeping busy. It’s Good Friday and Easter weekend so we are restricted to our homes all weekend. But we have been home for days and days so it’s not a change for us, and we have plenty to keep us occupied.

Best wishes to you all out there in this difficult situation. Stay safe, healthy, and as sane and happy as possible!

March 9, was the first case of the virus in Panama. In the space of  3-4 weeks, life has gone from fairly normal to this different existence. Now we are allowed out for 2 hours, which hours are designated by ID numbers, for essentials only (food, pharmacy, gas, bank, health care), women on M-W-F and men Tu-Th-Sa. It is Sunday today so nobody at all is allowed out (except essential workers).

But, how quickly do we adapt? After days and days at home it feels almost normal to us except for the constant barrage of news, steadily increasing number of cases and deaths, and the much worse news coming from the US and around the world. Everyone wonders what the future holds, how long is this going to last, and will life ever get back to normal and when it does, what will our new normal look like?

I am learning new words. I can spell quarantine without spell check, and I can converse about la cuarantena, el virus, and other words I wish I didn’t know like fallicidos (deaths) and cuidado intensive (intensive care). My social circle has been reduced to the neighbors I can talk with across fences, but I’m on the internet more. We’ve been doing almost daily group video chat with my older daughter, the other grandparents, and I, while the kids have snacks and read books. This takes a lot of the sting out of not being able to be with them in person. My other daughter has called me more too, and we’re going to see if we can get her family in on reading circle time as well so the cousins can see each other.

I had a great chat with my older daughter today while her son was at a birthday party. The kids did it all on line playing Minecraft, all together in the same game from their homes. Their teachers are also using technology for virtual class times to supplement the work being sent home. I know it means a lot to the kids to be able to see their teachers and classmates. I’m also hearing about cooking, gardening, and other skills not taught in school, and more time with parents even though they are all juggling working from home while taking care of housebound kids. I’m really proud of how well they are all doing in these difficult circumstances!

We’ve also settled into something of a routine here. There is checking the news (try to keep that to a minimum), correspondence, my audio book addiction (yes, I have ebooks too), music practice, cooking, laundry and the normal house chores, and I’ve been cleaning more seriously so depending on how long this goes on, I’m going to have the cleanest house ever! I’ve been scrubbing the textured floor tiles with a scrub brush, sorting some of the piles that tend to accumulate in catch all spots and cleaning shelves, walls, and other things. Maybe one of these days we’ll even tackle that scary place under the kitchen sink!

I miss biking the most, the physical activity, fresh air, and social interactions. I know there are exercise videos and other opportunities but yuck, that is so not my thing so I’m trying to stay active with yard and house work. I’m not hauling band equipment either, but I’ve enjoyed this down time to work on my skills and new material. Someone posted a video of one of the other bands at our usual venue though, which reminded me of what we are missing – the music, the comradery with the other musicians, the employees, and the audience. I know someday we will be back but there is no telling when. And since tourists make up a large part of the audience and clientele of the venue, who knows when they will start coming back.

But all in all, we have nothing to complain about. We are SO fortunate. And I feel so much for people not only sick, but suffering from loss of work, loss of income, business shut downs, separations from friends and families, and the unknown of an uncertain future.

But hey, at least the beaches in Georgia are open again. Here in Chiriqui the local authorities posted a beautiful video to thank the trash collectors for their very important work in keeping the country clean.

I know, a lot of you have been having more than enough rain, and when you are on lockdown and the rain keeps you from even taking a walk, it’s not very welcome.

Here though, it’s been summer which means hot, dry, and windy. By the end of March we are so tired of hot, dry, and windy that a good rain is cause for a party! Well maybe a virtual party with you all on line under the circumstances, but a party just the same.

Summer here is from December to April. Rains tapers off in December and it’s pretty nice. January is also good, though windy at times with the summer trade winds. Schools are on vacation and the weather is ideal for spending time outdoors and enjoying friends and family. February is OK, but getting hotter, drier, windier, and it’s time for schools to start again. Maybe if we are lucky there is a rain now and then, but it may be weeks before there will be another drop from the sky. By March, however, it’s clear skies, intense sun, oven style heat in the afternoons, and brush fires are more common in the dry vegetation. I could skip March altogether but it’s part of the weather cycle, so I hunker down in the AC inside all afternoon. But, in April, and maybe even before if we are really lucky, the RAIN comes back! Yay!

In case you haven’t guessed by now, I like the rainy season. Mornings are beautiful, sunny, and clear. Usually by the time the afternoon is getting too hot, the clouds have moved in and it’s likely to rain. It clears up after dark and nights are wonderful. This is in general but some days may have no rain, it may rain for a short time on other days, sometimes there will be an epic downpour with crazy amounts of water (though that never lasts long), and sometimes it will rain well into the evening. But, it always rains enough to keep everything lush and green. September is likely to have more rain, and October and November are known as the wettest months of the year.

It’s funny that there are so many holidays in November and many are celebrated with parades. With luck they are early enough in the day to escape the rains, but sometimes the participants get soaked, and the students who practice daily in preparation get soaked a lot. But thankfully, the rain isn’t cold, just wet so it’s not like getting soaked up north.

Now keep in mind that this is David, Pacific coast, lowlands. Conditions are entirely different in the mountains. The band has played in Boquete in the hot, dry summer and gotten wet and chilled to the bone! (or depending on your tolerance, pleasantly cooled off. ha!) The foggy mist is likely to roll through the mountains, and it isn’t unusual to have some rain even in the driest summer months. There is a ridge of mountains running down the center on the country, and on the Caribbean side there is a entirely different weather pattern. It may rain at any time of the day or night, and at any time of the year.

But today, we are talking about the first rain in weeks here in David. It’s been an hour and it feels like it’s just now thinking about letting up. It’s cool outside now and there’s nothing like the smell of a fresh rain. Thank you skies for this wonderful rain

It’s Monday 3/30, and not a whole lot has changed in the last few days. We continue to be allowed out for very limited hours determined by the last number of your ID, and going out is only for food, medicine, gas, banking, and medical care. Of course there are those who don’t follow the rules, but I have read about arrests by the police who are out there to enforce the rules.

Cases continue to increase every day but the rate of increase has slowed down – 674 on Thursday, 786 on Friday, 901 on Saturday, 989 on Sunday, and 1075 today. There are 5 cases near us, and some others around the province but the majority of the cases continue to be in Panama City.

graph from yesterday

The red line is total cases, and the blue one tracks the number of new cases every day. I hope the flattening of that curve means the quarantine restrictions are working, but of course the number of people tested also factor into those numbers.

Other than a quick trip to the produce market last week, we have stayed home so I’m not sure what is going on around town. Word is, it’s pretty quiet and shopping for food is easier without the long  slow supermarket lines of before. I’m happy that our produce guy is delivering our order tomorrow so we shouldn’t have to go out again for a week, or longer if he continues to be able to make deliveries.

There were rumors that we would be on total lockdown for a period of time, no going out for anything but the government circulated information that this was false and we shouldn’t believe anything unless it comes directly from the government or the health department. The government did come out with something new this afternoon though. Now, women are allowed out Mon-Wed-Fri, men are allowed out Tues-Thurs-Sat, and everyone is to stay home on Sunday. This is in addition to the restricted hours by ID number already in place.

It will be interesting to see how all this plays out, and under the circumstances I’d rather live with the restrictions here in Panama. I read about people out and about in the US and other places, many of them not realizing how dangerous this could be for themselves and others and I’m concerned. I’m really really concerned for the people in health care who are caring for infected people without adequate protective equipment.

As for us, we’re getting into a bit of a daily routine. I have enough going on that I keep plenty busy even without going out, and I figure I may as well use this time wisely and be productive. I do miss biking though. But, we’re practicing music and learning new material, so by the time the band is able to play again we are going to be full of pent up energy and a lot of new material! And, the house might be cleaner than it’s been in ages.

I’m very thankful for the internet and video chats to keep in touch with family. We had story and snack time again with the grandparents which was great, and I had a great chat with the other family yesterday.

reading some fun books with the grandmas!

All of you out there, I hope you are doing OK! I know this is a terrible hardship for so many, along with the isolation and uncertainty. We will get through this, though it’s going to be difficult for quite a while yet. Hang in there, and lets all take care of each other and do what we can.  Stay healthy, stay safe, and stay home if you possibly can.

Posted on Facebook by Calvin Froedge, Chris DeRose, and others on facebook. Thank you, whomever did this translation. It still almost brings tears to my eyes to read this yet another time.

you can see the original video here https://www.telemetro.com/…/cortizo-anuncia-cu…/2712278.html).

“Good afternoon, I wanted to take this opportunity to communicate to the country about what we’re doing and what we’re going to do. The world and Panama is facing a difficult moment. It’s a moment of uncertainty. This is going to be a hard war, a prolonged and extensive war, but I don’t have any doubt that we’re going to win it. A team has been established to mitigate all the effects of the virus, health effects, social effects, and economic effects.

How did we come to the decision to put these measures in place? In light of evidence. ‘You have to do this, you have to do that’ – in this kind of situation that stuff isn’t worth much, we have to support executive actions with the decisions of the health teams. The ministry of health, CSS, scientists, the directors of different institutions, and other organizations observe and analyze make a decision and pass it to the executive branch.

We’re beginning a 24 hour quarantine obviously with some logical exceptions, health workers, public forces, food sellers and grocery stores, chinitos, banks. Daily movement is allowed but restricted based on the last number of cedula (he lays out details for this, there are charts you can refer to) for purchase of food, gas, medications. This is a 24 hours quarantine but there are VERY IMPORTANT exemptions, understand that this is a decision based in evidence provided by the health team. The health team needs to respond to this crisis with constantly having in mind “Why are we here” and have a lot of discipline, because this is a difficult situation.

We need to take ALL decisions based on evidence. When we say you need to stay in your house, it’s important that you do so, maintain a meter and a half between yourself and other people. When there’s someone infected, it’s not just an isolation process, it’s also a treatment process, we need to keep in mind what the enemy is. When we see someone suffering, when we see someone fall, it’s a real heartache, I give to everyone affected by this virus my condolences. I can’t give you a hug because right now that’s prohibited. We need to keep pushing and fighting, I’m sure we’re going to win this thing.

Wash your hands using the water responsibly. It’s important that we conserve water. Conserve water brushing your teeth or flushing the toilet, make sure it doesn’t run. Every gallon of water that we save is important. We’re on top of the financial situation, making tests, and treatment. We have the resources to keep advancing as we need to for months. For sure, our resources are not infinite. We don’t have a central bank. We have to be efficient, and organized in the following months and use our resources well. We have to be very conscious of using our resources effectively.

We assure to the country we’re going to maintain all of the transfer programs, $1.6B in CSS transfers, gas subsidies, electricity, welfare, scholarships and many other subsidies and benefits – we’re going to guarantee EVERYTHING but please utilize these things on what is necessary – food and medicine – forget about everything else – worry about the basics. We’re not gonna leave anybody behind who is losing their income, but we ALL have to share the burden. This is the moment of solidarity – there is no other.

Nobody who has lost their income on account of the virus is going to lose their home due to mortgage default. The banks are flexible, believe me, I’ve talked to the banking authorities and they are going to be flexible. Rest assured if you’re without income for three months you won’t need to pay your mortgage. Nobody is going to take away your house because you can’t work. For those of you who fall in the range of standard usage the electric bill will be lowered by around 50%. Nobody is going to lose electricity because they aren’t working. 300-1000 KW usage will be discounted by 30%. In any case you have three months of grace where your electricity will not be cut. Nobody is going to cut the water service in the next three months. But use it responsibly. Nobody is going to cut the internet service in the next three months. This relief plan is a fight for survival against a mortal enemy. Relief is for food, medications, and gas. We’re testing a system to use the cedula like a debit card. We’ve been testing it for a week and we need to study it more but it seems like it’s working. The relief plan is for families, people that live day to day, people who have lost their wages, vulnerable populations.

All of the logistic aren’t simple. We’re advancing and we’re doing tests. We’re going to be watching house by house, working with local authorities, to implement this process. Remember we’re in war time. We have to have solidarity. Don’t ask for things that someone else needs more. If you have plantains, or chickens, or eggs, and you have a neighbor in trouble, offer them some. Demonstrate the solidarity and the greatness of the country. Remember that the relief plan for the country is a plan of survival.

We have a bank account in Banco Nacional for receiving donations to augment the national response. Our resources are very finite and every bit of help is needed. We need that each and every person shows solidarity. This virus kills solidarity, unity, discipline, order, and faith. If we unite, we’re going to defeat this virus and live a more beautiful life. We have to have patience. In a situation like this patience is very important. Resistance, the good administration of food, plains, rice, beans, it’s essential we administer everything well in this fight for survival.

This is the time to pray. If you don’t pray to above you won’t be blessed. Give thanks to God. Today I received videos of solidarity for example from restaurant owners, disco tech owners, bar owners, a beautiful but different type of video giving us joy and strength, that said let’s move forward, uniting forces. Someone from the police arrived and he said “We leave for the streets in the hand of god.” There are many units in the police that are testing positive, but when I read these messages from the police, sinaproc, the public forces, saying we’re going to the streets united, wrapped in the hands of God, we’re going to defeat our enemy. We have to give thanks to God for the people on the front line.

I have to be in meetings and I have to be answer answering people till 1 in the morning, but we have to give thanks to the doctors, the nurses, technicians, administrators, the laundry workers, the people cooking and cleaning, all these health workers, damn. We have such an extraordinary team in this country. To the public forces and functionaries that have to be on the front line in this 24 hours quarantine. To those operating the metro and busses, those in the fields and the sea producing food, thank you. Those in the public forces, those producing food, the chinos, the supers, the means of conversation, to this spirit that grows in adversity, for this warrior attitude, the only thing I can say is I, Nito Cortizo, with the loudest cry, thank you.

All of us Panamanians need to keep uniting forces. We’re fighting against the current. We all have to advance in the same direction, have solidarity, in the hand of God, us the world and Panama, are going to overcome this enemy, the coronavirus.

Thank you for allowing me to speak to you – to all who are listening, I love this country. To all of you who are listening, love this country. Take out your Panamanian flag, no matter how old it is, take out your warrior flag. We’re gonna keep moving forward, like we’re doing, doing well. To the health team and the Panamanians in the front line, all we can say is take care of yourself, but please, care for us, too. Let’s keep advancing. May God bless this great country. Thank you.”

We thought we had lockdown before, but this is an even more serious lockdown. I’m sitting on my terrace tonight and there is no traffic noise, not a car, not a rumble of a truck in the distance, nothing. It’s eerily quiet except for the birds, crickets, and the occasional sound of a neighbor or dog.

There was a 5pm-5am curfew but now there is a total 24 hr./day curfew. There will be no more ignoring the precautions and running around as you wish. Everyone is allowed only one hour out, and which hour is determined by the last number of your ID. This is for going to the supermarket, pharmacy, bank, gas station, or health care. It’s not for exercise, walking the dog, or anything non-essential. The police are out and about to enforce the rules.

The numbers came out today – 558 cases, 115 more than yesterday, 8 deaths, no new deaths since yesterday. The numbers are going up but so is the testing so it’s hard to say if more people are getting sick or more people are being identified. It’s probably both but either way, the new restrictions are said to be indefinite and rumor is that this will be for at least 30 days. That sounds sensible to me.

It’s bedtime so that’s all I’m going to write at the moment. Our produce guy is not allowed out so tomorrow we plan to go down the road to the produce market. It will be interesting to see what is going on.

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It’s Thursday afternoon now, and the quiet continues. We went to the produce market at the allotted time for 65+ folks, 11am-1pm. The market entrances are closed so you stand outside, give them your order and they go get it for you. The workers had gloves and masks, and a couple spray bottles of alcohol were evident for cleaning hands or whatever. We got what we needed and a few extra things for a solo older neighbor lady. Neighbors said the situation at the supermarkets is much better without the long, slow lines, so that’s good in case we need to go. But we’re set for now and should only need another produce run in a week or so.

I got home in time for snack and reading circle time. My grandkids are home, so my daughter had this wonderful idea. We were in a video chat on one tablet, the other grandparents were on another, and we joined the circle while the kids read books and had their snacks. Then it ended with singing Zippity Do Da. It was wonderful to have this connection with my family!

Whoa! I heard a car! nope, its just the neighbor moving his car to the shade of a tree behind the house.

I feel good here though. Yes, this is inconvenient and really difficult for many, but the leadership is watching and acting. The president gave a speech last night  full of information, plans, encouragement, compassion, hope, solidarity in this difficult time, and promises of support and economic relief. I’ll share it in another post. What a contrast with what I’ve been seeing from my native country…. I was going to say home country but this is home now. Thank you Panama for yet one more reason to feel good here.