What’s it like in France & Spain at the moment?

[uka888]

We are hearing that cases are increasing quite a bit in France & Spain - just wondering what it’s like if you live there at the moment? Have they put more restrictions in place or are shops / restaurants etc still open?

I’m in Germany and I think our area has a good balance between life as “normalish” and making sure cases don’t grow exponentially. I think there is a tolerance for some level of infection so long as it is below what the health service can cope with. I don’t think it is a herd immunity strategy, just an understanding that this could continue for the medium term and we need to find a way to live with it.

I remember way back at the beginning, there was some modelling on sky news showing that severe and strict lockdown in the spring (I guess like Spain had?) would lead to a bigger second wave of cases in the autumn but a less strict lockdown with a general level of higher cases throughout, would lead to less severe second wave and a more consistent flow of cases, similar to what we are having now in the U.K. not sure what it was based on or what would come after.

I think becuase it was so bad during the first wave in the UK more people have been scared into changing their behaviour in the long term. It is interesting that only 34% of uk office workers are now commuting compared to 68% in europe. I wonder if that is why our infection rates are lower at the moment.
www.personneltoday.com/hr/uk-lags-behind-europe-on-returning-to-office/

SherryPalmer

Isn’t that sort of what U.K. are doing.

I think not letting areas get out of hand and doing lockdowns in specific areas and letting other areas continue as “normal” is working.

Whilst NZ is quite strict in their approach I wonder if this goes on for years how they are going to fare.
Whilst it is very honourable that the Prime Minister said she was trying to avoid 1 New Zealand death, how will this work out when it is looking like the virus will be with us for years, maybe forever.

I do think we are going for some sort of controlled herd immunity.

@SherryPalmer so wish I could be in Germany now! It seems to have a more sensible approach.

The most annoying thing in the UK is that everyone complains about wearing a mask and SD. as if these were the devil reincarnate's doing.
Is there such an opposition to these 2 in Germany -on an everyday level- as well? (doesn't seem so)

Peony9876

I think the first wave was in December January time.

The March onwards time I thought was the 2nd wave which in previous pandemics is always the more deadly.

Has/Will the virus change and become less deadly.

Are we seeing atm more under 30s infected and because of the age group there is not the amounts of deaths?

@Pixel77

Interesting how people are so down on the UK when it is doing better overall. Maybe our local whack a mole approach is more helpful overall, and we have had a much more cautious re-opening.

I thought Spain also had a cautious phased reopening? They are getting 10000 cases a day now but again is it that they are now testing far more people? Spain ended their lockdown in May and the UK was a month or so later so I assume we are likely to be in the same position in a couple of months time.

No, sadly they did not, (have a slow phased opening) it is thought to have been partly due to wanting to open to tourists (for the economy) and also due to the hard lockdown meaning people had been copped up and desperate to resume social life, along with nightclubs opening...

whereas we had the tie of being allowed outdoors, then more shops, then finally cafes and then pubs etc with a few weeks in between.

My DD is living near the Alps, in a 'red zone' in France. She has to wear a mask all day at school and on public transport and they've set up drop in testing centres at metro stations.
However it looks as though she, her dad and her aunt are all visiting her grandmother in hospital together today.

The problem is masks can lead to a false sense of reassurance, need to be used alongside other measures, I see it in elderly neighbour. Now she has a mask she thinks she is invincible.

More on Spain's cause of rise in cases here www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-53832981

Thanks Pixel. I wonder if the nightclubs and bars have had a major impact?

I’m really hoping we get to tenerife next month.
Im So ready for some sunshine.
I’m holding off till the 19 th before booking flights in the hope that my friend who uses the same block of apartments as us manages to get over ther.
We were locked down over there in March and wouldn’t really like to have to endure that again