SURFING THE COVID WAVES
As you know, I flew to France at the end of June when Rio de
Janeiro was in the middle of the Covid onslaught.
The first day of my tropical-style lockdown was March 15 and I had been wearing
a face mask since. Mask-wearing was mandatory
in the city (apparently still is, but mask fatigue is taking a toll!). I landed in mask-free Montpellier, breathed
deeply the blissful Covid-free air and felt safe for the first time in three
months. Finally, I enjoyed a welcome
taste of normality. The French looked
oblivious and care-free as if they had forgotten that Covid -19 had sent tens
of thousands to intensive care units, killed 30 000 people and caused an economic
mess that will take years to fix.
Tropical Rio never sleeps, and a tropical-style lockdown is
more akin to self-confinement for 30% of the population who can afford to stay
home and toiling as usual for the other 70% less fortunate people. All non-essential shops and businesses were
closed for nearly three months. The
government provided a financial stimulus package to ease the pain, but it hardly
helped the mass of informal workers who fell between the cracks of the
bureaucracy. Covid-19 had an unchallenged
task in Brazil, it spread quickly to favelas and to densely packed cities. The virus found easy targets in the hand-to-mouth
informal workers. Already in poor shape,
public hospitals were rapidly overwhelmed and unable to cope with the legions
of sick patients. For decades, the
health sector had been looted by corrupt officials, and the pandemic provided
them with hard-to-resist opportunities for kickbacks, and bogus equipment
orders. Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian
president (copying Trump) praised himself as Covid-denier in chief and did his
best to sabotage his own government’s derisory initiatives to fight the virus. Cities had to expand cemeteries or free up
spaces to bury the dead; five months after the first recorded Covid-19 death, grave
diggers continued to work overtime. The
death toll has now reached the 100 000 milestone.
A week after my arrival in Calvisson in the south of France,
a negative Covid swab test put an end to my self-imposed quarantine. The whole month of July was heaven on earth,
I recovered my pre-Covid pandemic freedom and even forgot that I belong to the
high-risk group. But as a prudent
senior, I nonetheless stuck to my survival protocol: I kept wearing a face mask
in stores and shunned confined areas like indoor cafés and restaurants; I avoided
crowded street markets and continued to change sides when passing groups of
youngsters. The mood was ecstatic, the
French were taking full advantage of their post confinement deliverance, as the
lockdown is called in French. The
sacrosanct August holiday was weeks away and many looked forward to a long-awaited
vacation after the traumatic idleness and slothfulness of the confinement. When in April, the boss of the French
employer federation hinted that in order to speed the economic recovery, the
French should work harder after the confinement, he was quickly and
strongly rebuked by the unions and the political class.
Along with hand sanitizer, masks have become the pandemic
staple. Contrary to the USA, masks have
not become a political issue in France, but broach the subject of masks and a
spirited debate follows. Unlike New
Yorkers, the languedociens the people who live here in this part of
France, favor Chinese-made disposable surgical masks over washable and
reusable cloth masks which are high-maintenance. After a single use, cloth masks have to be properly
washed and as a result, people need more masks than underwear. Interestingly, face masks have become the
yardsticks of the public perception of the level of contamination and of the
French’s collective angst. Consequently,
mask wearing yo-yoed during the evolution of the pandemic. At the outset, the national stockpile of
surgical masks was so low that the French government (like many of its Western
peers) earmarked them for front line workers.
Challenged by an unfamiliar virus and quite disingenuously the
government asserted that masks were not necessary for ordinary citizens and
their sale was forbidden. Suspicious citizens
accused the government of downplaying their Covid risk exposure. Overnight, everyone wanted to wear a face
mask; the humble face mask had become objet de desire, a coveted object
and an urgent human need! In June when
the Covid virus seemed vanquished, face masks were dispensed with and France
was sitting on a heap of unsold cloth masks.
Knowing that Brazilian-made masks were cheaper than those
purchased in France, I brought a collection of neoprene masks which fit tightly
and don’t leave gaps for the droplets to get into your noise and mouth. Coincidentally, I noticed that Boris Johnson
was wearing the same models in black. Needless
to say, my Carioca masks are more colorful!
Now, contamination cases are on the increase again. In spite of the hordes of tourists, no
clusters have yet been identified in the region where I live. Masks are becoming more conspicuous everywhere;
last Sunday, they were mandatory in the busy Calvisson market and amazingly
people complied
The fear of a second wave in the Fall is on everybody’s
mind. Face covering is now compulsory in
many public areas, indoor and outdoor. My
stock of masks is being depleted, but I wait before buying new ones as prices are
falling. So far, the French government
has provided 40 million free masks to hard-up families. In a society addicted to social benefits, many
are requiring masks free for all! The general
mood has changed; before mask wearing was more about altruism and solidarity, now
masks are more popular because selfishness is convincing people that they are
better protected if everybody goes masked.
Nowadays, I am going out masked and I feel that I
have gone full circle. July was blissful
enough to convince me that I had been lucky to get out of hotspot Rio when I
did. I plan to set off for Rio again at
the end of October. Although Brazil has
passed the heartbreaking milestone of 100,000 deaths and that the virus
continues to terrorize the country, with 3 million confirmed cases, Rio has for
the first time seen a decrease in fatalities.
Life is slowly opening up again, but many of my friends are staying with parts of their lockdown routine. By
going back to Rio, I may escape France’s second wave, but my care-free Carioca
life is a thing of the past.
From a French friend: "Sympa to blog. Merci pour les "news". La musique classique doit te manquer. A Paris, les masques chirugicaux chinois sont partout sur les mentons (surtout) et parterre... Les laver? trop de travail."
ReplyDeleteFrom a friend from UK: "Interesting news, stay safe B. Why would you like to go back to Rio? Here too, masks have been a contentious issue. It is not over yet. I am not matching my masks with my underwear yet!!!"
ReplyDeleteFrom my friend Jackie: "As always, your blog posts are worth reading, Beatrice. Interesting that when masks were not available to the general population (at the beginning just to health care workers due to insufficient supply for all) they quickly became objects of desire. We all want what we can't have!"
ReplyDeleteFrom a friend in France: " I agree with your friend Jackie: Masks went from don't wear to must have. Health official messaging has fallen short. So far the virus has been with us for half a year, the humble mask as you write will be with us for much longer. I doubt it will alone stop Covid from roaring back across Europe...with a vengeance. Face masks in Winter are nice to wear! I think Beatrice you did well, a blissful month c'est deja qq chose de pris!"
ReplyDeleteLoved your blog, thanks. Most people here in Rio still wear masks (although a few wear them around their chin or ears ...), I find people are amazingly disciplined. The result: Rio s fatalities are on the decline. Let s hope this trend will continue. Personally I don t dislike to wear masks and only take them off when on the bike or at the beach, so as to avoid the strange marks a mask will leave when you tan.
ReplyDeleteFrom a friend from Europe: "Good blog, dear. Where I live, we don't talk much about masks, they have become part of our routine and wardrobe . Masks are not a partisan issue like ?? well, you know. Incidentally, our death toll is still low... "
ReplyDeleteFrom Rio: "Seu blog esta bem detalhado sobre as mascaras. E o interessante foram os comentarios. Comecei a trabalhar e uso duas mascaras ao tempo, no inicio, dificil, agora rotina. O Carioca usa na rua, quase todos, mas ontem andei na praia e os jovens nos kiosques todos sem mascaras. Pena. E assim vamos sem nenhuma expectativa.
ReplyDeleteComment from Caryl in NYC: " As I mentioned to you when you were writing the blog, this is not true about New Yorkers, at least not on the Upper West Side and Upper East Side where I did my “research.” Nancy Pelosi seems to have a different cloth mask to match her different outfits, but when I walk around I see that the large majority of New Yorkers (because people are not travelling I assume they are from New York) are wearing the white or blue disposable masks. Maybe some wear a dressier cloth mask at night but, even at that time I mostly see the disposable ones. Perhaps when it gets colder more people will be wearing cloth masks, but certainly not now. I do not know about other parts of the country. And New Yorkers are following instructions. Most people I see are wearing masks.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the disposable masks can be washed. I soak mine in soapy water. Of course, you are right that they do not last as long as the cloth ones."
Dear Caryl,
DeleteThank you for your comment. Cloth vs surgical masks: I made this observation after looking at photos taken in NYC. In June, a Manhattan friend also mentioned that surgical masks were less common than cloth ones. She lives in Midtown. In France surgical masks (Chinese imports) are getting even more popular and their price has been falling sharply. They are now worn by 80% of the population. They are made of non-woven fabric (melt blowing process). According to specialists, they are more effective than a two-layer cotton mask. The best mask against Covid-19 is the N95. I used two of them when I flew from Rio. French airlines are not accepting passengers with fabric masks.
From a friend in Paris:" Je remarque a Paris que toutes les petites boutiques de vetements proposent des masques en tissus sympas dans leurs vitrines. Je dirais qu'une femme sur quatre en porte."
ReplyDeleteFrom an American friend who lives in Europe: "I just spent three weeks in NYC in midtown only chez D. My take is that it was about equally divided between surgical and cloth masks!! Was so impressed by New Yorkers !!! Everyone was wearing them except for a tiny tiny few!"
ReplyDeleteFrom a French friend who lives in the north of France:" The mask controversy! In March, doctors told us that they were useless; now they are mandatory. Here in the Lille region, like in the south where you are, people wear surgical masks, I would say 85%. Doctors recommend them as a better protection."
ReplyDeleteFrom NYC:" Interesting about the masks—I refuse to wear the cloth ones, it seems too permanent. I would say NY is about half and half."
ReplyDeleteFrom Lima, Peru:" Face masks are compulsory here in Lima. Where I live everyone wears one outside their home. Face masks have become a form of expression. Many are home made and not often washed..."
From Marianne in Rio: "So you wanted to know more about the mask situation in Brazil? The overwhelming majority uses masks on the street, but not in bars or restaurants. A few people use them in more creative ways: hanging around the neck or on one ear ..
ReplyDeleteThere is a variety of masks: many favour the disposable surgical mask in white, light blue or green, probably the most comfortable and hygienic alternative. I find that surgical mask look like part of a doctor s uniform and remind me of apprehensive pre-surgery situations.
I buy my masks on the street. These are made by seamstresses, and I like to support small business. And why not use the mask to make a statement? You can tell the world who you are: your favourite soccer team of course, whether you are a cat or dog person, whether you prefer abstract or figurative art, you can even show your patriotism and political inclinations. I miss being able to wear a lip stick, and so I like to use red masks.
Masks are cheap here. However, the material the masks are made of is sometimes not ideal: I have come across nice cotton masks, bought a few, only to find out that they were lined with polyester and are unpleasant to wear. Then there is the neoprene mask, tight-fitting, perhaps more protective than others, but of course as uncomfortable as a neoprene suit. Few people use the protective shield, usually with a mask. And then there is the 3-D mask. It enables you to breathe more easily, but anyone who wears it looks like a duck."
From Barbara in UK: "Masks: we were encouraged here to make and use cloth masks with 3 layers. This was cheap and easy as they are washable. It was deemed unnecessary and perjorative to the NHS to use surgical-type ones as there was such a PPE crisis. The surgical-type ones cost a fortune (£30 for 50 on average) and are supposed to be single-use only. Now we are out of lockdown and getting about more, we still have to wear them inside any shops, museums, any indoor space including all public transport.
ReplyDeleteThe issue is tricky, as there is no clear evidence they work at all to limit spread of the virus. Additionally, people wear a mask indoors, then remove and put in a pocket or bag while walking down the street, then pull it out and wear again in another shop, on the bus etc. on and on all day. Some people keep one in the car and use it daily all week before thinking to give it a wash or discarding it. Each time they touch the mask (which is frequently) they spread droplets via their hands, so no one is being protected! Also, as most masks fit well when not talking, as soon as one’s jaw starts working up and down, the mask sinks down exposing the nose.
The only reason to wear one is psychological, to show to the public that there is a problem. The additional problem being created is that discarded masks are littering the streets and getting into the sewers, rivers and the sea. Our village did its annual litter-pick yesterday and many were found in the road and on the grass verges.
Personally I just wear one when I absolutely have to, but then I don’t go indoors for anything other than shopping. Outdoors and socially distanced is safe, indoors is dangerous. Simple! The numbers are going up here again, but not in my area."