June 20 2020

Self Quarantine 100 Days

chenry 2020 Year 7, June

This little guy keeps me grounded so I know what day it is since days just run into days and then weeks and then months.

Yikes, how time flies when you are old. Yes, today was day 100 of staying home and staying safe. Bill has gone to Ibarra twice to shop at Supermaxi the closest large grocery store. Within the past few weeks, I have walked to town. The walk is much-needed for exercise. I have to admit for us it has not been difficult staying home. Our home is secluded with a high wall and a large yard and garden. Bill works in the greenhouse making sure we have plenty of jalapenos for my homemade salsa. We have an abundance of lemon, figs, oranges, and avocado trees producing bumper crops! The dogs even eat the avocados. I have been making bread with the help of my bread machine. The local cream from the market is fresh and so thick you can turn it upside down and it will not drip out. So I make butter in the food processor which also supplies me with buttermilk. Maybe if we lived in a condo or an apartment it would have been difficult but we have done just fine. But the beauty we see every day is amazing. The lord is an amazing artist. Every morning I gaze at Mama Cotacachi. Photo by Pachi Lopez.

The end of the day sometimes lights the sky on fire.

Ecuador adopted a system of traffic light colors for restrictions. They did this in order to allow different areas, with different levels of need, to react to the virus according to what the local government deemed necessary. Our province, and most of the country, have been classified as red light restrictions for a few months. But as of June 1st, our area has had a modified red light restriction. We can all be outside of our property on foot on any day of the week, so long as we have a mask on and maintain distancing from others (before it was 2 days per week depending on ID numbers). Taxis can now drive 4 days a week (rather than 1 day per week), depending on their license plate number. Personal vehicles can drive 2 days a week (rather than 1 day per week). If you are over 65 they want you to stay at home but no one is checking. Stores that support construction (hardware, etc.) are allowed to be open for business, and restaurants with outdoor seating and the ability to offer distance are allowed to be open. As before, all businesses considered to be essential are open—-food, pharmacies, and yes even alcohol(!).

Masks everywhere for sale. The creativity of the Ecuadorians quickly shifts what they sell. It’s amazing how hard it is to walk a longer distance at this altitude (8,000 ft/ 2438 m) and be able to breathe easily behind a mask! Whew!

We are quite spoiled by deliveries to our home front gate. We get fresh fruits and vegetables from our local market, restaurant delivery from almost all of the local restaurants and even our pharmacy delivers right to our door.

Current Status: Cotacachi jumped from 21 to 27 cases of COVID-19 on June 19th. There are 15 new cases in Imbabura and 6 of them are in Cotacachi…..that’s 40% of new cases. Deaths in the province have increased from 25 to 27. Masks, hand washing, and physical distancing are the standard practice. When you enter any type of store you step on a mat that has a Clorox solution to disinfect your shoes and you use hand sanitizer. Sometimes you are even sprayed down with the disinfectant solution. I have seen them spray dollar bills! All vehicles entering Cotacachi are also sprayed down with disinfectant. The streets have been washed down with disinfectant. This little city is certainly trying to protect us.