As of midnight tonight, all travel out of country is restricted, and all international arrivals are to be cancelled here in Ecuador. CoVid19 is the reason. My scheduled flight home on April 3, may or may not happen at that time. I might be required to board a ghost plane to be repatriated back to Canada, or I might have to wait for normal flights to resume further down the road in the future. Since I am 70 years old, I am in the demographic of “at serious risk.” My adult children are understandably worried. However, I am not.
I have a place to live here. My landlady has confirmed that we can stay as long as is needed. The stores here are not showing any shortages here in our little fishing town. Yes, even the toilet paper is in abundant supply. There is abundant sunshine and warmth, two things that mitigate the spread of the virus. The government of Ecuador is stepping up and enacting all sorts of measures to keep Ecuadorians safe, which in turn keeps us safe.
Keeping social distance is relatively easy for the most part. The exceptions are when we make the decision to go out to eat with others we know who are in the same position as us. The beach is long, about eleven kilometres from one end to the other end. On our daily walks, when the beach is busy, we often go about 100 to 250 metres between small groups using the beach. Where I sunbathe, I have about 400 metres in either direction with very little passersby strolling on the beach. I am about 50 metres away from the water’s edge where these beach strollers pass by.
Of course, there is always a risk of becoming infected, but perhaps the risk here is significantly less than if I was back home in Canada which is still in the grips of winter. Back home, fear is rampant. Here, it is very laid back. Yet, for all of that keeping it cool, the beach crowd in front of the cabana restaurants and bars is drastically smaller than normal. People from the cities several hours distant are staying away. Fear of crowded bus travel for three hours is one of the factors.
With smaller crowds, I get to be clothing free along the beach a bit more. I risk it knowing that only a few might see me [and they do]. So far, no one stops to stare or to express their being offended. And that, is perhaps helping to normalise naturism. Just a thought.
How are you doing during these difficult times?