# of confirmed cases: 464 (46 new cases since yesterday)
# of deaths: 6
# of people in hospital: 78
Day 11 of staying home
In today’s 6pm live press briefing Health Ministry
spokesman Sotiris Tsiodras and Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias
made more announcements. Some are summarized below:
Majority of confirmed cases are in Athens. Additionally,
it is estimated that there are approximately 2-3,000 cases of coronavirus in
Greece.
Tsiodras again thanked medical staff who are in “the battle for
life”.
The first "coronavirus baby" was born at Attikon
hospital. The 24-yr old mother tested positive earlier in the week and the caesarean
delivery took place at Attikon,one of the hospitals designated to treat coronavirus patients.
A special delivery room was set up and medical staff wore appropriate protective
gear. Mother and baby boy are doing well. Early tests show the infant is
negative for COVID-19, while the mother remains in isolation.
Effective March 23 to the end of April, all hotels in Greece(which
operate year-round) will be closed. One hotel in each region’s capital
will remain open, while three hotels in Athens, and three in Thessaloniki will
remain open. Seasonal hotels have already been shut down.
Hardalias repeated that all Greeks and travelers
returning from abroad must self-quarantine for 14 days.
Beginning tomorrow, March 20, all arriving international
passengers will be screened and must fill out a detailed form, including
information on which country or countries they have visited.
Hardalias concluded by stressing that people must
understand the severity of the situation, the seriousness of the circumstances
and abide by all the new measures. He emphasized our personal responsibility to
help stop the spread of the virus, and appealed to the infamous Greek sense of filotimo
-(difficult to translate, a "love of honor", it
represents a way of life which upholds ideals of justice, dignity, pride,
respect, hospitality).
The prime minister also addressed the nation in a
brief speech stating that although the coming weeks will be challenging, we
must not impair the progress that has been made. He underlined that the
upcoming weekend is an opportunity to continue to stay at home, take a break
from work and enjoy at-home activities with family.
He also underlined that people should not retreat to
their summer homes in the countryside or on the islands. For people who have
attempted to escape to small, faraway islands, not only have they risked spreading
the virus to local (and mostly elderly) populations, they have also reduced
their own chances at receiving necessary medical treatment (should the need
arise) at the smaller medical facilities on the islands, etc.
He also mentioned additional financial support and
development for the economy and general encouraging sentiments.
***
So. Day 11 has been much better than day 10.
Yesterday was busy, I don’t know if it was the unsettling dream I had the night
before, or the sudden bombardment of the outside world. Yesterday I seemed to be caught up in a tornado
of ringing, bleeping phones, messages, emails, deadlines, TV news, headlines, ongoing
developments… a sense of urgency to complete tasks, an exhausting spinning of
my wheels but not getting anywhere.
This morning I allowed myself about 15 minutes of
morning news and tuned out for the rest of the day (mostly). No TV, limited
checking of news online. Instead I listened to music and dug into some work.
And somehow a semblance of real normalcy was restored. I temporarily forgot
about the Insane Pandemic Overtaking the Globe and escaped, just a little, into
my own interior world. Ahh… that’s more like it. Day 11, you were a good day.
***
A young street artist, no longer able to create his
murals on the walls along the streets of Athens, has taken to his taratsa,
or rooftop. In times of crisis, creatives find new ways of expression. Another
new face of Athens, this one, looking out over the rooftops, greeting us with a haunting, masked expression.
***
Thermopylae
Honor to those who in the life they lead
define and guard a Thermopylae.
Never betraying what is right,
consistent and just in all they do
but showing pity also, and compassion;
generous when they are rich, and when they are poor,
still generous in small ways,
still helping as much as they can;
always speaking the truth, yet without hating those
who lie.
And even more honor is due to them
when they foresee
(as many do foresee)
that in the end Ephialtis will make his
appearance,
that the Medes will break through after all.
[Translation by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard]
Thermopylae – a gate, a passageway… in Greek
mythology it marked the entrance to Hades (the underworld). It is the place
where the battle between the Spartans and the Persians took place.
At the battle of Thermopylae, 300 Spartan soldiers
were able to hold off the Persians, allowing the Spartans and their allies more
time to build their defenses.
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| be a Spartan, fight coronavirus |
Efialtis was the guy who betrayed his homeland by
aiding the Persians, who ultimately won the battle. His name means ‘nightmare’
in Greek.
The Medes were the allies of the Persians.
- we should all be guarding our own gates (the front door of our homes, which now represent the gates of coronavirus hell?)
- if we can do this, we’ll give our (Spartan-strong) health care system time to better prepare for the battle against the invisible army of coronavirus germs
- so… be a gate-keeper, be vigilant
- don’t be a nightmare. Stay home and don’t help the coronavirus enemy invade
However, the ending is a bit depressing… Inevitably,
the battle will be lost… but on the bright side, it’s about putting up a good
fight.
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| hello? who's guarding the gates? |
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