Coughs, cold et al... DIY remedies?
Continuing the mixed bag of responses I experienced some weeks ago in reaction to Coronavirus and the necessary restrictions that were imposed, I found the overall picture exposed the expected reactions from residents on the one hand to business management on the other yet all were positive. Such reactions were imperative but when the mandatory rules were being constantly reviewed as the worldwide epidemic spread and the problems increased in some areas.
When the governing bodies here issued directives to local authorities who reacted in turn in different ways to confront the problem according to the immediate effect required at the time in each area. Alicante instructions, Marina Baixa preventative rules and Marina Alta restrictions to some degree varied. The wearing of facemasks is a case in point. In respect of travellers, be they working folk or touring holidaymakers the variations were mindbending. Where to wear and where not to wear protective masks & gloves was just the tip of the iceberg. Yet how the public did cope was nothing less than magnificent as I discovered when I did a bit of inquisitive facetoface interviewing.
Recently more by luck than good organizing. I came across a group of enthusiastic tourist minded British expats. This happened at a bijou private country hotel in what I can only describe as part of the eastern campo foothills of the Sierra Bernia mountain range.
Having decided that they fitted my target I fortified myself with liquid courage and blandly accosted them with crossed fingers. I was pleasantly surprised by the reactions and attitudes which made my job that much easier.
I had stumbled across a happy group of expats who were absolutely in love with Spain and were spending much of their leisure time touring and admiring the beauty of the countryside at their leisure whilst abiding within antiCoronaVirus rules.
Their methods of transport however were eclectic, using buses, trains and various ‘ travel company’ official organised tours. They were probably the most enthusiastic bunch of hispanophiles I had met for a long time. They explored with ‘ Alice in Wonderland’ temerity and care.
It appeared that they were all fairly recent residents, with the longest settlers amongst them having arrived here less than ten years ago.
Denise and David Sproson moved to Pilar de la Horada in January 2016. They immediately made many friends and were thrilled by the happy ‘ experiences’ they had already enjoyed in Spain. Steve, Anita and Jeffrey Morfee settled at Playa Flamenca nine years ago, moved in their entire family and set up a small business comprising a shop and café. Their aim was and still is to see as much of Spain as possible, an obsession which reflects my feelings having toured, discovered and written about Iberia for many years.
When I got to talk to these folk – they’d just finished competing in a quiz competition by the poolside of the hotel – I grilled them on the subject of the coronavirus epidemic and how it affected them.
Their first reaction was to quickly acclaim that they had no problems about travelling back to England or anywhere else. ” We’re not going back, so it doesn’t matter.” was their response. Their attitude to the Covid19 problem was on a dismissive note. They made it clear to me that having to adhere to a few “extra” rules and regulations hardly affected their new way of life.
Other ‘ Brits’ I pestered told me after a while that they did their utmost to avoid sickness. “If we get the slightest hint of a runny cold, influenza or bronchitis, we immediately ‘ dose ourselves’ with chemistshop antidotes of the aspirin and cold cure remedy kind. ‘ Safe rather than sorry thinking’ must work well.
It is amazing that most people I have been in contact with have this or similar attitudes. The best medicine it would seem is to follow the ‘ prevention rather than cure’ variety. However, transferred infections are something else. ‘ Lockdown’ solutions are varied from one place to another and are difficult to maintain. WHAT MORE CAN BE SAID!