Ghana 64 Lock Down Over

Just when I thought things were beginning to get back to normal we started hitting 200+ persons a day.  now hitting 6486.  Its been steady going up a hundred or two every day for last week. No real discussions about it. Well what is there to discuss. I when in the car saw from BBC to local radio.  Difficult to tell which is which!!!!.  All they talk about is the "the Virus".

No worries I think we are all getting a bit how do you say ? Not fed up but yes I suppose that's right. Seems to drag on and on. Well I am getting there as well.  Walk around forgetting my mask etc. Then realize no mask and feel naked. 

A say back to normal... We were on site out in the sticks the other day looking at part of our pipeline route. Nothing but trees and crap and stuff around.

Couldn't believe it.  Standing with his back to us was a guy playing the Trumbone.....  Worth the 29 seconds to watch....Maybe this is the new normal...

Really bazaar..

Enjoy your weekend....

Ghana 63 Lock Down Over

Time is flying by.  It's the only thing that is !!!!! Not seen  a plane for ages.

Keep looking the the Ghana Corona 19 results.  Stays the same for days then the numbers jump up by the hundreds. And then we also get the rumours circulating of big numbers appearing near our works.  Bit concerning. Next door 3 persons proved positive over the weekend and then a fish factory earlier had 58 persons positive. All within a few kilometres.

In the meantime the days are getting blurred one into the other. The work side of things is going slow and its very difficult to get action and progress.  For me that makes for very long days and is it now getting very monotonous.

As for life in Ghana, it's difficult to work out how the recommended social distancing is going.  Some places you see people sitting around all apart just looking at phones.  Others are wearing masks and gloves and looking to make a really big deal of it. And some, not a care in the world. Me, I find the middle route !! I sometimes wear a mask and sometimes not.  I have to put the mask on when entering some shops. That's my middle route !!!

There was a big issue in one of the northern towns couple of days back where about 28 market ladies were arrested for not doing social distancing.  Bit difficult to do when you are in a crowded market trying to sell food stuffs. Police chief was asked if the AK47 his men were using really was only firing rubber bullets and why the tear gas !!!!  All good fun and games.  Apparently The ladies got arrested and charged.  Those who could not meet bail were locked up. Took the local MP a few hours later, to get them all released. This was on the local radio but all a bit fuzzy the way it was reported. More seriously though it does sort of give you the feeling that there is an underlying frustration amongst the people trying just to survive.....  Makes me realize again how lucky and privileged I am. Till next time.

Ghana 62 Lock Down Over

As if we don't hear enough about Corona Virus and I'm going ot add some more....

I had been busy blogging about my woes for a few week and stopped. Actually did not realize I had stopped writing. Not until I looked at my last post and thought "whow, that was ages ago ".

I really do not know where this last week has gone.  Mid May already and time is flying.  We even had the May1st holiday (joke) same as every other day....Stayed home. Actually went to the shop for some bread. Had to wear a face mask. Wash hands out side etc.

Palace Mall which I went to the other day is a big outlet and also has the same regime but even more sophisticated.  They make you wash your hands and provide the water, soap etc.  And paper towels.  Then they also provide the plastic gloves. Compulsory.  You know the sort, use them for painting etc, very cheap and cheerful. Last about 5 minutes if you are lucky. Absolutely paper thin and difficult to open.  Even harder to put on with wet hands.  Found the solution. Blow into them.  But of course you have to remove the face mask to make this work... Get a few strange looks while doing this I can tell you. Bit of a catch 22......

Quite a mental and physical work out just to get into the shop.  And a lot of folks at the entrance foyer all going in. Most with all the time in the world... Having to do such physical dexterity as to be quick.... So all a bit chaotic. Then there is the choosing of a trolley which also needs the handles cleaned and dried..... You get this far and think great lets get this done, out of here then home !!!!!!  But no.  Then the real challenges begin.  Hands covered in plastic, you try and open a plastic bag to put vegetables in..... You know the ones you find them at the end of the veggie area in rolls. Takes forever to get that sorted. Plastic on plastic.  Nightmare.  Removing the wallet from my back pocket and sorting out money is also a challenge.  I have enough trouble opening my wallet at the best of times !!!!! Let along when I have the added gloves and mask and need to extract the store card as well.

So apart from extreme physical work out at the shops I've been going to work, back home, sleep, going to work, back home, sleep,  you get the picture. Well, while we are being told officially Ghana is improving, all under control etc etc, and the lock down is over, with some restrictions not much seems to have changed.  Except............ the numbers keep rising. yesterday we jumped from 2016 to 2719 in a day !!!  Big percentage and I'm sure there is a lot more to come....

Dreading my next shopping trip.... 😎