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Thursday, May 7, 2020

Unexpected blows and benefits of Covid-19

Let's start with the bad news and end with the good news.



May 2020 Cases. Shown in wikipedia. The grey areas have no cases or no data.


These are stories you might have read on the internet. Before passing on information, or acting on information, check reliable sources.

This is the statue of Wee Anie or Girl On A Suitcase, Gourock, west coast of Scotland.
From Wikipedia.
dave souza - Own work
"Wee Annie", a sculpture at the north end of Gourock's Kempock Street, commemorates the town's past as a seaside resort, and its pier as a setting-off point for Clyde Steamers taking holidaymakers down the Firth of Clyde. The statue, also known as "Girl on a Suitcase", was created by Angela Hunter as part of a public art project commissioned by Riverside Inverclyde in 2011. It has become a local tradition to keep Wee Annie warm with a scarf and woollen hat, during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United Kingdom she was duly given a face mask. Behind her, Kempock Street is unusually quiet as cafes, pubs and many shops have been closed to minimise spread of the virus. Lochrie, Susan (2015). Gourock's 'Wee Annie' back from her holidaysGreenock TelegraphReaders' Pictures - Wee Annie Taking No Chances With CoronavirusInverclyde Now (2020-03-22).
Here's how she was before.


Here's Gourock's location.



The first bad news is that you cannot travel or book holidays. The good news is that if you booked with Singapore Airlines you got your money back. You can also travel all over the internet to see pictures of places such as Scotland with the amusing statue of Wee Annie, whilst picking up new vocabulary or reminders of other langagues. Wee - small in Scotland.

More good news. If you are lazy and retired, you can sit at home at your comuter all day long and not feel guilty. The bad news is that it is not good for your health. The good news is that you can do some exercises by standing up every hour.

The Bad News
1 People with other illnesses cannot get treated.
2 You cannot even see a private doctor.
3 Weddings cancelled.
4 Mourners at funerals, numbers restricted.
5 You cannot visit dying relatives
6 Exams are cancelled.
7 Schools are closed.
8 Gyms and swimming pools are closed.
9 Airlines are bankrupt.
10 Holiday money is lost.
11 Insurance doesn't cover you if taken out after the pandemic was cdeclared by WHO.
12 Protective equipment is defective.
13 Money donated has disappeared.
14 Vaccines won't be available for months.
15 If you caught it and recovered you might still get it.
16 Hoax stories are muddying the picture.
17 You cannot get true figures because some countries don't count Covid-19 deaths in hospitals, some places don't test after you died outside hospital, shortage of test kits.
18 Those who are infected can pass it on before they know it.
19 You could pass the temperature check at airports and buildings but still be incubating and infectious.
20 Doctors, nurses and health care workers are catching it so the numbers of sick people is rising whilst the number of carers is falling.
21 Doctors and nurses supposedly taking care and wearing protective clothing are still getting ill - if they get sick, what hope is there for us.
22 Online meeting are unnatural and do not train uf for public speaking social meetings and work.
23 You cannot get masks.
24 Scam callers pretend to be the Singapore health service.
25 Children cannot play in parks.
26 No birthday meals out in restaurants.
27 You cannot have affairs.

The Good News
1 Doctors are giving consultations on the phone and this benefits us by saving time, travel and stress. We cannot catch illness from the doctor's waiting room. This benefit is likely to continue after covid-19 ends.
3 Cut down the expense of large numbers at weddings. Increase the numbers of weddings online watched by families all over the world who previously would not have been able to witness the event.
4 Increase in online memorials. People can attend a funeral or memorial service online, adding their own condolences and memories.
5 Things are better now. In the old days you went off to the hospital canteen to eat and yur relative died whilst you were away. (My maternal grandfather.) Now you can set up ipads or screens and watch and talk 24 hours or daily, or in the final minutes.
8 We are all getting used to exercising at home. Fewer deaths from drowning in ublic and private swimming pools.
12 People are making their own masks and protective equipment.
16 Log onto government websites and apps.Useful Websites.
23 You can get a mask in Singapore. The government has issued one reusable mask to everybody.
24 The MOH has a line where you can call to check you are not being scammed.
25 The peace is lovely. You can work without screaming from the school break time or the swimming pool or the kids on the swings and slides. You can nap in the afternoon with shouting from the swimming instructors. The traffic noise is down. the trains noise is down. The planes and helicopters are not disturbing the peace.
26 You can eat healthily at home.
27 Your spouse cannot have affairs.

Useful Wbsites
Ministry of Health Government Singapore
https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19
Australian Rules About Fencing Swimming Pools
https://www.spasa.com.au/consumer-info/fencing-laws/https://www.spasa.com.au/consumer-info/fencing-laws/

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
The Author
Author, Author! About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. (Not related to the actress.)
Author of twenty books including: Quick Quotations; Who Said What When.
See books and profiles on Lulu.com and Amazon, such as Wedding Speeches & Toasts. Also watch videos on YouTube.
See other posts on singers and statues and languages and destinations.

If you want to learn to speak the Queen's English, or Received Pronunciation. join me at my online toastmasters club,
Braddell Heights Advanced. Wednesdays, 7-9 Singapore time which is seven hours ahead of London, England.
I am also a member of
Singapore Online.9-12 pm, Singapore time, Fridays. I am also a member of
Tampines Changkat Advanced.
Harrovians, London.
Tiarel, Singapore.
Toastmasters International Find a Club
https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club
https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=upSEBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=quick+quotations
lulu.com/shop/angela-lansbury/who-said-what-when/paperback/product-21713991
learncool.sg
Please share links to your favourite posts.

22 You can speak online standing up. You see newsreaders reading online. you see talk shows online. Now you can practise doing the same.



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