Hey (S)ATAman... How are you doing? I hope you're starting to feel better! Your 'real world' reporting was more informative than all of the 24/7 news channels here in the US!! Get well OS9 brother!!
Thanks - not to bad, but everyone who has "XY" chromosome set and is over 35 should prepare that in bad case there could be a quite dangerous pneumonia (that's for "XX", too). And in good case - a royal, crowned pain in the @ss (your prostate will say you a loud "hello"). If you do not know, what that word ("prostate") does mean, you will learn it.
So get the relief medication just in case. Not a big deal, just pain in the @ss.
Otherwise this was the first day of the curfew.
Since I don't speak French, I learned it not even from our embassy, but from a worker at Belarus embassy in Paris.
Called them because of a trivial matter, the guy told me: "oh, behold - the military police just took over the streets".
I told him: "oops"....
Than later called U.S. embassy to learn, what to do. The most useless folks ever. I was switched to a county simplicity who is somewhere in West Virginia. I asked her, what to do with the curfew and that I am infected and stuck in France.
She told me: "go to the hospital". That was the point, where I had to hang up.
(Because the guy from BY told me things just the opposite, but that time the paperwork wasn't available on-line).
Than called an other embassy, the "second" one of us.
They provided me with the paperwork to fill and to keep when I have to take the trash out or buy groceries.
Otherwise told the same, what the Belarus guy told: don't invent any own idea (like running to hospital), as long as your only pain is "downstairs" and cough + dizziness: stay firmly at home, don't even call emergency (let the others call, who are over 70 and have fever). Don't go to the hospital: my car has very inviting U.S. plates, the police will immediately pull me over and in best case give 200 Euro fine, in worst case 3 years prison for curfew violation.
So if I would follow what that goose from Department of State did tell me: 200 Euro +/- 3 years in prison.
And fill out that simple paper!
The paper what we have to fill out is attached. Quite simple: your name, birthdate, where you stay in France, why are you out of your home. And the U.S. embassy was unable to provide me with that paper!
Other than these annoyances the life goes forward, just a bit slower.
We try to make jokes about our @ss and the dangerous COVID-bats from dark, horrible East Europe with Vampire State Building.
I was shocked to learn, in the States people buy ammo! What for?
People are very supportive of the curfew, the trick is not to stop the disease: it is impossible.
The trick is to gain time until vaccine is available and try to slow down the pandemic as much as possible.
I am not in any statistics, neither is the majority of people.
Because of that, the real mortality is far less, than the official rate: if officially, say, 40 people of 1000 would die due complications, the real infection number is closer to 10000 - we just are encouraged not to report it, mainly because the test is long + expensive and why would I make doctors busy for minor inconveniences I have, while others may need urgent help?
So, I think, it is better to prepare with some minor relief medication.
However, taking any medication against the fever is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN: it could make things much worse.
Otherwise see, what the Consul of Belarus embassy told, together with "our" second embassy lady and apply it.
The scare or panic does not help of course. Ah, yes, do not buy any canned food, totally useless. In 2020 one will run out of food, not even in rural NKorea. But taking a bit less risk and order fresh things on-line makes sense.