Colombia / Travel Coronavirus Updates

I was thinking the same. It is consistent with the way that government deals with shortages and the population's basic needs. Documentaries that include secretly recorded video are emotionally devastating. My only doubt is how likely it is anyone there would even notice an outbreak of coronavirus because there are so many other severe public health crises. Remember the parasites pulled out of the gut of that border guard who escaped under a hail of bullets? Reports are he was better fed and cared for than most North Koreans because of his military role.

A bit of Colombia content, the weather is beautiful today. I notice people and cars start to move about about half an hour ago. I'm going to take a walk over to the Exito on la 70 for snacks and toiletries. And to check out the talent of course.

[QUOTE=Surfer500;2436703]My bet is the "hermit nation" is roiling with infections, and the way they are handling is most probably by doing nothing, in other words taking no extreme measures, treating it like the flu, no respirators, nobody in ICU's, just let everybody get it, except the Dictator, and avoid the financial impacts with less mouths to feed after whatever the percentage of the population has expired. Sound extreme, maybe not for that Country.[/QUOTE]

Here is the transcript of an video from Italy. Check the last part of the transcript.

[URL]https://www.npr.org/transcripts/817974987[/URL]

The doctor publishes this paper.

[URL]https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736[/URL](20) 30627-9/ fulltext.

[QUOTE=Nounce;2436757]Here is the transcript of an video from Italy. Check the last part of the transcript.

[URL]https://www.npr.org/transcripts/817974987[/URL]

The doctor publishes this paper.

[URL]https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736[/URL](20) 30627-9/ fulltext.[/QUOTE]The second link is not working when I click it nor when I copy and paste, can you list the title of the article in the Lancet?

[QUOTE=MojoBandit;2436770]The second link is not working when I click it nor when I copy and paste, can you list the title of the article in the Lancet?[/QUOTE]

[URL]https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30627-9/fulltext[/URL]

COVID-19 and Italy: what next?

[QUOTE=AdventureSeekr;2436772][URL]https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30627-9/fulltext[/URL]

COVID-19 and Italy: what next?[/QUOTE]Thank you.

[QUOTE=Nounce;2436776]Thank you.[/QUOTE]Italy has been locked down now for around 2 weeks. But death rates are still going up. 7-800 per day, infection over 20,000. Spain looking the same. Couple of days behind. US starting to look the same. Many European countries, Belgium, France, etc. Similar progression.

So only good news is countries that got out ahead of it and then vigorously pursued every single case and every contact of every case. Taiwan started in mid January. And has kept it form taking off. South Korea started a bit late. But seems to have gotten it under control. Japan as well. And China. Looking very good even though it got away in Hubei. But they basically didn't let anyone be out when they cracked down on it. Robot monitors, drones, cameras everywhere.

Apparently in Italy the big thing now is it's spreading within families. One person has it. Then 2 or 3 more, then most of them. So the staying away has to be also in the homes. Ie. 6 ft, and sterile hands, etc.

[QUOTE=Zeos1;2436783]
Apparently in Italy the big thing now is it's spreading within families. One person has it. Then 2 or 3 more, then most of them. So the staying away has to be also in the homes. Ie. 6 ft, and sterile hands, etc.[/QUOTE]I read in another article.

A lesson learned in Italy is do't treat COVID-19 patients in a hospital with other patients (The article calls this as western centralized system) because they infect other patients. Either treat them at home (de-centralized) or treat them in a hospital that is only for COVID-19 patients.

Several prison riots broke out.

[URL]https://colombiareports.com/colombia-says-at-least-23-killed-91-injured-in-mass-prison-riots/[/URL]

[QUOTE=BlueTouch;2436853]Several prison riots broke out.

[URL]https://colombiareports.com/colombia-says-at-least-23-killed-91-injured-in-mass-prison-riots/[/URL][/QUOTE]Maybe they should let the nonviolent older offenders serve their time under house arrest.

That was the #2 story on TV news all day yesterday. It was quite something, a big crowd of relatives faced off with police in riot gear outside the La Modelo prision. There was scary footage from helicopters of big fires. The Minister of Justice made a nationwide address to announce the riots were put down and no prisoners escaped. She confirmed the whole thing started as an escape plot but that the plot was "frustrated".

[QUOTE=MojoBandit;2436942]Maybe they should let the nonviolent older offenders serve their time under house arrest.[/QUOTE]

Meanwhile, the Secretary of Agriculture is on teleantioquia now announcing that the supply chain is operating perfectly and there are no shortages. His remarks are consistent with what I observed at an Exito yesterday. It was fully stocked and I was surprised to see both the meat section and fresh produce also fully stocked. He just mentioned that Mayorista and Minorista would be open this week. I'll stick to Exito.

He also repeated the President's warning about speculation and gouging twice. There are fines and prison sentences in force.

[QUOTE=Nounce;2436789]I read in another article.

A lesson learned in Italy is do't treat COVID-19 patients in a hospital with other patients (The article calls this as western centralized system) because they infect other patients. Either treat them at home (de-centralized) or treat them in a hospital that is only for COVID-19 patients.[/QUOTE]Essentially what is being done here. Hospital only for those who need intensive care. Otherwise health department monitors people at home. So far under control here. But New York and I think part of California it is out of control. New York is rapidly approaching Italy in numbers. Though not deaths so far. Could be a lag effect. NY went up by 30% in numbers today, may be lag effect as more people with it just now getting tested. Which would be a very bad sign.

[QUOTE=Knowledge;2436962]Meanwhile, the Secretary of Agriculture is on teleantioquia now announcing that the supply chain is operating perfectly and there are no shortages. His remarks are consistent with what I observed at an Exito yesterday. It was fully stocked and I was surprised to see both the meat section and fresh produce also fully stocked. He just mentioned that Mayorista and Minorista would be open this week. I'll stick to Exito.

He also repeated the President's warning about speculation and gouging twice. There are fines and prison sentences in force.[/QUOTE]It hasn't even been a week. I doubt there will be any shortages anytime soon. Maybe if this went on for more than six months you'll start to see issues.

I left Guadalajara yesterday and reluctantly came home. Airport was a ghost town and got through Customs in all of 4 minutes. Everyone was nice. Customs guy asked me why I left. I told him and he seemed more interested in hearing my story than interrogating me.

Copa cancelled or maybe didn't the last flight from Guadalajara to Panama City. I had to reroute my chica through Mexico City which was a disaster zone. I didn't want my chica in Mexico City due to the population density and told her that I would get her to Cancun and a cheap hotel where she could wait out the quarantine there if the flight to Medellin didn't pan out. She was on an Interjet flight to Medellin, and she got on it and made it home. I gave her $150 in walking around money, and she told me that she spent a big chunk of it on food for others. She was in tears talking to me about how many people were stranded there and were hungry or just frustrated. I wonder if we really needed these abrupt quarantines or not. A lot of them seemed cruel and unusual.

Still, the last sane place in the world got insane finally. Our last night out all but two of the restaurants were closed, but we had a great meal at a place called La Casita. It is a grocery store with a cafe and is loaded with American goods. We bought a suitcase and loaded her up with American canned goods, Raman, soup ETC. There was a can of crab. She asked what it was and the translator heard crap instead of crab and translated it to mierda. She got that, tuna, and Alaskan salmon: not a bad haul. Walmart was packed as expected. I went to ten pharmacies trying to buy hydroxychlorquine but had no luck. I did get the azithromycin though.

We were both sad because we aren't going to see each other for a while. She was thinking it will be 30 days, and I felt it will be more like 60. Our last day though was great. We headed to Lake Chapala about an hour from downtown Guadalajara: the lake was filled with beautiful pelicans, the sun shone brightly, the skies were clear, and the mariachi bands played. When we were leaving, a wedding was getting under way and everyone in the wedding parties were on horseback. It sucks to have come back, to be secluded, to stop living for a while, but I will have that last day to cherish. There were a lot of worse places to be than with a gorgeous, sensual Colombian by one's side in the beauty of a hot Mexican day before the end of the world as we know it.

Jesus, what the fuck is it with these Colombian women? Why do I think all the other ethnicities are a complete waste of time?

[QUOTE=Knowledge;2436962]t Mayorista and Minorista would be open this week. I'll stick to Exito.[/QUOTE]I have never been out there but have always been curious about Mayorista. The area that's center is Calle 81 and Carrera 48. Is this primarily a wholesales warehouse area? Do some of these places have a retail counter also? Even still though it probably would not make any sense to go out there unless a person cooked most of their meals. Has anyone reading this ever been there?