Our Vice-chairwoman Vivianne Gunnarsson is very sorry about the corona-situation in Belgium and other European Countries and says about Sweden:
“I am sorry to learn about the Belgian situation and many others. Still in the midst of the sorriness I recognize much of what you put forward from the situation in Sweden. I have been in quarantine since 20th of march here in the archipelago. Now we have decided we will stay until last of september, Many people think we have no restrictions in Sweden, but this is wrong. Certainly for people 70 and over quarantine apply. Elderly can not meet anyone except personnel in nursing homes and home care. At last some nursing homes have arranged meeting rooms with plastic or glass walls where they can meet only one person at a time. The positive side is the creativity. Artists come and sing and play theatre for free outside nursing homes as well as outdoor activities, picnics and young people organizing events and singing. The good thing is, that at last also the oldest are getting more attention and outdoor life. Something we have been pleading for politically a long time. We are also happy, that the amount of deaths shrinks every day and the last weeks have been only a handful a day.
One problem is that we elderly can not go by public transport – and other age groups also try not to go by bus or metro. The bus-drivers as well as the drivers of taxis are not safe and have no protection. If you go, you must enter in the back door and you can’t pay. The Stockholm region loses millons and millons every day. The boats in the archipelago have restrictions about the amount of travellers and you must order a place in advance, otherwise you can be left till the next trip the next day.
We buy food between 6-7 in the morning, when shops are open for elderly and vulnerable groups. Otherwise you can order by the computer and then they pick up everything and deliver to your car. Net Shopping has increased a lot and it is possible to shop medicine, wine and spirits and get it at the door. Many shops have closed down for good and many restaurants have a problem surviving. People don’t go to the gym , doctor, dentist or hair stylist. This has resulted in so -called corona hair style which is long straight hair for both men and women.
At least we have got summer and we can be outside. The forest is full of blueberries, raspberries (the pickers from thailand cant come) and mushrooms only to pick as much as you want. I can wave at my neighbors every day and we can have a corona coffee or wine sitting two meters from each other, shouting the latest news. And we can have a lot of skype meetings and the telephone functions.”
Our board member Irmgard from Austria asks: “What can I say? Our own president – founder of the Green Party way back when – was caught breaking the curvey. It was in mid May, first day after lock-down to visit restaurants, closing time was 23.00h. And our president was caught by police after mid night still sitting and chatting with his wife and two friends. The police were polite and it seems no charges were laid. Why not demanded the right wing FPÖ : Parliamentary reply by the interior minister (ÖVP and coalition partner with us greens) was: because the president and his party immediately apologized and left the restaurant ….!
Quote from the newspaper Standard: …. Also, his topmost belongs to a “further inclusion of personal details and a notice and the administrative administrative distance,” her chief chef Nehammer in the decision response …
Can you imagine a (Green) President having privileges! This calls for a CELEBRATION!”
Christa from Germany completes with her impressions: ” In Germany and also in Hamburg the corona numbers are going up again after a long pause; people are coming back from holidays and bring the virus with them. The schools shall be open again after summer holidays next week and I afraid about what will happen then. There are different studies, that showed, that children can infect others – and can get ill themselves.
Most of the people are still in home-office, for parents the last months with home schooling and Home Office was very Hard.
The Greens are tired from Video conferences, the Parliament starts again with plexiglas partitions – and I am not sure, if I will like this. I have big respect for the virus.
There are many studies published in the meantime, that the virus infekts a lot of organs.
I fear, that we will have a similar situation as Belgium and people of all ages will be infected.
I support totally your idea to demand smaller nursing home units. I just talked to a big player in the scene, which is a foundation (hospital zum Heiligen Geist, a very old institution) and they are planning to cut in half their nursing unit. And they dont want to have more than 12 people in one house in the future.
For the German town Münster, which is on its way to become an age-friendly city, is this the Main topic, to have small elderly homes.
Poverty of elderly persons is also a problem in Germany, which is becoming more and more important, so we have to take care about it.”