Closure or not?

Cafes still open, but no one around

The PM has decided to close all non-essential businesses for 5 weeks. That means cafes, bars, restaurants, gyms .... but not everyone is sure where it actually ends? For sure pharmacies and supermarkets will remain open. Lots of unanswered queries ... and people are asking all types of questions as to what is open and what is not. I won't worry too much ... Israel is resilient and the people know how to survive.

Petfood stock up

I was worried that if the petshop is closed for 5 weeks, the Buddy and JJ will have no food. So I walked the 1km to the New City to buy a couple of packets. And all along the road ... restaurants and cafes and shops were opened. Not all ... some were closed ... but more than 60% remained open. Which got me thinking ... who will enforce the closure? No one seems to care. At the petshop I asked the owner if he'll close and he said pet food is essential stuff so he won't close ... until enforcers tell him to. Fair enough. At the Post Office there was a very very long line of people trying to get in. Probably to withdraw money. When I got to the petshop ... there was a huge amount of dog and cat food with attached bills lined up from the entrance to the back. Everyone was worried their pets would have no food. So I wasn't the only one.

News just in ... the Al Aqsa mosque will be closed indefinitely but the compound outside will be opened for prayers. Meantime the Western Wall though opened for prayer, has been identified by the Chief Rabbi as a likely danger spot and dissuaded jews from gathering there to pray. Other leading rabbis have dispensed liturgical rulings so jews can pray at home. Yet hundreds of tourists continue to gather in our churches ...

Storm over

Cold wet Palm Plaza

The storm continued all night ... rain battered my window like pebbles, the wind so strong it blew things into disarray and the ground was soaked wet. It's what we really need ... but I thought it was also quite a pity because the Spring flowers were destroyed by the storm. By 8am this morning the sun came back and the dark clouds blew over into Jordan in the east. However the weather reports show that northern Egypt is still flooded by heavy rains and I think in time this storm system will pass to our side.

chicken soup

I went to the bakery at 3am to get some fresh bread this morning. I try not to enter our refectory or eat the common food because a couple of us already suffer from ulcers due to poorly washed cups and utensils. And food shared in common means all sorts of hands and faces are over the serving plates. I can't risk that as my resistance is very low. And I'm not the only one ... some others are also staying away from community life. Mass is even a bigger danger because chalices are never disinfected with alcohol. The Italians who think they know everything insist there is no need. The expensive bottle of alcohol I bought to clean chalices ... they use it wash the floor. Now you understand why Italy is the major exporter of the virus ... their arrogance and ignorance dangers everyone else.  

I wanted to fast yesterday but people ... including the doc ... told me I must boost my immunity by eating good food. And coincidentally Linda from Mian restaurant called me over to pick up soup. They boiled chicken with lots of herbs ... that'll boost my immunity. God provides. I drank the soup which was great in this cold wet weather. My cold sore is still lingering and my lower lip has broken into ulcers again. People say its due to fatigue and stress. Perhaps. I'm taking a rest today as a result.

Storm arrived

Stormy day with strong wind 

And the storm blew in at 8pm. Very strong winds. I could hear the howling from my window. Anything left on the terraces was blown off. The rain struck the window pane like pebbles. It was just as well that the storm came in the night ... when I was ready to sleep. No need to worry about whether I go to work or not. Anyway the storm wrecked havoc in Egypt before bashing us. Now it's heading to Syria and Iraq ... and warnings of flooding are being broadcast throughout the region. Well at least with the storm, Mother Nature makes sure everyone is quarantined at home for a day or more.
But this morning I had to go to work. I actually had an appointment with an old man who needed to talk. He came to my office and I listened to him for an hour. He was happy. And I was happy that he was happy. He comes to my armenian Mass on Sundays but keeps very much to himself ... not talking much to the other congregants. But today he had a chance to sit down and speak calmly about his mission. It was good to know. Many times we take people for granted and only see the surface of their characters. We don't know the whats and whys that affected them and made them what they are today. So today I got to hear the background story. It was very interesting.

Raincoats in empty streets

Then there were 2 interviews to be done ... all written as nobody is allowed to enter Israel from yesterday midnight. Writing back the answers for both interviews (an italian news agency and a spanish news agency) took me over 4 hours. I had to be very careful with my wording as it's easy to get lost in translation.  

Yesterday in my mad rush to cover the work of workers who are in quarantine, I forgot to take my daily medicine. By 10.30am I was having difficulty in breathing, chest pains and dizziness. Luckily having learnt from past experience, I kept a box of each my medicines in my office so I could take them if I had forgotten to do so back home. I did still feel a little sick ... but by afternoon I felt better.

Still I had been a little worried about my coughing and difficulty in breathing. Could I have caught the virus from those tourists who cough, sneeze and spit in my courtyard for 10 hours a day? Anything is possible. But everyone is assuring me that my breathing difficulty is nothing new ... I've always had it from my asthma and allergies. And my cough is due to lots of phlegm choking me. It's not a dry cough but the opposite ... very wet! And I do have a runny nose which led to my cold sore on my lip. They say all these are not signs of corona infection. Actually doc also said that. But ... in this tense moments, your imaginations and doubts get the better of you.

Storm coming

Storm brewing

So now it's a pandemic. It doesn't change anything on ground level. We continue to live with lots of prudence and responsibility, avoiding crowds and washing hands. Personal hygiene is all important and takes precedence over anything else ... including having to go out. Unless very necessary, home stay is advised. And that's what I'm doing for the past 3 weeks. My fear of catching something is real because our in-house doc told me my chances are higher than others because of my asthma and lower immunity. So I am staying home unless I really must go out.

Yesterday a group of rabbis took a helicopter to fly closer to heaven and pray for the end of the virus. Funny? Not really. They do this during crisis ... like droughts. And I still remember the time when they prayed from way high up in the sky for rain ... when it actually did. If it works, why not?

The weather has turned 180 degrees ... the sky is very dark and a storm is brewing. Forecast is thunder storm tomorrow throughout the country. Mother Nature has a way to keep everyone indoors if they don't want to obey the "avoid crowds and going out" orders by the govt. Well if the storm hits tomorrow then I'll stay home. I have several books on my list which I want to read while room-bound.

Rioting crowd at Salahaddin road

Yesterday on my way home, I noticed a large crowd in front of the Police Station at Herod's Gate. I just had to go see what was happening. So I went up the stairs of the nearby Post Office to take some photos. A large group of arabs were righting among itself ... and the police intervened so the arabs started to attack the police as well. Arrests were made ... which resulted in jeering and more provocations. I didn't stay for the whole affair ... I was tired and staying at the edges of a crowd isn't really safe from the virus. So I went home. Never a dull moment.

Pink trees and full moon

Full moon over the City

Another beautiful summer day ... 21 degrees, sunny with a cold breeze. Wish I were at Tel Aviv beach to smell the salty sea breeze ... that's exactly what I want to do right now. But I'm afraid to take public transport due to the racism That's getting more aggressive each day ... from both israelis and arabs. Luckily there're also some sane people who post on social media calling for compassion and not bigotry. Still I try to avoid going out if I can help it.

Today we learn that airport workers and sanitary workers have contracted the virus from carrier travelers. Victims now number over 70. Still majority of the people are taking it easy. Anyone walking in the streets today can see that. Kids and parents and youths all in Purim costumes  having fun in the streets. It does get scary when you realize there might be virus carriers among them. And there's a heavy presence of police in and around the City. Even the mounted police are at Tsahal Square where huge crowds wait to cross the Jaffa Street and walk down to the Wailing Wall.

Pink trees in bloom

News breaking now. Israeli soldiers shot an arab youth in the face. Not sure of the details but that's as much as I know right now.

Out in the open, the pink trees are blooming. They're so unique and stand out from the surroundings. And the tulips  and daffodils are also in bloom. It does add to the joy of the Purim feast ... and detract weary thoughts about coronavirus. The sun is shining bright ... the wind is blowing rather strongly .... I guess it's safe for locals to go and enjoy the feast. And there's a lovely full moon shining over our heads every night. It's remarkably bright and shines right through my window.

I'm terribly exhausted as I'm sleeping 3 hours a day again. Being on voluntary semi-quarantine (not hat I will affect anyone but rather I don't want to be infected by others), there's nothing much to do except work on the computer, proof-reading the thousands of article entries from hundreds of magazines that have been digitalized.

Summertime

Summer weather at Jaffa Gate

Yes I feel today is the 1st day of summer.  The sun was beating down like an August day ... though it was only 17 degrees. Many people were only in T-shirts and shorts. And being Purim, many others were in costumes. It's all part of the fun feast. And of course there's the ubiquitous Hamantaschen or "Haman's ears" ... the iconic cookie for Purim.

Haman's Ears cookies

There 's still alot of tourists ... this morning the Old City was packed with visitors from a cruise ship. And there was one guy who was sick and leaning against the wall, coughing, wheezing, vomiting, spitting .... he was sick ... and he didn't have the responsibility to go see a doctor or stay in the cruise; and the tour guide should have called him out instead of bringing him around the Old City ... it was so disgusting and terrifying. Other tourists and shopkeepers called the police and ambulance. It's disgusting how tour agencies disregard all health laws just in order to lose business. The govt should come down hard on these agencies and guides. All our lives are endangered by this one reckless act.

Ice cream time

Anyway this afternoon a good friend came to visit me from Tel Aviv. Haven't seen him for over a year. He came to tell me his wife will be having a baby in August ... their first baby. And he was so excited and came all the way here just to tell me. He brought me out to lunch ... luckily both of us are vegetarians so it was an easy choice .... salad for lunch. As we walked to my office ... I noted the scorching sun but cool breeze, the freshness of the air and remarked it felt so much like Tel Aviv ... the Tel Aviv air. My friend also agreed ... it was an unusual Tel Aviv feel in Jerusalem. And I liked it very much. So like in Tel Aviv, we went for an ice cream. It just was the right thing to do in such a marvelous weather.

... somehow I get the feeling the virus will soon disappear as this fantastic weather hits us for the next week.

Purim

Purim fun

The week has begun and the country is preparing for tonight's feast of Purim. Already last weekend festivities have taken place in Tel Aviv .... which is really out-of-this-world because the costumes they wear are utterly original. And very very fun! Just saw a family with dad dressed as an exterminator, the mum as a can of insecticide spray and 5 daughters as cockroaches. And those outlandish ones are beyond description. You have to see it to believe. And of course the weather was perfect for street fun. That reminds me ... I must buy the Purim cookies called Haman;s ears. Will post a photo of them when I do get them. If I get them .... now I have to consider even going out into town because there'll be anti-asian racism in the streets and shops. Perhaps I'll be brave today.

Jerusalem on the other hand is more restrained ... But above all these parts and festivities .... have we forgotten that it's prohibited to gather during the coronavirus? The big joke around town is the ultra-orthodox street poster calling for a mass rally at the Wailing Wall to pray against the virus. Mass rally? Really? Anyway  that's how it is. I am staying as alone as possible in my room or office .... going in and out only when early morning or late at night. Better safe than sorry.

Empty market at Damascus Gate

The hotel and tourism industry is tottering because groups are no longer coming in. Hotels are asking the govt for help. I guess the tourist guides will also be aided by the govt. But what is worrying is the churches here which are the main attractions of the Holy Land ... if just one case of contamination is found ... then everything will collapse.  Prudence is not panic. Responsibility is more important than impression.

Right now a good friend is defending his doctorate. Because of the virus and prohibition on gatherings, he's doing his defense with a closed audience. He invited me to a celebratory dinner this evening at his monastery. I might go ... depending on how cold it'll get. I'm happy he earned his doctorate. He worked very hard for it.