The Dystopian Times, 10. Time to Bring Out the Altar?

This morning at a local bakery where I went to get our Sunday loaf (our baker doesn't deliver on Sundays), someone was talking that on the 18th of September, we would have to quarantine again. Someone else replied that that was simply fake news, a bulo. Rumors are flying all over the place. 

Truth is, infection rates are back up at April levels, when we were all esconced in our homes. Yet, quarantine is only being imposed locally. And even then, a judge can easily overrule such impositions, as in a a city in Ciudad Real, which imposed a semi-quarantine, prohibited smoking in public, and closed night venues. While deaths are far down, it seems we're getting complacent because most of those infected now are either asymptomatic, or don't seem to have serious complications. 

And, except for Madrid, which is finally thinking it over, most regions are going ahead with the September opening of schools. Another region, Murcia, is going to have rotating classes. Primary and first and second of secondary rotate one day at home. The rest of secondary will rotate two or three at home. Our region of Galicia is going ahead with normal classes, though students six and older have to wear masks. I think Galicia is going to end up closing schools. This is not going to get better. 

Another question is the flu season ahead. The flu seems to have been light in the southern hemisphere this, our summer. That doesn't help laboratories know much about how to make the vaccine for this coming winter, so it might protect us like in previous years, or leave us vulnerable. At the same time, it seems that masks and increased hand washing has kept down flu transmission. I still plan on getting the vaccine, like I do every year. I haven't gotten the flu yet, since I've been getting the shot, which is something to be thankful for.

I see articles that tell us we should ventilate closed spaces to help move the air, and therefore keep down transmission of any kind. While it's all nice and well to do that while the weather is nice, or at least warm, come winter it's another story. In winter I'm normally shivering in my study during my classes, and have to turn on the space heater. If I have to have the window open, I may as well live in my house with my coat on.

August is almost over. The radiance of summer is tarnished, and the light is tinged with a tired yellow. Night leaves later and comes earlier. This week it's supposed to be nice, but, already, it's a tired nice. Later in the week it's supposed to rain and the temperatures will be those of the month of September. At least this summer we didn't have asphyxiating heat waves here along the coast. I hope we get a little bit of snow this coming winter. Before climate change makes that a thing of the far past.

Because climate change is accelerating every year. We are killing the planet, and the planet is killing us. And the heavens are trying to put in their two cents, too. An asteroid is supposed to fly past the Earth the day before the American elections in November. Let me put it this way. If this year's events had happened in a time when natural phenomena hadn't yet been explained, our high priests would be making sacrifice after sacrifice. There wouldn't be any young virgins left by December, at this rate.

Life continues.