12th May 2020

I’ve been out a few times now, but each time I go to a café it just seems to highlight that there is no one here that I know that’s within a distance I can reach.  I never was one for going to cafes on my own, eating out has always been a social event for me. After the initial rise of cases from cross border truck drivers, which have now been contained, the new cases are very few – only 1 or 2 a day despite over a 1,000 tests on most days.  Still, all restaurants, cafes and hotels now have to register everyone who visits and take they names, addresses and phone numbers, so that they trace any contacts should they need to.

I’ve held out for as long as I can to stay here, but I’m now feeling a need to go home to UK.  It seems that with the schools here not being opened until September, I will be working from home until then.  Some think that meetings might resume but VSO are cautious and I’m not sure that’s likely to happen any time soon.  After lots of thought and talking to my family I ask to go home.  There have not been any flights for a few weeks, but VSO will try and get me one, but this is unlikely to be in May.