Blue View - How Others Around the World are Coping with the Pandemic, Part 2
/We’ve been contacting a number of friends from around the world to see how they and their respective governments are coping with the coronavirus pandemic. In last week’s blog, I related stories from friends in Uruguay, Namibia and New Zealand. In today’s installment, I’ll pick up where I left off.
Australia
Vic and Sandy now reside in eastern Australia
We first met Vic and Sandy on their sailing vessel Wind Wanderer in the Cocos Keeling Islands during our Indian Ocean crossing. They became instant friends, and our paths crossed again in South Africa, Namibia and Trinidad. They have since sold their boat and are living in Australia. Here’s what’s happening in their part of the country:
“Hi Guys,
Good to hear from you as always.
Here in Australia we've had isolation, safe distancing and virtual isolation which seems to be working, to the point of some restrictions being lifted, slowly.
We've had a total shutdown of pubs, clubs, gyms, restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, cinemas, churches, and all gathering places. Weddings can have up to 5 attending being the couple, the priest/celebrant/captain? and 2 witnesses. Funerals can have up to 10. I've got no idea why funerals get double, and I don't think the body counts as one!
Beaches and parks all closed. People could go out to exercise, but not at a gym and not in groups of more than 2, and go straight back home. Going out for essentials like groceries, medical appts and work in essential services, including weird things like building and construction, all ok. Many cafe's resorted to selling takeaway meals only.
We're renting an old farm house in the country so haven't been impacted much. Sandy's folks are in their late 80s so we keep them isolated, do their shopping for them etc.
Homes could have just one visitor at a time, but as of yesterday that's gone up to 2. Interstate travel is banned apart from essential trips. Tourism is stone dead. Many schools are closed with teachers teaching their classes online.
We had the idiotic panic buying including the global rush on toilet paper, but it's pretty normal again now.
Sandy and I have become covid pandemic victims in a totally unexpected, heartbreaking way. We 'bought' our dream 125 acres in the country the week before the pandemic took hold here. The way property purchases work here seemed strange when I arrived in Aus. When you agree on the price you exchange contracts and pay a 10% deposit. Final settlement happens 4-6 weeks later. In that time your lawyers check the details, zonings, etc. to make sure everything is as represented. Lenders prepare documents to release funds, title deeds etc. The deposit is nonrefundable unless some significant detail comes to light, like a vendor's misrepresentation of some material fact.
My bank of 20 years and funders of investment flats over that time gave us the go ahead to make the purchase. We paid the deposit and exchanged contracts.
A week later covid started taking off in Aus and another week later flights were banned and lockdowns were in place.
I was chasing the bank to make sure they'd have everything ready for settlement. Eventually, with a week to settlement they withdrew their approval due to the unforeseen change in the economy. My bank contact rang me on her private cell phone to tell me what they wouldn't say officially. At 72 I'm in the high risk age group, and with my primary income being rentals, their new formula says I can't service the loan. Previously they deemed 80% of rental income to be your available income. That has been reduced by 50% due to the anticipated leap in unemployment and the government's 6 month moratorium on evictions. They now count only 40% of my rental income as being reliable.
We got a good mortgage broker on the job but all the lenders, even the dodgy ones are behaving like roos (Ed: kangaroos = roos in Australian) in the headlights, frozen and don't know which way to jump. Nobody is lending if they can find an excuse not to, until they can see where the economy is headed. Our contract has been rescinded.
Economists at our 4 big banks are all warning of a slow, long recovery, and possibly a recession first. My bank just announced it's dividend at 32c per share. The last dividend was 85c per share! Many self funded retirees have bank shares in their investment portfolios and live on their dividend income. They've just had a massive kick in the guts too.
So there you have it. Our very painful covid story. We're in negotiation to try to get the major part of our deposit back. They've agreed, less expenses, if they can resell the property at the same price.
Time will tell. Keep safe.
Vic and Sandy”
The Navajo Nation
Navajo Nation
Last year when we attended the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival, we met Sharon Chischilly, a very pleasant University of New Mexico journalism student. She is a member of the Navajo Nation and her family home is near Gallup, NM. We’ve kept in touch, and after hearing that the Gallup area and especially the Navajo Nation was especially hard hit with Covid-19 cases, we asked her how she and her family were doing, and how the Navajo Nation was addressing the outbreak. As it turns out, she’s just had an article published in the UNM Daily Lobo (link here) regarding the coronavirus pandemic, and a recent Washington Post article used some of her great photos. She related that the Navajo Nation has, indeed, been very hard hit by the pandemic. It has a population of 356,890 (2016) and as of May 11, has reported 3204 confirmed cases of Covid-19 with 102 deaths. The Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez instituted a state of emergency which has now been extended through June, with most government offices closed and “Stay at Home” restrictions. In addition, an 8PM to 5AM daily curfew as well as an 8PM Friday to 5AM Monday weekend curfew for all but essential personnel is in place, and police roadblocks have been set up to enforce the curfews. Gallup was shut down for a few days, with all exits from I-40 blocked... no outsiders were allowed to enter the town except in emergencies. Almost every Navajo family has been affected, and Sharon’s family is no exception… one aunt has tested positive and a cousin has died from Covid-19. The infection rate is projected to be peaking right now, and hopefully, the aggressive response by the Navajo Nation Health Department will begin to flatten the curve.
Photo credits for all photos above: Sharon Chischilly
Three of our friends are living aboard their sailboats in remote parts of the world and have some rather unique issues related to the pandemic. I’ll relate their stories on Monday. Stay tuned… and more importantly, stay healthy.