Community
Never afraid to speak his mind, Tavira resident and long term friend of the East Algarve magazine, Jay Cee gives us his experiences to date in the continuing daily fight against the spread of the deadly Corona Virus.
MY VIRAL THOUGHTS
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his is not the movie Contagion. This is not Fake News. The reality of a new Zootrophic VIRUS is amongst us. This is an irrefutable FACT must not be ignored, yet seems to be, by some, and indeed audaciously paraded by others. I for one am very grateful for having chosen to reside in Tavira, the Jewell of the Algarve. For I have a mountain view within my isolation walls. I have sunshine supplying me with a steady stream of VitaminD, and I inhabit a community of people, who, by my observation and estimation, have adhered to the current globally prescribed measures imposed by the Portuguese Government. They follow those rules, by staying home. For the most part, civility and socially conscious behavior has been the course of action taken by the majority of the citizens of my chosen town. Thank you, Tavira. Of course, there are the exceptions to the rule. Which I illustrate with this personal occurrence I had thrust upon me. I ask myself, why after handing out 30 pairs of gloves to consumers at Mini Preco, was I verbally bombarded with racist remarks, by a local man, “telling me to go back to my country”, shouting in front of people, who wore masks and gloves, “that I am the cause of the virus being in Portugal, that he doesn’t have the virus, only I do, that I don’t belong here” All because I asked him to wear gloves, that I was providing for him. Was this fear, stress, worry or just plain racist ignorance, that he felt was
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justified, by the times we are within? Not one other person offered any support in this exchange. They stood mute behind their protective masks. Finally, the manager accompanied him from the premises. Who are these people that act so differently in this Global scenario? Gordon Asmundson, a professor of psychology at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan has categorized peoples behavior by three groups, Over-responders, Under-responders and those who fall Somewhere in Between. I say we have four groups. The first group in this societal Pandemic are the health workers. These professionals are risking their lives as they fight for ours, They are faced with an untenable responsibility as they serve their community part of an ill-equipped infrastructure, within an ill-prepared industry. Their faces scraped, bruised, rubbed raw from wearing the same mask, for days on end. They are scarring themselves, in the line of duty, for us. Think about that the next time you have a sandal blister and you need to walk back from the beach. Now multiple that one hundredfold and it might give you an emotional sense memory understanding of what they are going through, over a 48-hour shift, with little sleep. I salute you all in normal times, today I bend the knee and bow my head. Bravo. They are followed closely in their heroic contributions by the Truck Drivers, the Grocery Workers, the Telecommunications people,
the Tavira Verde men and women who are disinfecting our streets, the EDP power station operators that keep the lights on, the Ambulance drivers, the Corpo de Bombeiros, the bakers of bread, the butchers, the garbage workers that continue to take our refuse away late into the night. These people are on frontlines, 14/16 hours a day, sacrificing, facing possible mortality. These are the people who socially distance themselves from their very loved ones, so that the chain of supply flows, for us. They are the facilitators of our needs in these times, not the politicians, not the celebrities, not the influencers. For all of this that you give and do for us, I can only say thank you very much. I hold you all, in high regard. Stay healthy and know that you are honorable people who serve others. Now, WHY are the Over Responders, these “panic buyers” so afraid? Why do they think that hoarding toilet paper is an empowering action against a viral assault and why does it provide them, in their mindset, a sense of security inside this fear? When we all know, when all genuine, reasonable common sense points and proves, that it does not? What basic primal need is being triggered, that makes these individuals strikeout and bodily assault another human being? Please don’t simply read what I just asked. Please take the time to question these behaviors? Because those that engage in it, are not only blind to their actions but are oblivious to the understanding
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