It’s Saturday & Some News I need to talk about…

First of all I need to apologise for the delay in posting. With my time dedicated to work from Monday to Friday, I don’t have a lot of time for writing however I do try to write during the weekends or during the evenings. Last week, I had a nice easy walk, nothing too strenuous, but it was enjoyable. I would love to venture out again in the near future, this time with a pack. I have a 3 day pilgrimage coming up in May (2 months away). However, with the news of Covid-19 and with the lack of any positive outcome, it’s difficult to predict if I will walk this or not. At the time of writing, 18 people have contracted the virus in Ireland and a number of schools are closed. A few weeks ago, I didn’t think that it would cause us much disruption but I am willing to take that back now. Each and every morning, I go to work and hear people coughing. You can only imagine how unsettling that feels. But to be honest, I can see this getting worse. I feel for the vulnerable, I feel for the elderly, I feel for the people with existing conditions.

Ok, so the question remains what you do if you are planning to walk a Camino in Portugal or Spain in the near future? Do you go ahead or cancel? I see many pilgrims on social media already on the Camino in photos. So why not, is the answer to that. But I answer with a caveat!

You must firstly follow your own Government’s advice. If you are advised not to travel to an area where there is a spread, please do not travel. Otherwise, it is safe to travel.

On the Camino or anywhere for that matter, how can you stay safe from corunavirus:

There is as yet no vaccine for coronavirus so Spanish health officials are advising people to practice good basic hygiene to keep themselves protected.

• Wash hands your thoroughly and often with soap and water, especially after coughing and sneezing or before eating or it you have been touching surfaces that many other people will have touched such as on the Metro
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, especially with unwashed hands.
• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. Cover your mouth with your elbow when coughing
• Use disposable tissues and throw them away after use
• Clean off surfaces with alcohol- or chlorine-based disinfectants.
• They insist that protective face masks are not necessary unless you have symptoms or are treating someone who has symptoms.

At this moment in time, I am travelling to Porto in September. I will wait and see how this develops before making a decision on whether to travel.

Some handy links:

• Worldwide cases
• Coronavirus in Spain
• Symptoms, treatment, how it is spread: hse.ie