Vietnam may lift lockdown; U.S. immigration ban impact

Vietnamese officials are meeting today (Wednesday, April 22) to decide when and how to reopen the economy. It appears the lockdown extension could be lifted  a week early -- sometime next week. Vietnam will have gone more than three weeks with everything but supermarkets shut down. There have been only 268 cases reported here, with no fatalities. A former student of mine noted that Vietnam is a young country -- 60 percent of its 97 million citizens are 30 years old or younger. Coronovirus hits everyone, of course, but seems especially devastating to people 65 and older. Police are reportedly tracking down every suspected case and those with symptoms are immediately taken to a hospital for evaluation. I have no idea how officials conduct testing for the virus, but I'm pleased to say the situation appears under control at the moment. It's a good thing. It's very unlikely hospitals here could handle a huge influx of coronavirus patients. None of the countries with extremely large outbreaks are able to cope, and these are countries with considerably more resources and wealth than Vietnam ... for example, the United States. Schools will re-open here sometime early May, likely May 4, which means students will have had an unexpected three months off due to the pandemic. Vietnamese officials, unlike some world leaders, took the coronavirus outbreak seriously from the start, closing borders and schools, closely monitoring airport traffic, and investigating all suspected cases. Perhaps the hot weather has been helpful, although Singapore is currently struggling with an influx and it's closer to the equator than Vietnam. We're located 12 degrees N latitude while Singapore is practically on the equator.

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U.S. President Trump's decision to halt all immigration to the U.S., the country which has by far the most coronavirus cases (819,175) and Covid-19-related deaths (45,343) in the world, will at best slow any hopes my family had of coming to the U.S. and at worst end those hopes altogether. Closing the borders to immigrants now seems unnecessarily reactive. That train left the station but President Trump has blamed the WHO, U.S. governors, overly cautious doctors, U.S. states, China, Obama, social distancing and stay at home guidelines and now immigrants for the United States' problems. Don't forget that immigrants are on the front lines in the battle with coronavirus, accounting for 17% of healthcare workers and 24% of direct care workers in the U.S., an official with the National Immigration Forum told the Guardian newspaper. It also looks like I won't get any stimulus money since I'm married to a Vietnamese citizen, although I'm not 100 percent sure about that. I am 100 percent sure I haven't gotten any stimulus money yet, but it would take more than $1,000 or so to stimulate my 65-year-old economy. Xenophobia is a powerful force in the world today, and tragically seems to be gaining momentum. Maybe I'm watching too much CNN. Or not enough.

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My mornings now include the grim routine of checking the website worldometers.info to see how many people have contracted and succumbed to coronavirus. We live in times that I thought only possible in the science fiction books I read. On a positive note along that vein: I've read 136 days in a row according to the Kindle downloaded on my iPhone; I haven't smoked in four years and one month; and haven't had a drink in four months and three weeks. Even an addictive, narcissistic and obsessive-compulsive personality can produce a few positive results if channeled in a proper direction.

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Medical care is a little bit of a concern for me since I can't really travel to the U.S. even though I have Medicare. I absolutely must have a specific type of prescription eye drops, so I'm on a mission to find them here. We've got a couple of leads; I'm cautiously optimistic. I refuse to go to a doctor here for my sciatica or back pain, so I'm playing holistic roulette on the internet hoping for results. I made progress with acupuncture but coronavirus halted that option. Now I'm soaking in warm salt water and doing yoga before bedtime, and the results have been promising. I can walk in the mornings and the pain is minimal. In light of coronavirus, I really shouldn't be overly concerned with these types of issues, but I want to continue to be an active part of my family's life.

Lockdown extended; 'mini-gym' entertains our daughter

Vietnam is taking strong steps to control the coronavirus, extending a two-week lockdown that started March 29 until the end of April. As of Sunday, April 12, Vietnam had reported 259 cases nationwide, an incredibly low number if the figures are accurate. My wife went to the supermarket Sunday and had to have her temperature taken to get in, and when it registered a little high, she had to wait for a re-test. She told security her temperature was high because of the weather -- it's been 98 or 99 (degrees Fahrenheit) every day and very humid. And my wife is very pregnant and covered in clothing to protect herself from the sun. After a short wait, her temperature dropped, she passed the re-test and got my yogurt. If her temperature had stayed high, I assume the police would have been called and an ambulance would have taken her to the hospital for further  evaluation. Of course, she had her face mask on, which is a requirement here.

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Admittedly, keeping an active, nearly 4-year-old girl entertained during a lockdown and stifling heatwave presents a serious challenge. But my perceptive wife bought a small, multipurpose mini-gym apparatus for our daughter Joanna that includes a swing, two 'rings' and a wooden ladder on a rope. My daughter loves to climb and creates a lot of anxiety in our house by scaling the banister on our stairs. No more. I praise Phuong every day for this purchase. Joanna has lost interest in coloring and doesn't feel particularly challenged by letter tracing, so the mini-gym has been a God-send. As noted, she's active and needs physical activity, which is difficult under the present circumstances. But the mini-gym has taken a little pressure off mom and dad.

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Joanna and I always wear masks when we take a daily walk at 4 p.m., and the heat makes it uncomfortable. When we get to the park I let her take the mask off and I'll remove mine as well. We'll put them back on when we see people approaching. Most kids don't wear masks and cluster to play football and hang out. I haven't seen police break that up, but police came and told my sister-in-law to remove chairs and tables from her little restaurant and serve takeout only. She had already made the change to takeout only but was lazy about bringing the chairs inside.

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Last week our 77-year-old neighbor died -- a very nice man but a hardcore cigarette smoker -- and the three-day funeral was not very strong on social distancing. Some folks clustered around tables playing cards,and drinking and about 20 percent of those who attended didn't wear masks. Few women smoke in this country but obviously it's difficult for the many men who smoke to puff with a mask on.

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My wife finally got an appointment for her U.S. visa interview, but it was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus. I'm not sure what our plans are. Not important at this point.

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 A friend of mine made what I think is an astute observation about the coronavirus, saying as horrible as it is, it gives us a chance to hit the reset button. With lockdowns in place around the world, pollution levels have dropped dramatically. People are spending more time at home, and in some cases that means more time with family. The negative has been overwhelming, but we're nothing without hope. People have a way of finding hope.

Locked down, trying to stay busy in distressing times

Our real coronavirus lockdown began this week as the number of confirmed cases topped 1 million worldwide. Everything but supermarkets shut their doors in Bien Hoa. A couple of odd businesses -- a sports clothing shop and a Korean beauty salon -- stayed open after the lockdown was ordered on Monday. The government sent out a no-nonsense message on Tuesday this week via internet telling residents to mind their social distancing, stay indoors, and forget about shopping (except for necessities) for 14 days. The two businesses closed. On the website worldometers.info, which updates throughout the day, Vietnam has reported 233 cases of the virus overall as of Friday, April 3. The total has been rising about 10 cases a day the past 10 days, so I think the government is trying to snuff out the spread of the virus before it gets a real foothold here and picks up momentum. I have no complaints about how the government here is responding to the crisis.

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Joanna and I sometimes take a 30-minute walk with our masks on and marvel at the lack of traffic. Kids still play soccer in the street and there are a few badminton players in the park.  Almost all of them are not wearing masks. Joanna is aware that things are abnormal because the coffee shops we frequent together are closed. She doesn't even ask for videos when we watch CNN or France24.
I fill my time with assorted house chores like laundry, dishes, and cleaning. I've been reading everything Jack Vance has written that I can buy on Kindle, but that's been going on for the past 120 days in a row.  Of course there's lots of Joanna care, including two hours of kiddie pool time. I read to Joanna in the morning, and we watch two hours of Peppa Pig videos each day. I know that's a lot, but we are locked down and Peppa Pig is quite entertaining, even for adults. I also listen to a slew of Brian Jonestown Massacre music I purchased on iTunes and Amazon.  I got on board after watching the documentary Dig! on YouTube. I stopped teaching.  I'll resume when the 14-day isolation period ends. My pregnant wife is enduring, but it's not easy. At least her back pain subsided.

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Rainy season is approaching and more folks tend to get sick in Vietnam this time of year, but I have no idea how rainy season will affect the spread of the coronavirus. This virus seems resilient regardless of weather conditions since it has spread to more than 200 countries in both hemispheres.
My heart goes out to anyone suffering from this virus, but I feel especially distressed for the U.S., Italy and Spain.  If blogspot stats are to be believed, I have more readers from Italy and the U.S. than any other countries the past two years. Be careful and follow the guidelines, folks.

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I have read about and I have watched officials on TV who were dismissive about the virus when it was initially identified and started to spread. Some are even dismissive now, especially about the guidelines and tactics recommended by scientists to combat the virus. I don't think a comment about these people is particularly necessary from someone like me. The soaring death count, especially in the three countries I mentioned, speaks volumes about their comments, actions and attitudes.