Day Two of Quarantine

 Day one down, and four left of staying in this flat to go. I am still in a state of confusion about this. There is no phone number, only the orders to be quarantined. The phone app gives a lot of links with a lot of information about COVID but I can find nothing about what to do if you have been exposed. I guess the quarantine is a good idea to keep it from spreading, but I wish they could tell me exactly where and to whom I was near to be now under house arrest as a possible risk to the general public.

I think I will spend some time again tomorrow trying to find out more about this. 

Boris Johnson made his announcement tonight. The restrictions will not be eased for at least another two weeks and perhaps longer. In two weeks they will reassess to see if the new variant - which is responsible for the overwhelming majority of new cases in UK has quieted down. In the meantime, the National Health Service will double their efforts to see everyone over eighteen is vaccinated with at least the first shot.

Even if the numbers go dramatically down, there is no guarantee as of today if the quarantine rules will change. As of now, citizens from the U.S. have to isolate ten days, which can be changed to five + one (the day you arrive isn't part of the five)  by purchasing expensive rapid results COVID tests and having negative results.

We are watching and waiting and praying that our family can come, but it is looking doubtful anytime soon.

Besides working on the lesson for tomorrow, I have done some deep cleaning that needed to be done before we leave. It felt good to get some of it out of the way.

SK ordered sub sandwiches from a man in the ward for tonight's family home evening. He trotted off around six to drive to the outlying city where the shop is. He ended up waiting a half hour for them to be assembled and then waded through unfamiliar roads and heavy traffic to get to the park where Family Home Evening was held. He was rattled by the time he got there, understandably.

We had an unbelievable high number of young people there - 16. That is the highest since B.C. - before COVID. It was a gorgeous day with a cool breeze. They played football (soccer) on the greenest and coolest of grass meadows. I wasn't there, but I've been with them in that park and it is beautifully emerald, with stately trees majestically presiding over all the happy individuals who have broken free of their dreary dorm cells.

They ate most of the sandwiches, laughed and talked and laughed some more. It was still very light when they parted at nine. SK wearily drove the missionaries home and dragged in - just in time for the zone call. That drive was hard on him. It helps just to have a second set of eyes to help navigate. Our ability to handle stress is just ever so slightly less than in Denmark, but it has been six years since we finished that mission, and we are six to eight years older than we were then.

But we love this place, and we love these young people, and each night as we pray together, we thank the Lord for this distinct blessing of knowing all these wonderful young adults and missionaries.

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