Valongo city | Lockdown - Third wave | Portugal
Hi everyone
It is true, Portugal is again in worldwide news feed and for the worst reasons.
The time for the "Portuguese miracle" to contain the pandemic in a first wave is over, and now that we are in the third wave, a race from heaven to hell is perhaps the best description of the path that has put us in the current situation.
Portugal presented maximum numbers per 100 thousand inhabitants during 14 days in January, thus placing us in the worst situation in the world, with the need for international aid.
I am not going to address the political decisions and social behaviors that put us in this situation, but as you may imagine, a series of restrictive measures have already been taken with the aim of reducing contagion and thereby relieving pressure on the national health system, and between these measures is the lockdown, in which i am starting the third month.
I usually go out to exercise my body and relax my mind, preferably in isolated places, like the mountains near where i live.
Today i decided to take a short walk through the center of this small city that is located very close to the well-known city of Porto.
For a moment i still thought that i would come across some people who might have had the same idea as me or even check some open trade and some movement on the streets, but quite the opposite.
What i found, as you can see from the photos i share, it was a completely deserted city, for a moment i thought i would be the only person out o the street, but very occasionally i saw a car passing by or a person walking.
This situation is putting an end to the economy, mainly local traders with an open shop on the side of the road, and the damage is already visible, with insolvencies and layouts that are announced in shop windows all over the place.
At a certain point i made a detour and entered one of the paths in the ecological corridor that crosses the city through the fields and took the opportunity to stretch my legs and bring that contact with nature that i am used to.
I don't know how this is going to end, but i hope everything goes well.
That´s all for today :)
See you soon
Thank you for watching
All images are my property | Images © 2021 @aleister
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https://twitter.com/AleisterCc/status/1358215155558068225
This is so sad to see. We were planning to come to Portugal first in October, then in February and now we´re even not sure if it is a good idea to come end of march. Borders are closed anyways but I still hope they open up again.
What is your guess? Better wait until early summer?
Yes, it's a very complicated situation :( numbers are already starting to drop but the pressure on the national health system remains high, so restrictive measures should continue for a few more weeks. It is so unpredictable that we can only hope that everything goes well and soon it will be possible for us to ease restrictions and resume the economy.
Cheers
thanks for that.
crazy times. I guess we better wait until early summer.
Wow! It’s so sad, but your photos are beautiful. I’ve posted about my trip to Porto if you check my feed. I absolutely loved it, but I also like the smaller towns and this looks so lovely. Praying your government makes good decisions and that you will be able to open again soon. I would also love to visit again and possibly do the Portuguese Camino. But right now we can’t make any plans. Good luck my friend. Stay well!
It´s a messy situation :( but let´s hope for the best..
Thank you for stopping by, glad you liked your stay in our small country, specially Porto :)
I will check your trip next.
Cheers
Hiya, @ybanezkim26 here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #1108.
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Awesome, thank you 🤗🤗