Visit, while you can?

We've done two more visits to Okaasan.
Sat in the lounge, sat in her room. 30 mins each time - it's long enough, to be honest - because she doesn't talk and hardly responds to what we say...so 30 mins of prattling about things is enough for our brains.

I think she understands what we are saying, but can't form any response.
And if the sentence is too long and complex...she just gets lost.
And of course, she can't see our mouths moving behind the masks.

But. But.
Yet another care home in the city has COVID-19 and the cases are mounting...10 one day...12 the next. Residents and staff.
How long will it be before our care home shuts the doors again to family visits?
We feel it might be soon.

So, we go on the weekly visits and chat away.

Meanwhile, some kind of normal in our area - businesses are open again and now there is a domestic tourism discount promotion campaign to get us all to travel a bit and spend some money. Japan is still banning foreigners from coming into the country - only 250 a day from the business community of Vietnam, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. They will be restricted in movement and activity.

Sapporo city is always packed with foreign tourists. It is so strange to see it quiet.
I met a friend downtown on Saturday. We sat, in our masks, on a park bench in the city center. Quiet. The shopping area was like a midweek afternoon.

I can't imagine foreigners flooding back here for months and months...this winter?
But then we can't do all the open doors and windows...the air circulation....

What a strange world it is...still.