Annnd....Covid-19 is in the building...

It's arrived.

Into Okaasan's care home building - far quicker than we thought, and BAM! Family visits are suspended.

Only Monday this week they were saying: "If the local government declares another ranking up of the Alert Level etc"

Now they have two cases...well, it was two cases a day or two ago....

We got the letter yesterday saying that two patients in the hospital part of the care home have tested positive, and of course all visits  from outsiders would be stopped.

We don't know if the two cases are care home residents, or patients from outside. We don't know how serious.

The building is huge, half care home and half hospital. Different entrances, main elevators....but connecting corridors...shared kitchen? laundry? staff rooms?

Ironically, we chose this care home because it has the hospital. Easy for the staff to get Okaasan medical attention. Now that is a liability, in these Covid times.

In Hokkaido this week the cases have multiplied day by day - care homes, schools, bars, restaurants, shops...300..heading towards 400 cases day by day. TV is full of experts showing us how we can have heaters on - but must open windows and doors. It's cold, and wastes power. But we are trying to do it.

My friend, who caught Covid, is now negative and back home gently recovering and feeling weak. I passed a big city center hotel the other day and could see it being prepared as the latest quarantine-ready place for people who don't need to be in hospital. And another friend's husband's workplace has many cases.

And Okaasan's home.

Cross fingers that they can contain it, because we all know those terrible numbers of the spread thru a shared building community for the elderly.