Page 89 - Gilbert & Me_Neat

Day Twenty

Tuesday, April 28 , 2020
th

7.07am:
Not been a good night. Things again weighing heavily in my brain, like WHAT THE HELL IS
GOING ON?!?!?!

I determine that I need to know what’s going on in the world, especially in relation to Belize and
this national lockdown. Yesterday on the way home, there seems to be more traffic on the roads,
construction sites appear to be active again, and less people about wearing masks…yet I haven’t
heard any news - and I listened very carefully - about lessening restrictions on movement or
allowing some people to go back to work. But they are. It’s all very confusing. I don’t have
internet, as you know, and I still don’t have a cell phone that works, so I’ll have to take a walk
done to Frank and Sue’s place to hook up to their wifi. Perhaps then I can get some news.

First, though, since its Tuesday I have to get some laundry done – bed linen and some undies.
With that done – coffee.

While I’m enjoying my second cup, I hear and then see more and more people on the street, they
seem to be getting back to regular routines: the neighbour across the road has garden
maintenance people in his front yard, chopping or pruning a large Flamboyant tree and cutting
back shrubs; the new building site is a live with activity. For all the world, it looks like life is
returning to normal. But should it be?

Ah ha, looks like the neighbour isn’t hiring anyone – it looks like he’s doing the work on his
own, with a friend. I see that now, as he’s just come back in his truck, and is loading it up with
debris from the chopped tree and shrubs. Okay. So, now I just have to figure out if the
construction workers are supposed to be working, or if the Government has, in fact, relaxed the
SI they enacted, which halted all construction work a couple of weeks ago. I’ll keep an eye on
the site and see what happens. I’m still intent on returning to work, unless I hear from the
Government that the non-essential worker stay at home order is still in place, that is. I know I
can’t risk being stopped and arrested because the last thing I need is a police record that might
impact on my future application for nationality. So, regardless of what happens, that has to be
my number one imperative.

By 10.30am, the street is virtually dead again. There’s only three people working on the
construction site now – indicating that physical distancing is being practiced at least – and the
neighbours’ done with his yard. However, I still need to see if other places that have been closed
are now open, because that will tell me if the restrictions have been relaxed, even if only for
some people.