Uncertain times

Don´t really know where to start. Seems to be sort of a continuous state of mind these days. But well, let´s give it a go.

Covid-19.

For quite some time it felt like it was not so near us. Sure it was something to keep an eye on, but more like one of those viruses that we´ve seen in the past. A far away virus that would run its course and then go away.

No longer though. The Norwegian prime minister held a press conference earlier this afternoon and quite a few drastic measures were announced:
- all kindergartens and schools are closed in Norway until at least 26 March
- all sports events planned up until 26 March are cancelled
- all fitness- and trainings centers are closed until 26 March
- in all restaurants, bars etc. it is no longer allowed to serve buffet style and it should be possible to have at least 1 meter distance between all customers
- beauty salons, massage places and nail salons are closed until 26 March
- Hafjell and Trysil ski areas are closed (and probably some more too)
.. and than I have not even listed all the measures that have been announced. (for a complete list - in Norwegian though - please check here)

What does that mean for us?

Well obviously, Mik is at home as school is closed. It is not like it will be a 2 week holiday though. Tutoring will continue online and assignments will be done via the online school portal. Plus there is plenty to do here in the Hamperium household, so I do not expect that Mik will have a lot of time to be bored.

And for me: well, at 50 Degrees we decided to minimize the risk of contamination and to start working from home. Thank goodness for Google Hangouts even though it is a meager substitute for not hanging out in real life. Working in the travel industry obviously comes with challenges in these uncertain times. I mean it is not that people are lining up to go on holiday now or wanting to book new holidays for the next couple of months. Luckily 50 Degrees is a strong company: strong financially and strong in moral and ethical values. We try to deal with all client situations as best we can, with the clients best interest at heart and thus hoping that even though, they might postpone travel for now, they will indeed travel with us in the near less uncertain future.

And what does that mean for Ylva?

That she and Otis do not get to hang as much as they would probably like. Even though Ylva seems to be very fond of Otis´ fur with taking out the occasional dot of white hair, they do seem like best buds. Here at the gård Ylva still has her 2 brothers to hang out with though.

These are uncertain times. I mean, we were and are just getting used to our own new normal and  now apparently the whole world needs to get used to a new normal. Our new normal by the way already included lots of hand washing. This comes with having a puppy in the house and well, just general hygiene right?

And what does that mean for travel in general?

This link is features on 50 Degrees´ Travel Safe page and I found it well written. So in case you are wondering about your own travels, have a look here and it might just help you to make a decision.

For now: stay safe, exercise common sense and wash those hands!