Snowing Again + Passive Cat + Covid-19 News

It's snowing again for a long time. I guess I'm going to have to use the pusher and the shovel again.

The number of new cases has been surging in recent weeks. The government is talking about a curfew being introduced "possibly soon".

The same government had the whole summer, autumn and winter to prepare the legal basis for mandatory testing of foreigners at the border. The borders have leaked the whole time. The British variant was brought to the country by migrant workers from Sweden a couple of months ago. It's now the fastest spreading variant.

Nothing was done. A year ago, the government responded swiftly and the epidemic was effectively stamped out by mid June. But they've apparently rested on their laurels since then and now they're preparing for curfews.

The thing about curfews is that Finland is a sparsely populated country. There is normally plenty of space even in the cities. I've had several of my readers point out that the city looks deserted in my cityscape images because there seems to be no one on the streets.

This country is by no means ever crowded except for public transport in the largest cities during rush hour.

All the transmissions where I live have taken place in pubs where there is loud music, people are drunk and shouting at each other over the music or at gyms where there are lots of people a few meters apart training and breathing heavily or in saunas and locker rooms at the same time.

For example, what a curfew could mean is that someone living in the suburbs couldn't take a walk in a nearby forest in the evening when there is guaranteed to be absolutely not a soul in sight without being fined by the police if a patrol car happens to drive by.

This is stupidity of the highest order.

As an insult to injury, the government is now mulling over asking the parliament to postpone the upcoming municipal elections scheduled to be held next month until June or possibly even next autumn. I want to send a message to the bumblers at the voting booth. It would be easy to arrange for the elections to be held in a manner that minimized transmission risk. Mandate the use of masks, set up polling stations under rain cover outside, vaccinate all polling station staff, extend the opening hours of the polling stations by two hours on Sunday and open them for Saturday. Recommend absentee voting. Absentee voting can be done by mail, at home for special groups or at polling stations in public spaces for weeks prior to the election day.

The parliamentary elections will be held in 2023. I want these parties out of office and the current cabinet out.