Three weeks ago, I went for dinner at an open-air restaurant with a group of 8 fellow travel bloggers. We were all mask-wearing, careful individuals, or so I thought.
A week later, one of the bloggers announced she tested positive for Covid-19. She also announced that she had symptoms during the dinner but 'didn't think anything of it at the time'. (Note: If there's any time to think something of it, that would be 2020.)
Soon enough, nine days after that dinner, I started having symptoms - fever, muscle aches, congestion, chest pressure and extreme sluggishness - and immediately went into isolation.
And then, less than 24 hours later, Tropical Storm Gamma came barreling through Playa del Carmen.
After the storm passed, I went for a Covid-19 PCR test and I tested positive.
I had about 2 seconds to let that sink in because Hurricane Delta then came barreling through Playa del Carmen late that night. And, of course, Matcha also went into heat for the second time in a month, howling and meowing away as the storm hit.
Luckily, the hurricane passed with only minor damage and 15 hours without electricity, so it wasn't too bad in the end. I then continued my self-isolation last week which involved sitting on the sofa, staring at the walls, occasionally watching an episode of Schitt's Creek and taking naps.
Today marks 8 days without any symptoms and 12 days of staying inside. Today is actually the day I end my isolation. I went for a quick walk already and will leave it at that, slowly re-integrating into the outside world.
Unfortunately, I do know at least 7 people who now tested positive as well, most likely getting it from me before I had any symptoms. And while staying Covid-free is no guarantee in any situation, this all traces back to the one person who had symptoms yet chose to ignore them and hang out with people anyway. I would say there's an important lesson there.
Also, it's almost certain that Matcha got Covid-19 from me as well. While it's not nearly as dangerous for cats, she can't get spayed until she's fully over it. So the never-ending wait for her spaying continues for at least another ten days!
What a week. WHAT A YEAR.
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I will say this...at one point I didn't open my laptop for 6 full days due to a combination of feeling like crap from Covid-19 and having no electricity after the storms. And that time offline was blissful. The challenge is how to reduce laptop time overall while still being productive. I read this article about wasting time online but if you have other solutions, I'm listening!
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Cat lesson of the week: Don't let your young kitten play the 'nibble on your fingers' game. For the rest of her life she will think you are merely one giant toy and nothing else.
