Thanks!! @BethRags

@WastingAsparagus It's sort of a weird, variable situation. The cases started mainly in the northeast of the capital, a more affluent area. Essentially it was people with money who went on summer break to Italy and Spain. Last week the mayors of three of these municipalities (one where I lived until about a year ago) declared some sort of quarantine, even though the president said they don’t have the authority to do so. A former neighbor says they are taking it more as a recommendation.

Our international borders are closed. Easter Island is quarantined, as is Chiloé, they basically stopped running flights and ferries, cutting it off. A few places down south where cruises passed through have been quarantined. Finally, there is a city called Chillán that has had a whole lot of cases for a town of its size, nearly all linked to a gym. The city is under quarantine. It’s almost impossible to get in and out.

Then, if you are traveling to the farther north or south where there have been fewer cases, they have set up health checkpoints where they take your temperature and ask some other questions before deciding if they give you a pass to continue.

In Santiago, especially in the worst hit communities, the police, military, etc. can stop you to do ID checks to see if you are on a list of people that are supposed to be under quarantine. I live in the Metropolitan Region but not in Santiago Province. So far we haven’t had such measures here. I’ve only heard of one case in the area.

Then, they are doing checks on people going to the coast. They are telling people from the capital who have vacation homes on the coast to go back or not to go. Apparently there are checkpoints on the major highways. I am amazed that they can do that, but I guess that’s the reason for the state of catastrophe declaration. My husband says it feels like we’re in some sort of futuristic apocalyptic movie.

I do wonder if this is all a ramp up to stricter movement restrictions.

My fear is when the disease starts to hit the poorer municipalities of Santiago, which feels inevitable by now. My husband has experience working in such areas. People in many neighborhoods live in cramped conditions, 10-12 people in a small house, often several generations, putting the elderly at risk. Many have more chronic health issues as well. It’s not going to be good.