Well, good news. The car is fixed (sort of, anyways). Weekends are still strict lockdown with only one permit to go out for 3 hours that doesn't mention a trip to the mechanic. The guy that had towed our car is also a mechanic (but his shop is kind of far to get to with the car acting up) and had said what parts needed replacing. So, during the week when we have more freedom of movement, my husband bought those parts plus spark plugs. I made an appointment at Bosch, the closest mechanic for Saturday, the only day they had free. We requested permits to buy food and basic supplies, since that was the only option and dropped off the car.

After that we did head into town and bought some stuff at the supermarket and took a shared taxi home. We paid the fare for the usual 4 people so as to not have to share. We got home and realized that my husband's phone had been lost, probably left in the taxi. So, we had to go back into town to the taxi stand. One of the advantages of living in a smaller town is that we were able to get it back. In the capital, it would have been a lost cause. The guy at the taxi stand called on the radio to the cars and our driver reported that he had found it. So, we had to just wait a bit and when he finished his route he brought it back to us.

By then, it was time to go back to the mechanic. The car seems to be running much better. It doesn't feel like it is straining just to drive, so I hope that resolves things.