The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 125 (625)

It's a good thing Omicron has put coronavirus news on some small sort of hold meaning that there weren't a lot of notes to take. Today's plan for the afternoon included taking some more notes, writing this post, and getting back to the binding on the latest quilt. The quilt has been shifted to tomorrow after having been, for the most part, shifted from yesterday to today. The machine part of the binding causes much angst from my fear of screwing the mitering on the corners up more than I know I'll do already. I just need to remember the words I put up on the refrigerator the other day: Whatever you're doing today, do it with the confidence of a 4-year-old wearing a Batman t-shirt. Wise words, I say.

Greece has made vaccines mandatory for people over the age of 60. Those who have not gotten their first shot by January 16 will be fined 100 Euros ($113.38 at today's rate) per month. This sounds like something that was in the works before Omicron reared its ugly head. If people won't respond to a bribe, try a threat. Germany's constitutional court has ruled that restrictions such as curfews, school closures, and contact restrictions in the interest of fighting the coronavirus are, in fact, legal.

Around 20 countries have so far reported finding the Omicron variant. France found it on Reunion, an island in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but still French territory. The person testing positive there went through Mozambique on the way to Reunion. News briefs from other countries include the the fist case in Japan was a Namibian diplomat. There were Omicron cases in the Netherlands before South Africa first reported Omicron. It is not clear if the people with Omicron had visited South Africa. Masks are now required on public transport and in shops in England. People in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland must also wear masks in pubs and restaurants. Norway is requiring masks on transit and in crowded places. 

Altogether, Europe is currently reporting more cases each day than at any previous point in the pandemic. It's not clear what Omicron might do to that rate if it hasn't already done something. The president of the European Commission advises hoping for the best while preparing for the worst. That's probably good advice for anywhere or for anyone. Various reports have pointed out the initial anxiety over the lambda and mu variants about which we no longer hear. Omicron could also turn out to be a nothing burger, though I can't say I believe that. One of the pluses of being a pessimist is that there's no place to go but up.