Apocalyptic groceries

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic in Sofia, Bulgaria. 16th of March.

We worked from home today most of the day. I talked to the staff of our co-working space in Sofia and they offered us to extend our subscription while they stay closed. That was a nice gesture.

At noon, we left the apartment to do some groceries at Lidl. Apparently, shelves were empty on Saturday and Sunday, but on Monday the situation was back to normal. When we got there, we realized there was a queue to get in, and people were keeping a 2-meter distance between them. We were the only ones without face masks.

The scene looked like something from Walking Dead. Inside, everybody wore latex gloves. We got some of these plastic gloves used to pick up fruits and vegetables, bought some fresh products and milk, and headed back home.

News about the outbreak from Spain is scary. It seems the healthcare system has already collapsed in Madrid, so people older than 67 are being kicked out of the UCI to leave room for younger people. So we are at the stage where they are indeed deciding who lives and who dies.

At 19:00 we had our little “Apocalypsis video meeting”. We made some funny jokes again, laughed and had a good time. These video meetings make the whole situation a lot more bearable.

Then, back to work. Obviously, I am worried about the future While we have only marginally felt the impact of the coronavirus, it is clear that people are not in the mood of doing business right now. We are jet to see the economic consequences of this crisis.

Bulgaria has been showing an increase of 10 cases daily. Yesterday there were 51 cases, today 62. For now, it seems the measures of the Bulgarian government are working. Let’s hope the outbreak will stay in the contention zone here…