The day was warm and sunny , a gentle sea breeze cooled the sun worshipers . The beach was ,for the first time this year, festooned with white flesh . We all could now travel for a day at the sea side, and Argeles Plage was thronged with excitement and gaiety . A green flag flew over the lifeguard station , giving reassurance that it was safe to enter the water; and that someone may be watching over us.
Pausing to reflect ; this safety is relative . You need to be able to swim , stay within your capabilities , eaten and drunk sensibly and avoid thermal shock . An orange flag : the risks and precautions have just increased. Red flag : you have been warned , and now on your own ; although there may be an emergency rescue attempt. These are just facts of life that we have learnt to live with. No great issue.
It is , and will be ,the same situation with Covid. Leaving the relative safety of our homes, we will be entering a world where the potential for virus infection will exist . A green flag , then we are vaccinated , the waters will be smooth with little risk of infection . As with swimming , a degree of risk will remain .It will be personal choice, rather than governmental, as to how we respond.
We are not there yet as the country is not vaccinated and ,as important , in vast swathes of the world , a red flag is clearly flying . The world death toll from Covid is forecast as 1 million in May alone ; a storm is truly raging. Venturing into these waters attracts an unacceptable personal risk and the possibility of importing, on return, yet another new variant of the virus. We need a vaccinated world for a green flag to fly at home.
Flags will continue to be part of our lives , for both swimming and Covid.
Hoping you are fully vaccinated now. Here we are led to believe the Indian strain seems to be affecting mainly those who haven't bothered to get vaccinated. We certainly feel much more comfortable having received both jabs.
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