Fixpoint

2020-03-18

Virus terror shuts down Panama City

Filed under: News — Jacob Welsh @ 00:27

On a normal Tuesday rush hour, this would be a busy sidewalk.

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There wouldn't be space between cars on Via España.

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Three cops rolled out purposefully. Maybe there's a gathering to be suppressed.

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At the supermarket, the normal street-level entrance was closed. The masked - and gloved, for good measure! - guard at the exit was a bit distracted and didn't at first notice me stroll in, but then hollered and pointed me to the parking entrance.

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The bread lines are here - not for lack of bread, as yet, but for limited headcount permitted inside.

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Maybe the checkout lines at least go faster now. I have my doubts: they seem to be always just a bit understaffed by design. I didn't stick around to find out.

I wonder how often they miss someone leaving and don't let the next in.

The chino's shelves are holding up fine, on the offchance they have something you'd want to buy.

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Back at the cell block, celebrations prohibited, and a first hint of concern about the water supply, though that's not uncommon here as the growth of the city outpaced its internal improvements and maintenance for years. At least there's clip art!

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But yes, I'm holding out fine so far, thanks.

8 Comments »

  1. How old is the typical JWRD client?

    Comment by Anon — 2020-03-18 @ 01:06

  2. In that we wouldn't turn down an 80yo willing and able to learn nor a 25yo willing and able to pay, I wouldn't say age is a typifying characteristic there.

    I guess I'll need to write a proper article on it so this thread has a place to live, huh.

    Comment by Jacob Welsh — 2020-03-18 @ 03:54

  3. The bread lines are promising, though still a beginner's effort! Indeed, I have been dutifully informed by further helpful parties that I should move to California as it's now the best place in the world to find the beginnings of the queues of yesteryear. Perhaps that's the point of the travel ban though, namely to keep away the unfair competition from experienced foreign queue participants (is there such a word as queuers? and I don't mean queers, no).

    Comment by Diana Coman — 2020-03-18 @ 07:57

  4. Hm. I'm changing my plans now to go shopping today.

    Comment by whaack — 2020-03-18 @ 15:49

  5. > experienced foreign queue participants

    Sovok veterans will be delighted to learn that classical авоська ("mayhaps-bag", i.e. "mayhaps the shops have something today") is now widely sold and used in USA. And that "fish is what they don't have at the fish counter"(tm)(r).

    Comment by Stanislav Datskovskiy — 2020-03-18 @ 16:59

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