Life in Portugal During the Pandemic

Yes, it’s another essay with the coronavirus playing the starring role.

But this article is a bit different than the usual COVID-19 post. This is inspired by the question people ask me via Instagram, email, and during my So, You Want to Move to Portugal Sessions:

What's life in Portugal like right now during the pandemic?

In a word, I'd say life is pretty calm.

Of course, that's my subjective and limited assessment, but the virus is almost an afterthought—as far as my experience goes. Living with the virus is a habit now. I check my bag for my mask before I leave the house, never (practically never) touch my face when I'm out, and wash my hands like a mechanic who's just rebuilt an engine and has a slick of grease to clean off.

My limited assessment of Portugal during the pandemic comes from the way I'm living and that I’m on foot—I don’t get to see what other areas are like.

Pandemic Tourism

I've not traveled since March, other than to go to Lisbon for a doctor's appointment, and even then, my friends drove me so I wouldn't need to take public transit. I haven't been on a bus or train since early March.

Traveling around Portugal right now is ideal, with minimal crowds at sights, museums, and monuments, but I'm still not sure it's for me (I'm not much a sightseer, anyway).

I have friends who have done a bit of pandemic tourism, and they've had a great time—but I'm not keen on public transportation yet. I'm still weighing whether I'll take a few days and ride the train to Porto, but I haven't decided.

While Lisbon's metropolitan area has been in a state of Contingency (higher cases of COVID-19) and the rest of the country has been in the lesser state of Alert, as of September 15, the entire country will be in Contingency. This is a proactive measure taken by the Portuguese government. With the summer holiday season coming to a close and school starting, the government wants to ensure people are not slacking. This heightened measure is to prepare people for more crowded indoor spaces.

It's Not Political

Living in Portugal is so vastly different from living in the US. Wearing masks is not seen as an affront to personal freedoms (if your expression of freedom makes others sick, then you are taking away the freedom and right to health from others), but as a way to keep the community, especially those at greater risk, safe.

People mask up not because they are sheep, but to protect one another.

It's civilized—no yelling, no name-calling, etc. Is it perfect? Hell no! But I'd say I see 90% compliance on average. It just isn't a big deal, here.

Chin Hammocks and Other Ridiculousness

Yes, there are the wearers of chin hammocks (why bother?), and those people with the masks slung so low that their noses hang out, but that's a problem everywhere, I suspect.

I see packs of teens roaming around like the invincible humans they think they are and the occasional cranky old Portuguese man or grandma with little regard for keeping others, and apparently themselves, safe. Far too many of these chin hammocks are littering the sidewalks to the detriment of wildlife and our safety.

So, what's it like in Portugal during the pandemic?

For me, it's mostly uneventful, but it's also annoying and disheartening and leads me to feel disconnected most days. It's hard not to become complacent and to maintain a heightened level of awareness—this is not the way humans function. We are better at short bursts of focused concentration, rather than sustained attention.

But be attentive we must and for possibly a long time as we move into autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.

I’m sad that I can’t visit family and friends in the States and I’m sad they can’t come here. So, for now, we all wait. Wait for the time when we can come together again and share real hugs, not just elbow bumps and foot shakes.

What about you? What’s life during the pandemic like where you live?

GOOD LINKS:

• My dear friend Tammy was in Portugal a year ago this week. She writes a lovely reflection on her time here and our time together in The Portugal Diaries.

• Rob Walker’s book The Art of Noticing and newsletter. Both are must-reads.

• U.S. Expats Can’t Renounce Their Citizenship Fast Enough.

• Anne Helen Petersen’s Culture Study is always good, but this week. Wow.

• This is the best! Trust me. Three words: Kid bike driveway.

—> Instead of, or in addition to, supporting my writing this week via buy me a coffee, please consider donating to the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund. Thank you.