Day: 7 June 2020

by Graham Strouts Chuck Norris Bridge, linking Slovakia and Austria With the final stage of Slovakia’s easing of lockdown restrictions complete a couple of weeks ago, the next major block to be lifted is opening the borders, now well underway: as of Thursday, the border between Czech and Slovakia re-opened without any restrictions of checks. Rather oddly, prime minister Igor Matovič claimed this represented the re-instatement of “Czechoslovakia” which must have raised a few eyebrows since of course it is nothing of the kind, merely restoring the pre-pandemic Schengen area between the two republics. Free travel is also possible between Slovakia and Austria – at least in practice, since technically this only applies if you want to return within 48 hours of departing, otherwise you have to undergo the 14-day home quarantine. But as we discovered yesterday on a cycling trip taking us over the “Freedom Bridge” across the Moravia, there are no police checks of any kind either side of the border. It is likely (but not yet confirmed) that all border restrictions for Hungary will also be lifted by the middle of the month, or by the end of June at the latest. Better known as the “Chuck Norris” Bridge, after a public poll revealed this as the most popular name, the fine cycling bridge stands as a ...

My partner calls it "not-lockdown", because it's everything but. Freedom of movement is enshrined in the Mexican Constitution, and the Federal Government declared from Day One that it would not infringe upon those rights (imagine a Government respecting Constitutional rights these days!). I definitely appreciate the ability to leave the house at will, without having to explain myself to the authorities; but all non-essential businesses have been ordered to close, gatherings of more than 50 people are banned, churches and schools cannot meet, and public parks, beaches and tourist sites are off-limits. That doesn't leave much to do outside the home anyway. Furthermore, local governments are very powerful here, and many of them are defying Federal assurances by implementing curfews and enforcing quarantines. Some cities are even implementing alcohol bans (another practice the Federal Government has denounced), arguing that alcohol encourages domestic violence and socialisibng. Others, like our town, are screening everyone who enters to make sure they have local ID cards. We live on the outskirts of a small but popular tourist town near Mexico City. It's one of Mexico's most popular weekend getaway spots. In order to stop the tourists from coming, checkpoints have been set up at each of the two town entrances, with only locals allowed in. These checkpoints are run by local neighborhood watch-style groups, ...