Estrela do Youtube decide cumprir quarentena em ilha remota

A blogger e youtuber, Eva Zu Beck, desafiou todas as regras e decidiu cumprir a sua quarentena na remota ilha de Socotra, na costa do Iémen.

A polaca de 29 anos chegou à ilha a 11 de março, mas entretanto o surto do novo coronavírus espalhou-se pelo mundo e tiveram de entrar em vigor as regras para evitar a propagação da doença. Nessa altura, todos os turistas foram transportados de volta a casa, num voo com destino ao Egipto, mas a jovem recusou-se a embarcar.

“Decidi ficar porque achei que seria melhor do que ter que voar por quatro países e vários aeroportos internacionais até um lugar que eu chamasse de lar, porque eu realmente não tenho nenhum”, explicou Beck no seu canal do Youtube.

 

 

 

 

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WHAT’S THE SITUATION WITH COVID-19 ON SOCOTRA ISLAND? This is DAY 21 on the island, and as we enter a new month, I want to update you on the local situation. First and foremost, according to the local health authorities, there is no Coronavirus on Socotra Island. All the foreigners here were examined by a doctor, as a safety precaution, in the first week of our stay. Everyone is healthy. Flights haven’t been arriving for 21 days. Domestic passenger boats have been on hold for around 2 weeks. Cargo boats have been asked to quarantine for several days on the sea before coming in to port, but a regular stream of supplies continues to come in for the local population of 60k people. It seems like the authorities are doing a good job at isolating the island. I used to call this our “desert island quarantine” but I’ve now realized that was a mistake, because there is no quarantine on Socotra. People here are lucky to be able to continue as normal. For many of my friends around the world, the quarantine means being confined to the walls of their urban home, and that’s a much stricter reality than the one we are living. Our Socotri friends have been deeply welcoming, and of course some have offered to find me a local husband so I can live here forever. 😅🙈 I don’t think I’m quite there yet! I should also add, I’m not the only foreigner here. There are around 15 in total - all have been here as long as, or longer than me. Some stayed willingly and others didn’t have a choice - they missed the last commercial flight off the island. Some of us have become friends and are staying in the remote eastern corner of Socotra, where the Arabian Sea meets the Indian Ocean. The closest shop and antenna (where I can get internet, like now) are two hours away by motorbike. In between hiking and writing, I’m working on a couple of local community projects which I’d love to bring to life if I stay here a bit longer, and if things continue to be this calm here. One is related to raising local awareness about the plastic problem across the island, and the other - to preserving the local heritage. That’s my reality for a while to come. What’s yours? Sending you my love! 💛🙏

Uma publicação partilhada por Eva zu Beck ♡ Adventure Travel (@evazubeck) a 1 de Abr, 2020 às 12:49 PDT

Mas esta decisão já lhe valeu várias críticas. Alguns dos seguidores de Eva consideram a decisão pouco acertada e responsável.

“Desculpe dizer-lhe, mas acho que não tomou a decisão certa. Toda a gente precisa respeitar esta pandemia”, escreveu um utilizador.

“Você tem consciência de que no seu voo alguém poderia estar infetado? Dado o facto de agora estar numa ilha remota, as pessoas poderiam ser incapazes de obter ajuda médica”, escreveu outro.

Nas fotografias que tem publicado e que têm como objetivo documentar o seu isolamento na ilha, Beck já mostrou estar num acampamento na praia com vários amigos e até já foi vista a interagir com os pescadores locais, o que gera críticas de que a ilha está deserta.

"Sinto que esta quarentena, neste cenário, cria uma história única e interessante. Espero que vocês achem divertido ver as minhas publicações, especialmente durante um período em que praticamente todo a gente que vive em cidades e vilas é obrigado a estar em casa", escreveu no Instagram.

 

 

 

 

Ver esta publicação no Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT’S THE SITUATION WITH COVID-19 ON SOCOTRA ISLAND? This is DAY 21 on the island, and as we enter a new month, I want to update you on the local situation. First and foremost, according to the local health authorities, there is no Coronavirus on Socotra Island. All the foreigners here were examined by a doctor, as a safety precaution, in the first week of our stay. Everyone is healthy. Flights haven’t been arriving for 21 days. Domestic passenger boats have been on hold for around 2 weeks. Cargo boats have been asked to quarantine for several days on the sea before coming in to port, but a regular stream of supplies continues to come in for the local population of 60k people. It seems like the authorities are doing a good job at isolating the island. I used to call this our “desert island quarantine” but I’ve now realized that was a mistake, because there is no quarantine on Socotra. People here are lucky to be able to continue as normal. For many of my friends around the world, the quarantine means being confined to the walls of their urban home, and that’s a much stricter reality than the one we are living. Our Socotri friends have been deeply welcoming, and of course some have offered to find me a local husband so I can live here forever. 😅🙈 I don’t think I’m quite there yet! I should also add, I’m not the only foreigner here. There are around 15 in total - all have been here as long as, or longer than me. Some stayed willingly and others didn’t have a choice - they missed the last commercial flight off the island. Some of us have become friends and are staying in the remote eastern corner of Socotra, where the Arabian Sea meets the Indian Ocean. The closest shop and antenna (where I can get internet, like now) are two hours away by motorbike. In between hiking and writing, I’m working on a couple of local community projects which I’d love to bring to life if I stay here a bit longer, and if things continue to be this calm here. One is related to raising local awareness about the plastic problem across the island, and the other - to preserving the local heritage. That’s my reality for a while to come. What’s yours? Sending you my love! 💛🙏

Uma publicação partilhada por Eva zu Beck ♡ Adventure Travel (@evazubeck) a 1 de Abr, 2020 às 12:49 PDT

Ella al-Shamahi, uma exploradora da National Geographic, também comentou a estadia de Eva naquela ilha.

“Acho que é altamente irresponsável que viajantes e pessoas com plataformas, como influenciadores, estejam a ir para regiões remotas (…) Se você estiver a viajar para um lugar onde existe o risco de apresentar doenças e onde a população local não tem imunidade, essa pessoa está a fazer algo antiético”, referiu.

 

 

 

 

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2.5 MONTHS ON THE ISLAND: ❤️2️⃣❤️ COVID-19 UPDATE. Thank you to everyone who has been so concerned about my stay on the island. 🙏 #Respect_Socotra, You have given me a new perspective and I apologize if I sent the wrong message before. Things are different from what they were before. My 1st month here was a “honeymoon period”, and the island felt very much sealed from COVID-19 due to restricted traffic. But, times change. Currently, many cases are being reported in mainland Yemen, and with some boat traffic to the island, not all of it properly quarantined (as it seems), locals have concerns. People (not tourists) have continued to arrive on Socotra. People are on alert, and wary that there is a possibility that the virus will eventually make it here, whether that’s tomorrow or in a year from now. Before, it felt safe to travel to different places around the island, but that’s no longer the case. Over the last 3 weeks, I’ve been spending the majority of my time in a family home in one village and intend to keep it this way. According to health professionals, the island is free of COVID-19, and while people want to trust them, it’s hard to know for sure without proper testing facilities. So in the village, Shibhan, they’re starting to take measures, just in case. Getting ready for the future. My host is trying to change the greeting habits in the village (from a handshake and a kiss to a wave), which isn’t easy but as he says, “we’ve got to start somewhere”. We started sewing face masks. From the perspective of time, given the knowledge I have now about the spread and nature of the virus, would I have made the decision to come here in the first place? No. My intention was never to encourage active travel to remote places during a pandemic. Rather, I wanted to share the beauty of a place I was already in, a place that’s little-known and needs to be protected. Remote places and populations are at a higher risk from the virus - in part because of limited healthcare infrastructure. Leaving? Hopefully. It’s a work in progress. Please donate to @monarelief, a local NGO working to bring basic necessities to people in Yemen: patreon.com/monarelief ❤

Uma publicação partilhada por Eva zu Beck ♡ Adventure Travel (@evazubeck) a 19 de Mai, 2020 às 6:41 PDT

As fotografias que Eva Zu Beck tem publicado nas redes sociais contam com milhares de visualizações e comentários.