Lately, Massachusetts has not been one of the “bad” Coronavirus states in this tumultuous country. The guidelines have been pretty strict since the beginning of the pandemic (according to US-norms), the Governor (Charlie Baker) has handled the situation well, and most residents have been compliant.

(Hover over the photos for captions and click to enlarge.)

Boardwalk to the dog park
View over one of Newburyport’s marinas
A little oasis – and multi-use, off-leash area – along one of the rail trails

In my home country, Belgium, the reactions to this virus – real “lockdown”, strict rules, and fines instead of self-imposed quarantine, “guidelines”, and raised eyebrows – have had a drastically better impact. As a result, their Summer of Covid was more “benign” than ours. Restaurants, bars, theaters, pools, hairdressers, zoos, … have been reopened for many weeks. Kids went on summer camps and most schools (especially kindergarten and the lower grades) will start “as usual” on September 1st.

Historic buildings in downtown
Plaza and pedestrian-only area

How is the situation in Newburyport, where Mark, Maya, and I have been “hunkered down” since mid-April of this year (apart from a multiple-week trip to Maine and Vermont in June and one week in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in July)?

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