10B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
THuRSDAY, JunE 18, 2020
COFFEE BREAK
Woman runs low on patience for friend’s drama-filled life
DEAR ABBY: My friend
“Kate” has had a lot of trauma
in her life, and she feels things
very deeply. She has experienced
assault, the suicide of a close
friend, the death of
several family mem-
bers, discovered she
can’t have children,
and managed to
escape an abusive
relationship, all in the last five
years or so.
Kate does all the things people
are supposed to do when coping
with grief and is doing very well.
The problem is me. I find it hard
to be around her because of all
the drama. Intellectually, I under-
stand none of this is Kate’s fault.
She isn’t being attention-seeking
or deliberately causing drama.
But I find myself becoming impa-
tient with her ongoing discussion
of feelings. I’m not someone who
feels deeply or is easily trauma-
tized. Bad things happen, I get
over it and move
on. How can I learn
DEAR
to be the patient,
caring friend she
ABBY
needs?
— TRYING TO
BE A BETTER FRIEND
DEAR TRYING: Quit being
so hard on yourself. You are
and have been a good friend.
It’s important that you not allow
Kate’s burdens to “sink” you.
The two of you are very different
people, and you should explain
that to her as you have to me. If
her trauma and drama become
more than you can healthfully
absorb, step back and tell her you
will talk with her later, tomorrow
or when it is convenient for you
both, which will allow you time to
come up for air.
DEAR ABBY: I am self-quar-
antined for a number of reasons
because of the virus. I am 87 and
live alone. My daughter is very
concerned that I not become ill
because her husband is in treat-
ment for cancer. Obviously, she
doesn’t want to have to come care
for me and endanger her hus-
band’s already reduced immunity.
A friend called to ask how I am
doing. I told her I was self-quar-
antined, and she asked if I needed
anything. I told her I didn’t have
eggs, but it was no big deal. She
said she would bring me some. I
sent her a text and asked her to
leave them on the porch, and she
said, “You mean you won’t let me
in the house?” She said she isn’t
sick and can’t understand why I’m
doing this. I tried to explain that
you can be contagious without
symptoms, but she was still
insulted.
I thought everyone in the world
knew the basics of quarantine, but
apparently she’s still taking it per-
sonally. She hasn’t called for three
days, and I’m heartsick. Advice?
— SHUT IN IN ARIZONA
DEAR SHUT IN: In spite of
the fact that the federal, state and
local governments are releasing
information on a daily basis about
the importance of social dis-
tancing and self-quarantining,
there is still confusion in the
minds of some of the public. Your
friend is a perfect example of this.
You are doing what you’re doing
for the right reason, and I hope
you will continue, not only for
your son-in-law’s sake, but also
for your own.
DEAR ABBY: I’ve been mar-
ried five years, and I just discov-
ered that my husband still has
several text messages from his
late wife. He thinks I shouldn’t
be upset about it. Am I wrong for
asking him to delete them?
— FEELING BETRAYED
DEAR FEELING
BETRAYED: Yes, you are! Do
not compete with a deceased
spouse. Hanging on to memen-
toes is a way many people grieve.
If the texts hold significance for
him, let him have them. You’re his
wife now, and that’s what matters.
Eiffel Tower to reopen after longest closure since WWII
By Thomas Adamson
Associated Press
PARIS — Workers are
preparing the Eiffel Tower
for reopening next week,
after the coronavirus pan-
demic led to the iconic
Paris landmark’s longest
closure since World War
II.
France’s tourism
industry is opening back
up, but the 324-meter
(1,063-feet) tall wrought-
iron tower won’t imme-
diately welcome visitors
the way it did before the
country went into lock-
down in March.
Only limited numbers
of people will be allowed
in when the Eiffel Tower
opens again on June 25.
Elevators to the top will
be out of service, at least
at first, and only the first
and second floors will be
accessible to the public.
“At first, only visits by
the stairs will be avail-
able,” Victoria Klahr, the
spokeswoman for the tow-
er’s management, said
Tuesday.
Everyone over 11 years
old will be required to
wear face masks, and
crowd control measures
will be in place.
“We are optimistic that
visitor numbers will pick
up, even if it will likely
be local tourists who visit
the monument in the first
weeks,” Klahr said.
The tower’s director
told The Associated Press
on Tuesday that he hopes
access will be back to
normal by August.
A stringent cleaning
operation is in place and
will continue daily from
next week.
“There is a new pro-
tocol,” said Eiffel Tower
hygiene consultant Alain
Miralles. “The day
cleaning teams will be able
to clean all the points of
contact every two hours,
from the opening of the
site to its closing,”
Tourists planning trips
to the City of Light are
advised to book tickets
to visit the Eiffel Tower
online once the ticket
office reopens Thursday.
Paris tourism officials
AP Photo/Michel Euler
People stroll at Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2020, as
France gradually lifts its Covid-19 lockdown. In Paris, where all city parks remain closed,
residents stroll along the Seine river and outside the Tuileries Gardens.
have expressed muted
optimism about the city’s
reemergence as a travel
destination. Since con-
finement measures were
imposed in March, tourism
levels have dropped by
around 80% compared to
the same month in pre-
vious years, they say.
“To visit Paris now
is quite exceptional, as
we of course don’t have
many visitors and we don’t
expect this summer to be
at the same level as pre-
vious ones,” Corinne Men-
egaux, the director of Par-
is’s businesses and tourism
office, told The AP.
Hotel owners are also
keen to welcome visitors
again, if realistic about the
challenges ahead — and
the competition among
European countries to
draw tourists back in the
coronavirus era.
“Everyone is Europe is
looking to draw the Euro-
pean clientele. The Ital-
ians want to bring in the
French, the Germans want
to attract the Danes,” said
Serge Cachan, president of
France’s Astotel Group. He
pointed out the plexiglass
protections in the reception
area of one of his hotels
and arrows to ensure social
distancing.
He welcomed the
French president’s deci-
sion Sunday to let Paris
restaurants reopen earlier
than planned. “Without
restaurants, there is no
conviviality, there is no
tourism, there are no cli-
ents in hotels,” he said in
an interview.
“The message I would
like to on-pass to the city
of Paris is: Hurry and open
up all of the tourist attrac-
tions and activities.”