Stay Home Please
Back in early February I was one of those people who wasn’t too worried about the novel coronavirus developing into a global pandemic. For some reason I put my trust in containment, that authorities would act rapidly to make sure that it didn’t spread across the world. But still, I kept my eyes on the news, observing how the affected provinces in China were shut down in order to halt a worldwide spread, and wondering if it would work.
As I was watching the news it slowly dawned on me that maybe too many people outside of China were just watching and waiting, like me. And those with the actual power to do something were also just watching and waiting, nonchalantly shaking hands with each other and talking about tests rather than actually ordering enough for everybody. And now we are at this point where all over the US people are being denied tests because there aren’t enough to go around. Other countries are seeing mass outbreaks of the virus because they didn’t realize how rapidly it would spread. And as we watch the numbers rise it’s difficult to not think about all of those people who may actually be sick but who haven’t been tested...Now that we are finally starting to lock the country down, asking people to stay home and wait it out, I wonder if it’s just too late.
I admit, the idea of my kids being home from school for days, weeks without any real knowledge of how long it will last makes me anxious, but I have to suck it up because containment is more important than my kids being at school right now. I’m lucky that I am home and that it doesn’t disrupt my schedule too much, because I know that there are so many parents out there wondering how on earth they are going to manage. Hopefully we can collectively help each other out, and work together as a society to ensure that the virus does not spread further, and that there are no more deaths. I still have that hope, but the realist in me says that it is too late and that we are heading in the same direction as Italy is right now. The countries that locked everything down much earlier are going to be OK. I don’t think we are.
I’ve witnessed so many selfish acts in the past few weeks and it makes my heart hurt. Most people don’t require boxes of toilet paper or gallons of hand sanitizer in their homes, but some people DO need to be able to access these items whenever possible. Homeless people, or those with a very fixed income cannot plan to hoard, but can only buy when they need it. It would be a kind gesture if those who have hoarded all the Lysol/rubbing alcohol/hand sanitizer/Clorox wipes would hand them out to those who really, really need them. I have access to running water and soap in my house, someone who lives on the streets doesn’t. The person living on the streets needs sanitizer and wipes more than I do. My family does not have the space or money to buy boxes of loo roll, but we have enough for the week, as we normally do. When we run out I don’t really know what I will do if the store shelves are still bare. I guess we will figure that out once we get there!
I know it sucks to have to miss an event that we were really looking forward to, and/or the idea of being stuck at home makes us want to scream, but it really, really is important to limit physical contact with others right now. We are lucky that many of us can continue to connect with others online, via our phones, tablets, laptops, and computers. In any case, I know that we personally won’t be able to really afford to do anything outside of the house anyway, with our income being drastically cut due to the pandemic. Millions of us are going to be affected by this, if we haven’t already been, those of us working in the service industry, creative industries (writers losing money due to cancelled book tours, musicians losing money due to cancelled shows etc), teachers, daycare operators, and so on and so forth. I saw that New York now had a freeze on evictions for the next three months, it would be good to see something like that happening in California too. I also read that so many people are out and about packing bars and restaurants in NYC - and wondered how I would have handled it myself if I still lived there, without children. I probably would have been right there, bartending, wondering how I would be able to pay the rent if I didn’t work, feeling guilty and drowning the guilt in shots of Powers. I don’t blame people for going to work, we have to go out there because if not we cannot pay our bills or feed our family, but I do wonder about those who have the choice to stay home: why are you outside?
I read a really good article in the Washington Post this morning that explains clearly how this virus works: for the first few weeks it doesn’t seem too bad, and then BAM suddenly the cases and deaths jump up high and there is no going back. This virus incubates and spreads silently, infecting those all around you, and not everyone shows symptoms. I don’t know people… It’s not a joke. I know that for many people the virus causes only mild symptoms, and that recovery is a given, however, it is easily transmitted and the most vulnerable amongst us are the ones who are being hit the hardest. I would never, ever forgive myself if I passed it along to others around me, and caused illness, pain, death to another. Social distancing isn’t just a fun hashtag for social media, it is an actual containment method that works. I will have to brave a trip to the supermarket for the weekly shop, especially now that we are on a very, very tight budget, and to the dollar store for more craft supplies to occupy the kids, and we will use the Capitol Gardens as our playground for a while where there will be no close interactions with others, and avoid the regular playgrounds. Otherwise we will just stay inside and read, watch movies, and work on our balcony garden. If anyone needs anything, or feels lonely cooped up at home, give me a ring or shoot me a text and I will video chat you into the mayhem that is our household.
Wash your hands, help your neighbors, and call your doctor if you feel unwell. And if you have the money, order supplies from local businesses rather than buying toilet paper for the rest of the year. Loads of small businesses are coming up with creative ways to provide you with what you need while keeping their distance!
(This took me a couple of days to write, and during this time another 368 people have died in Italy, 200 more in Spain, and we have another dozen cases of the virus in my county here in the US.)