I've been watching friends' social media overseas for a few weeks now. The COVID-19 outbreak really started to get chatter in mid-January. We had just wrapped up the holidays, started back on 2nd Semester and for me, I started up a really tough IT Fundamentals course through a nearby Community College.
I got sucked into the Johns Hopkins site that began tracking cases fairly quickly. At the end of January Illinois announced its first case in the town next to me. I felt safe because the patient was in isolation. But as February rolled around, friends in Italy began sharing their experiences and the news started to focus on Northern Italy, South Korea and Japan. It seemed inevitable this virus was going to come at some point in bigger waves.
What I say next is solely my opinion. I am basing it on factual news stories and CDC updates and friends overseas.
But here it is.
The virus was likely here longer. People in China were already sick in December. How many people traveled and saw others before things were really understood? How many people did those people see? How many surfaces were touched by people that spanned the globe over the holidays before we really really started to pay attention and grasped the scope of this virus spread?
I've watched places like N. Italy go from limited activity to full. I've watched people sing from balconies with their neighbors. I was sent a video today of a guy in Spain who was on a rooftop leading workouts and people were on their balconies doing workouts with him.
People are panic-buying. I'm not saying it isn't the right move. But I went two weeks ago. I saw this coming. I should have gotten ALL the stuff I need but I didn't. So now I'm low on proteins (and have just 1 bottle of wine) but that'll be okay. I have food. I have plenty of toilet paper. I have cleansing sprays for surfaces. I have medicine for 2 months. The dog has food enough for at least a month. Not a ton of chewys but those are bonuses (although he doesn't see it that way). I just wish we all were decent enough to think of the people around us. Buying enough to get through a month and then leaving the rest for our neighbors. I am in no way saying I'm perfect. I could have done more to think about the people around me and see if they needed anything. Especially those with kids and who may be older and still working.
But the flip side is, people don't buy all these essentials every week. We never see a week where every household goes to get toilet paper. Maybe every other week (or less). But now we are all doing it and the stores are out. They didn't plan for this either.
This is what amazes me most about what is happening. I saw it coming. Three weeks ago I started thinking about what I would do if school moved to online. I began planning. I have taken online classes and have a sense of what makes me feel successful as a student (As an aside, hey, maybe don't use Wikipedia as your only teaching tool with links that don't work!). I got my allergy shots done and got an extra bottle of allergy meds. I got my taxes done. I printed workouts for the month. I went shopping.
I feel like everything has been reactionary. Which of course it had to be as this came out of nowhere. But we had all of February to plan. I don't see evidence that governments at any level or my local businesses started planning. It was like March ushered in and people still didn't expect it to really begin spiking in Illinois. Then this week BOOM. Now it is real. Now people are reacting.
I've been on an emotional rollercoaster. I was saying it was going to come. I was saying it isn't good. I was saying be careful - weeks ago. I told my students who were making light of it, that this was a serious thing. This week, as even my military kid started to show signs of worry and stress, I continued to preach about washing hands, stay home, you may not feel sick but that they could be a carrier and that they really, really need to stay away from their grandparents or people who had health issues. I played the SiriusXM Instrumental Spa channel in my classes to set the mood and gave rational, scientific answers to their questions.
I have run my diffuser every day. Thieves, Lavender, Tea Tree, Lemon and Orange.
I spent today watching Friends marathons on TV, caught up on The Crown, and watched the news.
I cooked a great pork moo sho taco with red cabbage and radishes.
I walked the dog several times, despite the chilly temperatures today and the light snow. We played several times, too. He can sense these are unusual times. He is smart.
I cleaned a little. There is always cleaning.
I watched Church online. No in-person church with the State mandate.
I went to the store and got some ground meat and pre-made meatballs. It was all that was available.
I played a little bit of Civ VI. I worked on the classes I am taking.
That is just Day 1. A lot more to come, of that I am sure.
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