Crazy Things Are Happening

When I heard that Celebrity cruises was offering a very upgraded two-night cruise to Mexico for military and veterans I called right away. Sign us up! I called on February 29th and we were booked in for April 4th. It would be the perfect thing to do for my Birthday, and I was really looking forward to it. Even after hearing about two Princess cruise ships that were re-routed due to COVID-19, I still wasn't that worried. I'm in relatively good health, and I still hadn't grasped the enormity of what was going on. It still didn't seem like that big of a deal. I figured the odds were that I wouldn't get it at all, but if by some small chance I did, I would recover. My biggest worry was finding myself quarantined somewhere if there were concerns about people aboard having been infected.

Then the Corona Virus updates continued to roll in. It was something different every day. On March 5th we were assured of our safety aboard ship, and offered some practical advise about hand washing, not touching the nose and mouth, and not boarding the ship if you feel unwell. The very same day we got another email advising that temperatures would be taken of every passenger before boarding, and people could be denied entry based on that. I was a bit uneasy, but still willing to go, because I figured it would be cancelled if it wasn't safe for us to go. Right? They are taking precautions so we would be safe. There were still a lot of people out there saying that we should exercise reasonable caution, and that we still needed to live our life but with every day and every news report I was definitely thinking that we shouldn't go. On March 12th we got another email advising additional restrictions including those aged 70 or older, immuno compromised, those with underlying health issues, or those who had traveled to certain areas within a certain amount of time would be denied boarding altogether. They tried to keep the trip alive, but later that same day we received a cancellation notice. The trip was off, and as much as I'd been looking forward to it I was glad. Cruise ships carry so many people so close together. It just didn't seem like the best idea given what was happening. This is also when I realized just how bad things really were.

Friday after work that day I was shocked to see the disposable aisle at Target completely wiped out. There was no toilet paper to be had anywhere! I'd gone in there for magnesium vitamins. This section was mostly wiped out as well. I got the last bottle. The lines were long. Everyone was in panic mode. I picked my little sister up from the airport that evening and we spent a fun weekend together mostly staying home, and eating. We were planning to go into the jacuzzi, but our community rec center and pool is closed until further notice. She left Monday and made it back to Oahu before they closed Hawaii.

We were told that we could stay home or finish the week out getting prepared to work remotely. At first it was okay for retail businesses to stay open as long as they took social distancing precautions, but schools had already shut down and the roads were mostly empty. Then California issued a stay at home order to go into effect at midnight Friday, March 20th. When I heard about I rushed back to work that night to pick up some work items I'd need at home in case they wouldn't let us into the building again, but was relieved to find out that we would be allowed one more half day to get it together. Now I'm at home trying to figure out how to do my job on a MacBook. I love my Mac, but sometimes windows really are your friend and there are some annoying quirks that make certain things more difficult. MJ has the type of job where he still needs to physically go into the office, but is doing so on a limited basis.

We knew about COVID-19 when we boarded our plane to Honolulu on February 9th. We heard reports of "basically the flu" run rampant in China, causing deaths of the immuno compromised and elderly. Nothing for us to worry about. We enjoyed our time in Oahu without fear, but just 5 1/2 weeks later, everything was cancelled.

Since then horrible stories have emerged about the shortage of ventilators and medical resources in Italy to care for dying patients as the death and infection numbers go up daily. Celebrities have joined the ranks of the infected, the Olympics have been postponed. They had to use refrigerated trucks in NYC because they ran out of room to store the dead. My how things took a turn. As I watched the news and these events unfold, it felt like something out of the kind of movie or TV show that I typically enjoy watching. Contagion, The Strain, The Night Eats the World, The Girl with all the Gifts, It Comes at Night. Watched them. Loved them, but never imagined that I would see anything remotely similar happen in real life. Some of those are zombie movies, but you get the idea. I even got Mad Max post apocalyptic vibes when people started clearing out the stores. Neighborhood Walmart pick up is suddenly booked solid. I had to wait in line to get into a grocery store, and scavenge the shelves for goods.

Covid-19 is not just an old or sick person problem anymore. Everyone is vulnerable, including the willful young people partying in clubs and on the beach in Florida. Everyone is at risk for serious symptoms no matter what age, and everyone is responsible for helping slow the spread. Everything in our city except grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, medical facilities, and any other businesses deemed essential are shut down. Even the beaches and parks are closed. There is literally nowhere to go.

I say all this to say, damn what a crazy month it's been. We are in the middle of a global pandemic, and even though I'm watching the news and hearing all of these horrible stories about families dying and that every city should expect a strain on hospital resources as the virus spreads it still doesn't seem real. I think everyone needs to remain vigilant despite the president who seems to live in a different world than everyone else and thinks we'll be back to business as usual by Easter. Because people need to go to church. They keep emphasizing that people who are older or have compromised immune systems should be most concerned, but I also think more needs to be said about fit, healthy, young people with no underlying conditions who still end up intubated in the ICU. This casual talk about having everything under control and loosening up on social distancing so soon is dangerous for a population of people who are stubborn and don't like to follow rules. When I saw people on TV say it wouldn't be an issue here, and that it's no worse than the flu I believed them, and I acted accordingly. Nobody should be making light of it. We need more than reassurance. We also need the truth. We ALL need to be a little bit scared, in order to understand that everyone is at risk and that we need to be serious about doing our part to keep this thing at bay.

In January we booked flights to Europe for August. That trip is in limbo until we see how this plays out. I had to do actual grocery shopping inside of an actual store for the first time in probably a year, and pickings are slim on some of the things I normally eat. We were supposed to be going on a mini-cruise next weekend, but instead we'll be staying at home from now until...nobody knows, but these things are nothing compared to what other people are loosing out on. I'm sad for the businesses that may go under, and people who are worried about paying their bills because they were laid off or can't go to work. I'm scared of what our economy and our world looks like after something like this, but also feeling very fortunate that my family is okay.

On March 17th, there were 60 cases of covid-19 and 0 deaths in San Diego County. Today those numbers have gone up to 488 cases and 7 deaths with the expectation that it will continue to rise. I don't personally know anyone who has tested positive for covid-19. I hope it stays that way despite estimates that 40-60% of the population will get it at some point. That is so crazy to even think about. For now, I'm grateful that MJ and I are together, healthy and we get to keep our jobs.