Corona Letters #2

Dear Fellow Quarantiners,

I am not sure if quarantiner is a word, but I'm making it one.  That's a perk of being a writer.  Just ask Dr. Seuss.
Right now it seems like we are either making way too big deal over this virus, or it just hasn't hit us yet.  Everything I see and read tells me it's the latter, but I am still seeing a ton of precautions being taken, and very little actual illness.   And, I'll take it.  I really, really hope it stays this way.

That being said, I think this virus and ignited a huge epidemic of hypochondria.   Every cough, every sneeze, every scratchy throat could be "it".   People sneeze once and quickly lock themselves in their rooms for 14 days.    Of course, it is also allergy season, so it could be that.

Can we talk about school for a minute?

First of all, I just want to say how grateful I am that I no longer have a child in K-12.  My heart goes out to these parents.   Quite suddenly they have found themselves working from home and somehow need to make sure their kids do educational activities and don't fall behind.  That's a tall order.   Not only that, but they can't even take a break with a play date, or a trip to the playground, zoo or aquarium.   That's a whole new kind of hell.  My hat is tipped in admiration to these parents who try to navigate this new reality.   AND, let's not forget the poor parents of quarantined teenagers. Oh. you. poor. people.   Telling a teenager that they are stuck at home with their parents and siblings, and can't "hang out" with their friends is equivalent to hmmmmm.   I can't think of anything that wouldn't be insensitive to say in these dire times.   Let me just say that I am soooo sorry.   I hope this ends soon.

And then there are the college students.   These poor kids.  And yes, they are kids.   Maybe it's because I'm the mother of a college student but I am so sympathetic to this group.   This is the best time of year to be on campus.   You can smell spring in the air.  People are venturing outside again, most roommate issues have been resolved.  For freshman, their tribe of friends is becoming solidified.  Seniors are starting a series of lasts, last shows, last games, last concerts and of course, graduation.   Poof.  It's all gone.   Move home.   You can't come back until September.  Or ever, if you're a senior.
I see that some graduations are going virtual while others are being postponed.  This stinks for the students and parents alike.   Graduation is such a rite of passage and is such a profound moment of closure.  This chapter of your life is over.   But, instead everything is nebulous and the kids are left back in the childhood bedrooms, scratching their heads, wondering what just happened.  But, don't forget to do your on-line work!!!

And let's talk about that on-line work for a minute.  These kids are all supposed to use the same app to "attend" class.   Yup.  Every college in the country is pretty much using the same group meeting app.   Every home is filled with people going on line and trying to work or study from home.  If that is not a set up for disaster I don't know what is.   My daughter has already had trouble with the app suddenly dropping her in the middle of the class.   I'm sure she's not the only one.   I feel bad for the students, but also the teachers, I don't know how they can possibly grade anything this semester under these circumstances.

Good Luck to all the students K- senior year of college!  Good Luck to all the teachers, trying their best to teach remotely!  And, good luck to all the parents of children every age trying to keep everyone engaged, fed, and not killing each other!  May the odds be ever in your favor!

In transportation news,

Some people still need to go to work and use public transportation.   This week, Boston decided that it would reduce the number of trains and buses because the number of commuters has significantly decreased.    My daughter, who commutes to work on public transport, told me yesterday that this had created a whole new kind of catastrophe, overcrowding.   Fewer trains and buses meant MORE people on those trains and buses, exactly what the world is trying to avoid.

This morning I saw that Boston had upped the number of buses and trains for this exact reason.   I'm guessing that my daughter was not the only one who was concerned about this problem.  I'm glad to see they are being so pro-active about this issue.  Sometimes the world suprises me in a good way.

In sports news,

Yesterday Boston took a brief respite from the coronavirus to mourn the departure of Tom Brady from the Patriots.   Personally, I don't care all that much but I thought I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this tidbit of info that distracted an entire region of the country from a pandemic for an entire day.   I'm sorry for your loss New England.   He was. a legend, who may or may not have deflated a football.

In social media,

Facebook is still a buzz with the latest coronavirus updates.  San Francisco has issued a "shelter in place" order.   And, this finds millions rushing to google what "shelter in place" means and how it is different from what everyone is already doing.   Kansas has cancelled public school for the rest of the year.  God Bless the parents in Kansas.   Tom Hanks continues to amuse us all with his funny coronavirus tweets from down under, making us all love him even more than we already did.    Funny music parodies are starting to pop up.   "Covid-19" sung to the tune of "Come on Eileen!" is particularly funny.

Numbers,

Lots more people have coronavirus in the US and I feel fortunate that I still don't know any of them.  There are a couple cases in neighboring towns so it's getting closer but hasn't burst our bubble yet.  Just a matter of time "they" say.

Personal note,

On a personal note, my husband took his mother to the busiest hospital in Boston for lung surgery today.   We thought it might be canceled, but "fortunately" her case was serious enough that it wasn't considered "elective".   The surgery is scary enough, but now my husband and mother in law are possibly being exposed to everything in a hospital that is kind of the epicenter of coronavirus treatment in Boston.   So far, we've been keeping our house pretty safe and suddenly we feel very exposed.    Sometimes you have to decide which is worse, the possibility of exposure to this virus and/or attending another insidious disease.  In this case, the latter was chosen and we will find out if this was the right choice.  But, this is the very reason we all need to "flatten the curve".  My mother in law is able to have this necessary surgery because at this point the hospitals are not overcrowded with coronavirus patients.    Quarantining ourselves allows ALL medical needs to be taken care of and for this we are grateful.

I guess that's it for today.

Take Care!  Stay Connected!  Stay virus free!

Deb