Corona Letters #3

Dear Fellow Quarantiners,

Well, the inevitable has happened and we have our first confirmed case in our town.   On the positive side, this brought out much concern and well wishes from the community on our town Facebook group.   On the negative side, it also brought out the witch hunters.   For some reason people feel like they deserve to know who this person is and where they have been.   No.  You have no right to that information.   However, I think what you should assume is that they have been everywhere and touched everything.   I'm not saying you should live your life in fear but you should be prudent and use all the precautions the CDC and mothers everywhere are advising, "Stay home, wash your hands, and don't touch your face."  the end.    If the person who has the confirmed case is reading this then I wish you a safe recovery.

I keep hearing about parents of teenagers and college students who are letting their kids go over to each other's houses so they aren't lonely.   Can you please just stop?  Do you realize how irresponsible this is?  How truly dangerous?   If you have five kids over and one of those kids has the virus and is asymptomatic, you haven't only just exposed the other kids, you've exposed their families, including people who might be vunerable.   In other words, your need for your kid not to be lonely could absolutely result in someone's death.  Please. Just. Stop.

I think we've all read a lot of comparisons between the conoravirus and the flu.  People say, "But we don't react this way to the flu.  Why are we overreacting?"  There are many scientists and other very intelligent people who will explain over and over again that this is not the flu and that it's way more contagious, etc.

But, what if instead of saying, "we don't act this way for the flu?" we took some lessons from this whole corona virus thing and applied them to the flu?   For example, what if parents kept their sick children home from school instead of giving them Advil when their fever spikes and sending them on their way?   And, what if when one member in your house gets the flu, every one stayed home until it made it's inevitable way through the household?  We all know that everyone is contagious well before they are symptomatic, so why not just nip that in the bud?   And lastly, but maybe most importantly, could we please let students and employees of all kinds be sick at home without being penalized?  How many of us have gone to work or school sick, because we are worried about the consequences if we don't?   What if we always gave each other permission to be sick and stay home?  What if schools were more flexible with make up work and employers said, "we will manage without you for however long you need."  I know this isn't practical in all industries, but perhaps we could get closer to this mindset.   It's okay to be sick and slow down.    Keeping people home will pretty much stop any virus in it's tracks.  Let's hold on to this lesson.

******

I so wish our President would stop calling this virus the "Chinese virus".  First of all, dude, it has a name, use it.  Second of all, can you stop being so divisive in these troubling times?  We need leadership that is unifying right now.  This is just so awful and there is already so much sinophobia out there right now, can you please not encourage it.   I mean, we could start using the adjective "white" to all the horrific things white people have done.  Do you REALLY want that to happen.  Think about it.   And start using the right name for the virus!!!

(On a side note, I just learned this weekend that Covid-19 stood for COrona VIrus Disease - 2019 this passed weekend.  I guess I'm just thick, but I wanted to share that for those of you who are also thick. You're welcome)

******

Thoughts on the need for connection:

We haven't been quarantined for very long but yesterday I was binge watching a bunch of shows on Netflix and one thing I noticed pretty frequently is how much people touched each other.    I'm not just talking about hugs and kisses but simple touches between people who knew each other, intimately or otherwise.  It's what people do.  It's part of being human.   But, we can't do that right now and that is terribly sad and isolating.   I felt twinges of jealousy watching these fictional characters interacting in a way that just isn't possible for us right now.    How lovely it will be when this virus is over and we can just enjoy the simple "luxury" of just being together with the people we love and not have to worry about "social distancing".

It reminds we of how I feel when I watch a movie from before the year 2000.   You will see crowds of people congregated in public and they are all talking to each other and enjoying each other's company but something is wrong and you can't quite put your finger on it until you realize that they aren't using cell phones.    Everyone is just enjoying each other's company without distraction.

This is another positive lesson we can take from this virus.  When it is over, let's just enjoy each other's company.   We all need human connection without distraction.  Let's be better at that.

********

In the numbers,

There is one person in my town who has been confirmed with the coronavirus.  I still don't know anyone personally in my town, or elsewhere with the virus.

Yesterday, China had no new cases.  Yay China!

Italy has yet to plateau.  Hang in there Italy!

***********

On a personal note,

 My husband spent the entire day at Mass General Hospital yesterday where his mom had lung surgery.  The surgery went well and she's recovering well.   We have spent quite a bit of time at Mass General in the last couple months,  meeting with her doctors, and creating a treatment plan.  This hospital is the largest hospital in a city known for it's hospitals.  And, it's usually hustling and bustling with activity like Grand Central Station.  My husband was amazed at how quiet it was there yesterday.   If there was a buzz of activity, it was a silent hum behind closed doors.  He was impressed with the friendliness of all the staff he encountered, from the bottom up, and the precautions they were all taking to keep the hospital safe for those who need it.   Luckily, they are not currently overwhelmed and they are able to serve everyone, including people with things other than coronavirus, who needs their high quality kind of care.
We are so grateful for this and we thank everyone who is doing their part to stay home, flattening the curve, and giving the hospitals a fighting chance at taking care of everyone who needs it!

Take Care!  Stay Connected!  Stay Virus Free!

Deb