Coronavirus - A Life Changer

These days, it’s impossible to avoid the topic of the novel coronavirus, Covid-19. We’re reminded of it everywhere: social media, print media, TV, radio and podcasts, in chats with neighbors and strangers alike. As the virus spreads exponentially around the world and now in our own city, it’s hard to ignore it and its possible ramifications.

Already the stock market is in a shambles and the entire world economy is on the brink of recession. With bans on travel and large gatherings, the airlines will suffer as will tourism and sports and the hospitality industry and... the list goes on and on and on. Schools are closed. Restaurants and bars are closed and I imagine GrubHub will be doing a land office business. This pandemic certainly emphasizes the fact that we need to think globally. We’re all in this together... the entire Planet Earth. It’s not just individual countries. The coronavirus doesn’t seem to observe national boundaries.

We consider ourselves healthy and fit with no underlying health issues, yet we are both 70+ and hence, considered vulnerable. We’re not usually over-cautious nor over-reactive and I wouldn’t consider us wimpy, but I do think there’s a definite need to be prudent. David and I both suffered a bout of pneumonia in South Africa. We ‘self-quarantined’ ourselves on Nine of Cups (mostly because we were too sick to get off the boat), self-medicated and after a couple of weeks of hacking and misery, we recouped and started feeling like our healthy old selves once again. What we learned from that sickly experience is that respiratory issues can be devastating and life threatening. We haven’t stopped our morning walks, but we have regretfully suspended going to the health club for the near term.

We’ve heard all the controversial stories out there... this virus is a hoax; it’s a fraud; it’s not going to be as bad as they say… it’s just the flu. We just don’t buy that logic. Judging from the number of deaths already in the world and now in the USA and how fast the virus is spreading, ducking our heads in the sand seems a poor option. The CDC projections are frightening and very sobering.

According to the New York Times latest estimates from the CDC worst case scenario: “Between 160 million and 214 million people in the United States could be infected over the course of the epidemic, according to a projection that encompasses the range of the four scenarios. That could last months or even over a year, with infections concentrated in shorter periods, staggered across time in different communities, experts said. As many as 200,000 to 1.7 million people could die.” Newer estimates that I read this morning projected an even higher death toll.

The old adage ‘Prepare for the worst; hope for the best’ seems to be appropriate here. Our walk on the Camino Portugal seems doomed at the moment. I can’t imagine the world will mend itself in a month. Two weeks ago, we were optimistic. Today, with travel bans in effect, not so much.

Shelves were bare at WalMart, Albertsons and even Trader Joe’s

With that in mind, I headed to Walmart and Albertsons and Trader Joe’s to stock up the larder a bit. You know, the basics... rice, pasta, canned veggies, chicken… wine. I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. The stores were crazy busy and many shelves were totally bare. There wasn’t a roll of toilet paper nor a jug of fresh water to be had. The canned veggie aisle and the pasta/rice aisle looked as if there’d been a locust infestation. A badly dented can of okra sat solitary on the shelf... even the cream corn and lima beans were gone (some folks were really desperate).  There was a certain frenzy apparent in the madding crowd… almost a mob mentality. I could feel the angst as soon as I walked into Walmart. It was palpable.

Some of my fellow shoppers were still cheery and we traded comments about the empty shelves. Others were gruff and rude and pushed their way through the crowded aisles, cursing when what they wanted was nowhere to be found. We are just not used to seeing empty shelves and not being able to buy what we want, when we want it. At the deli counter while waiting in line, a man was chatting me up and kept getting ‘into my space’. Each time I backed away, he shuffled a few steps closer as if he was worried I’d miss a pearl of wisdom he was spouting. I finally moved over to another part of the deli as if I needed to check things out more carefully. I need to remember it’s okay to say “Forgive me, sir, but I need to social distance myself. You know how it is these days. So back off!”

I’ve been ‘chatting’ with an old cruising friend now residing in Italy. It is a scary time there. Her little town on the east coast of Italy has been, for all intents and purposes, locked down. Only the pharmacy and the small supermarket remain open and even those only for limited hours. Unnecessary travel is discouraged. We’re just not used to a world that cramps our freedom and our movement, but I fear, out of necessity, we’ll all be experiencing this isolation and curbs on our freedoms soon.

And so, I’ve stocked up the best I can. We keep a pretty full pantry as it is, but a little extra never hurts. With four of us in the household, all 65+ and in moderately good health, we have our fingers crossed. We’ll weather this storm as a family, as a city, as a country and as a world and hopefully come out stronger and wiser on the other side.

Are you worried? Are you taking this health threat seriously? What are you doing to protect yourself? Just wondering.

Now... since Israel (Plan A) is not an option and the Camino Portugal (Plan B) is looking very unlikely, we need to go back to the proverbial drawing board. No walking is not an option… it’s time to come up with a Plan C!!!