Oh, hey, from the locked-down state of New Jersey. The squirrels, my guitars, my computers, and I are all fine, thanks for asking.
I visited my mom yesterday. She lives 80+ miles from me, and I'd figured there was a good chance I wouldn't be able to go next weekend (this was before I learned of Governor Murphy's shutdown executive order that went into effect at 9 PM last night). I managed to get her some extra provisions, too, and of course I took what precautions I could to keep her safe. As we should all be doing, in locked-down states and otherwise.
I am confounded by how many "covidiots" there still are out there, people who refuse to believe that there really is a virus and/or pandemic, or who think the media is blowing it out of proportion, or who think that this is all a cover for a last-ditch liberal attack on Dear Leader Trump. Some people, sadly, will only begin to understand when their family and friends begin to get sick (and some people only when their family and friends begin to die).
New Jersey's first "presumptive positive" COVID-19 case was announced on March 5 (the US' first was on Jan. 20, in Washington). That escalated quickly; yesterday, 16 days later, we had our 16th death in the state, with over 1300 positive cases reported, and the governor saw fit to keep everyone home. The township where I live, Lyndhurst, had its first case reported this past Tuesday; we're now up to six. These numbers are as of my writing, anyway; for more recent updates, check:
Live Coronavirus Update from Worldometer
COVID-19 Global Cases by the CSSE at Johns Hopkins University
NJ COVID-19 Dashboard
The company for which I work had the foresight to start prepping two weeks ago to have its Paramus, NJ office employees be able to work from home. This past week, we had a skeleton crew in the office, and on Friday every last one of us was working from home. (see my "working from home" Twitter thread here.) We all need to be cutting out physical interactions to help flatten the curve (and if your state or municipality hasn't caught on yet, maybe you need to tell 'em so). Social distancing is the only thing we've got, until we get a vaccine for this coronavirus. Guess we'll see which of the anti-vaxxers are left when this is all over are still against getting vaccinated.
This isn't a time to be selfish. This isn't about you, or me, or our elderly relatives, or our friends with cancer, or those morons on spring break. This is about our society. Refusing to do your part to stop the spread means you could be indirectly leading to the deaths of medical professionals, or cashiers, or sanitation engineers, or teachers, or bakers, or bank employees, or musicians, or law enforcement officials, or gas station attendants, or... In other words, refusing to do your part means you're chipping away at the society in which you live. If you don't appreciate that society and its members, do us all a favor and leave it; if you do, do us all a favor and help us protect it. Please.
I've set myself up so I probably don't need to head out for anything for at least a week anyway, but if I do, I'm fortunate enough to have a Walgreens, Dunkin', and Wine Country (YES! liquor stores are considered 'essential' and can stay open!) across the street, and a ShopRite and Stop & Shop, plus several takeout restaurants, within a 10-15 minute walk. Things may not be quite so convenient where you are, but all my fellow Americans who are already whining about #QuarantineLife really need to stop. Things could be a lot worse... and in some parts of the world, they already are. Hunker down and make the best of it. Me, I'll be watching "A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon" on Netflix with some friends (virtually) at 8 PM Eastern tonight. Feel free to join us.
Oh, yeah, and I need to finish writing "Unexpected Pandemic Blues" and get it recorded, too. 😃
For facts and not myths:
the CDC's Coronavirus Frequently Asked Questions
the World Health Organization's Coronavirus Q&A
 |
| To be clear, the CDC and WHO both say don't wear masks unless you're sick or advised to by a doctor. |
I am confounded by how many "covidiots" there still are out there, people who refuse to believe that there really is a virus and/or pandemic, or who think the media is blowing it out of proportion, or who think that this is all a cover for a last-ditch liberal attack on Dear Leader Trump. Some people, sadly, will only begin to understand when their family and friends begin to get sick (and some people only when their family and friends begin to die).
New Jersey's first "presumptive positive" COVID-19 case was announced on March 5 (the US' first was on Jan. 20, in Washington). That escalated quickly; yesterday, 16 days later, we had our 16th death in the state, with over 1300 positive cases reported, and the governor saw fit to keep everyone home. The township where I live, Lyndhurst, had its first case reported this past Tuesday; we're now up to six. These numbers are as of my writing, anyway; for more recent updates, check:
Live Coronavirus Update from Worldometer
COVID-19 Global Cases by the CSSE at Johns Hopkins University
NJ COVID-19 Dashboard
This isn't a time to be selfish. This isn't about you, or me, or our elderly relatives, or our friends with cancer, or those morons on spring break. This is about our society. Refusing to do your part to stop the spread means you could be indirectly leading to the deaths of medical professionals, or cashiers, or sanitation engineers, or teachers, or bakers, or bank employees, or musicians, or law enforcement officials, or gas station attendants, or... In other words, refusing to do your part means you're chipping away at the society in which you live. If you don't appreciate that society and its members, do us all a favor and leave it; if you do, do us all a favor and help us protect it. Please.
I've set myself up so I probably don't need to head out for anything for at least a week anyway, but if I do, I'm fortunate enough to have a Walgreens, Dunkin', and Wine Country (YES! liquor stores are considered 'essential' and can stay open!) across the street, and a ShopRite and Stop & Shop, plus several takeout restaurants, within a 10-15 minute walk. Things may not be quite so convenient where you are, but all my fellow Americans who are already whining about #QuarantineLife really need to stop. Things could be a lot worse... and in some parts of the world, they already are. Hunker down and make the best of it. Me, I'll be watching "A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon" on Netflix with some friends (virtually) at 8 PM Eastern tonight. Feel free to join us.
Oh, yeah, and I need to finish writing "Unexpected Pandemic Blues" and get it recorded, too. 😃
the CDC's Coronavirus Frequently Asked Questions
the World Health Organization's Coronavirus Q&A
No comments:
Post a Comment