things are getting a little weird
Things are getting a little weird. On Sunday, I pushed my environmentally friendly personal cup across a counter to a worker at a coffee shop in Palm Springs, where I was staying with a friend for a fun day driving BMWs at the little track there. The punk rock barista awkwardly refused it, saying: “We don’t take those anymore because of the virus,” and offered to pour my coffee into a paper cup that I could pour into my personal cup.
It was only a few days ago that we received an e-mail at work saying we needed to avoid all non-essential travel. Events are getting cancelled all over the place. AEG just came down with the news that the Coachella music festival isn’t happening. Traffic seems light in the morning and some businesses are asking their employees to work from home. The company is still open but I’m hearing rumors that could change.
In Italy, where this thing appears to have taken hold, the government today extended emergency coronavirus measures, which include travel restrictions and a ban on public gatherings, to the entire country. The limitations initially just applied to a few cities and towns in the north, where the virus was centered. But now the concern is very real that there is too much movement, too many gatherings, too much social interaction to keep it contained to that region. It seems draconian but from the pictures we’ve been seeing on TV, nobody has been listening until now. Cafes and piazzas loaded with people. This is Italy! What is it without socializing? It seems very far away.
Italy's coronavirus death toll jumped from 366 to 463 on Monday. It is the worst-hit country after China. From this corner of the USA, it still doesn’t seem that bad. The president compared this thing to the flu not that long ago. It’s not like I have a lot of faith in him as a leader but… still: is it really that bad?
My 76-year-old mom is in Mexico for the winter and I called her this morning to discuss whether she should go home to Canada early. Her flight home is planned for the end of the month and she’s comfortable to sit it out there, with a month of extra medication in hand. She’s in a small town and reports that life is totally normal there… The numbers out of Mexico aren’t bad – very few cases. She’s comfortable, she’s warm in the winter sunshine. She can walk to get groceries and restaurants. She says her landlord will let her extend. For now, maybe staying put is the best option.
But… is this a thing?
