Post 1 - March 12, 2020

Last night, after weeks of downplaying and ridiculing the virus, we were finally told by our leader, that it is, in fact, serious.

There are over a thousand cases of it on the US mainland.

The solution put forth is to ban all flights from Europe starting Friday - passenger and cargo alike.  This “foreign” virus has been mis-managed in Europe and we don’t want it here.

Within seconds of this address, tweets went out that the President mis-spoke. This ban won’t affect Cargo. The ban is for mainland Europe, not the UK.  The ban doesn’t apply to US citizens or permanent residents who have been properly screened, just EU passport holders.

OK, so then, what does this mean practically?  Do US and Permanent Residents need to be tested at the airport? Some people carrying the virus are completely asymptomatic. They are still carrying it you just can’t tell.  I am guessing that European airports are a mess this morning with everybody scrambling to get home. I hope that somebody has something in place to deal with this, but there does not appear to be any sort of plan to ensure that everyone gets home by Friday. If the restrictions don’t apply to the UK, surely everyone will just flee from Europe via the Chunnel? 

Italy is in lockdown. You cannot move from town to town and all businesses except grocery stores and other essential services have been closed.  Well that can’t happen here because we only have 1000 cases. Hmm.  There has been no testing. Kits aren’t available.  We are far more likely to already have 10’s of thousands of cases on the US mainland that simply haven’t been identified yet. This ban is already too late. It’s here.

In response to last night’s address to the nation, the stock market is plunging again today.  Trading has just been halted. Again.

Non-perishable food is disappearing from grocery stores.

This travel ban, however it ultimately plays out, is going to keep tourists away from the US in droves. That is going to severely impact, hotels, entertainment, transportation, restaurants... you name it. Gatherings need to be curtailed. The NBA cancelled its entire season yesterday, can Broadway be far behind?

We really need to think these next few weeks through.

Without panic.

Make sure that you can get through the next period of time in terms of food and medication.  Don’t hoard, be smart about it.

Wash your hands.  Really.

Stay away from crowds - both for your sake and theirs.  Act as if you already have it.

Breathe.

Governor Cuomo has already indicated that he is not going to wait for the federal government to manage this and that NY will start testing on its own. 

We live in an enormous city. Together. We need to be smart about how we move around it and interact with each other for the next few weeks. God-willing, this will pass and turn out to be nothing. Let’s take it seriously NOW so that that is exactly what happens.

Be safe.

Be kind.

Be smart.

When the news starts making you panic, turn it off and just sit quietly with yourself for a few minutes and think things through.

Be safe.

Be kind.

Be smart.

This isn’t the time for blame or hysteria.  It seems that we are unlikely to get any real guidance from the federal government. They have not realized that this is a real thing and are still factoring politics into their every response.  Try and be clear about where you are getting your information from.

Doctors say wash your hands.

Social distancing.

Be safe.

Be kind.

Be smart.