Post 7 - March 18, 2020
Day 7…
The social networks, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. have all sent their employees home (and rightfully so) and are now relying on software to weed out inappropriate postings on those platforms. As a result, a great many posts are getting flagged that shouldn’t be flagged at all. It does not appear to be part of a larger conspiracy, merely a glitch in the programming. One of my posts (Day 5) was flagged and taken down. I asked for a review and it was back up within the hour.
The Norwegian Bliss, with the JERSEY BOYS company on it, is now not heading to Norfolk but instead “south”. The Epic is in Cape Canaveral discharging their crew so hopefully, the same will happen with the Bliss. A two-year old passenger from two cruises ago tested positive for the virus but absolutely no way of knowing if said passenger had it while on the ship and so far, everyone onboard reports feeling fine. Let’s hope it stays that way!
When all of this is over, we are going to look back and applaud those who did their all without profit or greed.
Now is not the time to make profits off of hospital supplies and equipment like ventilators.
Several days ago, friends in Germany told me that Trump had been in contact with a German company to create a vaccine for the virus and promised them a fortune if they would develop it for the sole use of the US. Presumably, he would then market it to other countries in the world at a huge profit. Yesterday, this came out in the news here. Make no bones about it, this is despicable behavior. Truly despicable. It’s called profiteering. Have a look at Mother Courage and her Children by Brecht.
Another friend is attempting to get back home to Australia. Flights that were once hundreds of dollars and now over two thousand. Really? That seems like a good public relations ploy - gouge your loyal customers when they need you the most?
Because of my job, and because of my family, my circle of friends encircle the globe. We are ALL going through this. Our respective governments are all reacting to this.
London is facing an imminent lockdown. Schools across the country are expected to close by the weekend. Much like here, it seems that the national government is not fully communicating with the local government in terms of coordinating. The Mayor of London is complaining that he is being left in the dark. (Sounds familiar) The West End is dark - the Olivier Awards postponed.
According to the news, South Africa enacted a whole series of measures that other countries did gradually almost overnight. In some ways I imagine it is going to be even more jolting than it has been here. We’ve had a few days to adjust day by day - they got it all at once. Travel bans, School closures, large group prohibitions. They have a huge population of people with HIV all living in crowded conditions for whom this virus is going to be extremely dangerous. Friends in SA say that they are several weeks behind the rest of us.
There is an interesting debate going on around the world about “Herd Immunity”. This mostly has to do with vaccines. When enough people have the vaccine, it becomes an effective firewall to the spread of a virus. There aren’t enough people in the group who are susceptible to it to keep it going. Holland appears to be advocating that the country NOT go on lockdown so that 50-60% of the population gets it and it creates its own kind of herd immunity firewall. Arguing that those who survive it will, in effect, be vaccinated. Presumably, those at greatest risk would be isolated. The problem with all of our social distancing, they argue, is that as soon as we come out of isolation, the virus can begin to spread anew. The Dutch are being slammed for this approach. I’d be interested in knowing how you guys on the ground there feel.
In Australia, the AFL (Footy) season is starting as scheduled, which seems a bit ridiculous. The advice is not to travel but there is nothing stopping you if you want to go. Indoor gatherings of over 100 are banned. Qantas has axed 90% of its regular service and Virgin Australia all. Schools in Australia are staying open - the argument being that if they close then the parents of those kids won’t be able to work.
Then there’s our friends to the north. The announcement came today that we are closing the US/Canadian border to all non-essential activity. Trade will still be allowed to happen, but no non-essential people. Bars and Restaurants are closed to everything except take out. Gyms closing. Museums and theatres closed.
Strangely, the one thing that everyone seems to be experiencing no matter where they are is panic hoarding of toilet paper. My friends in Germany who told me about Trump trying to control the vaccine can’t find any. Neither, apparently, can anyone else.
So, we really are ALL going through this together all over the world and everyone, everywhere, is trying to make sense of this without really knowing the best way to combat it. I am taking a great deal of comfort in the leadership that we are getting on a state and city level. DeBlasio was a bit slow to start, but he seems to be on it now. Cuomo seems to be doing a fantastic job. For our own health and safety, we have to ignore Washington as long as they continue to be led by politics and personal gain.
Our leaders are people. They aren’t saints. Even the great ones have flaws. You need a certain amount of narcissism to even want or need a leadership job in the first place. We need to let them learn from mistakes and change their minds. Is Cuomo a perfect person, no. A perfect governor? No. But in this instance, in this crisis, he is more than doing his job. He is doing what we elected him to do and that is to lead. This is a crisis that requires us to become educated and to listen and to evolve our behaviors. I look around and see all of us doing that. I don’t see that happening in Washington. I see rats on a sinking ship stuffing their pockets with all the gold they can get their hands on as they flounder in the sea.
Now, for those who are actually still floating and are wondering what they can do, Broadway Cares - Equity Fights Aids has begun a fund to help entertainment professionals who need it during this crisis. If you feel that you can help, please do. I think that it’s important to remember that however much we are anxious and worried and struggling that there is always somebody worse off than we are. Do not feel guilty if you are not in a position to donate. Many are not. But if you are…
We will get through this. How we get through it is largely up to us.
When all of this is over, we are truly going to look back and applaud those who did their all without profit or greed. Now is not the time to amass a fortune, now is the time to take care of each other and get each other through this. Calmly, safely, intelligently and hopefully with a goodly amount of humor.