Coronavirus Chaos
Time to share some of my experiences and thoughts from the week...
I realized that I needed to head out into the crazy and get some groceries. The grocery store I frequent was pretty much cleaned out. So I went to another store...and then another...
The following are some of the conversations I was a part of or overheard.
The Good
While shopping at one store, I stepped backwards and bumped into an elderly woman's cart. I turned and said, "I am so sorry. Are you okay?" She said, "Oh yes, dear. I am fine." I said, "Well again, I do apologize. It is crazy in here isn't it?" She said, "Yes it is." I smiled and said, "I hope that you find everything you need and get home safely." She paused, looked at me, and then said, "Thank you. You are not the first person to run into me today. But you are the first person who apologized, and then talked to me like I am a human being. Thank you." I smiled, wished her well again, and we parted.
One of the Vets at my husband's clinic brought him a pack of toilet paper. It is a pack of 4 of the smallest, but cutest, toilet paper rolls I have ever seen! And I think it was incredible thoughtful of her to share...that is not happening very often.
The Bad
At the first store I went to, there were no carts, no carry baskets, and people were honking and screaming at each other while fighting over parking spaces. People were stealing other people's carts and taking the stuff in the cart and putting on the nearest surface.
While standing in line to pay (a 40 minute wait) I heard the following conversation: Two women behind me were talking about how scary the situation was. They were surrounded by 6-8 kids all under 10. One of the women was saying that she worked at the hospital in the lab. One of the doctors brought her masks for herself and her children and told her that they should wear the masks every time they leave the house. She went on to say, we never leave the house without the masks. The masks will protect them and should be required. "If we leave the house we always wear the masks." I turned...and not a single woman or child in the group was wearing a mask.
Another conversation that happened near me: A woman was saying that her sister lives in San Antonio. She explained that is is really bad there. So bad that the city is on lockdown and there is a curfew. If you are caught on the street you are shot. Her friend exclaimed in fright and suggested they abandon their carts and get home before the police in Austin start shooting people. They did not abandon their carts.
A woman was in front of me in line. She had a very cute baby boy in the cart - he was probably 10 months old. Her cart had the following items: 15 bags of candy, 6 bags of chips, and 18 cans of hairspray.
I passed a middle-aged, white couple in one store. They had a cart with a few items in it and were not in a hurry. As a matter of fact, they were blocking the aisles and were spending more time talking than shopping. I lingered to listen in. "They really should limit the number of people allowed in the store. It is unacceptable that we can't do our shopping in peace." I thought that was odd, but I was intrigued...so I stalked them for a bit. Then I heard the woman say as a person of Asian decent walked by, "This is why we need a wall." I decided not to follow them anymore...it wouldn't be helpful for me to be arrested at this time.
And now the Ugly
In 2018, tRump dissolved the White House’s National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense (the U.S. pandemic response team). On Friday, 3/13/2020, tRump said, "“I don't take responsibility at all..." He went on to claim he was not aware the pandemic response team was dissolved. tRump then went on to say, “When you say me, I didn’t do it. We have a group of people I could ask — perhaps my administration — but I could perhaps ask Tony about that because I don’t know anything about it.” LIAR!
tRump said, "If you go back to the swine flu, it was nothing like this. They didn’t do testing like this, and actually they lost approximately 14,000 people, and they didn’t do the testing. They started thinking about testing when it was far too late.” NOPE! Diagnostic tests were approved and shipped within 2 weeks of the detection of H1N1, and before the first death in the U.S.
tRump said, “I want to thank Google. Google is helping to develop a website, it’s going to be very quickly done, unlike websites of the past, to determine whether a test is warranted and to facilitate testing at a nearby convenient location.” NOPE! Google expressed surprise, as they were in fact not working on this. Google's subsidiary, Verify, has a site still in development with the plan to do some testing of the site in 1 area...date TBD.
tRump said, “As you know, Europe was just designated as the hot spot right now and we closed that border a while ago.” WHAT? And I can't help but laugh...literally laugh...at the travel "ban." Um, if Americans have been in the country with infected people, then restricting Europeans but allowing the Americans back makes no sense in terms of exposing people to the virus.
tRump is an utter failure. And Republicans are sniveling sycophants.
Further ugly...
If you are uninsured, or living paycheck-to-paycheck, you will likely be unable to be tested or treated for COVID-19.
If businesses, schools, etc. shut down - people will not get paid.
People will go to work sick...because if they don't, they won't get paid. And that will devastate families everywhere.
My take...
This problem is bigger than the virus. Selfish people will hoard and not share. Anti-vaccers will continue to post bullshit about this is "nothing more than a cold" on social media. Ignorant people will live their lives just like normal and contribute to the spread of the virus.
I don't think we should panic. I do think we should be smart.
Wash your hands. Cough into your elbow. Check on people. Share resources. Help where you can.
Don't be an asshole.
Just sayin'
