I saw something on Twitter asking people to keep a journal - for future historians, I guess. I know they meant a physical one, but it made me think that I ought to do more to capture current events.
My town had our first confirmed case of COVID-19 today, by the way. And our state governor has said that all restaurants and bars will close as of Monday evening.
So... yeah. Still a lot of uncertainty. Or rather, we still have a large group of people that don't really take this seriously, and I think even the ones that do aren't truly ready for it.
Me included.
It's funny. I mean, plagues have been a topic of interest since forever. I have a friend who had been pretty interested in the history of the Black Death. And I can remember reading Albert Camus' book The Plague (though it was so long ago I don't really remember the details.)
Of somewhat more interest, I had downloaded and read part of someone's account of living (in London, I think?) during an outbreak of plague. I forget when, where, and why... but it was interesting reading. I had this idea of people dying left and right, but here's this guy mostly just going about his day. Journaling about parish deaths, about how they suspected it was plague even though the church reported it as something else. He talked about how some of his friends decided to flee the city for their more remote lands. (Something I think was fairly common back then.)
I never expected to be living through anything like this, myself. I know, this isn't technically the plague. It's also not as lethal, so I'm not living in mortal fear of catching it. (For all I know, my slight too-minor-to-even-really-call-it-a-cold symptoms mean I could have it right now. That slight feeling in the throat. The occasional cough I started having this morning. It's not like I'd be able to get a test for it, so it mostly just reinforces how hard it is to take this thing seriously. If it weren't for the current situation, what I have is so minor I probably would be out and about.)
I've read the reports from Italy. More recently, one from a doctor in Seattle. I don't see any reason why we're somehow going to be different.
And yet I still was going to do something with my Little this weekend. Ended up not doing it, thankfully, as I'd begun to have doubts on how wise that would be.
The reports are coming in faster now, but it's not yet to the point where our healthcare system is breaking. Except, perhaps, in Seattle.
The lack of leadership from the federal government means that each state (and city, and county) is handling this their own way. Some states (like mine) are locking things down. Others... aren't.
It'll be interesting to see how much of a difference that makes. Like the article going around, comparing two cities and their differing reactions to the 1918 outbreak.
Still, though, I see the comments on social media.
"Overhyped." "Media driven panic." "Just the flu."
I'm not sure it's worth trying to persuade the ones saying things like this, though I occasionally try. There's a lot of speculation about what it would take to make them reevaluate those claims.
Unfortunately, it probably won't happen unless things as bad a I fear... which is why I keep saying that I hope I'm wrong. Even if it means they continue believing BS.
My town had our first confirmed case of COVID-19 today, by the way. And our state governor has said that all restaurants and bars will close as of Monday evening.
So... yeah. Still a lot of uncertainty. Or rather, we still have a large group of people that don't really take this seriously, and I think even the ones that do aren't truly ready for it.
Me included.
It's funny. I mean, plagues have been a topic of interest since forever. I have a friend who had been pretty interested in the history of the Black Death. And I can remember reading Albert Camus' book The Plague (though it was so long ago I don't really remember the details.)
Of somewhat more interest, I had downloaded and read part of someone's account of living (in London, I think?) during an outbreak of plague. I forget when, where, and why... but it was interesting reading. I had this idea of people dying left and right, but here's this guy mostly just going about his day. Journaling about parish deaths, about how they suspected it was plague even though the church reported it as something else. He talked about how some of his friends decided to flee the city for their more remote lands. (Something I think was fairly common back then.)
I never expected to be living through anything like this, myself. I know, this isn't technically the plague. It's also not as lethal, so I'm not living in mortal fear of catching it. (For all I know, my slight too-minor-to-even-really-call-it-a-cold symptoms mean I could have it right now. That slight feeling in the throat. The occasional cough I started having this morning. It's not like I'd be able to get a test for it, so it mostly just reinforces how hard it is to take this thing seriously. If it weren't for the current situation, what I have is so minor I probably would be out and about.)
I've read the reports from Italy. More recently, one from a doctor in Seattle. I don't see any reason why we're somehow going to be different.
And yet I still was going to do something with my Little this weekend. Ended up not doing it, thankfully, as I'd begun to have doubts on how wise that would be.
The reports are coming in faster now, but it's not yet to the point where our healthcare system is breaking. Except, perhaps, in Seattle.
The lack of leadership from the federal government means that each state (and city, and county) is handling this their own way. Some states (like mine) are locking things down. Others... aren't.
It'll be interesting to see how much of a difference that makes. Like the article going around, comparing two cities and their differing reactions to the 1918 outbreak.
Still, though, I see the comments on social media.
"Overhyped." "Media driven panic." "Just the flu."
I'm not sure it's worth trying to persuade the ones saying things like this, though I occasionally try. There's a lot of speculation about what it would take to make them reevaluate those claims.
Unfortunately, it probably won't happen unless things as bad a I fear... which is why I keep saying that I hope I'm wrong. Even if it means they continue believing BS.
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