Corona-what-us?

As I said, as we entered this decade, we fell headlong into a pending pandemic. It was great.

Little did we know when we got on that plane to visit Roots and Roosts. Yes, we knew there was a novel (aka "new") virus going around somewhere in China, and it may or may not be making its way to the rest of the world. But we had no idea, not in our wildest imagination, what we had in store. We had no idea that the entire planet was about to have the rug pulled out from under it, dropping us to our collective knees.

A strain of coronavirus - a group of viruses, including the 'common cold' that cause respiratory and other symptoms - had been found after someone at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, bought pangolin meat that had been infected by SARS-CoV-2 virus when the animal was bit by a horseshoe bat. (SARS-CoV is the strain of coronavirus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.) The infection transferred to the person and then developed in to CoVid-19 (so named because it started in 2019). Apparently, that can happen with some viruses. It’s called zoonotic transmission.

The last time this happened was in 2003, when a similar virus, which we just called SARS, was transmitted from a bat to a Masked Palm Civet which was then eaten by a human. Another outbreak caused by zoonotic transmission was MERS-CoV, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, which was contracted by eating a similarly infected dromedary camel. The vegetarian in me says, let’s not eat animals anymore. But the realistic me says, can we at least draw the line at eating exotic animals?

Anyway . . .

The first US case was diagnosed on January 21, three days into our California trip. The man had traveled to the Wuhan province, where he contracted the virus, and then back to his hometown of New York City before it developed into CoVid-19. By the end of January, there were seven cases in the US. Fast forward to the end of March, and we would see an exponential increase to nearly 187,000 cases and over 3,800 deaths. Two weeks later and we’d have 525,000 cases and over 20,000 deaths nationwide. We had officially surpassed any other country in number of cases, making CoVid-19 the number one cause of death in the United States. Worldwide, the toll was astronomical – over 1.8 million people have been infected, 113,000+ dying from the disease as of mid-April.

The next three months saw a mind-bending flurry of activity in attempts to ‘crush the curve’. States, counties, and cities implemented ‘shelter in place’ orders, stopping just short of ticketing people for leaving their homes. Employers scrambled to put work-from-home protocols, equipment, and bandwidth in place. Hospitals are short on supplies such as masks, gloves, gowns, and staff. Front-line workers began wearing protective plastic face shields and full-body protection. ICU beds and ventilators reached critical lows. Military ships are docked in major ports to serve as temporary hospitals. Ages of those affected grew younger as death counts rose. Countries experienced hundreds of fatalities every day. Borders were closed. Flights were grounded. Business were shuttered. Jobless exceeded 16 million. Social distancing became a buzz word. Drive-thru testing sites were built. International heads of state were hospitalized. The government promised token stimulus checks to families. Parties were divided. Friends and extended families were separated by a minimum of six feet. Newscasters and late-night hosts filmed from their living rooms, or front porches, or tents set up in their back yards. Zoom (a video conferencing platform) became a household word. Children participated in online school.

People either panicked or felt invincible and indifferent. The panicked ones stayed home, self-isolated, did without. The invincible and indifferent continued with life as if nothing were happening. Pastors defied recommendations and held massive church services. Spring breakers flooded places like Mexico and Florida. Families gathered for Sunday dinners. 

And, as a result, cases remain on the rise. We have yet to hit the apex, medical experts say. The government, and society, are fighting a delicate balance between health and finance – steps we need to take to finally eradicate this virus seem to lead us to a long-term economic recession. Billions of dollars have been lost. The stock market has plummeted. When will it end? What will it cost? And how do you reconcile the rebound of finances at the cost of human life?

And yet, the air is clear. Emissions and greenhouse gasses have dropped. Light pollution has lessened. Animals that haven’t been seen in geographies for decades have suddenly reappeared. The planet seems to be healing itself now that we’ve gotten out of its way.

Families are rediscovering each other. Parents are learning what it takes to be a teacher, and a stay-at-home mom. Times together (from six feet away) are more precious than ever. Car picnics are a thing. Porch portraits are a thing. Graduation parades are a thing. Bear hunts are a thing. Can we do without the money, the travel, the busy-ness? Can we heal our obsession for collecting things and put our energy into collecting memories? Can we please keep the good things that have been forced upon us by this unlikely source?

Governments say we will “re-open for business” on May 1. I can't help but to feel like that is too soon. Experts predict a second wave of cases by mid-summer if we do. I believe it will be August or later before we start to regain some of our old normal. 

I hope so. I want more time for healing. I’m not ready to come back to life.