Ruth is opposed to me writing about the coronavirus. She says that everyone is very informed about it and upset by the subject. We are binge-watching series we missed. Coronavirus has had such an impact on our lives that I feel driven to talk about it. There are regional differences for one thing.
We live in the State of Washington. There have been more than 900 cases of coronavirus here with most of them in the Seattle area where 26 deaths occurred in one assisted living facility. We live near Vancouver, WA where we just had our first 2 deaths today, a husband and his wife. There is sparse information about this because it just happened. There will be more deaths. Many businesses have shut down. A locally popular restaurant with good pizza called Twilight has announced that it’s permanently closing.
Ruth and I are housebound. Our only daily outing is a walk around the neighborhood. I am uncomfortable in a familiar grocery store that has been stripped of most food. You cannot find a can of beans or toilet paper locally. Hand sanitizer is also not to be found, so we spend a lot of time washing our hands. It’s like waiting for a bomb to explode. We have already cancelled 2 planned trips and will probably cancel the third one. Who knows when normal mobility will resume? We just heard that all Marriott hotels are closing temporarily. My brother was supposed to come for a visit, but he has cancelled. He lives in the Tacoma area.
Neighboring Oregon didn’t have a death until last Sunday’s report that a 70 year old man who had tested positive for coronavirus only 4 days previously died. There will be many more. Both Oregon and Washington have big homeless populations. How are the tent dwellers washing their hands? As of now, Oregon has 47 cases of coronavirus, and many of the businesses in that state have shut down too. Our other neighbor Idaho had not, at last report, experienced a case of coronavirus and now has 7. The news changes by the minute. The Center for Disease Control said over the past weekend that 21 million Americans might require hospitalization before things get better. What will doctors do when they don’t have enough respirators for everyone? Deciding whether the 70-year-old or the 40-year-old victim gets assistance is coming. California has more than 5 million seniors.
I don’t have any photos that relate to this subject, which may be a good thing. Try to enjoy spring flowers and weather while we all await a hoped for turnaround. We both hope you stay healthy.
Hank
Security Conscious 