Margie Serkin
Harsh, I know, but I believe it is true: As horrible as the global pandemic is, I have to believe that Mother Nature knows exactly what she is doing.
We, especially those of us in this country, have been in dire need of an equalizer among all peoples - something to remind us of our shared human vulnerability, and this is it.
Clearly, people of privilege are the ones in need of this reminder, and it is so sad that the less advantaged are suffering physical distress. Yet there is a feeling of deeply rooted justice knowing that not only this president but also the others surrounding him have been exposed.
These men, who ridiculed the situation just a few days ago. These men, who would deny health care to millions but never themselves. These men, who view themselves as demigods above the rabble.
These men, who have lost their own humanity, will now be faced with the reality that in the end, they are no different from the thousands who are suffering, and dying, because of their border policies, their passion to exploit, and their self-serving belief that by being white and male, they have the right to take from everyone else. COVID-19 will put them on a collision course with their own pathological narcissism.
There is no sense of relish in seeing the administration get ill. It is only a recognition of the genius of Mother God in delivering this absolute adjustment at this time.
Do I believe the pandemic is the hand of God? Yes, I do. Amidst the chaos and fear, the emergency responses of billions of strangers uniting for common good, and the beauty of young people in China sharing their solidarity with Italians in song and dance, speak to the higher instincts within us.
And there is the sobering gift that the young have been largely spared by this disease. Mother Nature, Mother God, does, in all ways, know exactly what she is doing.
Richard Witty
It's very rough economically. My wife is an hourly paraprofessional. Schools are closed with no communication as to pay status. Many of her colleagues work multiple jobs to make ends meet.
I was driving Uber but have stopped because of the virus. I lost 25 percent of my retirement savings over the past three weeks.
Everything is shutting down. Lots of jobs are gone indefinitely. Lots of businesses are in jeopardy.
Instructions to moderate transmission are inconsistent, unclear, not enforced, so there isn't then the prospect that it can be successfully dealt with.
And, it's at least a month before it settles even with the most disciplined approach.
The election is eight months away and a new government 10 months away, so no dramatic social relief will occur until then.
Tom Buchanan
My winter employment at Okemo, where I teach snowboarding, just ended early and abruptly when the governor of Colorado effectively forced Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company to shutter their Colorado resorts, which in turn drove them to announce a nationwide shutdown.
The governor of Vermont was encouraging that outcome, too, and had issued a mandatory limit on crowd sizes, so a locally induced closure was likely imminent anyway. At this stage, it's been defined as a temporary shutdown, but I can't imagine any scenario under which Okemo will reopen this season. And so my winter is done.
I was going to go hiking on my first Sunday of unemployment, but decided to go “social distancing” instead, because it sounds more patriotic and socially acceptable.
My favorite section of the Appalachian Trail at the Winhall Route 11/30 crossing is still moderately snow covered and probably won't be a good option until the snow melts and the under-layer thaws sufficiently to allow drainage. The lower mountain trails in the Equinox Preserve in Manchester are in better shape with just a few hints of snow. The Maidenhair/Trillium loop turned out to be a perfect fit for a sunny afternoon.
The trailhead parking lots were full, so it seems like lots of other people wanted to go social distancing, too. The “big world, little me” theory assures that all of us can find plenty of space in the woods.
Carla Occaso
I was disheartened this weekend about the hoarding in my area. As I did my usual weekend shopping, I saw a crazed mob of people who don't usually shop at a certain Shaw's Grocery grabbing so many items as to leave the shelves empty for others.
In the moment, I felt sad - like, “What's wrong with these people? Is this who we are?” - especially about those who seemed to gleefully relish their scores.
But later, upon reflecting, I wish I had said to at least one of them, “Don't you realize that what you're taking now is going to make someone do without? Maybe a family with children?” Not everyone can afford to stockpile all at once.
The manager at a Walgreens told me they are going to start putting the most-hoarded items - such as toilet paper - under lock and key in a back room and give them out only one at a time upon request.
On a kind of nice note, my grown son has said multiple times in recent weeks, “Don't get Corona Virus, Mom.” I infer this is the same as saying, “I love you.”
Robin Rieske
I like the idea of calling it “spatial distancing” rather than “social distancing.”
“Social distancing” sounds like social isolation, when really we are just seeking to create some space around us to keep each other healthy.
Melanie Boese
The economic implications are staggering. I know smart people with polar opposite opinions on this - I think we just need to be smart and aware. If you are at a higher risk, don't go out. I will be mindful and go out as needed.
If the schools close for an extended period, we may get a puppy. (That's me making lemonade!)
Leigh Carrico Mann
My heart is breaking for all of the people who have lost or will lose their jobs over this. I am furious at the people crowding bars and bragging about their lack of concern about recommendations.
As someone who works at a hospital where we already have cases, I am very uncomfortable every single workday. I am grateful that my job lets me avoid contact with the sickest patients on most days, and I am thinking of all the staff who don't have that option. I know that will also be me if my outpatients cancel and I get put wherever they need me most.
And I worry about my chronic health issues that put me in the vulnerable category but that have still not been classified in a way that would offer me any protection at work.
Sherri Keefe
I work in a residential home for vulnerable children, which must stay open. We are taking precautions in regard to screening visitors, but are already experiencing an outbreak of influenza B, which has decimated staffing.
I am concerned for the safety of all, and I fear that with the schools being closed, essential staff will not be able to work and care for the children because of their need to stay home and care for their own children.
Connie Evans
I'm getting through this by talking with people about setting up a phone chain in our town so elders will get a call every few days to make sure they are OK and they have what they need. Also, by looking into ways to help favorite local businesses survive.
Mary Barber
My husband and I are retired, so it is easy for us. We go out for car rides, we walk in parks where we can be alone, and we shop during hours when very few people are in the stores.
We are getting hurt with our retirement funds due to Wall Street tanking. But my heart breaks for people and businesses losing income, and for the interruptions of our children's education and extracurricular activities.
I think it is time for checks in the amount of $1,000 to go out to every American.
Gary Sachs
I am a cancer survivor willing to help people in self-quarantine.
You need or want, I can deliver, as an act of kindness and support. Call 802-579-5555.
Shanta Lee Gander
Individually, ironically, I have been self-isolating due to needing to stay focused on my writing and art practice. As I watch all of this unzipping, on an individual level, I think: “This is an opportunity for me to perhaps stay connected and in some cases, reconnect with some of my family to ensure they are OK and, as we have gathered some items, thinking about being good neighbors.” (We do so anyway, but that is key now.)
This might be an opportunity for us, as a wider national community, to think about how we look out for others we know and don't know. (For example, do you really need all of that tissue? Pasta? Hand sanitizer? Consider how we engage so wastefully with resources as a country; how can this help us think about rationing? How do we think about and consider the cracks of inequity within our system?)
So how will this virus help us rethink how we live, work, etc.?
Right now, this crisis is very much like other disasters we've seen (but bigger). Only the people who can afford to prepare are able to, while others are left out.
People are being told to self-isolate, but what if you can't because you need your paycheck because you are not salaried and can't work from home?
I am also thinking about how times like this are forcing us to go back to the basics and think about gardening, separating need versus want, educating the young at home, going back to the model of intergenerational living (though, arguably, that trend has already been taking place due to individuals moving back home after college).
I am also thinking how are we going to be forced to restructure commerce if people don't get paid because they can't make it in to work and thus can't contribute to the economy.
Yes, it is a question of how we are going to get through this. But it is also a question of how we will learn to live afterward, to create, to engage, and to take this as an opportunity on all levels, an opportunity to assess how we have been living.
We must assess our physical and mental health at all levels - personal, communal, national, and international - and do what needs to happen to adjust.
Dick Margulis
Here's a constructive idea from New Haven: The city ordered that any venue with a fire marshal seating limit greater than 16 immediately cut that number in half, with strict enforcement. This helps with social distancing and, yes, it puts a big strain on the venues, but it doesn't put them out of business altogether.
Dot Lenhart
As a disabled person, I don't go out much, so I am not affected by the gathering bans. I am in the so-called vulnerable group, so I will limit physical contact with others even more.
My workplace has gone to drive-through only, eliminating one day of work per week for me. I don't even know for certain if we will be able to stay open at all, but I hope so, since we're a medical facility.
I'm not happy with all this uncertainty, but I sure don't want any more people contracting this virus.
Dan Thies
I'm not a super social guy and I generally relish my solitude, but the stress and anxiety of the circumstances can really ratchet up the feelings of loneliness.
James Douglas
As a homeless person, it is probably time to panic.
Access to food is becoming more difficult.
Thomas Nelson
I'm most concerned about lack of income. I've put many things for sale online in the hope that people will purchase for “drive-by” pickups from our retail store, thus exposing themselves to just me.
I'm washing my hands a lot, using hand sanitizer a lot and bleaching everything around me a lot.
Mimi Yahn
My sister in Little Rock reports lots of mandatory shutdowns throughout Arkansas with gatherings of all kinds switching to distance-learning, Skype, and various other non-contact/electronic forms of communication.
That's no different from many other states, but her biggest fear actually is that when the pandemic is over, most of us will simply remain in self-isolation and corporate America will be quite happy to maintain and reinforce a new, cheaper norm, one where everything from shopping to concerts, from conferences to sports, from education to religion will all be remote and online.
Scary, dystopian, Philip K. Dick scenario, eh?
Jeanette Landin
As a relatively young person with a serious pre-existing lung disease, I'm terrified.
I worry every time that I have to go for doctor-required testing if I'm going to encounter someone who unknowingly infects me.
I look at all the precautions I must take for my safety and know that people see only the exterior appearance and think I'm overreacting.
I worry that my spouse, who is self-employed and in the midst of a major project, will inadvertently bring germs home, despite his best efforts.
I worry that I will be a statistic in this whole mess and not be there for the people who depend on me. All it would take is one tiny error.
Frederic Noyes
Looking at Italy, Korea, and Spain, we can project where we might be in coming days and weeks. I am occupying myself with home repairs and going on bike rides with the kids.
When I went to the grocery store last week, there were considerably more shoppers than usual for that time of day. I could feel the tension and heaviness.
I am hoping we all do all right and can learn some useful things along the way.