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shadowkat1. During First Unitarian's Evening Prayer Service via Zoom, one of the ladies opined that it was beginning to get to her this week. She'd been fine up to now, but for some reason this week she was a bit of a marshmellow, things were getting to her more and she was crying more easily. And I thought as she spoke, oh, I'm not the only one...this is good to know. Told my mother today that I was having issues this week for some reason, struggling to focus, crying easily...she told me that I'd have to be insane not to be affected by this. I suppose. But I live in a culture in which you're supposed to be strong and stoic, stiff upper lip and all that. At least two people from my church have had it now - I don't know either very well, outside of a Zoom conference. Their faces white and pasty, with grayish blond hair, one in her thirties, one in her forties, or so it appears. One with glasses. One without. One spent two weeks of unmitigated hell in the hospital and broke out in an itchy rash across her body, one suffered through three weeks of hell alone in her apartment, and seems to be recovering without much issue. And I found myself crying watching them. And thinking how surreal it all felt, like watching one of those fake reality horror films, where people talk to you documentary style - yet it is real.
My mother told me today that my father had admitted to her that this whole thing had thrown him off his game. That he was more confused than before, and having more and more troubles making sense of things. It's so sad, because he'd been getting better, had a routine, and was able to find a way to make things work somehow. But now? He's confused and they wonder if "Memory Matters" will start up again? It's a non-profit organization set up to help those with altzheimers and dementia. But it doesn't have that much funding - and it may not survive this. Every time Cuomo comes on - my father wonders if Cuomo is really in the room with him, if they are at a lecture, and if anyone else will be joining them.
To make myself feel better this morning, because I was feeling rather blue, staring blankly at my work emails, I jumped to the internet to give money to the New York's COVID-19 FIRST RESPONDER's FUND - I wasn't able to give a great deal, but it made me feel better. Provided me with a sense of control over my environment - of which I feel lately that I have very little. And the news online was grim, the political situation as toxic as ever.
Somehow being able to give something to the people going out each day, risking their lives, and trying to stay sane - made me feel less lonely and less filled with despair.
2. It's raining now. A soft pitter pat against the A/C, and the upstairs nieghbors have stopped rolling about so much. The only other sound, if I listen is the whir of my air purifier. Even though I have the living room window open about six inches to let in a crisp cool breeze.
Today, it was mostly overcast and cool. So I ripped off the band-aid - of yet another anxiety - and went to pick up my prescription from the Pharmacy. I'd been worrying over it for the last two weeks now. Finally got myself to call it in yesterday, with a pick up time of anywhere between 11 AM - 9PM today. The pharmacy used to be open from 7 AM to 10 PM, but they've changed the times to 9AM-9PM. I only had one week of pills left, and it's my tremor meds - if I go without, I could lose complete control of the tremor and not be able to type or hold a cup. It's just 50 MG, but it keeps the tremor in check, well, for the most part. When I get upset or panicked, or really nervous, I can't type. It's my body's way of making me slow down, I guess.
Anyhow, I thought about going early today, and reminded myself that it wouldn't be ready until 11 AM. And since I have to clock in and work from 8 to 4PM each day, with a midafternoon checkin, and a daily work log, I can't easily go out to pick up a prescription. Well, I probably could - I just don't feel comfortable doing it. Also, with everyone else working from home and it raining intermittently throughout the day - it made sense to wait until after work to do it.
So at 4PM, I made myself go on auto-pilot and take off to pick it up. What I was worrying about for the past five days was that they'd be doing COVID-19 Testing or Antibody testing, which means people with the virus or who had it would be lined up and in the pharmacy. Because the news advised that various pharmacies in the area had been approved to start testing - although no word had been issued on the pharmacy in my area being selected. They weren't - I didn't see any of that at all when I arrived. Also unlike the grocery store, they were limiting the number of people permitted inside, enforcing a six-feet apart policy as much as possible, and you weren't permitted to enter without a mask in place. They had a security person at the doors ensuring this practice was followed.
On the way to the pharmacy, various people were walking about without masks. But everyone in line had a mask in place - some had two masks on, and the masks ranged from the cleaning masks to the surgical ones to the cloth variety. We waited in a line winding down the sidewalk to the Taco Truck, away from the building by about six or ten feet. Behind us were the plastic carts containing the supplies that had been delivered to the pharmacy that day, and been unpacked and emptied and left on the curb to put back into the truck. Everyone wore masks. When people left the pharmacy, one by one we entered. It was sparse of people - yet I still felt this odd urgency to rush around the store like a mad-woman, picking up supplies as I went.
There's no toilet paper to be found, or dish-washing soap. Very odd. I had a discussion with the guy at the pharmacy window about the lack of toilet paper. He said every time they got it restocked, people would grab it like crazy. The biggest hurdle in the store was the boxes wrapped in plastic that I had to get around to get nuts, standing in the center of a big aisle. I wanted to get the store clerks for not unloading it - yet, felt empathy for them, for having to work in the store while the rest of us hunkered down in our homes. They are showing up each day, not as an act of courage necessarily, but because this may be the only job they have.
The pharmacy now had plastic shield windows installed, with a hole to push through items that need to be scanned, and to receive drugs. And there was a marker on the aisle showing people how they had to stand at least six feet apart. The man behind the counter was quite pleasant. And I'd put on eyeliner and a nicer hat for my visit, so no one would mistake me for a man like yesterday. Upon exiting, the wind had picked up and the line appeared ever so slightly longer. A woman with a mask, appeared to be standing in line for the Taco Truck. I walked against the wind home, grateful that it wasn't raining. One man came towards me without a mask, and I could not get around him, so I walked as close to the far end of the sidewalk as possible, he gave me an annoyed look. There's this weird battle going on between those of us who are following the protocols, and those that refuse. So far it is a silent one and not that major, and most people are following the protocol, so not a big issue.
3. My Imperfect Foods Delivery came on time. I was rather pleased by this. It's not perfect - there's always something off. For example? I ordered chicken breasts and got thighs...although I can probably figure out something to do with them. I'm used to cooking with breasts, it's easier. And I got more chocolate bars and apples than I expected - I was expecting six apples and three chocolate bars. I got eight apples and six chocolate bars. Not complaining. Also, I'd ordered crimini mushrooms and ribeye steak, but neither came because they were out - but at least they told me and subtracted the amount. Imperfect Foods - does a couple of things that I like, and prefer over other delivery services - one, they are a smaller company and not really a corporation, and they specialize in limiting food waste and helping the environment. The foods they send are surplus items that have been rejected by restaurants or not being used. And since a lot of restaurants are closed right now - there's a lot of surplus. So, we're eliminating food waste. They also have programs to feed the hungry and elderly. I feel by ordering through them that I am helping the world a bit. Even though they don't have all the items I want or the way I want them - it's okay. I'm very grateful for this service, because Fresh Direct, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and Insta Cart have proven to be unreliable and according to the news, their people aren't happy.
But when it comes - I have to buzz in the guy. Go downstairs, pick up the heavy box, cart it up to my apartment, spray the box. Open it. Clean everything inside it. Break down the box, clean it again - because I can't get rid of it fast. And put everything away. Also clean my hands several times - even though I used gloves to pick it up and carry it inside my apartment. I did not use the gloves to unpack the groceries.
4. Daily update on NY vs. the Corona Virus
I watch the New York Governor's briefings every day now, as do my parents and apparently people around the world - according to the comments on Facebook.
It assuages my anxiety. As do his daily emails. Although like many New Yorkers, I live in terror of being sent back to the office and forced to take the subways. He appears to appreciate this fear - since they've finally figured out how to tackle the subway problem.
What are they doing? Ah, the impossible - cleaning the subways, buses and trains every 24 hours. Why is this impossible? Well think about it for a minute. The subways, buses and trains run 24/7 without breaks. NYC is the only place in the world (that I know of) that has 24/7 public transportation.
So how to do this? Because if you are running the subways 24/7, it's kind of hard to do a thorough cleaning - particularly considering how many lines you have and how many stations.
This is how:
The MTA will disinfect the New York City Transit system, as well as the Metro-North and Long Island Railroad, every 24 hours. To achieve this, subway service will stop nightly from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM, beginning on Wednesday, May 6. The MTA will provide free alternative transportation options to essential workers including buses, "dollar vans" and for-hire vehicles. The entire fleet of Metro-North Railroad and LIRR will also be cleaned daily (with no service disruptions). This is an unprecedented undertaking and requires a full MTA/State/City partnership.
This is the first time in 52 years that the MTA has disrupted service on a daily basis on all subway lines for five hours. You may not think this is a big deal if you don't live in NYC, but if you do - you should know it is. There are people work come home from work at 1-5 Am, or go to work during those hours. So the MTA is providing connecting services for those workers free of charge. Note that the subways, buses and trains are either free or provided at a discounted rate to essential workers - which is one of the many reasons the MTA is losing money on a daily basis. There's hardly anyone paying for the service any longer.
I find this stuff really interesting - because it shows the ripple effect of things or how things are connected. As the Governor stated in his briefing - certain things cause other problems to emerge. For example during Hurricane Sandy, the electricity failed - resulting in various people freezing in their homes. (Hurricane Sandy had happened in November - when it was cold, not in August when it was warm.) Which compounded the problem of the hurricane. Now, we have a global pandemic - and the homeless are seeking shelter in empty subway trains and bringing all their stuff with them. Not only that, but they've discovered that the virus can survive up to 72 hours on plastic and hard surfaces - which could infect the essential workers traveling to work each morning. How to fix this problem? Shut down the subways and stations for five hours each night and clean them thoroughly, disinfect everything in sight, have homeless outreach personnel and NYPD who are trained in how to handle the homeless take them out of the subways and place them in shelters and areas where they are safe, and can social distance six feet apart. In addition find a way to provide transportation for those essential workers who have to travel during those hours. And this will also possibly limit the crime that is happening on the subways at these hours.
It's complicated and a massive undertaking Not to mention expensive and requires a lot of disinfectants.
The other thing they brought up - which the reporters and the President really should stop bringing up - is how the Governor is addressing the criticism that he didn't shut down soon enough. See? Every time they bring that up, they remind New York that the our stupid ass federal government did not take this virus seriously and look at what was going on in Europe and how it would affect the East Coast. OR, more importantly, the CDC, WHO, and the Feds refused to give NY the permission and the testing support - they needed, when they asked for it way back in February. New York has still not forgiven the CDC, WHO, and the President of the US for not letting them test in February for the virus. I remember this well - because when I noticed Italy had the virus, I thought, of god, New York. And why doesn't NY have any cases? Apparently the New York leadership was thinking the same thing.
Here's the thing - China affected the West Coast of the US. Because if you are flying to and from China, or sailing to and from China, you come into the West Coast. But if you are coming from Europe to the US, you come in and out of two major city airports - New York and Newark, which is why both NYC and Newark got the most cases - they got them from Europe. And Europe exploded with the virus (as you all know, since many of you live there.)
As Governor pointed out - "Governors are not in charge of global pandemics, that's not in our job description. It's not my job to figure out when to stop air travel or determine who can start testing or how to contain a damn virus. That's why we have the CDC, Who, and our intelligence community. And where was the New York Times and Media in all of this? You didn't write a story about it until after we discovered we had a case."
He's not wrong, Governor's aren't in charge of Global Pandemics. New York is right to be furious with the Federal Government and the CDC for failing to allow testing earlier in New York and catching that the virus was coming from Europe as well as China. So many lives could have been saved if the Republican Party had not reduced funding to the CDC.
What else is New York doing? Considering NYC now has over 129,000 cases and 18,170 deaths? The US has over 1 Million cases, and over 61,000 deaths and climbing. And that's the ones we actually know about - I know of a lot of people, including a couple of family members - who think they had it but were never tested.
Our playbook to tackle COVID-19 operates on three premises: Test — Trace — Isolate. As we steadily ramp up our testing capabilities, we also need to expand contact tracing. Contact tracing is the art (and hard work) of tracking down close contacts of those who have tested positive for the virus. The new, nation-leading tracing program that Mike Bloomberg and I announced last week is expected to expand to 6,400 to 17,000 tracers statewide.
To build this army of tracers, former Mayor Bloomberg and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, along with the NYS Department of Health, will lead the recruitment, hiring and training of our tracers. Johns Hopkins will develop an online curriculum and exam that is required in order to become a contact tracer. The great challenge is to ramp this program up to scale as quickly as possible. We have never done anything like this before, but we will now because we need to meet this challenge.
This sounds impossible. In fact the reporters asked how they were going to trace people that you ran into in grocery stores, subways, buses, in the park...or standing in a crowd watching the fly-over.
Cuomo said = we're going to do what we can as best we can to contain the beast. We've managed to make it retreat, but we have to keep going.
They are also pushing the food banks - so no New Yorker will go to bed hungry, and have instigated a ruling that all NY hospitals must allow partners to stay with women during birth and as they recover after having given birth. (Apparently this came up as a problem.) And all state parks will remain open - so people can get fresh air while social distancing. He's not cooping people up at least. Although in NYC social distancing in a Park during a quarantine is really hard - everyone and their mother, father, and their brood of kids is at the damn park. Trust me when I say this - the one place you do not want to be during a pandemic is in New York City. Sigh. It's also the place you don't want to be during a terrorist attack.
Yet here I am. I think sometimes the Universe likes to test the limits of my anxiety?
5. Deep Breath. I want to be a hero during this, but honestly I feel more like a coward? I go outside and have to fight down a panic attack. I came back from Walgreens, and my hand was shaking so badly, I could barely get the door to my apartment open. A nice neighbor lady opened the front door of the apartment building for me. We safely social distanced. I'm getting used to seeing most people from just the eyes up.
Then inside, I called my mother - and wondered what was wrong with me. Why was I nervous wreck every time I came back inside? Or went anywhere? The pharmacy wasn't as bad as I thought?
My mother reassured me and told me that my father and her, respected me a great deal and thought I was handling this thing rather well, considering.
I thought when I got the Imperfect Foods order and went nuts disinfecting it, without poisoning myself in the process - that the problem is that I've watched or read one too many horror tales about pandemics in my life time. I second guess myself constantly - did I touch the wrong thing? Did I clean my hands enough times? Should I have taken a walk? What if I brushed past someone who had it? No wait, we were three feet apart, I should be fine.
I also think sometimes, I'm pathetic. Sure I'm alone, but I have a nice apartment for the most part - not a lot of things in it and yes, the coffee table and one of the armchairs are a bit ratty. Also I have two small book shelves overflowing with books and a coffee table with a bunch of books inside it. There's one thing hanging on the wall - abig canvas photograph of a sunset. I got a large tv and a nice stand, and a decent desk - taller than the one at work, along with a chair that is weirdly more supportive in the back department, yet...I feel like I should have done a better job decorating somehow.
I find myself envying my brother, who had his fiftieth birthday this year, surrounded by his daughter and beloved wife - who picked up a cake for him, while his daughter made him a photo album. He's ensconced in his house, with the hot tub, and the trees and acreage, the generators, and fresh water well -- plus sizable vegetable garden, plus fruit trees, and it's hard not to feel a spark of envy.
Mountains sit behind his house. Deer frolic in the meadow. It feels almost pastoral in a way. And comforting. As I sit hear listening to the rain pitter pat alone in my small flat...as the night drifts away from me, and all to soon, I'll have to wake up again to another morning working away at my small work station...alone and just a little afraid.
My mother told me today that my father had admitted to her that this whole thing had thrown him off his game. That he was more confused than before, and having more and more troubles making sense of things. It's so sad, because he'd been getting better, had a routine, and was able to find a way to make things work somehow. But now? He's confused and they wonder if "Memory Matters" will start up again? It's a non-profit organization set up to help those with altzheimers and dementia. But it doesn't have that much funding - and it may not survive this. Every time Cuomo comes on - my father wonders if Cuomo is really in the room with him, if they are at a lecture, and if anyone else will be joining them.
To make myself feel better this morning, because I was feeling rather blue, staring blankly at my work emails, I jumped to the internet to give money to the New York's COVID-19 FIRST RESPONDER's FUND - I wasn't able to give a great deal, but it made me feel better. Provided me with a sense of control over my environment - of which I feel lately that I have very little. And the news online was grim, the political situation as toxic as ever.
Somehow being able to give something to the people going out each day, risking their lives, and trying to stay sane - made me feel less lonely and less filled with despair.
2. It's raining now. A soft pitter pat against the A/C, and the upstairs nieghbors have stopped rolling about so much. The only other sound, if I listen is the whir of my air purifier. Even though I have the living room window open about six inches to let in a crisp cool breeze.
Today, it was mostly overcast and cool. So I ripped off the band-aid - of yet another anxiety - and went to pick up my prescription from the Pharmacy. I'd been worrying over it for the last two weeks now. Finally got myself to call it in yesterday, with a pick up time of anywhere between 11 AM - 9PM today. The pharmacy used to be open from 7 AM to 10 PM, but they've changed the times to 9AM-9PM. I only had one week of pills left, and it's my tremor meds - if I go without, I could lose complete control of the tremor and not be able to type or hold a cup. It's just 50 MG, but it keeps the tremor in check, well, for the most part. When I get upset or panicked, or really nervous, I can't type. It's my body's way of making me slow down, I guess.
Anyhow, I thought about going early today, and reminded myself that it wouldn't be ready until 11 AM. And since I have to clock in and work from 8 to 4PM each day, with a midafternoon checkin, and a daily work log, I can't easily go out to pick up a prescription. Well, I probably could - I just don't feel comfortable doing it. Also, with everyone else working from home and it raining intermittently throughout the day - it made sense to wait until after work to do it.
So at 4PM, I made myself go on auto-pilot and take off to pick it up. What I was worrying about for the past five days was that they'd be doing COVID-19 Testing or Antibody testing, which means people with the virus or who had it would be lined up and in the pharmacy. Because the news advised that various pharmacies in the area had been approved to start testing - although no word had been issued on the pharmacy in my area being selected. They weren't - I didn't see any of that at all when I arrived. Also unlike the grocery store, they were limiting the number of people permitted inside, enforcing a six-feet apart policy as much as possible, and you weren't permitted to enter without a mask in place. They had a security person at the doors ensuring this practice was followed.
On the way to the pharmacy, various people were walking about without masks. But everyone in line had a mask in place - some had two masks on, and the masks ranged from the cleaning masks to the surgical ones to the cloth variety. We waited in a line winding down the sidewalk to the Taco Truck, away from the building by about six or ten feet. Behind us were the plastic carts containing the supplies that had been delivered to the pharmacy that day, and been unpacked and emptied and left on the curb to put back into the truck. Everyone wore masks. When people left the pharmacy, one by one we entered. It was sparse of people - yet I still felt this odd urgency to rush around the store like a mad-woman, picking up supplies as I went.
There's no toilet paper to be found, or dish-washing soap. Very odd. I had a discussion with the guy at the pharmacy window about the lack of toilet paper. He said every time they got it restocked, people would grab it like crazy. The biggest hurdle in the store was the boxes wrapped in plastic that I had to get around to get nuts, standing in the center of a big aisle. I wanted to get the store clerks for not unloading it - yet, felt empathy for them, for having to work in the store while the rest of us hunkered down in our homes. They are showing up each day, not as an act of courage necessarily, but because this may be the only job they have.
The pharmacy now had plastic shield windows installed, with a hole to push through items that need to be scanned, and to receive drugs. And there was a marker on the aisle showing people how they had to stand at least six feet apart. The man behind the counter was quite pleasant. And I'd put on eyeliner and a nicer hat for my visit, so no one would mistake me for a man like yesterday. Upon exiting, the wind had picked up and the line appeared ever so slightly longer. A woman with a mask, appeared to be standing in line for the Taco Truck. I walked against the wind home, grateful that it wasn't raining. One man came towards me without a mask, and I could not get around him, so I walked as close to the far end of the sidewalk as possible, he gave me an annoyed look. There's this weird battle going on between those of us who are following the protocols, and those that refuse. So far it is a silent one and not that major, and most people are following the protocol, so not a big issue.
3. My Imperfect Foods Delivery came on time. I was rather pleased by this. It's not perfect - there's always something off. For example? I ordered chicken breasts and got thighs...although I can probably figure out something to do with them. I'm used to cooking with breasts, it's easier. And I got more chocolate bars and apples than I expected - I was expecting six apples and three chocolate bars. I got eight apples and six chocolate bars. Not complaining. Also, I'd ordered crimini mushrooms and ribeye steak, but neither came because they were out - but at least they told me and subtracted the amount. Imperfect Foods - does a couple of things that I like, and prefer over other delivery services - one, they are a smaller company and not really a corporation, and they specialize in limiting food waste and helping the environment. The foods they send are surplus items that have been rejected by restaurants or not being used. And since a lot of restaurants are closed right now - there's a lot of surplus. So, we're eliminating food waste. They also have programs to feed the hungry and elderly. I feel by ordering through them that I am helping the world a bit. Even though they don't have all the items I want or the way I want them - it's okay. I'm very grateful for this service, because Fresh Direct, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and Insta Cart have proven to be unreliable and according to the news, their people aren't happy.
But when it comes - I have to buzz in the guy. Go downstairs, pick up the heavy box, cart it up to my apartment, spray the box. Open it. Clean everything inside it. Break down the box, clean it again - because I can't get rid of it fast. And put everything away. Also clean my hands several times - even though I used gloves to pick it up and carry it inside my apartment. I did not use the gloves to unpack the groceries.
4. Daily update on NY vs. the Corona Virus
I watch the New York Governor's briefings every day now, as do my parents and apparently people around the world - according to the comments on Facebook.
It assuages my anxiety. As do his daily emails. Although like many New Yorkers, I live in terror of being sent back to the office and forced to take the subways. He appears to appreciate this fear - since they've finally figured out how to tackle the subway problem.
What are they doing? Ah, the impossible - cleaning the subways, buses and trains every 24 hours. Why is this impossible? Well think about it for a minute. The subways, buses and trains run 24/7 without breaks. NYC is the only place in the world (that I know of) that has 24/7 public transportation.
So how to do this? Because if you are running the subways 24/7, it's kind of hard to do a thorough cleaning - particularly considering how many lines you have and how many stations.
This is how:
The MTA will disinfect the New York City Transit system, as well as the Metro-North and Long Island Railroad, every 24 hours. To achieve this, subway service will stop nightly from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM, beginning on Wednesday, May 6. The MTA will provide free alternative transportation options to essential workers including buses, "dollar vans" and for-hire vehicles. The entire fleet of Metro-North Railroad and LIRR will also be cleaned daily (with no service disruptions). This is an unprecedented undertaking and requires a full MTA/State/City partnership.
This is the first time in 52 years that the MTA has disrupted service on a daily basis on all subway lines for five hours. You may not think this is a big deal if you don't live in NYC, but if you do - you should know it is. There are people work come home from work at 1-5 Am, or go to work during those hours. So the MTA is providing connecting services for those workers free of charge. Note that the subways, buses and trains are either free or provided at a discounted rate to essential workers - which is one of the many reasons the MTA is losing money on a daily basis. There's hardly anyone paying for the service any longer.
I find this stuff really interesting - because it shows the ripple effect of things or how things are connected. As the Governor stated in his briefing - certain things cause other problems to emerge. For example during Hurricane Sandy, the electricity failed - resulting in various people freezing in their homes. (Hurricane Sandy had happened in November - when it was cold, not in August when it was warm.) Which compounded the problem of the hurricane. Now, we have a global pandemic - and the homeless are seeking shelter in empty subway trains and bringing all their stuff with them. Not only that, but they've discovered that the virus can survive up to 72 hours on plastic and hard surfaces - which could infect the essential workers traveling to work each morning. How to fix this problem? Shut down the subways and stations for five hours each night and clean them thoroughly, disinfect everything in sight, have homeless outreach personnel and NYPD who are trained in how to handle the homeless take them out of the subways and place them in shelters and areas where they are safe, and can social distance six feet apart. In addition find a way to provide transportation for those essential workers who have to travel during those hours. And this will also possibly limit the crime that is happening on the subways at these hours.
It's complicated and a massive undertaking Not to mention expensive and requires a lot of disinfectants.
The other thing they brought up - which the reporters and the President really should stop bringing up - is how the Governor is addressing the criticism that he didn't shut down soon enough. See? Every time they bring that up, they remind New York that the our stupid ass federal government did not take this virus seriously and look at what was going on in Europe and how it would affect the East Coast. OR, more importantly, the CDC, WHO, and the Feds refused to give NY the permission and the testing support - they needed, when they asked for it way back in February. New York has still not forgiven the CDC, WHO, and the President of the US for not letting them test in February for the virus. I remember this well - because when I noticed Italy had the virus, I thought, of god, New York. And why doesn't NY have any cases? Apparently the New York leadership was thinking the same thing.
Here's the thing - China affected the West Coast of the US. Because if you are flying to and from China, or sailing to and from China, you come into the West Coast. But if you are coming from Europe to the US, you come in and out of two major city airports - New York and Newark, which is why both NYC and Newark got the most cases - they got them from Europe. And Europe exploded with the virus (as you all know, since many of you live there.)
As Governor pointed out - "Governors are not in charge of global pandemics, that's not in our job description. It's not my job to figure out when to stop air travel or determine who can start testing or how to contain a damn virus. That's why we have the CDC, Who, and our intelligence community. And where was the New York Times and Media in all of this? You didn't write a story about it until after we discovered we had a case."
He's not wrong, Governor's aren't in charge of Global Pandemics. New York is right to be furious with the Federal Government and the CDC for failing to allow testing earlier in New York and catching that the virus was coming from Europe as well as China. So many lives could have been saved if the Republican Party had not reduced funding to the CDC.
What else is New York doing? Considering NYC now has over 129,000 cases and 18,170 deaths? The US has over 1 Million cases, and over 61,000 deaths and climbing. And that's the ones we actually know about - I know of a lot of people, including a couple of family members - who think they had it but were never tested.
Our playbook to tackle COVID-19 operates on three premises: Test — Trace — Isolate. As we steadily ramp up our testing capabilities, we also need to expand contact tracing. Contact tracing is the art (and hard work) of tracking down close contacts of those who have tested positive for the virus. The new, nation-leading tracing program that Mike Bloomberg and I announced last week is expected to expand to 6,400 to 17,000 tracers statewide.
To build this army of tracers, former Mayor Bloomberg and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, along with the NYS Department of Health, will lead the recruitment, hiring and training of our tracers. Johns Hopkins will develop an online curriculum and exam that is required in order to become a contact tracer. The great challenge is to ramp this program up to scale as quickly as possible. We have never done anything like this before, but we will now because we need to meet this challenge.
This sounds impossible. In fact the reporters asked how they were going to trace people that you ran into in grocery stores, subways, buses, in the park...or standing in a crowd watching the fly-over.
Cuomo said = we're going to do what we can as best we can to contain the beast. We've managed to make it retreat, but we have to keep going.
They are also pushing the food banks - so no New Yorker will go to bed hungry, and have instigated a ruling that all NY hospitals must allow partners to stay with women during birth and as they recover after having given birth. (Apparently this came up as a problem.) And all state parks will remain open - so people can get fresh air while social distancing. He's not cooping people up at least. Although in NYC social distancing in a Park during a quarantine is really hard - everyone and their mother, father, and their brood of kids is at the damn park. Trust me when I say this - the one place you do not want to be during a pandemic is in New York City. Sigh. It's also the place you don't want to be during a terrorist attack.
Yet here I am. I think sometimes the Universe likes to test the limits of my anxiety?
5. Deep Breath. I want to be a hero during this, but honestly I feel more like a coward? I go outside and have to fight down a panic attack. I came back from Walgreens, and my hand was shaking so badly, I could barely get the door to my apartment open. A nice neighbor lady opened the front door of the apartment building for me. We safely social distanced. I'm getting used to seeing most people from just the eyes up.
Then inside, I called my mother - and wondered what was wrong with me. Why was I nervous wreck every time I came back inside? Or went anywhere? The pharmacy wasn't as bad as I thought?
My mother reassured me and told me that my father and her, respected me a great deal and thought I was handling this thing rather well, considering.
I thought when I got the Imperfect Foods order and went nuts disinfecting it, without poisoning myself in the process - that the problem is that I've watched or read one too many horror tales about pandemics in my life time. I second guess myself constantly - did I touch the wrong thing? Did I clean my hands enough times? Should I have taken a walk? What if I brushed past someone who had it? No wait, we were three feet apart, I should be fine.
I also think sometimes, I'm pathetic. Sure I'm alone, but I have a nice apartment for the most part - not a lot of things in it and yes, the coffee table and one of the armchairs are a bit ratty. Also I have two small book shelves overflowing with books and a coffee table with a bunch of books inside it. There's one thing hanging on the wall - abig canvas photograph of a sunset. I got a large tv and a nice stand, and a decent desk - taller than the one at work, along with a chair that is weirdly more supportive in the back department, yet...I feel like I should have done a better job decorating somehow.
I find myself envying my brother, who had his fiftieth birthday this year, surrounded by his daughter and beloved wife - who picked up a cake for him, while his daughter made him a photo album. He's ensconced in his house, with the hot tub, and the trees and acreage, the generators, and fresh water well -- plus sizable vegetable garden, plus fruit trees, and it's hard not to feel a spark of envy.
Mountains sit behind his house. Deer frolic in the meadow. It feels almost pastoral in a way. And comforting. As I sit hear listening to the rain pitter pat alone in my small flat...as the night drifts away from me, and all to soon, I'll have to wake up again to another morning working away at my small work station...alone and just a little afraid.
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Date: 2020-05-01 05:11 pm (UTC)Edited to add: although there's no start date available yet; just "May 2020". I signed up anyway; I like everything I've read about it so far.
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Date: 2020-05-01 05:29 pm (UTC)The produce is loosely packed in the box, and they have an insulated bag with ice packs for perishables. Everything is recyclable or made with recycled materials. At first, it threw me, because I'd done Fresh Direct, but I actually like it - it's more sustainable than Fresh Direct and more available in delivery time slots. Also they are kinder to their employees, and far more responsive.
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Date: 2020-05-01 09:00 pm (UTC)I'm glad they have that twice-a-month option; I don't need that much food, since it's usually just me that I'm cooking for.
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Date: 2020-05-01 10:33 pm (UTC)Doing it every other week helps.