Day 2 – What are we learning?

I woke up this morning with a limited number of goals in mind. Go to the grocery store, meditate, take a walk, read the news and email, connect with a friend, and write. In the back of my mind I’m keeping an eye on projects around the house that can benefit from some attention. Here it is, almost 4:00pm and I accomplished all of these to some degree.

It is curious how much psychological energy it takes to go to the grocery store now. It was akin to trips I would make outside the monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. My mind drifted toward the trip to the grocery while in meditation. I got dressed with an eye toward the event, even setting aside the beautiful facemask that Joni made for me. I made sure that I had a clear idea of what to buy and was equipped with the right currency and cards for being out and tried to time my trip to arrive in mid morning, after the first rush. Driving into the parking lot of the store, I was happy to see few cars and lots of space between them. In the store the mood was somber but clerks were very helpful and courteous and there were some knowing nods and smiles from people as we passed. Some wore face masks like myself, many did not. Somehow I felt more connection with those who did.

Home made mask by Joni.

I was happy to see that, while the shelves in the store were laid bare in places, I was able to get some version and quantity of the things on my list. The experience wasn’t normal but manageable. Later in the day I spoke to a friend who had gone to the same store at 8:00am for “senior shopping”. His experience sounded harrowing compared to mine. He described the store as packed, especially in the produce and checkout lines. He said that people were unable to maintain distance between them. I had heard stories about these special shopping hours from my neighbors and had vowed that if I ever see a full parking lot at the grocery store, I will return home to shop another time or day. I think the store needs to rethink this senior strategy as it may have unintended and infectious consequences.

I’m going to keep today’s entry short but I want to share an opportunity with you that could make a difference. Today on “Science Friday” I learned about a website that has been created to report our health (feeling good, feeling bad) and our symptoms (if we’re feeling bad) on a daily basis. It is called “COVID Near Me“. Gathering this information will allow health officials to see the patterns of outbreak and the symptoms geographically so that the spread can be understood and addressed.

One of the challenges we face is that we don’t know how the virus is progressing. We don’t have enough testing kits to contain the virus in the way South Korea did (that’s a whole other story). Our only defense has been to self isolate so that we don’t spread the virus. Now that we’re all sitting at home, it is a great time to be a citizen scientist and contribute for the well being of us all. From the website COVID Near Me:

Created by epidemiologists and software developers at Harvard, Boston Children’s Hospital and a group of volunteers from across the technology industry. Covid Near You uses crowdsourced data to visualize maps to help citizens and public health agencies identify current and potential hotspots for the recent pandemic coronavirus, COVID-19. The website is a sister tool of Flu Near You, created by Ending Pandemics and Boston Children’s Hospital in 2012 and maintained by the Boston Children’s Hospital team.

Covid Near You relies on voluntary participation from the general public, asking you to take a few seconds to report if you or your family members have been healthy or sick.

We analyze thousands of reports and map them to generate local and national views of covid-like-illness, providing public health officials and researchers with real-time, anonymous information that could help end the COVID-19 pandemic, and prevent the next one from happening.

With your help, we can all see what’s happening and better still- you have the knowledge to protect yourself and your family against disease.

I hope you will participate.

Day 1 – Stay at home Colorado

Joni and I have been sheltering at home since last Saturday. But this is no longer a choice – it’s the law. Colorado’s Governor signed an executive order effective at 6AM this morning; saying that the majority of Colorado’s 5.8 million residents must stay home. This order was made to contain the spread of the corona virus and the tendency of people to ignore less direct warnings. I guess “we” still need a parent.

Unprecedented events continue to unfold as we identify and adapt to our invisible enemy. The fact that our only defense is distancing is causing a host of related changes, the likes of which are scaring people even more than the virus itself. It is pulling us together as it creates tension between us. I hope that we can pass this test and emerge with greater understanding of our personal and collective power.

Last night I spoke to a friend in government who is on the front line of the response to corona virus. She attends regular community briefings to understand virus and the cascade of social and material consequences that it and our quarantine bring. These community leaders are organizing a safe response for our children who are isolated away from school They are planning to provide support, particularly food and supplies for children staying at home from school. They are grappling with the logistics of getting supplies from here to there. They have to move and deliver these supplies without inadvertently spreading the virus. First, they must secure materials from stocks and/or suppliers. Once they have identified the children in need (an ongoing process) they connect the children with the support. Of course they must keep track of all this movement; the product (like food or computers), the volunteers who transport it and the recipient. This is a multi agency/business/school endeavor.

Supply Chain – David McGavock

As amazing as this sounds, it is only one of the initiatives and groups in motion around this crisis. This effort may not seem as heroic as the work of our beloved health care professionals, but it is critical to prepare in these early days. We are but one small, rural, community. There are many counties and towns involved in this particular coordination but we are just a small microcosm of work being done at the level of the State, Nation and World. Connecting the needs of individuals, families and business with materials and support is what is necessary at all levels.

As an example of what is happening (or not happening) in communities around the world, this local effort reveals just how interdependent we are – how much we rely on each other, our businesses and government, our formal and informal organizations. Socialism, capitalism? call it what you want but we have to act with a single minded, social purpose, to provide for the basic needs of our community.

I am sitting at home, following the direction of my state governor who is acting on the advice of experts in the field of epidemiology. I trust that they take this responsibility seriously and should be trusted. I don’t trust them blindly of course but based on what I’ve read, they are taking a cautious and educated approach to the crisis.

This is a perfect time to reflect on the utility of government to direct the public for their own good. Would some call this socialism? Perhaps. Our taxes are invested to keep healthy bureaucracy in place – to prepare us for unforeseen events and to act in a coordinated fashion when necessary.

My personal action is not so much a sacrifice as it is a logical conclusion of the facts (yes facts) at hand. This action doesn’t really require that much of me except to listen and behave accordingly. Is that so hard? But staying home is relatively smaller sacrifice for me; a retired 64 year old with a pension. Staying home is a much larger sacrifice for many others. It entails a loss of income and for some it will lead to job loss and business loss and all the hardships that follow. I am fortunate to be in a stage of life where I am relatively insulated from this sacrifice.

Despite my particular niche, I know that I am connected to each and every person and that their sacrifice and their fate, is my fate. As this cascade of social effects continues, I will feel the effects of unemployment, business and investment loss. These and many other effects will become OUR new reality, our new legacy. They will require more sacrifice on everyone’s part. We will have to rebuild our economy in the same way we would reconstruct a community in any other disaster. Given that this disaster has affected all of us, without exception, the scale of the recovery will be on a scale we (Post WWII children) have never known.

It is time to prepare for collective sacrifice and action. My hope is that we will be considerate of all in this crisis, no matter their age, race, gender, or socio-economic status.