April 7, 2020
This morning I was awakened by distant thunder. The storm passed quickly unlike the virus storm we all are experiencing. Spring is just around the corner. What is not just around the corner is the lifting of the stay at home order from the governor, although rumor has it, he may be lifting some restrictions by week’s end. Problem is if the lid is lifted too soon the virus will jump up and bite us even harder. Classic dilemma.
Everyone wants to know when this will end, and we can get back to “normal”. Guess what, I don’t ever think there will be a “normal”—maybe a new normal. Dr. Zeke Emmanuel says he thinks this will not be over for eighteen months unless we develop a vaccine. Jeez. Eighteen months? Already after less than a month of stay at home people are getting a severe case of cabin fever and are going stir crazy. The economy is quickly going South. POTUS is touting a miracle drug, even though his medical experts say it is unproven and potentially dangerous. However, some of his advisors are backing him up. Says he has good instincts. Good luck with that.
Experts saw this coming. But politicians with good instincts ignored them. Consequently, our stockpiles of supplies dwindled, and agencies that were formed to deal with crises were dismantled. When reporters remind him of this and feed him back his own quotes that minimized the crisis, he blows his stack and accuses them of asking nasty questions. So much for cool-headed leadership. His daily virus press briefings are a substitute for his MAGA rallies. Just look at the ratings!
A handful of red states have governors that think they don’t have to issue a state-wide stay at home order. The governor of South Dakota says they are not New York City. As New York governor Cuomo says: just wait.
In the meantime, I’ve learned how to FaceTime with family and Duo with friends. It is a poor substitute for real time but will have to do for now. It is the new normal for homebodies.
Bad Randall 