Like many other people in the world, I am currently, along with the rest of the state of California, under a type of quarantine, because of Covid-19. We can leave our houses, as long as we don't congregate in groups. The only stores that are open are essential services, which for me mostly means grocery stores, but also includes pharmacies and a few other businesses. Including alcohol and cannabis vendors. It is currently Monday, and the last time I went out to buy things was Thursday, when I bought 120 dollars worth of groceries at a Safeway: which to me seemed to be prudential stocking up, but not panic buying. Except for when I bought the last two tubs of Kozy Shack chocolate pudding, but that is not a vital staple. The shelves were still full of most items, but peanut butter, toilet paper and refried beans were mostly gone. Four or five days later, I am still working through the "fun" food from that trip, and still have lots of rice and spaghetti in case I can't shop for a while.
Depending on the day, things get better or worse. I was blindsided by what has been, in effect, the common cold mutating into a lethal form. Like many people, it took me a while to realize this was a real thing that would immediately impact my life. It has been a while since a national crisis has changed from being a news story to being part of every day life. But as things are now, I am not too afraid. The type of orders that we are under now, have been shown to have results, in China, in South Korea, and in Italy. It takes two or three weeks, and things will get worse, but it does work. And the restrictions are not that onerous. In what might be the greatest crisis the world has seen for decades, my duty is to stay inside, play video games, and watch YouTube. It is not that great of a sacrifice. What comes after this? I don't know. All I know is that I am doing my part so that in two or three weeks, the virus is no longer infecting people exponentially. The emotional fallout to me, the economic fallout to the community, will be problems, but for now my path is clear: Stay At Home. And Wash My Hands.