2020–03–13 ~ Day One ~ Walk before you run ~ Practicing for a self-quarantine
Hello world-in-a-pandemic
Off we go
Today I start a practice self-quarantine. I plan to be an isolated person in my apartment for a week.
I probably do not really need to self-quarantine for a while. Fingers crossed COVID-19 relents and I never need to. But if and when the need occurs, do I want to be self-quarantined without practicing for it first?
During this period, it will be a good test to see if I can do the following:
- Get food and drink
- Access other needed supplies
- Enough exercise
- Dispose of garbage
- Get laundry done
- Socialize
- Be productive
- Access some vitamin D
OK Boomer, why do this?
Just like any boomer, I have lived through two Kennedy assassinations, plagues of locusts, an oil crises or two, Y2K, 9/11, more recessions than I can count and whatever. For all intents and purposes, for my generation, the COVID-19 pandemic is merely yet another crisis that you just grin and bear until passes. You just say “well, there’s nothing I can do about this” and you about your daily business.
Or not.
If you do happen to read about “Flattening the Coronavirus Curve” and you understand the message, you will get it that there is something that can be done to help the world through the pandemic — but only if most of us do it. And it’s not that hard to wrap your brain around. All we have to do is increase our “social distance” for a while.
For most post-boomer generations there’s enough of a life via texting/Facebook and Twitter that increasing social distance is a doable proposition. But for my “I love the smell of paper”, “I can’t remember the password” boomer generation not being able to touch others is like spilling a glass of gin on the deck of cards. It totally disrupts the game we’re playing.
My goals
- Show you kids, that some boomers do get it
- Use to advantage the privileges that I have been given: the time, funds and place to do it
- Accept the challenge to take a sucky situation and see if there’s any whimsy in it
I plan to write about my many adventures along the way — and warn you about the pitfalls if you ever have to make the same treacherous journey.
ox ox
Theo
Links of interest
Read first
https://coronavirus.thebaselab.com/
- Because this is the best set of charts, today I sent US $100 via PayPal to the developer — a Hong Kong high school student
Flattening the Coronavirus Curve
- One chart explains why slowing the spread of the infection is nearly as important as stopping it.
Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now
- This article has received 21 million views in the last 48 hours and has been translated into 17 languages. Good read
Dispatch #3: Dr. Shlain reporting from the front lines
- “Fortunately, for most of us, the action to take is as simple as staying home”
Wikipedia: Coronavirus_disease_2019
- Excellent references and external links
Sites I visit daily
Johns Hopkins University: Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases
- Most authoritative, verifiable and timely data available
World Health Organization: Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation reports
- Data as reported by national authorities by 10 AM CET
NY Times: Tracking Every Coronavirus Case in the US
- Fastest way to get total US new cases
University of Virginia: COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard
- Fastest way to view county-by-county data: right-click a state
