Wednesday, October 07, 2020

covid, covid everywhere

 The world is pretty terrifying right now.

The president has COVID, checked himself into and out of the hospital, says he feels better than he did 20 years ago, and doesn't once acknowledge that it's probably because he's taking powerful mind-altering steroids as part of his highly experimental treatment. The White House cluster has encompassed senators, former governors, senior advisors, the press secretary and four of her deputies, the president's military valet, housekeeping staff, journalists, and others. There's no clear information on how anyone is actually doing, and every morning I wake up with dread/anticipation of what I will see in the news.

Oh yeah, and all the Joint Chiefs are quarantining too because Admiral Charles Ray, second in command of the Coast Guard, has COVID too. Let me just emphasize that: The heads of all branches of our military are in quarantine because this administration refuses to follow science and get a handle on this virus. It seems entirely likely that Trump himself is the source of Admiral Ray's infection, at that. Jesus, these people.

And it's getting bad close to home too. Yesterday, a staff member at Henry's school tested positive. One of the firefighters on my dad's fire department tested positive and may have exposed the rest of them. The school across the street from my parents is shut down entirely for (at least) two weeks because there are so many cases. A maintenance guy at Mike's work tested positive. 

It feels like there's no escape, and that's very very scary. 

And the convergence of this renewed first wave of COVID (Note: We are still in the FIRST wave!!!) with the closeness of the election is really ramping up the tension. Everything feels uncertain and tenuous and dangerous in a way that I can't fully express. 

These are bad times, friends. Stay safe.

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