covid diary: day 37

Late last night, news broke (via the New York Times) that after receiving an anonymous tip about a body being stored in a shed on a nursing home property in New Jersey, police arrived on the scene. They didn't find a body in the shed, but they did find the bodies of 17 residents piled up in a tiny morgue on the premises that was designed to only store four bodies. Including those 17 people, this nursing home in New Jersey has had 68 recent deaths of residents and workers. Only 26 of those 68 were actually tested for COVID-19 and found positive; the cause of death for the remainder is "unknown" (gee, it really would take a genius to figure out how those others died).

News stories seem to focus mostly on the horror of finding 17 bodies piled up in a tiny space, and yes, that's truly shocking and terrible. But let's ask how it got that far. People all over the country, particularly officials in nursing homes and prisons — places where people are kept in very close quarters with no opportunity to physically distance themselves — have been crying out for help for weeks now. They can see that the disease is spreading like wildfire throughout their facilities, and they can't get the help they need because of overwhelmed systems at the local level and lack of concern at the federal level. This is happening all over the country (I just saw a report that a jail about 30 minutes from our house has 87 inmates confirmed to have COVID-19, and one has died), and the only real shock to me is that a discovery like this one hasn't happened sooner.

Meanwhile, in his daily briefing yesterday, the president threatened to use his emergency powers to adjourn Congress so he can do recess appointments. He says that keeping Congress officially in session with pro forma sessions is a "scam." OH HEY, maybe you remember when President Obama (god I miss having a real president!) made appointments using the argument that Congress actually was shut down despite the pro forma sessions, and the Supreme Court struck that down, saying that Congress is in session when Congress says it is in session? Good job paying attention to the one thing that might benefit you, Trump! Too bad the Constitution spells out that you can only adjourn Congress if the two houses disagree on a date of adjournment (they don't; the two houses have already agreed to end this session January 3, 2021). Nice try at dictatorship, though.

And in Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky yesterday, protesters gathered together (in some cases *very* close together) to protest their governors' stay-at-home orders. Protesters in Michigan termed the whole day "Operation Gridlock" because they blocked traffic to the state capitol. Guess what else they blocked? That's right: access to a hospital, and the ability of emergency services to respond to people in crisis. Some protesters were waving Confederate flags (yes, in Michigan! racism has no boundaries). I saw a couple of interviews where reporters asked protesters why they were so opposed to the stay-at-home order. One man, on the verge of tears, cited his inability to buy paint for his house and fertilizer for his lawn. A woman angrily showed the reporter her gray roots and demanded access to her hair stylist. NO, I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP. These dummies risked their lives, the lives of everyone around them, and the lives of everyone they will come in contact with over the course of the next few weeks ... because they're so worried about home improvement and patriarchal beauty standards. And check out this picture from the Ohio Statehouse, where at least 100 zombies people gathered to protest the stay-at-home order by (Republican) Gov. Mike DeWine:

Photo credit: Joshua Bickel, Columbus Dispatch

Can you believe this shit? I'm having a real hard time.

Listen, I've been in my house for 37 days now, growing out my gray (my sisters insist that it's SILVER, thankyouverymuch) hair and not infecting anyone or getting infected. I get it. It's hard. Not so much the gray hair because I was already growing that out, so this is just helping me get through the middle awkwardness when half of it is gray and half is brown. And not so much the fertilizer because we don't put that crap on our grass. But sure, I could use some more paint. I need something to do with my nervous energy, and the downstairs bathroom, living room, and kitchen are still that same neutral light gray color I hate. More than that, I miss going to the pool because it made it possible for me to move through the rest of my day without pain, and I very much miss being pain-free. And even more than THAT, I miss seeing my parents and Mike's parents, our siblings, our nieces and nephews, and everyone else we care about. I am heartbroken that my first great-nephew will most likely be born within a week, and I won't get to see him, maybe even until he's a toddler. The next time their grandparents see them, my boys might be fully in their adult form (not Henry, probably, but likely Liam and Max). We are missing so much time, and time isn't something you can get back.

However. On the other side of this, there will be time. I'll eventually get to meet my great-nephew. I'll eventually get to hug all the people who matter most to me. The boys will eventually emerge from their chrysalises and shock us all with their handsome manliness. But we have to be alive and healthy to enjoy that. So we all have to stay home. And in the meantime, I'll do what I do best and use my words to remind the boys (someday, from far away, when they look back on this) that they are the most important people in my world, and that there is no end to the lengths I will go to in order to keep them safe. And I'll use my words to remind you, friends (today, in the middle of this), that you are important, that we miss you, and that we want nothing more than for you to stay safe until we can be together again.

Nationwide cases: 677,700. Deaths: 34,840 (note that this includes the probable cases reported in New York and other places).