Quarantine diaries - Day 1

It’s March 18th, 2020. It’s the third day that I’ve officially been asked to work from home and the second day of official lock down rules. Because this is such a strange time and because I have, well, a lot more time on my hands, I thought I’d write a bit about what’s going on here in San Francisco. 

COVID-19 is spreading across the globe. It’s an official pandemic these days. It seems like some places are more concerned about it than others. 

This will change, I’m sure. Soon we will all be worried. 

On Monday, the Mayor of San Francisco, London Breed, announced that we would be going into full lockdown mode. This meant that only essential outings would be made going forward—grocery shopping, laundry, going to the hospital, trips to the pharmacy, etc. Other than that, we should keep to our homes. 

This means that offices, restaurants, gyms, theaters, etc. are all closed. 

Though I’m worried for the people who rely on these businesses to support themselves, I know that this has to happen. We need to bring down the curve so that our healthcare professionals and facilities do not get overwhelmed. 

For the most part, this week has felt normal. I’ve actually enjoyed being able to wake up around 7:00 AM, take my time making coffee, then sitting down at around 7:30 AM to start reading emails. I take a real lunch break at around noon and then am able to sign off at 4:00 PM or 4:30 PM to do my own writing here, watch TV, or listen to music. 

I’m ordering a couple of books and a puzzle as well. These will come in handy, I’m sure, once the novelty of the situation wears off and I’m suddenly faced with the fact that there’s nothing to do on the weekends besides, well, what I’m doing every day. 

As of right now, we’re still allowed to go for walks as long as we stay at least six feet away from the people around us. My neighbor and I tried this today. It was so nice to feel the sun and to move my legs that way. However, it was a lot more difficult to keep our distance from other people than we thought. Sidewalks are only so wide and other people don’t seem as concerned as we are. 

One thing that I’ve really loved about this whole situation is seeing how people and businesses have really risen to the occasion. There are so many exercise studios who are providing free at-home workouts. Yesterday, I tried the Barry’s workout. At the start, he stood in front of the door to the famous Barry’s “red room” and pretended to give the camera a high five. 

I always found this part of Barry’s to be over-the-top and “cult-ish,” but yesterday, when I saw him standing there reaching out for a virtual high-five, I started to cry. It felt so good to see something familiar. 

Actually, I’ve cried a lot over the past few days. I guess my emotions are pretty raw while I process everything. I miss my family. My dad’s been sick after coming home from a ski trip. He tested negative for COVID-19, but they’re testing him again. They think it’s just pneumonia, but still. I miss my family and the thought of not being able to see them for a while, especially during a time like this, makes me very sad. 

I also have been crying because of happiness. For the first time in a long time, social media has made me feel really good. I’ve loved hearing stories about people helping others in their community. I read a story about a young man grabbing toilet paper for an exhausted elderly man who had been trying all day to find some. I also read a post from a landlord who had the ability to give his tenants (all now laid-off hourly workers) a month off from rent. 

I also cried while reading about individual’s experiences across the world in this article from Afar. I cried because other people are worried about their families and other communities are coming together to be there for each other as well. In Ireland, bakeries are giving people sourdough starters so that they can make their own bread at home. In Italy, the people cheered for their healthcare workers. In Ireland, social media hashtags are helping the community identify those in need. 

There are also bad stories out there too. Stories about looting and victimizing. I can’t ignore them. 

Today was mostly just calling into meetings, working on some projects, going on a walk outside, eating dinner with fresh produce, and now sitting down to write. Tomorrow, I am going to try to wake up early and go for a run outside. I hope there will be less people that way. Then a full day’s work and maybe watching some shows on Hulu, Amazon Prime, or Netflix.