Coronavirus, Covid, or Kung Flu! Oh My!

These three memes most accurately capture my sentiments on the current world pandemic.  

Where to begin is very difficult.  I have so many things to say on this topic and yet so very little of it really matters.  I have purposely waited this long to write this post because my feelings on the topic have been uncertain and even volatile at times, which is not at all like me.  Generally, I tackle most things in life with a very scientific approach.  Hard facts and data, coupled with a biblical belief, helps me to categorize right and wrong with only a very thin line of grey.  Coronavirus threw a wrench into the works with information overload, distrust of the representation of the facts, and an acute awareness of the difference between UK and US culture and politics.  

Let's just start from the beginning.  These are the facts as I believe them to be and as they impacted our lives.

Dec 1, 2019 - The 1st traceable patient started to experience symptoms of what would become known as Covid-19 in Wuhan China.

Dec 31, 2019 - The Wuhan Municipal Health Committee informed WHO of 27 cases of pneumonia of an unknown cause in the province of Wuhan.  This is to be WHOs first notification of the virus.

Jan 23, 2020 - Wuhan went in lockdown.

Jan 30, 2020 - WHO declared the new coronavirus a global health emergency

Jan 31, 2020 - Trump banned all foreign travelers who had visited China in the previous 14 days from entering the US.

Throughout the month of February we watched as news reports indicated growing outbreaks spreading beyond China into other parts of Asia and Europe.  We had plans for the Easter break to tag along with Jacob for business trip to Belgium followed by a ride on the Eurostar to France for three days in Disneyland Paris and three days in the city.  At this point in time, my greatest concern was whether this virus outbreak would impact our trip.  

Mar 6, 2020 - This is first time I would see the impacts of the virus in Edinburgh and it would also be my last time on public transit (a major impact to our lives as I've grown accustomed to using it).  A friend and I ventured out for lunch and shopping on a Friday.  What should have been a bustling, busy day for the City Center, was instead quiet and empty.  We discussed the absence of tourists on the Royal Mile as we enjoyed coffee as the only customers in the entire cafe.

Mar 9, 2020 - Italy went into lockdown.

Mar 10, 2020 - Our school began to cancel events due to the risk of Covid

Mar 11, 2020 - WHO declared the Covid-19 outbreak a global pandemic.  Trump announced a travel ban on Europe, which suddenly makes our ability to travel home to the US very complicated. 

Mar 12, 2020 -  The 1st case of community transfer was identified in Scotland.  

I'm not one to panic or overreact, but at this announcement I could see what was coming for the United Kingdom.  In the previous days I had been watching the situation unfold in Italy with disbelief as severe lockdowns were put into place, hospitals were overrun, food was rationed, and the death toll grew.  I had plans that day with a friend, which I promptly called and cancelled that morning.  I would not be boarding a public bus that day.  While I did still spend the day out, it was to grocery shop for essentials and to stock the fridge and freezer.  

I did wonder if I was jumping the gun, as there had been no communication from the government implying that a lockdown was pending, but something inside me just knew now was the time to act.  Fortunately, my eagerness to prepare put me ahead of the general population which made a huge difference in availability of items.  Having endured multiple hurricanes, floods, and snow squalls, I'm no stranger to emergency preparedness, but as this fight was against a virus, I carried it further than I ever had before.  I stock piled everything I could think to stock.   Soaps, shampoos, OTC  medications, toilet paper, disinfecting supplies, snacks, meats, and dried foods.  I double and triple stocked most items.  In the days and weeks that followed, as the chaos ensued and food and supply shortages took hold, I was so very thankful I took this day to prepare.  

Mar 13, 2002 - Jacob had taken this Friday off, as we had originally planned a nice day-date to celebrate his birthday the following week.  After discussing the current situation, our plans changed and instead we celebrated by making one last Costco run to ensure we had everything we would need should a lockdown happen.

Mar 14, 2020 - Spain went into lockdown and the United States CDC suspended all cruise travel.

Mar 17, 2020 - France went into lockdown and the European Union announced that it is closing all of it's borders.  Our school also announced that it will be closing it's campus indefinitely and would be moving to distance learning.  

So, there went the Paris trip!  And now it doesn't matter that the US doesn't want to let us back in, because the EU doesn't want to let us out!  The worry starts to mount as I begin to think through all the possible scenarios of how this situation could go very wrong.

Mar 19, 2020 - California became the first US state to go into lockdown, shortly followed by New York three days later. 

Mar 23, 2020 - The Prime Minister announced the UK was in lockdown effective immediately.  

With that one declaration our world changed completely as we knew it.  The Coronavirus Act was made into law and emergency legislation was passed providing police with the power to enforce the restrictions.  Since the new restrictions were a clear infringement upon our civil rights, the law was to be reviewed every 21 days.

The Coronavirus Act was comprehensive and far reaching.  It called for the closure of all restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars, and other non-essential businesses.  It banned gatherings of more than two people and it prohibited anyone from leaving their home without a reasonable excuse.  There were only three excuses considered to be reasonable and they were very clearly defined.

    1.  To buy food and essential needs.  It was recommended that this be done by one person per household, once per week.

    2.  To seek emergency medical attention.

    3.  To exercise once per day for no longer than one hour and to be carried out no more than one mile from your home on foot only.

Essentially everything closed down except grocery stores and pharmacies.  The first few weeks were definitely the hardest.  The queue for the grocery store would wrap around the building as they limited capacity inside and practiced a one-in/one-out admittance.  Due to the sudden increased demand on food essentials (since all other food service options had been eliminated) grocery store shelves emptied.  Replenishment was slow as the supply chain was at a near stand-still while the entire world scrambled to figure out which businesses were essential and how to protect the key workers.  When supplies finally did begin to flow back in there was rationing of milk, bread, eggs, pasta, and meats, as well as OTC medications like tylenol and ibuprofen.

Doctor offices, medical clinics, emergency rooms, and some hospitals closed down, as the UK regrouped all its National Health Service personnel and resources to key areas to help combat the mounting number of sick.  All proactive medical testing and monitoring of any health issues were suspended.  All non-essential procedures and surgeries were suspended.  All dentist and optometrist offices were closed.  The government funded health care system was strained beyond its capabilities as the virus swept over the country.  If you became unwell, due to the virus or other means, you had no clinic to seek help and emergency rooms were closed.  You had to call a medical service line that would then diagnosis your issues over the phone before determining your level of care needed.  If it was deemed you needed hospitalization, then you would be granted access to a specific hospital for admission.  The general message was to only seek additional care if you could not manage your medical issues from home.  Best of luck with that since key OTC medications were in short supply.

It was very apparent that lockdown in the UK and EU was significantly more comprehensive and strictly enforced than in the US, where Americans believed the advice to be more of a guidance rather than a requirement.  In the US, the general population was coached and encouraged to comply with governments direction.  Thanks to the Coronavirus Act, in the UK, if you were found breaking lockdown restrictions we were immediately issued a fine and if you resisted to comply, you were arrested.  

Police patrolled the streets to enforce the restrictions.  Road blocks were put in place.  We heard stories of helicopters and drones equipped with infrared sonar used to patrol public outdoor spaces that were suspected of having secret gathering.  The city became a ghost town with everyone locked away inside their homes.

Apr 3, 2020 - Georgia became the last US state to go into lockdown.

Apr 20, 2020 - South Carolina became the first US state to lift lockdown restrictions.

Jun 9, 2020 - New Jersey was the last US state to lift lockdown restrictions and was the state with the longest implemented lockdown of 81 days.  By comparison, Georgia had the shortest lockdown restrictions of 21 days.

Jun 19, 2020 - The UK entered Phase 2 of lockdown.  The directive was still to stay home, but we could now meet in groups of up to eight people outdoors only, but not to exceed more than three households and we could not travel more than five miles from our home.  This allowed Brenna to finally meet up with some of her friends at the local park for the first time in three months. 

Jul 3, 2020 - Non-essential businesses were allowed to reopen and the five mile travel restrictions were lifted, however it took several more weeks before things actually got up and running on any kind of consistent basis.  

So, that's basically how things unfolded for us here in the UK.  I count July 3rd as our official "free from home" date, since that's the day we were no longer confined to our homes and were free to travel wherever we liked.  That made 103 days we were in lockdown.  I didn't fill my car with gas for four months!  

During that time the world came to a complete stand still.  Brenna was taking her school classes from home.  We set her up in the office so she could have her own space to spread out and work.  You can read about that experience here.  Jacob transitioned the plant to a new work schedule to accommodate government restrictions and he was working from home most days.  Because Brenna was in the office, Jacob set up shop on the dining room table.  We were all at home, all day, nearly everyday.  

The time together was a blessing.  Surprisingly, once we adjusted to the new circumstances, we really enjoyed the pause from all the things that keep us busy and just enjoyed being together.  We watched lots of movies, went on daily walks, built puzzles, and played board games.  We're grateful to have had this time with Brenna, during a point in her life when she still likes hanging out with Mom and Dad.  We were also fortunate in our location.  We live on the Waters of Leith at the base of the Pentland Hill.  We spent our afternoons and weekends exploring the pathway along the Waters of the Leith and hiking through the Pentland Hills.  Other friends living in the city in row houses or apartments were limited to little or no outdoor space, except on the streets of the city itself.  We were able to watch the baby lambs that were born in the spring grow, enjoy the company of the horses roaming in pastures around the hills, and skip stones on the river.  It was a lovely break from the four walls of our home and we were thankful to have the escape.  Over the course of the lockdown we collectively walked 71 miles as a family.  

Really, the only issue I took during lockdown was with all the cooking!  Since everyone was at home all day, everyday and there were no other dining options, that meant I cooked every meal.  I wish I had counted how many dozen eggs, loaves of bread, and pounds of ham and chicken I prepared for just breakfast and lunch, not counting all the dinners.  At first it was fine.  I made everyone's favorites and dishes we hadn't had in a while.  But as the months continued to drag on, I started to run out of options for diversity since I had literally cooked everything I knew how to cook a couple of times.  Nothing seemed to taste good anymore and I just wanted to have something that I didn't cook myself.  Finally, toward the end of June, the government began to relax some restrictions around the food industry and allowed drive-thrus to reopen.  McDonald's fries never tasted so good!

My big camera stayed stowed away for the majority of lockdown, but I did manage to capture a few shots on my phone of some of our many walking adventures.  Below is a random assortment of moments from our time at home (and within legal travel constraints of home!)

At this writing we're still under lockdown by law.  We are currently in Phase 3 of lockdown with Phase 4 still to come.  Office buildings, live theater, gyms, recreational centers, and indoor sports venues are all still shut.  Lots of businesses could not survive the lengthy lockdown and were forced to closed their doors permanently.  Our local doctor's offices and clinics are still closed but are performing over-the-phone appointments as needed.  As of now we technically have the ability to leave the UK, however, travel abroad is strongly discouraged and made nearly impossible through cumbersome travel restrictions and quarantine regulations.  While our British Residency Permit does technically allow us the privilege to enter EU countries, as American passport holders, it's not in our best interest to travel to mainland Europe as the EU still has a travel ban on Americans.  So far we're restricted to our island of Great Britain for the time being.  Even still, the Britons themselves are afraid to leave the country.  There's also the worry of the being caught out of your home borders in a country that has been added to the blackout list (a list of countries that require a 14-day quarantine), which continues to grow each week.  At this point, there are more countries on the list than there are off of it.  Essentially, this leaves most people constrained on travel, which also has resulted in a huge impact to the economy.

Even now we're in an upswing of covid cases throughout the United Kingdom and Europe which has prompted the discussion of a second lockdown.  The UK government is expected to make an announce later this week concerning a potential 2-week "circuit breaker", which essentially would be another lockdown. So, we're staring down the potential of another forced lengthy withdrawal from society.  This pandemic is far from over.  

I have a whole list of opinions that I've considered sharing here about this experience but I've decided to limit it to these three, which seems to be the root of all the others.

1.  God is in control.  He always has been and He is now.  There is no circumstance or situation that is a surprise to Him.  Christians should keep faith and if you don't know Him, now would be a good time to change that. 

Romans 8:28 -  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Hebrews 1:11 - Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

2.  I am a proud American.  I believe you will never have more freedoms or more opportunities than in the United States of America.  It's unfortunate that some Americans seem to have lost their perspective on the world and can't see what's been afforded to them through our great nation and those that have sacrificed to keep it great.

3.  Social media and for-profit news has done more to separate us than to bring us together.  If this is where we are only one decade into a socialized digital era, I fear for what will come to fruition in the coming years.  Social media can be a powerful tool to enhance and even improve our way of life.  Unfortunately, it seems in recent years these platforms have been used more to manipulate and misdirect.  Please don't misunderstand my stance. I strongly believe in free speech.  I appreciate a broad range of opinions as I try to apply my beliefs and logic to a situation.  But, free speech does not protect against misinformation, slander, lies, and the misrepresentation of facts.  It's impossible to manage the dissemination of information on social media, so I encourage everyone to be very mindful of the information you use in determining your views.

And I'll just leave things right there!