COVID-19 bullshit
I have no clue what's going on in other states right now, but so many things have suddenly happened in California due to the virus that are directly affecting my life.
1. School has been cancelled for three weeks until April 3rd. This was almost completely unprecedented and we don't have much of an online schooling system in place. I have no idea how school is going to work.
2. All of my college tours and all future college tours have been cancelled, presumeably long enough that I can't do any more before I have to make my decision around May. Luckily I had already visited all of the colleges I'm considering except for one. As a result I was forced to go on the last college tour available today, on my 18th birthday. It's four hours upstate; we're driving an eight hour round trip (I am typing this during the trip). No celebration for me.
3. B, my boyfriend, has had his family quarantined for 5 days. I can't celebrate my birthday with him or see him for 5 days even though we have break. Plus it sucks for them because they can't even leave the house.
Other than all this, people no longer want to hang out because they all suspect each other of the virus I suppose. I'm really tired of this. Getting sick I can handle. Having the sickness break down our ties to each other and turn our camaraderie into suspicion hurts a lot more. The grocery stores are sold out of every kind of toiletry. No feminine products, toilet paper, no paper towels. Every news station will not shut up about the virus. Even on unrelated websites like YouTube I get popups asking if I want updates and information on COVID-19. It's really starting to feel like apocalypse mode. I can't help but feel like the US is overreacting a bit but I also understand how important this precaution must be. I just wish it wouldn't feel so panicked all around.
Unrelated to COVID-19, it's projected to rain here the entirety of next week, and it has for all of last week. I was also sick for most of last week and on my period. It's overall just not been a good time.
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I'm so sorry this is so hard on you. It really sucks that this virus is interrupting so much stuff and that so many are panicked. Panic is highly contagious. I've stopped watching the news. I do check in every once to find an update from Dr. Fauci. He's been involved in other pandemics and seems to have a common sense, no nonsense without the drama way of explaining things. (at least as far as the few times I've listened to him) https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/anthony-s-fauci-md-bio I think this is a serious situation but I also think the media, as are many businesses, is exploiting it for its $$ value.
I've been playing more soothing music and trying to get outside a little more. I'm also changing my diet to help build the immune system. All we can do is practice mindful self-care and stay in touch with each other for support. Please take good care of yourself. oxo
The management of COVID-19 may turn out be worse than the disease itself. Unless you're in a high-risk group, COVID-19 just isn't that bad. In fact it's so mild that up to 40% of the people who get it, don't even know they have it, yet it's being treated like rampant Ebola. Millions of people are suffering because of the hype, and millions more may die as a result of the measures taken to "keep us safe". This isn't idle speculation. It comes from reports on the effect of how COVID-19 management is likely to affect mortality related to poverty, unemployment, emotional health, substance abuse, and education.
You can find all this yourself if you just start digging beneath the fear mongering and germaphobia. The stats on mortality rates are skewed because of changes to the way deaths are being counted, and the number of cases is also skewed due to the way testing and reporting is done. Superficially it's all being promoted as "science" when in fact, it's become a matter of biopolitics.