Monday, March 16th.
There’s so much talk about what is going to happen but no confirmation of it. National quarantine? Travel Bans? The State of New Jersey in quarantine? Everything but non essentials closing for two weeks. What does that even mean for us? The only things open hospitals, grocery stores, pharmacies. People are going to go stir crazy and panic. The few places open will gather many people because of boredom. Thus circulating the virus even more so. Everyone’s lives will be affected in some way. The majority will be more affected by the closures than the virus itself. Out of work for two weeks maybe longer, not everyone is being paid. Some people have been fired because companies aren’t making money. How is it expected for people to pay bills? For individuals to survive? I’m already losing my mind. I’m fearful online schooling is not going to be to my benefit. My grades will drop. My GPA will drop. I’m missing out on my experiences in the classroom. I don’t know what to do with myself. I feel that I’m sleeping too much, eating too much. Sitting around watching tv is a nice break when life gets crazy, but it gets boring when it’s all there is to do. I feel like I’m wasting time. Everything is closing, and events are being cancelled or postponed. This isn’t fun. It’s not a vacation. There’s nothing to do. That’s why people panic. This is all we have to think about, dedicate our time to. Scrolling through our newsfeeds reading the headlines that are intended to scare. The media feeds into the fear, why should they care? They seem to be the only ones making money. Media & Grocery stores. Why toilet paper? What’s with it? Why is everyone buying it? It’s a chain- you see one person stocking up on it so you do the same. I honestly don’t know what to think at this point in time. There’s so much unknown. I’m feeling uneasy, not because of the virus- but because of all of the effects that it has had on our world so far.
My plans for today. Wake up, scroll through my news feeds to see what’s happening today. Get ready for the day- brush teeth, take a shower. Make decisions on what’s next? How do I spend a large chunk of my day? Most likely waste time doing nothing productive. Luckily I have dinner plans with family tonight, so I will get out of the house around 3pm. Until then, who knows?
Everything is closing. Well, not everything but A LOT of things. Movies, gyms. Restaurants are take out only. We have a curfew of 8pm-5am. All things must close by 8pm. It’s crazy. I was out tonight- not public, a family member’s house. I drove home at 9:30pm, yes past curfew. There’s still a lot of people on the roads. I wonder where they are going. Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, but no one is even talking about it. Parades cancelled, can’t go out to restaurants or bars. It’s like we are skipping over it this year. Will we get to celebrate Easter at this rate?