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Spoiler alert: Coronavirus.
My latest post on Instagram was about how I was still planning on going to New York City today for a long overdue getaway with my best friend. At the time of the post, there was still so much information being thrown out there, that I half convinced myself that we would be totally fine going. We are healthy, on the younger side (I mean, this was a trip to celebrate our 40th birthdays, even though my friend jokes about being a Boomer), and have enough wherewithal to wash our hands, before it was cool.
However, as more information came rolling in, and the airline I was flying on sent out a notice that it would honor flight changes without change fees, and talking with friends who live in the city, we (painfully) decided to postpone the trip. This was a decision we spent hours pouring over, and reading as much information as possible from official pages, such as the CDC, information from the mayor of New York City and the Governor of New York. For us, this trip was to be fun, and carefree, and the idea of being concerned to take ride share, and not be able to use the subway, and basically walk around wondering who might have it that we’ve encountered, sounded like the opposite of fun and carefree.
Since we made our decision, the NCAA has since announced they would not allow fans for the Final Four tournaments, SXSW had already been cancelled, Coachella has been postponed, the President went on national television and announced a (very tricky, please ready ALL the details here) travel ban, the NBA postponed the rest of the season, and our nation’s beloved Tom Hanks has tested positive. I think we are all trying to not get ourselves into a tizzy, to be honest. The information is scary, and the uncertainty – and even misinformation – is troubling. And the idea of people suffering and dying from the Coronavirus is disheartening.
But here’s the deal. Businesses are hurting big time. Entire countries, especially Italy, are being hit with massive closures and non-essential business activity is being shuttered by their governments. Here in the U.S., areas that are used to annual conferences, festivals and sporting events are now unable to rely on that revenue. Workers are impacted, and our economy is going to take a beating for a while. So what can we do?
If you can shop local – and stay within the guidelines of the CDC for social distancing – try to support small businesses, and local businesses, and your favorite businesses. Also, there is a LOT of information out there, so look for official information from reliable sources, like the CDC and your local and state governments. Also, many areas are instituting states of emergency. It sounds scary, but for the most part those are budgetary measures to allow for emergency spending outside budget directives (blah, blah technical stuff). And for the love, wash your hands.
For us, thinking about our favorite spots in Italy, we are hoping to plan a trip there as soon as it is safe, the country is in a position to welcome visitors again, and where our presence won’t be a disruption. We had plans for a trip to London and Paris next month but with the uncertainty and impacts to travel, it is highly unlikely we will be going.
Continue to be vigilant about your day to day activities, sing your favorite song while washing your hands (like, really washing your hands) and get checked out if you’re concerned!
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