First Outing Since Corona Virus Came to Tacoma

I just took my first outing this morning to shop since the corona virus came to Tacoma a little over a week ago.

 

I went to two places — Cash and Carry (now called Smart Service Warehouse Stores) and Cappy’s Produce because I wanted to stay out of places with lots of people in them, since I’m at high risk should I catch the virus. (There are too few ventilators, masks, gloves and other necessities in the country to accommodate the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands–perhaps millions–of people who are slated to fall ill over the next few weeks here in the U.S., so Job One for me is to isolate as much as possible and stay healthy.)

 

Before the virus hit town (or was recognized as having come to town), I fell ill for ten days with what was most likely the common cold. I had no fever or body aches, just a deep down chest cold, and that was enough to lay me up and isolate me for ten days.

 

At that time, I thought, “If this gets much worse, I might have to go to the doctor…” Fortunately, it resolved itself, but I wheezed a lot of the time when breathing at night–I could hear it when I was in bed waiting to fall asleep. I kept pouring down warm liquids (herbal teas) to keep the congestion from getting any worse. It was a little bit scary.

 

That’s why I know I need to isolate from this much tougher challenge: I’m not sure I would survive it.

 

So, today I figured I’d go to these two places, quickly get what I need — milk, kale, spinach and aloe vera juice plus some toilet paper if any was to be had (I have a bidet, so I’m not as dependent on TP as most people)–and then come home and wash up well with soap and warm water.  I steered clear of other shoppers (there weren’t many in either place) but it was obvious that lots of people had been there before me earlier in the week.

 

There was no toilet paper, milk, or kale at Cash and Carry so I left there empty-handed and drove to Cappy’s Produce. I was able to find a gallon of milk there and aloe vera juice. I bought spinach, a bag of honey crisp apples for the  goats for $2.00 and a couple of Mexican peanut treats that I love.

 

On the way home, I got to thinking how different people are behaving in these circumstances. No one seems to be panicking in the least, but we keep our distance, are noticeably more considerate of each other, and a substantial number of them are wearing masks. I presume they’re the ones who are immune-compromised or have a cough but have no one else to shop for them so they take precautions so they don’t spread it to others.  My heart goes out to them.

 

I heard stories earlier about panic buying and pushing and shoving, but I think it was a scant minority of people who were doing that. I didn’t see any hoarding going on in the baskets I saw.

 

The obvious dearth of essential products did give me pause. And the spread of the virus is slated to get worse before it gets better, so the possibility of contagion will be greater every time we go out.

 

I’m doing what shopping I can online, but the price of essentials there is ridiculous right now–people are price-gouging like crazy and the soonest toilet paper can come from Amazon right now is mid-April. (Again, thankfully I have a bidet!)  There are manuals on how to make your own hand sanitizer, but the ingredients are getting scarce now and soap and warm water is far better at sanitizing hands than hand sanitizer is… but it’s nice to have some on hand when you’re out and about and touch surfaces that nameless, faceless others have touched: shopping carts handles, door knobs,  products on shelves, etc.

 

Anyway… I suppose most of you have experienced something similar already where you live, if the virus has come to your state and your governor is as proactive about stopping it in its tracks wherever possible as ours is. (Trump called Governor Inslee a “snake” and directed Pence not to say anything positive about him). Church services and other large gatherings are being cancelled or brought online, schools are closed and will be through most or all of April, large sporting events are canceled, community centers are closing…

 

Trump’s “hoax” sure has turned out to be an unmitigated nightmare. (Mitigating it at the federal level was his responsibility, but he denies it). He was told about the corona virus almost three months ago and did nothing to prepare for it. Instead, he played golf and attended rallies to tell his followers it was all a hoax and really nothing to worry about.

 

Suddenly, he’s being tested and people coming to see him are being checked for fevers. Suddenly the germ-phobic Trump is taking it seriously. It’s too little, too late (as is every other thing he promised to do and has not done and never had any intention of doing) but at least it’s a step in the right (or should I say “left”?) direction…

 

Now we need to adopt Bernie’s plan for Medicare for All so the people who can’t stay home without ending up on the street homeless and the rest of us can get tested and treated as needed to take good care of ourselves health-wise.

 

Watch the debate between Biden and Bernie this evening at 7 PM eastern time. I think you’ll find a marked difference between the two…and I think, if you’re truly paying attention, you’ll discover that the person most likely to have our backs 100% after he’s elected is the Senator from Vermont.

 

Ignore the terms people use to describe Bernie and just listen. Reach your own conclusions. His anger is righteous anger. It’s not for show, and I’m sure he’ll seem less angry if this nation starts treating its people the way he believes they should be treated…

 

He’s fighting for us all. The rich will still be rich. They’ll just be held accountable to share their bounty (as we are) by paying their fair share of taxes and treating their employees equitably for the gazillions of dollars they make for them.

 

That isn’t asking too much. Most rich people agree. Only the greedy ones don’t.