Robot Claw

I climbed the hill, lay in the grass
A little dark-eyed girl drifted past
She said all the best is come, it could not last
And the worst, it has come true

That’s from one of my favorite Nick Cave songs. I’ve heard it countless times and often I think of what it would mean for the worst to have come true. Is that what we are facing now?

Back when I was in Japan I was reading about the novel Coronavirus as I sat in my Tokyo hotel room and texted Kristin that I thought it could “change the world”. I wasn’t being grim or fatalistic; it’s just that I had read about what was happening (before China officially admitted it) and had a feeling about the future. I returned to the USA and it was like it didn’t exist: no airport screening, virtually nothing in the media and almost no-one had heard of it.

Then China quarantined and it spread quickly. My idle comment had become portentous and I personally knew people that were affected in China. And still virtually nothing was said here in the US. When I signed and submitted my summer contract almost a month ago I asked what the backup plan was if coronavirus was keeping us all home. I was at least half serious, but there wasn’t any plan since most of the people in the office hadn’t even heard of it.

I wasn’t surprised by this. Even those of us who had been aware of the virus probably found it hard to believe it would shut down our ‘normal’ lives like it now has. Only three weeks ago a TA asked me if we’d have any classes after Spring Break (which starts next week) and I assured him yes since I couldn’t imagine the alternative.

Two days ago my school shifted all classes online for the remainder of the semester (2 months) and from now I’ll work from home. Yesterday KLS was sent home as well to work, and we’ve already bought her a desk for her computer since we have no idea how long this may last.

We’ve stocked up on supplies – our cupboards have never been this full – and personally witnessed the empty shelves in local shops. We’ve canceled appointments and are now prepared to stay here – in our house – until we need to go out and get more groceries every couple of weeks.

I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me shifting my course online (I have over 300 students who need to do the same) and there’s currently more questions than answers. Likewise for Kristin who must now adapt – with almost all her coworkers – to a distributed office communicating via the internet. We’re not just working from home; we’re learning (or rather devising) how to do our jobs in brand new ways from home.

And the virus only continues to spread as America and the world shuts down. Every day the news is grimmer and silver linings seem absent. The leadership in this country is a gaggle of incompetents who have made things worse and we can only hope they haven’t messed things up beyond the ability of the real adults (currently the state and local officials) to fix.

And yet I don’t think the worst has come true. The world has seen that China and Korea have waged bold and apparently successful fights against this, and I believe other countries will too. It will take sacrifice yes, but staying at home and skipping events and vacations is a small price for this victory. Like H1N1 in 2009 I believe the tide will turn with a treatment or vaccine, and right now everyone with the relevant expertise anywhere in the world is working on that (including at KLS’s company). It will take time, but someone will create it eventually.

Stay safe everyone. Stay home and limit your exposure in the interests of public health. Follow the advice of the experts and don’t be fooled (or scared) by misinformation.

This will be an uncertain and likely difficult period we are moving into, but there are sunny skies beyond. Look forward to them!