Virus life officially seized hold our State, overnight.  Saturday I attended dinner theatre.  Sunday’s message: all public gatherings over 50 people cancelled.  6 feet social distance, prior day’s PSA tag – now California’s ‘shelter-in-place’ term added to the vernacular.

Restaurants join stadium events (& NBA basketball).  ALL restaurants.  Crazy.  Unimaginable.  It’s this secret disease that’s nowhere in my County – only a handful of cases in the entire State – but now, regularly reading government jargon to determine coworkers’ fate.  Can we work, can we not?  Manufacturers, currently YES but need to full-court transition 50% of Staff to roles from HOME.  Cisco & Zoom, more new words.

Every day, 4pm speech from the Governor.  Every day, a new ‘must not’ rule.

Enter CORONA time.  Dropped Stephen at D.I.A, flying home to New Hampshire.

Next task: grocery HOARDING.  As a guy with 2 vegetables & a condiment on his fridge walls, HUGE MIND SHIFT.  Biggest fail?  Waiting ‘til Sunday to shop.  Shelves almost bare.  No-name pasta sauce & a case of beans.  Outside-lined 7am, Saturday following.  Fog/light snow – at a WALMART, 30 minutes away.  We hear they have trucks bringing provisions while grocery stores remain empty/supply chain awaiting.  CRAZY.  Feed into the hysteria – but, what if.  What if they’re right?

2 marathon weekend, both events cancelled.  Flights/hotels.  Disruption, disappointment, FEAR.

March 15th.  BEWARE the Ides of March… and COVID-19.

‘Shelter-in-Place’ essential activities, according to the order:

• Engaging in or performing tasks essential to health and safety, or to the health and safety of family/household members.  This includes pets.  Examples include picking up medicine, visiting a doctor.
• Obtaining necessary supplies or to deliver supplies to others.  Things like groceries count here.
• Going for a run, hike or other outdoor activity, as long as proper social distancing is observed.
• To care for a family member or pet in another household.
• To perform work at an essential business (see below) or perform minimum basic operations.

What about other businesses?

• minimum activities to maintain the value of the business’s inventory, ensure security or related functions
• minimum activities to facilitate employees being able to continue to work remotely from their residences