Day 51 Of Coronavirus Shutdown

Coronavirus has changed the world as we know it. For at least the time being. 

Does anyone remember scrolling through Reddit or any social media and seeing people casually talking about the Coronavirus in other countries? Thinking to yourself "Well it isn't here, it won't come here". Oh how wrong we were.

Well now we are deep into the Coronavirus along with shutdowns and lock downs all across the country. We now have well over a million confirmed cases of Covid-19 here in the U.S and well over 73,000 deaths across the country. And these numbers are still climbing as I write this. This virus has changed the way we live life and things are not going to be "Life as usual" for some time! I mean just think of some of the things that are changed indefinitely.

How we greet people.

  While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially urged people to opt for an elbow bump over a handshake. Greetings have now altogether become a no go. Americans have been asked to maintain social distancing, or 6 feet, at all times and the majority have been asked not to leave their homes except for essential needs, such as medical care, groceries or exercise.

Public gathering is another thing changed.

With the majority of the states instituting some sort of stay at home order, public gatherings of any kind are banned. Many festivals have been postponed and restaurants and bars in many states have shut their doors, only allowing for pick up or delivery. One of the few places where crowds do form is at the grocery store, where customers often waiting outside as stores have enacted new policies limiting the amount of people inside.

The Economy.

The International Monetary Fund said that the world should be prepared for the worst economic fallout since the Great Depression.

Travel is another thing that has been changed in a major way.

The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 4 advisory, which is a Do Not Travel advisory, for all international travel. Not to mention just the way we think of travel! Flying, buses, trains etc. No one wants to use them in fear of all the germs and viruses on surfaces. So now companies are trying to do big time sanitation on planes, buses, trains etc. But the fear is still there.

Masks.

The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, such as grocery stores and pharmacies. Walking out your door and seeing everyone wearing a mask is such a bizarre sight. I never thought we would see something like that here in the U.S. 

These are just some things that have changed in a big way for all of us. And this seems like it's going to be the "new normal" for a least a little while. More than likely until we get a vaccine for this virus.

Just remember that we are all in this together. We are all going through this pandemic. And we will ALL look back on this odd time in our history and be stronger because of it.

Stay well bloggers.

Continue to practice your social distancing. Wear your mask!