Coronavirus Diary Day 3: March 15, 2020

France is Closed, PA State Stores Lock the Doors, and Gen-Z Needs to Get Back on Their Video Games

France is closed. Like, the country. Not enough people were ready to sacrifice their café culture, so the government gods said, “Shut it down.” And that means everything. The Louvre has closed its doors before, of course. If you don’t know why, brush up on your history. It’s a placeholder for something bigger, every single time.

Actually, Frenchies, it’s not your fault. This was bound to happen whether you obeyed your Social Distancing recommendations or not.

Pennsylvania is almost closed. My county and 2 neighboring counties are shut down. That’s Chester, Montgomery, and Delco. The Governor says we are to shutter all non-essential retail locations, gyms, nail salons, fitness centers, movie theaters, hair cutters, bars, clubs, and golf courses. There are plenty of other things on the list. You get the idea. Restaurants can stay open for now, but only for delivery and take-out, rather than dine-in services.

Pennsylvania State Stores are closing.

If you don’t know what Pennsylvania State Stores are, these are the places where we buy all of our wine and spirits. So, think about this. Pennsylvanians are right now inventorying our booze and deciding if we stay, or if we hightail it to a place like Delaware, where booze runs abundant and tax-free. The shit is about to hit the fan, folks, and I intend to have tequila.

In just the past 24 hours: California has ordered the closing of all bars, pubs, and nightclubs. After a particularly raucous weekend in Chicago, the Windy City is headed that direction, too. Hoboken has implemented a nightly curfew. Massachusetts has banned eating and drinking at all bars and restaurants. Likewise, New Orleans has ordered bars and restaurants closed as of 9 PM tonight.

There’s a battle happening between Gen-X and Gen-Z. I know this, because I’m Gen-X, and Ryan is Gen-Z. I’m preaching Social Distancing, while Ryan and his friends are planning basketball tournaments and labeling their parents freaks. I try to explain the implications, and he rolls his eyes at me. It’s beginning to sink in, though. Today, we drove 6 hours from Upstate New York to King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, during which time I subjected him to podcasts, news radio, and my very own voice-over narration of scientific articles. He’s currently in his room playing video games with his friends, who are also in their rooms. I feel thankful for the X-Box, the PS4, or the Switch, I don’t know, whatever ridiculous thing at which he is currently yelling and cursing.

Boomers are confused. My parents don’t seem to think this will affect them, because the statistics are not reliable and they are very healthy for their age. Millennials are building underground bunkers to protect their children, and calling their parents to ask for advice.

I don’t care what generation you are. I just want us all to get through this.

In yesterday’s blog post, I threatened to discuss celebrities with Coronavirus. Welp, we have Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, and possibly Heidi Klum. Orlando Bloom, maybe? I’m not sure, and neither are they. So we’ll leave that for tomorrow.

Here are our updated stats:

COVID-19 Confirmed Cases:

169,556 (This is almost 15,000 more than yesterday)

Deaths:

6,516

Recovered:

77,753

Active:

85,287

In the USA, there are currently over 3,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 61 dead.

In Pennsylvania, there are 63 confirmed cases.

Stay safe, friends. Remember: Wash your hands frequently, and stay 6 feet apart. Shit, just stay home and binge watch.