Coronavirus Diary Day 28: April 9, 2020

Class of 2020, What’s Happening in Europe, Coronavirus Fashion

Today, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that schools are closed for the remainder of the academic year. And just like that, Ryan’s high school career is officially over.

Poof. Disappeared into thin air.

Of course, school will remain in session via distance learning. And, we all knew this was coming. But to hear it formally announced is a real kick in the ass. What teenager ever imagined their senior year of high school would be cut short on March 13? Although to be honest, Ryan’s last days of middle school were also cut short for a very different reason. Right now, he’s the healthiest he’s ever been. So, maybe he’s over it.

I just feel so badly for these kids. I dunno. Prom, senior skip days, weekend parties, joy rides, varsity sports – It’s all gone. Graduation and Senior Week are still unknowns, but come on, I think we know.

If you love a high school senior, be kind to them. They’re sad. They know COVID-19 is very serious, and they don’t want to complain about their teenager problems. But they are quietly grieving all the pomp and circumstance of their final year.

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about Europe. So, let’s go there.

France’s Coronavirus death toll has risen to 12,210, which is an increase of 1,341 in the past 36 hours. But there are now 7,062 patients in Intensive Care Units, which is a decrease of 82 from the day before. The head of the public health authority credited social distancing and lockdown measures for putting the brakes on the epidemic. (Meanwhile, I’m looking at that 1,341 number and I’m like, huh?)

To that end, France also announced this week that it’s banning daytime jogging. Actually, all individual outdoor exercise is now forbidden.

Meanwhile in Italy, Coronavirus has killed over 100 doctors. More than 18,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Italy, and it’s estimated that some 10% of those infected work in healthcare.

Spain has the second highest number of confirmed Coronavirus cases, coming in at 152,446. It has the third highest mortality numbers at 15,238.

Germany is garnering attention for what currently appears to be a disproportionately low mortality rate, when compared to other countries. They are currently reporting 115,523 confirmed cases and 2,451 deaths. I’ve seen various explanations of this phenomenon. The average age of infected people in Germany is lower than other countries, as the virus spread early through several ski vacation destinations near the Italian border. Also, Germany seems to be testing more than many other countries, which helps them catch more cases. That can both skew the numbers, and also alert asymptomatic carriers that they may be super spreaders who should self-isolate at all costs.

Anyway, only time will tell what is really happening when it comes to testing and reporting around the globe. Since every country has different measures and methods in place, it’s difficult to compare apples to apples.

Well, that was a lot. How’s about we briefly touch on lockdown fashion? What have you been wearing over the past 4 weeks? Are you applying makeup, styling your hair, grooming your beard, clipping your toenails. Are you even brushing your teeth?

As for me, I spend my days in workout wear. I rotate through my black or grey stretch pants and a few favorite sweat wicking t-shirts. Not that I’m sweating much, but at least I intend to. I’m spending far less time on my hair and makeup than ever before; however, I have yet to skip my mascara application. Good thing I hoarded all those Loreal Telescopic Carbon Black mascara tubes back on March 11. It was the greatest decision I made throughout this entire pandemic.

Don’t worry, I picked up my toilet paper, Clorox wipes, and frozen pizzas long before that. Because, I’m sorry, if you didn’t see this coming back in early February, can we still be friends?