Wow! It's a brave new world out there. Who would have thunk it? I flew to California at the end of January for lunch with high school classmates then a visit with my sons and friends. I returned home for a second knee replacement in mid February. If there was any discussion of "plague", it only involved China.
By the time I came home, it had spread throughout China, but still no concern on our part. Looking back, then was the time to halt flights from the infected areas to anywhere USA. Hindsight.
It has been almost six weeks since I have been "sheltered in place". Partly healing and then precautionary. Alaska had no one sick until people started to fly home from infected areas and brought it with them. Again flights should have been stopped with the first two, but no.
We do not have lots of people here, about 750 000 rounded, in a state with about 570 000 square miles. That's about 1.3 people per square mile. So we are socially distant! That still would not stop the virus from negligent people who didn't think the rules applied to them.
It would be almost criminal for someone from outside or who had been outside to go to any of the small villages where there is basically no medical provider and they must be flown to Anchorage for service. The disease could wipe out the entire village.
Businesses are now closed almost everywhere. Grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies are open. Police won't get near you unless you do something really stupid. As an Alaskan, I was prepared. Because we live on a peninsula with one road out, you must always be prepared. All it takes is an earthquake, volcano, avalanche or fire to be cut off from all supplies for weeks or months. The run on basic supplies showed how many people did not heed basic survival for Alaskan residents. It is constantly stressed and reviewed. This little hiccup gave people time to repeatedly run to the stores and bulk up. It also was grossly apparent that these would be the first to die, go begging or worse in a real catastrophe. It is a sad commentary.
I hope everyone is safe and secure. May this not last till summer. I can tell you I would not make a good prisoner. Stay healthy.
By the time I came home, it had spread throughout China, but still no concern on our part. Looking back, then was the time to halt flights from the infected areas to anywhere USA. Hindsight.
It has been almost six weeks since I have been "sheltered in place". Partly healing and then precautionary. Alaska had no one sick until people started to fly home from infected areas and brought it with them. Again flights should have been stopped with the first two, but no.
We do not have lots of people here, about 750 000 rounded, in a state with about 570 000 square miles. That's about 1.3 people per square mile. So we are socially distant! That still would not stop the virus from negligent people who didn't think the rules applied to them.
It would be almost criminal for someone from outside or who had been outside to go to any of the small villages where there is basically no medical provider and they must be flown to Anchorage for service. The disease could wipe out the entire village.
Businesses are now closed almost everywhere. Grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies are open. Police won't get near you unless you do something really stupid. As an Alaskan, I was prepared. Because we live on a peninsula with one road out, you must always be prepared. All it takes is an earthquake, volcano, avalanche or fire to be cut off from all supplies for weeks or months. The run on basic supplies showed how many people did not heed basic survival for Alaskan residents. It is constantly stressed and reviewed. This little hiccup gave people time to repeatedly run to the stores and bulk up. It also was grossly apparent that these would be the first to die, go begging or worse in a real catastrophe. It is a sad commentary.
I hope everyone is safe and secure. May this not last till summer. I can tell you I would not make a good prisoner. Stay healthy.
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