Coronavirus Diary Day 9: March 21, 2020

Weekend Vibes, Latest Numbers, A Bachelor Has Corona

Happy Saturday, friends! What have you done with yourself today? That seems to be the big question right now. I took my 11 AM live, online fitness class with Kit Rich, who is a total beast, and I mean that in the most tremendous way possible. Then I dipped in the hot tub with The Hubs, took the dog for a hike in Valley Forge Park, vacuumed the house, and called some friends. Now I’m cooking dinner and debating whether or not to open a bottle of wine which bottle of wine to open.

Well, let’s rip off the band aid and jump right in, shall we?

Coronavirus is still spreading at breakneck speeds. There are now 303,180 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world, which includes 12,944 deaths. The virus started in China, which still has the highest number of confirmed cases, although Italy is close behind them. Notably, Italy has surpassed China’s death rate, with 4,825 deaths. Italy, in fact, is experiencing truly terrible times right now. In the past 24 hours, 800 people have died of Coronavirus. Hospitals are maxed, doctors and nurses are sick, patients are ranked on how likely they are to survive, funerals are forbidden, and bodies are warehoused. At this moment, the USA has half the number of confirmed cases that Italy has, at 24,148. Nearly half of those are in New York State. Worst of all, the spread of the virus is showing absolutely no signs of slowing. If anything, we are still in the early stages of contagion.

To combat the spread, the entire world (well, most of the world) is practicing social distancing.

In New Jersey, 1,327 people were diagnosed positive with Coronavirus as of this morning. So, Governor Phil Murphy banned all public gatherings of any size and ordered all nonessential businesses to close by 9 PM tonight. Residents who disobey the orders could face prosecution. Four other states have implemented similar shelter-in-place orders for their citizens, including New York, Connecticut, Illinois, and California. Rumor has it that Pennsylvania is next to implement a complete lock-down, at least by Monday. Locally, I’m prepared to see many more restrictions and curfews.

The stock market is tanking, and we’re looking at a possible 20% unemployment rate. This is going to be hard to come back from. What are the long-term implications of this? Who the fuck knows. Today is Saturday, and no one is trading. Let’s take joy in the small things.

OK, I talked about the numbers, and you’re still here. Let’s move onto the topic of celebrities with Coronavirus. I have been teasing this segment for over a week, but we’ve only now reached a robust level. First of all, there are a slew of NBA basketball players and staff members who have tested positive. Many of them are asymptomatic. Basketball might be my favorite sport, but even then? Meh. Also, I am unsure how all the basketball players got tests so quickly when the rest of America apparently cannot. So, let’s discuss pop culture celebs.

Andy Cohen has Coronavirus. Prince Albert has Coronavirus. Colton Underwood has Coronavirus. None of these folks were on my “bet list,” which I feel no desire to explain.

Thank heavens, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are on the mend. But Andy Cohen. Merde, I love that guy.

Anyway, tomorrow is Sunday, and we’ll all be looking for things to do, all over again. Seriously, feel free to use the comments section to send me your plans and ideas. I just told The Hubs for the first time in 10 years that it drives me crazy when he doesn’t “screw the caps.” Barbeque sauce, soda bottles, siracha jars, vodka handles. I follow him around and quietly screw the caps behind him. All these years, I never told him. Why should I? More importantly, why did I? These are strange times, my friends.

Tomorrow, I have bathrooms to clean, and a daily online exercise class. Beyond that? I dunno… drinking?