This has, unintentionally, become a “life in the time of plague” blog, but I cannot write about what I see on my morning walks without commenting on the oddities I notice that are directly due to covid19 — the lack of traffic, the lack of people, the “closed” signs on the doors of businesses.
This morning I gave Keely her lead and she pranced off the back alleys to 3rd Ave., taking us by the Finnegan’s Wake plaza on the way. Then up Monroe to the Publix plaza, west to Duval and back around to 7th. Along the way I got a good look at all the “plague signs” on all the doors of all the businesses. Some are closed until further notice, but most announce they will re-open on April 6th, which is a Monday only a week out from tomorrow. A few restaurants (Bella Bella, Hopkins) offer pick up or curb side service for limited hours, at least for now.
I doubt anything will re-open on the 6th. The numbers are sobering and show no sign of stopping any time soon. Crowds were still seen on beaches here in Florida as of yesterday so we cannot claim that we have gone into social distancing with any real effectiveness.
That said, I commented on twitter yesterday that I think Tally is now about 80% shut down, based on my observations during our walks. I personally have not been out of the house for anything other than dog walks for over eight days now; all the places I used to go regularly, while limited in number, have not seen me in a couple of weeks now, as I had already pulled back on socializing by mid-March.
I do wish, in times like this, that I had a car. I don’t want to go anywhere specific, but it would be nice to put Keely in the front seat and then drive around for an hour or so, just for a change of scenery. She and I do well in isolation, but I can tell in another week or so I’ll be dragging us down different paths just to sight see and remember a bigger world.
The good news is that the small Publix delivery I ordered yesterday DID net me a package of toilet paper! Twelve rolls, in fact. I feel rich.