Coronavirus Don't Give a Shit!

I'm not going to make this a strictly informative post, but I'll start you with a legit link, amongst all the memes and faux news you might be used to seeing.

Coronavirus: CDC Update

Just FYI, make sure you are getting your info from legit outlets, namely the CDC, and not automatically attaching faith in the media here. Scares attract viewers so get the facts.

What's true enough is that Ohio is seeing some mass closures. My nephews and all Ohio kids are going to be out of school for at LEAST the next three weeks while attempts are being made to isolate the virus until test and, eventually, vaccines can be distributed to the population.

And no, this isn't some hoax to take our feeble little minds off of politics or any other pressing issue. Not sure about you, but I'm a multi-tasker and a diverse thinker so issues like climate change and politics are still quite alive and able to be tracked. The media is not only NOT the only source of information but also often the weakest.

What is a bummer for myself is that I love my little job at Sport Page restaurant in downtown Cincinnati and the owners are now torn about whether we too should close or not. This isn't because of any mass hysteria; simply because business is wavering. Dine-in customers are becoming scarcer even though carry-out has increased. However, this is distressing to the waitresses, who rely on those tips, so whether they should show up or not for pennies is a real issue. It's a small restaurant but people are still becoming overly cautious about the volume of crowds, who is sneezing or coughing, and how close people are to each other.

And, yes, it's sadly a racial issue, one that does kind of piss me off since Asian customers have been telling us that they've been receiving 'looks' or that any human reaction of coughing or sneezing sometimes prompts more than a look but a lecture about being contagious. Fuck anyone who is making people feel uncomfortable for their race in ANY incident like this. Joke about it all you want, but understand that it's about as funny to people that hear it all the time as a headache. As a waitress asking people what they'd like to eat, replying with 'food' ranks on our list of 'no shit/not funny.'

So, yeah, it's very likely I'll be out of a job I enjoy for some time. And yes, I can use this time to be broke and do projects needing done, but it's not ideal. My job has been paying for those little projects and there are still many things I'd like to fund. While ComicCon is very likely to be cancelled, I'm not going to be purchasing a table or planning for it to be this year, which is also a letdown.

Nevertheless, I understand the caution. I don't understand the nuclear-fallout-levels of buying out grocery stores (people don't quite understand that full quarantine isn't necessary unless you're one of the 40 people in the entire state so far that actually have COVID-19, but who listens?), but I do want people to understand why we're LIMITING public gatherings.

It's not the severity of this virus that really isn't likely to affect or kill most of us. It's the sheer fact that, even if you want to compare it to the flu by symptoms, it doesn't not have a vaccine to lessen the symptoms, there are two prevalent strains and people with weaker immune systems can easily succumb to it. It spreads quickly in congested crowds.

As someone who knows and cares about immune-compromised people, I can understand that we don't want to lose anyone, no matter how few, if there's a way to prevent. I will take the discomfort and upheaval of my life to save another's. But that's me. No, I can't be endlessly compassionate, but I can certainly understand those that don't want to lose someone if we can take preventative measures to lessen the blow.

We'll get through this. There will be dipshits out there eager to infect people and will possibly extend closings and such because of it. Seniors in high school will have to lose privileges like class trips and prom (but, sorry, I don't give a shit about that--never did those myself and no FOMO here). It's simply my hope that the government will be able to feed and compensate people who really need it. I've seen that the electric company is extending pay dates and there are plans in place to keep people from losing their basic needs while they suffer from lack of pay. We have to give up some luxuries for this, many that we think we've worked for and deserve, but things will pan out.

If you're an Ohio voter, don't forget to vote this coming March 17. My polling place is usually pretty empty when I go, but I plan to uphold my civic duty.

Clearly, I'm not distracted from life just because some adjustments need to be made. Be safe and healthy!