Hopeful

After reading that downer report about the 1-2 million American deaths gave everyone a slap of reality, a lot of people have been asking how long do we have to live like this - we can't just shut down society for the next year and a half. However, the report just accounted for the current situation, and could vary depending on different mitigation measures that might be implemented in the future, like more widespread testing and containment, and the ability to develop better treatments.

Today I read two really hopeful articles that lay out an alternate plan to allow us to buy time. Coronavirus: The Hammer and the Dance, follows Tomas Pueyo's previous article, and very clearly lays out the current situation, the comparison of mitigation vs. suppression, and the third option of "The Hammer:" short-term extreme distancing measures now, to allow for better tracking and control going forward, as well as time to ramp up testing and tracking, produce the necessary equipment to care for sick people, and potentially develop new and more effective treatments.

A similar article, This Is How We Can Beat the Coronavirus, comes to the same conclusion in a little more succinct terms, and is a little easier to read.

There's also a WhiteHouse.gov petition to enact this proposal as a national policy.

While it seems like my neighborhood is participating in social distancing, as are many of my friends, I'm still hearing and seeing reports of people gathering in large groups, kids playing together, etc. There has been no directive at the national level, and states and municipalities have been handling the outbreak with varying degrees of severity. I feel very lucky to be in a state where strict measures are in place (even if people unfortunately aren't following them, yet 😞).

The IRS extended the deadline for filing income taxes from April 15 to July 15. Luckily, I got ours done a couple weeks ago. Also got our drivers licenses renewed, in preparation for the change to IDs coming later this year. What can I say, I'm just very prepared 🤷‍♀️