Week 15 Updates on COVID-19

Week 15 is coming to a close here and we are apparently on day 100 since the SIP order began. Summer has officially begun though we've had Summer weather basically the whole lockdown thus far. I can't complain about that. The weather is one of the reasons we originally fell in love with this valley in the first place back in 2007. Given the caseload here we expect the shelter-in-place with a partial re-opening to be the norm through to Christmas.

Sorry to report that the COVID-19 news for California is pretty grim right now. Here's a snapshot to preserve this not-so-happy milestone. 

Locally we're on the less sketchy end of the State but still, woah. 

Marin County COVID-19 status update: June 24, 2020

COVID-19 activity in Marin:

Marin Confirmed Cases:                 1,014 (319 currently)

Marin Deaths:                               18

Tests Completed in Marin:              26,690 

Marin Cases Recovered:                 695  

Marin Hospitalizations cumulative:   60 

Marin Hospitalizations currently:      10

San Quentin Prison Cases:               456**

What do our personal lockdown measures look like now? Well, pretty much the same as March 14th onward. Groceries and supplies are delivered and all items get de-contaminated which is often just throwing the shipping box in the recycling bin right at the gate. We have an outdoor sink area where we wash and rinse anything that was in a store and some packages we wipe it down with a mild disinfectant solution. It might sound crazy if you're in Canada but remember, our current active cases spikes are in our local grocery among store workers who are stocking shelves. It's hard to just forget that and bring food into the house that someone touched a mere hour ago. Mail gets left in the sun for a few days and most of it gets tossed unless it's personal mail or a bill. 

We only leave the property to do an occasional curb pick up from a place we can't get delivery from or to exercise. We can now drive our car to a local park so we can visit the ones beyond walking distance which allowed us to have a beach day yesterday. We mask-up for the beach access trails and in the parking lot and take masks off once we're settled somewhere well away from others. 

Every other day for the kids is a playdate within our two family pod which is fun. We adults have a cocktails and games night once a week after the kids go to bed. Joel and I also host a Zoom trivia night for our family and friends in Canada every Saturday which has been going on for about two months now. I am planning to do some socially distant outdoor walks with a friend keeping 6+ feet between us. This wasn't allowed until quite recently. 

The county has decided to allow a bunch of things like outdoor restaurant dining, hair salons and massages in the next week but we've chatted with neighbors and friends and everyone is giving that stuff a hard pass for a while. The re-opening of California is not happening because we're ready. 

Mentally we're actually doing fine. We're among the lucky folks who have not lost both parent's jobs, aren't sick, haven't lost loved ones, can make house payments. We also have two kids who can play all day together and all this time together has been really good for each of us in different ways. We read a few papers in the evening, avoid any televised coverage and skim through medical journals a few times a week to monitor how things are going out there and then we unplug from news again. I don't really find the news as stressful as I find the idea of not knowing things so the daily check in is essential. I gravitate to the stories of exciting scientific research and cures the most. That's the hope I'm looking for.

Every so often I think of sitting by our pool in Singapore or a rice field in Bali or strolling the streets of Paris. But then I flop into our hammock and watch the little lizards scurry across the baking rocks and listen to the hum of cicadas and feel ok just being here.