Viral Diaries (3)

March 22, 2020

South Carolina

My husband (Hayden) is still feeling under the weather, but we had no choice but to brave a trip to Wal-Mart. I dislike the grocery store chain on a regular day, but today's vemture was especially stressful. The store wasn't packed as we expected, but useful items were scarce. There was no bread to be found, packaged meat was gone, and the frozen fruits and vegetables were all but wiped out. Signs asking (in some cases, telling) customers to limit their purchase were taped hastily on the shelves. I have little patience for dilly-dallying and a lack of awareness in public spaces, and the frequency with which people would stop in the aisle or how slowly they moved at the self-checkout began to burn a very short fuse. Hayden, feeling sick and having recently given up cigarettes, headed to the car as I waited to check out. We are on edge, and trying hard not to snap at each other, although it doesn't always work.

My mother-in-law informed us this morning that she suspects that she and Hayden's father have been infected by employees at their respective jobs. She tells us that a co-worker returned to work after her training with the National Guard feeling sick. The co-worker's illness got worse, and she was eventually sent home with a fever only to return to work the next day. This person tested negative for strep and the flu, but was not able to obtain a test for COVID-19. Despite the fact that her grandmother was also now experiencing symptoms, she was refusing to tell HR because she doesn't want a possible infection traced back to her. I have heard that in some places, they're making it a crime to conceal if you've contracted the virus, but I'm not sure to the validity of that information.

The cases in my state went up again. 22 more overnight, so we're now at 195. Three deaths so far. We're ranked 23 out of 50 states for confirmed cases, with the state of New York currently taking the lead at nearly 16,000. We have plenty of supplies, but are running low on money. I recieve monthly food benefits through the WIC program (Women, Infants, and Children), but am fearful that by the time they renew, going to the store may be significantly more difficult.

A friend from the Netherlands messaged me today to ask how things are going in my side of the world. Turns out, they're not going much differently for them either. There seems to be a mass resistance against staying indoors and avoiding crowds.

I'd like to update my statement on hubris: it knows not age, class, gender, race, or national border.