And many years later...

I'm back! 

I felt compelled to come back to my blog after a six year hiatus due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The world probably always knew that at some point we would have to face something so diabolical, but it appears that this has caught us by surprise. This is an unbelievable moment and a wake up call for the entire world. 

In January, shortly before I left for a work trip to India, the world found out that the Chinese government had been withholding information about a virus epidemic within their country. It was named the Corona virus. Shortly after their announcement, we learned that people who traveled to and from China had been infected with the virus because it was easily transferred between individuals via a handshake or simply breathing in the same space as an infected individual. 

Two months later, we have 1,039,166 confirmed cases and 55,092 deaths worldwide. This number is growing. In the United States, each state has taken its own steps to lessen the transfer of the virus. In Ohio, we have "stay at home" policy in place. This means WFH for all companies that can do it. Additional steps have been taken to require restaurants to carry out/delivery only practices and all schools have been closed. Certain jobs have been given the green light to continue as usual, but most have been forced to a WFH status or unemployment. Some states, like Kentucky, have taken it one step further and have eliminated all unnecessary travel outside of their state lines. 

Along with "stay in place" requirements, ventilators and N95 masks are the necessary means to treating and preventing the spread of this virus. Unfortunately, we have a shortage of both. Companies are scrambling to make more and hospitals have doubled up patients on ventilators to save as many lives as possible. 

Thanks to the current U.S. President, Donald Trump, we were a bit behind in our response to the virus that was impacting so many of our allied countries. He even went so far to downplay this pandemic as something that would be over in a few weeks. Unfortunately, it cost us a couple of weeks of preparation. I think he knows now (I won't say that he understands because he doesn't appear to understand anything related to running a government ) the impact that it is truly having on all of us. We have 245,175 confirmed cases of the virus and 6,059 people have died. 

I have been working from home three weeks today. I am not a stranger to full time work from home, but I am a stranger to be restricted only to my home and to the grocery store. My wife, too, is working from home and our nine year old daughter faces the prospects that the rest of the school year may may be spent at home with online learning.
It is a foreign feeling to be restricted from our friends and family. 

Most situations of worldwide or nationwide impact (like 9/11) have brought us all together to fight for a common goal or common enemy and in this case, the more we all stay home, the better our chances are of driving this virus into the ground and surviving. I have no doubt that some good will come of our pandemic response.  We have all found that we can still communicate with each other (video conference is great!) and keep businesses running even if we are at home. 

We have been forced to reckon with this pandemic and do everything we can to make the best of it. History is being written and this will be one moment in time no one will forget.