Quarantine Diary 3/13/2020

Here we are in our American Quarantine!

What's with the word Quarantine? In the 700’s Muslims were the first to build quarantine/isolating hospitals for people who had leprosy. Lots of diseases came in on ships so it was standard for foreign ships to be required to wait 30 days at offshore islands before foreign cargo could be unloaded in harbor cities. Then people noticed when Bubonic/Black plague hit in 1448 that the disease took 37 days to run it's course from beginning to end/death.  So during that plague Venice quarantined the entire city for 40 days .. and that finally began to slow down the deadly disease. 

Quarantine is the Ventian word for 40.

(My sermon on Julian of Norwich …)

Isn’t this a cheerful topic? 

How weird is it that because the Trump administration threw away  the Pandemic Response team two years ago - we in the US are now fighting the Covid pandemic the same way medieval Europe/Asia did? Quarantine everybody and wait it out.

Yet this is the solution that is coming from actual scientists about how we will have to do this.  We are all on lockdown as much as possible. 

I am moved by this.  80% of those who get Covid will blow right through it; often it is less bother than a cold. 20% of us will get quite sick.  A few percent will be stricken hard and need a hospital and 1-4% of us will die.

On behalf of those who are most fragile our whole damn country is shutting down. This is the American I am proud of, even though it should not have come to this. 

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I’m an introvert. I'm skilled at Social Distancing and am looking forward to a week or two at home writing, reading, and sorting things out. 

At the same time, I know this is a disaster for many.  Just a disaster.  Oh Lord. 

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How about you?  What are you doing? How are you doing?

I will try to write more tomorrow.