Yesterday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a stay at home order which shall take effect at 8 p.m. tomorrow night. Cuomo is following a similar measure undertaken in California and soon to be followed by Illinois and other states.
Although Cuomo wouldn't characterize the order as "shelter in place" he did say, "We are all under quarantine."
Yet this is not an accurate statement. Grocery stores, pharmacies, laundromats and liquor stores shall remain open. People will be allowed to exercise as long as it is a solitary activity and maintain a distance of six feet. Unfortunately, we will be governed by chaos and confusion for the foreseeable future.
Needless to say, I won't be going to work on Tuesday. Nor perhaps anytime soon. Or possibly ever. While I shall get a full paycheck next Friday what happens beyond then is anyone's guess. If this stay at home order lasts more than a couple of weeks two checks of $1,000 a month apart isn't going to do much.
If people do not have the means to pay for food then all bets are off. How long will it be before people are robbed while carrying groceries home? How long will it be before grocery stores are looted? How long will it be before someone is willing to kill someone else for a loaf of bread? The same can be said of medical supplies and the pharmacies which carry them.
Naturally I hope I am completely wrong about this scenario. I hope that if things do get worse that we are governed by the better angels of our nature. Yet I suspect this is wishful thinking. One can feel the desperation as one sees lineups outside Whole Foods and liquor stores and this feeling is only going to get worse.
With that I shall stay indoors as much as possible. Yet I must go outside to get food and fresh air. The silver lining is that I am healthy and so is my Dad. If we have that and can keep it then we have a fighting chance.
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