Covid Chronicles. Chapter 5: Stores Sell Out of Toilet Paper

 

Read chapter 4 here

Photos by Retiring Guy

Sunday, March 15

 A couple of text exchanges with my son Eddie in Germany -- from Friday and Saturday. Friday’s exchange. ME: Middleton WI USA COVID-19 update. Things are moving very fast, as summarized by a Wisconsin State Journal headline in today’s edition: No school, no sports, no end in sight. Across the US, the number of cases is increasing exponentially. Mom’s working from home today. Nonstop conference calls, it seems 

(Worldometer statistics accessed March 15, 2020)

EDDIE: Yikes! How many cases are there in Wisconsin? So far it's mostly business as usual in Tübingen, but the news out of the US has been non-stop. DOW plummeting, events being cancelled, movies being delayed. Tom Hanks is infected. It's basically the apocalypse. 

ME: Dow is up 1000 points so far today, but that could just be the start of another roller coaster ride. 

(Which was the case, basically, the Dow spiking up in the final minutes of trading. It might all be erased at the opening bell tomorrow.)  

Number of cases in WI is still in single digits. Nationally, this is the daily trend line of new cases since March 2: 12, 15, 25, 34, 71, 102, 112, 107, 175, 286, 340, 477. 

(I have since update a line graph I use to keep track. ‘Approximate’ means the difference when I check each morning, so the numbers don’t correspond to a calendar day. But the trajectory is the same.) 

EDDIE: Single digits and the response is already this intense? I hope this isn't a knee jerk reaction. School cancellations could end up being more disruptive than the virus itself. Any news about quarantining assisted living facilities? That seems to be the most at risk population. 

(ME: Nursing homes, assisted living centers, and hospitals all have limits on visitors. Even family members, in many cases. Mom was just commiserating with a co-worker on the phone who is not being able to visit her mom in a nursing home. 

The goal is to limit people’s movements and encourage social distancing. I admit it sometimes seems to me like an overreaction (not a few days later), but it’s the most effective way to contain the disease, which China appears to have done, if you believe the most recent numbers of cases and deaths that are being reported there. In the meantime, Trump is blaming Obama, North Korea, whoever pops into his head, apparently. Who knows? You might be next! 

EDDIE: I think he blamed European inaction, which is a total joke if you look at the measures Italy has taken. South Korea is reporting more recoveries than new cases, that's good. 

Saturday’s exchange. 

EDDIE: Madi's friend Tanja is quarantined because her boyfriend went skiing last week in Tyrol and got sick.   BW (Baden Württemberg, the German state in which Eddie lives) urged people to only travel if necessary, which hasn't stopped people from their normal routine, mostly. The seats closest to the driver on the Tübingen buses are now being taped off. 

ME: I made a visit to Woodman’s yesterday. The store was experiencing a run on water, toilet paper, bleach, tuna. The parking lot was as full as I’ve ever seen it. I went there both out of curiosity and to pick up a few items that are priced much cheaper than anywhere else: cranberry juice, Perrier, chips, and – yup! -- tuna. 

(Sidebar: I didn’t check every aisle, as I was starting to get uneasy about the lack of social distancing, although in most cases I was able to take photos without anyone in the frame.)

EDDIE: Yikes. I was going to check Rewe (German grocery store chain) later. I need to stock up on some things. 

Canned tuna, interesting. I would go for bacon, lentils, beans, and rice. The essentials. 

ME: That’s what we’ve done. Plenty of rice and a variety of beans, plus lentils and split peas. Actually, we had a good supply before the panic buying started, which is rampant all over the US apparently. 

EDDIE: Good for grocery stores! At least short-term.   

ME: Andy’s getting freaked out. 3 cases of the virus diagnosed in Sun Prairie, though none of them have any link for his workplaces. He wouldn’t go out for fish at Sport Bowl with us last night. 

EDDIE: He should be fine, he's not a part of any the vulnerable demographics. Then again, I don't know if he can afford to be sick. That seems to be the big concern in the commentary I'm reading. 

ME: I’m sure that has something to do with it. Plus he’s concerned about supply chain, especially with schools closing. But then they order well in advance of a particular season. They could be planning for fall sports now, though I’m sure lot of schools and clubs are waiting to see how this plays out. Nobody’s going to order anything until it’s much clearer when and how we emerge from it. 

EDDIE: I think it'll run its course by late summer I'm a little nervous, but mostly not worried. I hope my d.a.i. (Deutsch Amerikanische Institut) courses aren't cancelled. I might get an email on Monday or Tuesday, who knows? I'll understand if they are though. Caution is good. 

UPDATE:  

ME: We were supposed to go to Wheaton today for Becky’s 40th birthday. If I had gone, I would have had to self-quarantine from county board activities for 2 weeks, which is pretty much all the time I have left. At first I was going to ignore the directive but thought better of it in my role as first vice chair. Best to stay put considering how fast things have been moving this week. 

EDDIE: A coworker of mine had a six week vacation to the US planned starting at the end of March. I imagine that's been cancelled. I hope she could get a refund on tickets and such. And I think one of my students was going to visit her daughter in the US in April, that's probably not happening. 

ME: Andy is also worried about Jack and Lauren. They were going to attend a Bucks games — scratch that — couldn’t get out of their room reservation at the Pfister. They decided to go anyone and hang out at Water Streets bars. 

EDDIE: Wisconsin does have only 19 cases, although I can imagine it's probably closer to 100 atm. ME: I’m sure there are 100 yet-to-be diagnosed cases.

Read chapter 6 here