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If Life Is a Movie, It’s Called ‘Closed Until Further Notice’ If Life Is a Movie, It’s Called ‘Closed Until Further Notice’
(14 days later)
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. — A simple walk is said to be good for you, especially now. Good for clearing your head. Nonsense.MAPLEWOOD, N.J. — A simple walk is said to be good for you, especially now. Good for clearing your head. Nonsense.
Here is some of what I encountered during a weekday afternoon walk through this New Jersey suburb, along a route I’d taken hundreds of times before:Here is some of what I encountered during a weekday afternoon walk through this New Jersey suburb, along a route I’d taken hundreds of times before:
Posted warnings not to picnic in the park. Hoops removed from the basketball backboards. A looping broadcast at the deserted train station to “respect social distancing.” A “Do NOT Enter” sign outside a restaurant. A theater marquee announcing the title of the movie we are now living: “Closed Until Further Notice.”Posted warnings not to picnic in the park. Hoops removed from the basketball backboards. A looping broadcast at the deserted train station to “respect social distancing.” A “Do NOT Enter” sign outside a restaurant. A theater marquee announcing the title of the movie we are now living: “Closed Until Further Notice.”
It is having an extended run here in Maplewood, a town of 25,000 about 16 miles from Midtown Manhattan that so far has had 23 coronavirus-related deaths. The same movie may be playing in your community — or coming soon — and I’m not giving anything away by sharing the plot:It is having an extended run here in Maplewood, a town of 25,000 about 16 miles from Midtown Manhattan that so far has had 23 coronavirus-related deaths. The same movie may be playing in your community — or coming soon — and I’m not giving anything away by sharing the plot:
A nation struggles to find its moorings amid protracted uncertainty — about everything.A nation struggles to find its moorings amid protracted uncertainty — about everything.
“We are living in a suspense film with no resolution,” said Deborah Carr, a sociology professor at Boston University. “And we’re seeing uncertainty everywhere. There’s no road map from the past. There’s never been this level of social upheaval. And there’s no clear endpoint.”“We are living in a suspense film with no resolution,” said Deborah Carr, a sociology professor at Boston University. “And we’re seeing uncertainty everywhere. There’s no road map from the past. There’s never been this level of social upheaval. And there’s no clear endpoint.”
Right now, the movie projector seems jammed — overheated. Just consider a sampling of what we do not know, even in an age when almost anything can be learned with a few taps on a smartphone.Right now, the movie projector seems jammed — overheated. Just consider a sampling of what we do not know, even in an age when almost anything can be learned with a few taps on a smartphone.
We do not know the exact source of the virus. We do not know when, or if, a vaccine will be developed. We do not know if we can be reinfected. We do not know when we will cheer again at a sold-out ballgame, sit elbow to elbow at the opera, belly up to a crowded bar, sway as one at a rock concert.We do not know the exact source of the virus. We do not know when, or if, a vaccine will be developed. We do not know if we can be reinfected. We do not know when we will cheer again at a sold-out ballgame, sit elbow to elbow at the opera, belly up to a crowded bar, sway as one at a rock concert.
Perhaps most disconcerting of all: We do not know when this will end. No one is saying that our new normal will return to the old normal by Memorial Day or Labor Day or the harvest moon, creating a distressing open-ended dynamic that thwarts a central means of coping.Perhaps most disconcerting of all: We do not know when this will end. No one is saying that our new normal will return to the old normal by Memorial Day or Labor Day or the harvest moon, creating a distressing open-ended dynamic that thwarts a central means of coping.
“Endings allow us to think about transition; to think about the next phase, the next era,” said Calvin Morrill, a professor of law and sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. The inability to discern an end, he said, reduces our sense of control — “our sense of agency.”“Endings allow us to think about transition; to think about the next phase, the next era,” said Calvin Morrill, a professor of law and sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. The inability to discern an end, he said, reduces our sense of control — “our sense of agency.”
Dr. Joshua Gordon, a psychiatrist and the director of the National Institute of Mental Health, said that knowing when a moment will end — even if that knowledge is not what is hoped for — helps people adjust.Dr. Joshua Gordon, a psychiatrist and the director of the National Institute of Mental Health, said that knowing when a moment will end — even if that knowledge is not what is hoped for — helps people adjust.
“If someone told me, ‘Josh, six months from now you’ll be able to go to any of your favorite restaurants, and everything will be back to quote-unquote normal,’ then I can plan for that — six months,” Dr. Gordon said. “But there is no sense of that.”“If someone told me, ‘Josh, six months from now you’ll be able to go to any of your favorite restaurants, and everything will be back to quote-unquote normal,’ then I can plan for that — six months,” Dr. Gordon said. “But there is no sense of that.”
Dr. Carr said she was still thinking about the traveling she was supposed to do in the fall, the lectures she was supposed to deliver. Is any of it going to happen?Dr. Carr said she was still thinking about the traveling she was supposed to do in the fall, the lectures she was supposed to deliver. Is any of it going to happen?
“Most of us are pretty good problem solvers,” she said. “What we would normally do is make a plan and have a Plan B. But we can’t make any plans for the future, because all that we would normally rely on are in flux as well: schools, the airline industry, employment, investments.”“Most of us are pretty good problem solvers,” she said. “What we would normally do is make a plan and have a Plan B. But we can’t make any plans for the future, because all that we would normally rely on are in flux as well: schools, the airline industry, employment, investments.”
“We don’t know if they’ll even be there,” Dr. Carr added. “And even if the answer is yes, it’s not going to be the same.”“We don’t know if they’ll even be there,” Dr. Carr added. “And even if the answer is yes, it’s not going to be the same.”
Tracey A. Revenson, a psychology professor at Hunter College and the Graduate Center at the City University of New York, agreed. She said she had left her Manhattan apartment a couple of months ago to wait out the pandemic at her small house on eastern Long Island. But her suitcase is still out, by her bed.Tracey A. Revenson, a psychology professor at Hunter College and the Graduate Center at the City University of New York, agreed. She said she had left her Manhattan apartment a couple of months ago to wait out the pandemic at her small house on eastern Long Island. But her suitcase is still out, by her bed.
“I wouldn’t put my suitcase away, because I had this image of a bell going off or a call giving the all-clear,” Dr. Revenson said. “It’s a ridiculous fantasy. But the suitcase remains.”“I wouldn’t put my suitcase away, because I had this image of a bell going off or a call giving the all-clear,” Dr. Revenson said. “It’s a ridiculous fantasy. But the suitcase remains.”
Mental health experts say this sense of being unmoored, which some will tolerate better than others, is exacerbated by the misinformation and mixed messages the public is receiving from its leaders in the federal government. Its scientists argue that returning too quickly to some semblance of our former ways will lead to unnecessary deaths, while President Trump maintains that curtailing everyday life harms both the economy and the American sense of self.Mental health experts say this sense of being unmoored, which some will tolerate better than others, is exacerbated by the misinformation and mixed messages the public is receiving from its leaders in the federal government. Its scientists argue that returning too quickly to some semblance of our former ways will lead to unnecessary deaths, while President Trump maintains that curtailing everyday life harms both the economy and the American sense of self.
The headline-grabbing disagreements — between, say, Mr. Trump and the immunologist Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, one of his data-driven advisers — create confusion that is further muddled by the day’s divisive politics.The headline-grabbing disagreements — between, say, Mr. Trump and the immunologist Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, one of his data-driven advisers — create confusion that is further muddled by the day’s divisive politics.
If people holding elevated positions in society “are giving us different information from one another, or if the information they give over time rapidly proves not to be true, then we can’t trust it as much,” Dr. Gordon said. “And it increases our uncertainty.”If people holding elevated positions in society “are giving us different information from one another, or if the information they give over time rapidly proves not to be true, then we can’t trust it as much,” Dr. Gordon said. “And it increases our uncertainty.”
Dr. Morrill cited the reassuring power of the “fireside chats” that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered in radio broadcasts during the Great Depression. There was more than enough uncertainty, Dr. Morrill said, but the public took comfort in Roosevelt’s message that “we are fighting this together.”Dr. Morrill cited the reassuring power of the “fireside chats” that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered in radio broadcasts during the Great Depression. There was more than enough uncertainty, Dr. Morrill said, but the public took comfort in Roosevelt’s message that “we are fighting this together.”
This, he said, stands in sharp contrast to how the country is battling the common threat of the coronavirus — which is to say, state by state. “For the most part, people have found a vacuum of this moral leadership,” Dr. Morrill said.This, he said, stands in sharp contrast to how the country is battling the common threat of the coronavirus — which is to say, state by state. “For the most part, people have found a vacuum of this moral leadership,” Dr. Morrill said.
Updated June 1, 2020
Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home.
States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
More than 40 million people — the equivalent of 1 in 4 U.S. workers — have filed for unemployment benefits since the pandemic took hold. One in five who were working in February reported losing a job or being furloughed in March or the beginning of April, data from a Federal Reserve survey released on May 14 showed, and that pain was highly concentrated among low earners. Fully 39 percent of former workers living in a household earning $40,000 or less lost work, compared with 13 percent in those making more than $100,000, a Fed official said.
Yes, but make sure you keep six feet of distance between you and people who don’t live in your home. Even if you just hang out in a park, rather than go for a jog or a walk, getting some fresh air, and hopefully sunshine, is a good idea.
Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications.
The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.
Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities using a numbers-based system, has a running list of nonprofits working in communities affected by the outbreak. You can give blood through the American Red Cross, and World Central Kitchen has stepped in to distribute meals in major cities.
Dr. Revenson also said that the infectious nature of the virus had eliminated many of the ways we would naturally find solace in times of great stress: spending time with friends, going to a movie, receiving a hug. Instead, even a much-needed smile may be hidden behind a mask.Dr. Revenson also said that the infectious nature of the virus had eliminated many of the ways we would naturally find solace in times of great stress: spending time with friends, going to a movie, receiving a hug. Instead, even a much-needed smile may be hidden behind a mask.
“Humans are social beings,” Dr. Revenson said. “We need to be with each other. We need to touch.”“Humans are social beings,” Dr. Revenson said. “We need to be with each other. We need to touch.”
What’s more, she said, the recommended ways to reduce coronavirus-related stress can actually underscore the uncertainty we’re trying to navigate. “Exercising in the middle of the afternoon, for example,” Dr. Revenson said. “But I don’t normally exercise in the middle of the afternoon.”What’s more, she said, the recommended ways to reduce coronavirus-related stress can actually underscore the uncertainty we’re trying to navigate. “Exercising in the middle of the afternoon, for example,” Dr. Revenson said. “But I don’t normally exercise in the middle of the afternoon.”
And I don’t normally take walks through Maplewood in the middle of a weekday afternoon. On the rare occasion that I do, I am not bombarded by Bizarro World images, like a backboard without a hoop, or a train without passengers, or a movie theater without movies.And I don’t normally take walks through Maplewood in the middle of a weekday afternoon. On the rare occasion that I do, I am not bombarded by Bizarro World images, like a backboard without a hoop, or a train without passengers, or a movie theater without movies.
Still, I took some comfort in what might be considered the second film of the double feature being trumpeted on the theater’s yellow marquee. The title?Still, I took some comfort in what might be considered the second film of the double feature being trumpeted on the theater’s yellow marquee. The title?
“Stay Safe and Healthy.”“Stay Safe and Healthy.”