I was feeling so good about things. Virus reports everywhere, yet nothing in Mumbai. Mind-blowing, given how many people are in India and what close proximity they live in. Now, it may just have been reporting naivety, but I was willing to go with it, especially since I tend to be a panicker and there was no evidence to panic yet. Of course it was too good to be true though. We now have 74 cases country-wide and today all of the trip-wires seemed to be tripped.
Come Monday, my life goes into disarray (like many of yours, I’m sure). We will be reducing non-essential Consulate operations meaning that most of our people will be teleworking. Likely no teleworking for me though – management’s work has been kicked into overdrive and I’m needed more then ever on the ground. Thankfully, Nick’s work is more telework-friendly, which is good because our child will now be LEARNING VIRTUALLY from home starting on Monday. While I think this is a creative solution, the reality is that with two working parents, there’s really no one to oversee her progress. And given that she’s only 8, the chances of us telling her to just “go to it” and having it get done successfully are slim to none. So there’s that to work through…
My anxiety has been in hyper-drive lately. My Rheumatoid Arthritis puts me in the Immune Deficient group that is more susceptible to the virus. So thinking about that sends me down a rabbit hole. But probably the thing that distresses me the most is the disruption to our routine and the fact that there is no idea how long it will go for. My extroverted self is also worried about the lack of connection and being cooped up all day. I’ll probably end up being thankful to go in to work, even if it just means I’m behind my closed office door but see people walk by occasionally.
We have loads of food and T.P. so I feel good on that front. It’s just all the other stuff that is so bothersome. Please make it end…
If there is a positive aspect of this though, it’s the realization that ASB really excels in the crisis management planning. Check out this awesome communication we got today.
Stay sane everyone. See you on social media!
