Blue Planet Journey

Patrons at Papa Murphy's pizza shop unconcerned about transmitting covid-19 to the workers and other customers. Governor Herbert’s color-coded health guidance system now has Box Elder, Cache, and Rich Counties in the “yellow” or low risk phase. We know this comes as a relief to many, because it means we “flattened the curve” and avoided overwhelming our local health care system with sick COVID-19 patients. Utah's health guidance system This outcome came at a terrible cost for many individuals and businesses. Our routines were uprooted, people lost their incomes, businesses suffered major losses, and travel plans were postponed. And people have suffered. This week, we exceeded 100,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been over 1,700,000 cases, with over 8,800 in Utah. Some cases involved hospitalization, but most people have stayed home with fever or chills, a cough, shortness of breath or difficulty brea...

In this “novel reality” that we’ve labeled the COVID-19 pandemic, we find that we have to reshape our connections to family, friends, coworkers, and even strangers. Being in the 60+ crowd, I am aware that the hospitalization and fatality rate for my peers is much, much higher than for younger people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes us as having “higher risk for severe illness.” At the local, state, and national level, we are now being asked to stay indoors and practice “social distancing.” We’ve always practiced social distancing in some form, keeping one to two feet away from even our closest friends as we chat about life over coffee or as we stroll along the Bonneville Shoreline trail. Today, however, we are being asked to expand this distance to six feet. This isn’t an unreasonable request given the infectious nature of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes this particular coronavirus disease. It’s an easy guideline to rememb...

"This illustration , created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in 2019. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)." The phrase "social distancing" is now in everyone's vocabulary. Caroline tells me that the phrase is troubling to her, because social interactions are critical to our well-being, and people should avoid social isolation. In the Age of COVID-19, the trick is to socialize safely.  I think we will call it  novel distancing ... a new normal of distancing.  Socialize, yes.  But watch ...

A United flight this week from Maui to Chicago, on a wide-body Boeing 777-200 .  The lack of passengers is rather obvious.  Both Caroline and I had an entire row - both side and middle seats - to ourselves.  At the time I write this, the coronavirus Covid-19 continues its march around the globe. I've written previously  about my experience flying to Hawaii after 2 Caribbean cruises with thousands of passengers, including dozens (I assume) from China, and when arriving at HNL, I was "lyfted" home with nary a question on February 3. Later that week, I wrote to Dr. Bruce Anderson, the director of the Hawaii Department of Health, after attending a briefing at the Manoa Neighborhood Board meeting: "As I listened to your presentation, I reflected that 3 days earlier, I had returned from a Caribbean cruise, with numerous people on board from Asian counties. Yet there was no question for me when I entered Hawaii. Perhaps the agricultural form that all visitors and...

Caroline on the Royal Promenade, Deck 5, Allure of the Seas .  At double occupancy, the  Allure  has a capacity of 5,484 guests, plus 2,200 crew. This was an interesting time to be on a cruise ship.  Caroline and I had left the Celebrity Edge for the Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas in January.  On January 11 , China reported the first coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) fatality.  On January 23, Chinese authorities closed off the metropolis of Wuhan, reporting 17 deaths and 570 cases.  On January 31, the Trump administration suspended entry from any foreign traveler who had traveled to China in the past 14 days.  On this date, 213 deaths had been reported and about 9,800 people were reported infected.  On February 5th, crew and guests on the cruise ship Diamond Princess were quarantined in a Japanese port.  On February 21, the number of worldwide cases topped 75,000. After spending much of January on cruise ships with a very large ...