Lately

Lately, panic and anxiety have befuddled the country. COVID-19. That’s the catalyst. The virus has exponentially worsened around the world, with more deaths from outside China than within according to the Wall Street Journal. 

This global epidemic has affected the US stock market tremendously, dropping 6% just today. I think what’s also hurting the health of the economy is the lack of investor faith in the emergency works to alleviate the effects of the coronavirus, even though the Federal Reserve cut benchmark interest rates to near-zero percent. 

The worry about the rising prices of food drove thousands of people to local grocery stores, wholesale stores, and convenience stores. When my family and I went to Whole Foods to buy milk last Thursday, they had sold out. Not only were the refrigerators empty, but the unusual frenzy of people doing Thursday-night grocery shopping meant non-perishables like flour, soups, and pasta had also flown off the shelves. The checkout line was also overwhelmingly long. In my 17 years going to that same Whole Foods, I had honestly never seen so many people shopping there on a weekend at once, nevermind a weekday evening. 

Lately, I’ve noticed differing degrees of practiced precautions against COVID-19. Some people refuse to leave their homes. Some people are at the beach or traveling nonetheless. I’ve been at home this past one and a half weeks, leaving the house once a day just to get some fresh air and go for a walk. It’s scary when things have started shutting down. Dining in at restaurants is no longer possible, exercising at Barry’s is no longer possible, Harvard Square is virtually empty, and shopping in-store has become hazardous. It feels like our country must fundamentally lockdown all public places in order to fight this disease. I dislike being cooped indoors in one place for too long so the thought of having nowhere to go makes me a little bit anxious. 

Our school extended Spring Break. It’s completely within the realm of possibility that the administration may extend it even further, considering that they encouraged all international students currently not with their families to return home. I’m anticipating a month of online classes, followed by the potential to return to school by May. Anyhow, these next couple of weeks are going to be quite a memorable ride and we’re just at the beginning…