Laurie Garrett @laurie_garrett
Window's closing for Americans
THREAD
The window of opportunity for most Americans to decide where they want to be located, and with whom, to ride out the Great Pandemic is closing.
For those living in key cities along the Pacific & Atlantic coasts, that window may close before Friday. Elsewhere in the country it will be a rolling thunder, as cities and towns shut down to stop spread of the virus.
When I say your window of opportunity is closing, here is what I mean:
1.)Most major transit hubs will soon close entirely including airports, trains & long distance buses. This may begin along the Eastern Seaboard, WA & CA, but it will become a national phenomenon before April 1.
2.)Some suburban and peri-urban areas will likely close off major roadways that extend their communities to the nearest metropolis, hoping to limit spread of the virus from the urban center. This will limit movement in and out of those areas.
3.)Gasoline will become harder to find within a few days, further limiting auto transport.
What is it that you need to decide?
If you own or rent a single residence, and have no family members that require your special attention, there is no decision to make: Stay home, hunker down.
If you have young adult children coming home from college or seeking financial safety – a place for food and board amid job layoffs in the epidemic – you may not only need to stay put, but to find ways to accommodate a larger household.
If you are currently earning a living in the gig economy, as a contract-worker, in construction, or on the blue collar side of a white collar industry the option of “working from home” may not be open to you, and 6 or 8 weeks w/out a daily income stream could prove excruciating.
This may be time to relocate to stay w/friends or relatives in a less expensive location until the epidemic is over.
If you have elderly parents or grandparents that need assisted living or close attn, you may now wish to either relocate to stay near them, or bring them to your home until the epidemic passes.
If you live in a compact urban apartment or small house but are fortunate enough to own a second home “in the country” or “by the beach” you may wish to relocate for the duration.
Every American has tough decisions to make, & a very short time window in which to mull them over and take action.
Choose wisely. Do not delay.
I just said goodbye to neighbors that are forsaking NYC for a cabin upstate for the duration. We couldn't hug, and looked at each other sadly. I'll see them again when #COVID19 dissipates and "normal" returns.
Prepare, America. Don't delay.
Certain elements of this have happened already in UK (with regards to travel to Europe) and I think will happen on a national level too. Particularly with London.
It's not practical for most people to move tbh but some will and they will spread the disease in doing so.
But the most interesting thing about the thread is thinking about just how precarious things for so many people internationally and how much is going to change not just for a few weeks but forever.