“Is Outdoor School going to be cancelled?” asked several students when they arrived to school on Monday. The sixth grade teachers at my school have been reassuring them all week. The administrators and office staff have been reassuring their parents. A letter has gone home to parents from the Outdoor School coordinators And yet, a few students have decided they won’t attend Outdoor School next week.Oregon only has 3 confirmed cases of COVID-19. This are far more serious in Seattle, only three hours away, but we are holding steady. So, there really shouldn’t be anything to panic about. I’d heard about people loading up, preparing to hunker down in the face of a global pandemic. Stories of face masks, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer disappearing from shelves are rife in the news and in the rumor mill. I was down to my last roll of toilet paper, so stopped to get some today. I was gobsmacked when I went to the bathroom tissue aisle.
I guess it’s not just 6th graders who are worried.I bought the amount of toilet paper I normally buy. I am washing my hands frequently. I am planning on attending Outdoor School next week. I believe cornoavirus is terrible, but I think, we will be OK. I am washing my hands frequently and living by Roosevelt’s idea that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.
booksandbassets 
I’m an Oregonian, too, and have not yet fallen victim to rampant fear. Outdoor School sounds awesome. I’m glad you are holding steady. Hand-washing, I’ve heard repeatedly, is the single most-important thing, so I’m glad you’re pushing/modeling that! You have given me inspiration for tomorrow, so thanks for this post!
That seems like a bit of crazy to me! I’m in the Chicago area and there are 6 confirmed cases in Illinois. I’ll be living my life just as I normally do! Take that, fear!
You’re so smart to not get caught up in the frenzy of it all. I think it’s great to be informed, but the media is feeding this state-wide panic. It reminds me of when the news tells us it’s going to snow, everyone runs to the supermarket buying supplies and food leaving shelves bare, then, we barely get an inch! Stay calm and strong!
I understand the importance of being kept informed, but I sometimes think the media blows things up out of proportion to sell news. I don’t mean that we should not be concerned and take precautions, but runs on items?
I agree that sometimes fear causes fear. Keep washing your hands. My store had plenty of toilet paper this morning, so I am not worried yet.
FDR was a wise man. And yes, there certainly has been a run on toilet paper and lots of other flu-related items. So glad I bought my 15 pack last weekend. Friends at school laughed at me then, but I’m having the last laugh now.
Agreed. I appreciate your slice for its voice of reason – lets try to keep this in perspective! Thank you for your reminder! Great piece.
Love the title of your post. Yeah, it’s getting kind of crazy. Maybe I should take stock of what we have, just in case our stores run out (not just in case of the pandemic). So far there are no cases in our state (Alabama) but there are in almost every surrounding state. People here have been calm, but the news makes it sound like we’re all going to die. Thanks for putting things in perspective!
As we haven’t yet cooked up an effective inoculation against fear, I do appreciate your cooler head prevailing thus far.
Yes! Live normally! I think most people are feeling better in 7-10 days just like when humans get the flu. And I still can’t figure out why the rush on toilet paper!