Okay my count might be off by a day or two but 570 days is roughly how long it has been since the pandemic lockdown started in California, or a smidgeon over a year and a half ago.
Thinking back over those days, the progress we have made collectively is impressive. A large majority of adults are vaccinated; the infection rate for new Covid cases is the lowest in the nation and most of us have gotten back to pre-pandemic normal.
Best of all, it appears that barring a sudden change, the worst is behind us and Covid-19 will soon fade into the background as a seasonal threat roughly equivalent to the flu.
But the long-term effects of the pandemic are unknown. Although most of the people I know or encounter in the state appear to be readjusting to life as we knew it before this all started, there are a few notable exceptions.
Certain people seem to still be living in fear of Covid, shrinking from social contact, avoiding going out in public, and grasping at any piece of news that might suggest the danger remains high.
When I asked my 14-year-old grandson this weekend whether he sees any difference in his peers now they are back in school, he had an interesting response.
"Well, I don't think that any of my friends have changed. And I haven't changed. We are enjoying getting back together in person and it's great to be in high school. But there are a few kids who seem like they are really hanging back, like they're scared. They never take their masks off, even on the playground.
"But, I think," he added, "they are the people who would have been like that anyway, with or without Covid. I feel kinda sorry for them."
My grandson is neither shy nor aggressive socially. He is what I would call well-adjusted. He gets along with other boys and girls his age, is a very good student and an athlete (crew). As his remarks suggest, he is also keenly perceptive about the people around him.
I worry about those who necessarily isolate themselves too.
***
Another thought that occurred to me on this autumn morning of day 570 was how much our lives proceed not in great chunks of time like weeks or months but moment-to-moment, in little slices of time.
For me, writing is like that. It is the little details that strike me and propel the keystrokes that drive my stories forward. As I glance up at the vine sneaking across the trellis on my daughter's patio, the pattern created by the sunlight could be the arrangement of stars in the universe, the letters in a novel or the swarms of tropical fish darting across a healthy coral reef in the South China Sea.
That is where I taught my daughter, then three, how to snorkel off a resort island called Rawa many years ago. Then we were enjoying a moment like this, suspended in time and in saltwater, appreciating the beauty around us.
This new moment is different and like none other before it. I am anticipating a new day. And maybe it will be special.
***
* Merck & Co has applied for U.S. emergency use authorization for its tablet to treat mild-to-moderate patients of COVID-19, putting it on course to become the first oral antiviral medication for the disease. AstraZeneca asked U.S. regulators last week to grant emergency use authorization for its experimental drug as a preventative therapy, and today announced positive results from a late-stage study. (Reuters)
* How San Francisco's Clement Street Survived the Pandemic. (Cal Today)
* Strange Quiet Arrives in Afghanistan After Decades of War (WSJ)
* A mynah bird squawks from a new cage in the French ambassador’s sunlit living room in Abu Dhabi, a far cry from its life as the pet of a young Afghan woman who has since found refuge in France. (AP)
* The United States said the first face-to-face meeting between senior U.S. and Taliban officials since the hardline group retook power in Afghanistan was "candid and professional" and that the U.S. side reiterated that the Taliban would be judged on their actions, not just their words. (Reuters)
* Taliban says US will provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan (AP)
* Afghan Interpreter Who Helped Rescue Joe Biden in 2008 Escapes Afghanistan (WSJ)
* India, China army talks to defuse border tensions fail
* Inside Rikers: Dysfunction, Lawlessness and Detainees in Control -- With a staffing emergency disrupting the basic functions of the jail system, detainees have had free rein inside. (NYT)
* China has won AI battle with U.S., Pentagon's ex-software chief says (Reuters)
* Are workplace vaccine mandates helping or hurting? Maybe it’s the stick, not the carrot, that motivates people to finally get their COVID vaccines. (SFC)
* Facebook unveils new controls for kids using its platforms (AP)
* In search for covid origins, Hubei caves and wildlife farms draw new scrutiny (WP)
* ‘It’s Not Sustainable’: What America’s Port Crisis Looks Like Up Close -- An enduring traffic jam at the Port of Savannah reveals why the chaos in global shipping is likely to persist. (NYT)
* Ancient factory exposes secrets of winemaking in the Holy Land (Reuters)
* Dr. Anthony Fauci said kids can go outside and enjoy Halloween this year, thanks to vaccinations and a gradual ebbing of new COVID-19 infections after a devastating summer. “I think that particularly if you’re vaccinated, you can get out there," Fauci said, pointing out that trick-or-treating mostly takes place outdoors. The number of COVID-19 cases has been falling, but public health officials are still encouraging the approximately 68 million people who haven't been vaccinated to do so. [HuffPost]
* British police have announced they will not take any action against Prince Andrew after a review prompted by a Jeffrey Epstein accuser who claims that he sexually assaulted her. (AP)
* Defeats, inaction and compromise drag down Biden’s poll numbers -- Support for the president has sunk notably among key Democratic constituencies — Blacks, Latinos, women and young people. The discontent is particularly visible in Georgia, where Democrats had hoped demographic changes and mobilization efforts would offer a blueprint for expanding their electoral map. (WP)
* Something Shook New Hampshire. What Caused the Boom Is a Mystery. -- The U.S. Geological Survey said it had so far found no evidence of an earthquake in all of New England during the past seven days. (NYT)
* The most common ways the pandemic has shaken our mental health -- depression, anxiety, fear. (HuffPost)
* Now mainstream of party, liberal Democrats less willing to compromise with moderates (WP)
* Major Climate Action at Stake in Fight Over Twin Bills Pending in Congress -- Legislation aimed at infrastructure and social programs also includes big changes in energy, transportation and disaster preparation. They would amount to the most significant climate action ever taken by the United States. (NYT)
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