This past week has brought about a rapid escalation of impacts of the (now officially declared) coronavirus pandemic. As someone who works in the travel industry, it has been difficult to watch the heavy toll the disease has taken on cruise lines, airlines and destinations which rely heavily on tourism and know that the effects will be felt for a long while. Of course, much worse than the economic fallout is the loss of life and health of those infected and their families, and I cannot imagine the physical, emotional and mental toll the illness has taken on overwhelmed health care workers on the front lines of this battle.

While some bemoan the restrictions imposed on their daily lives and question their necessity, I have to agree that until widespread, rapid and accurate testing is available, precautions must be taken. Italy, Iran and now Spain stand as cautionary tales of the results when restricting large gatherings and closing schools aren’t imposed early on.

I also have to admit that even though I fall within that “older” group, aside from washing my hands more often and being more careful about what I touch when I’m out and about, I haven’t altered my lifestyle much. I’ve still gone to the Y for group classes (though I don’t use the weight machines) and volunteered in my grandson’s kindergarten class. I work from home and my husband does most of our grocery shopping, and we live in an area which has had only a few confirmed cases in a couple of overseas travelers, so I haven’t been too concerned about contracting the virus.

However, as everything from the NCAA basketball tournaments and concerts to the local cheese festival and Oregon Shakespeare Festival plays have been cancelled, we are being forced to take notice and take stock of how we conduct ourselves. Our shoes come off and are sprayed with Lysol before we enter the house, everything from the store is washed or disinfected, and we carry hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes in the car and use them liberally. My husband has suspended his boxing class, and my Park and Rec yoga class has also been halted. Now that school has been cancelled for at least two weeks, my volunteering is done (though we’ll probably be helping with childcare for our grandsons as my daughter and her husband continue to work). And I’m debating about attending Sunday Mass . . . our archdiocese has offered dispensation to those over 60 or with health conditions and encouraged them not to go.

Yesterday my husband made his last grocery run for at least a few weeks. Up until now the stores in our area hadn’t seen more than a run on t.p. and sanitizer, but yesterday he said people were lined up at the checkout counters with heaping shopping carts.

On the bright side, since we won’t be having guests or traveling for a while, I realize I’ve got some time to catch up on cleaning, organizing old pictures, taking long walks and checking out some movies and TV shows I’ve been hearing about.

Stay well and do what you can to help your community and our world recover from this unprecedented situation. Help the travel industry by booking your next cruise or vacation; there are great deals to be had and very generous cancellation policies being offered by many.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor