It's 5:45am in Yuma, Arizona. The sound of trains and trucks outside the bedroom window is endless. I'm flying home to Vancouver today, 2 days early. When I get there I'll be greeted by a 2 week government mandated quarantine.

I'm here to visit my parents. They spend their winters in Yuma avoiding the damp cold of Vancouver. It was supposed to be a relaxing visit. A quick stop in San Diego. Soak up some Arizona sun. Go to an airshow. None of that is happening now (except San Diego, that was quite nice.)

Lockheed A-12. San Diego Air & Space Museum

The airshow was canceled. The province I lived in declared that anyone returning from the United States should quarantine for 14 days upon their return. Not ideal to say the least but these are strange times.

So today I take 3 flights over 10+ hours to get home. It's a financial hit that is hard to swallow but I need to be at home incase my family needs me. I realize I won't actually be with them when I get there due to the quarantine but the importance of being close by is something that can't be measured.

It seems like the world is just starting to realize what COVID-19 really is. The UCSF Biohub Panel on COVID-19 released the most comprehensive analysis I've seen on what this virus is capable of. I'll add the link and I encourage you to read it but a warning, it's very grim.

https://www.linkedin.com/content-guest/article/notes-from-ucsf-expert-panel-march-10-dr-jordan-shlain-m-d-/

The 2 most eye opening items, at least to me, are the estimed 1.5 million deaths in the United States over the next 12-18 months and that false negative results from testing are almost impossible to estimate.

The next year is going to look very different. Our day to day lives are going to change drastically. The everyday freedoms we take for granted will be restricted. There will be some who think this is all overkill. They're wrong.

If social distancing and self quarantine works there will be many who argue it wasn't needed at all. If it is successful infection rates will drop but if infection rates drop those on a certain side of the political spectrum will say “look, the virus was a hoax, most people didn't get it.”

This is the reality of our current political climate. COVID-19 doesn't care who you voted for.

Friends, I don't know what the future looks like. I don't know if I'll get sick. I don't know if you'll get sick. What I do know is you will know someone who gets sick. You may even know someone who dies. You will definitely know some who knows someone who died. The Spanish flu is good benchmark for degrees of seperation.

I want to say that whatever happens I'm greatful to be able to share small parts of my life and my art with you. I wish you all the best as we navigate this new normal.

Be well, wash your hands, and good luck.

Scott.