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| Photo: Bill Morrison (April 2020) |
– Langston Hughes
We are facing one of the greatest worldwide public health crises in more than a century, since the so-called Spanish flu / H1N1 virus (identical to the swine flu of 2009) pandemic of 1918-1920. We will never truly know how many people were infected or died although some estimates place it at 500 million and 20-100 million respectively. According to the US Department of Health & Human Services, approximately 105 million Americans became infected (ca. 28% of the population) and over a half million died.
To date over 1.9 million have been infected by the COVID-19 / coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) worldwide with an estimated 121,000 deaths. The United States has now surpassed Spain and Italy as the world hotspot with over 587,000 reported cases of infection and more than 23,000 deaths according to Johns Hopkins University. We should have been better prepared to face this pandemic. We knew it was coming yet our leaders chose to fiddle rather than act. The number of cases and deaths continue to rise at an astounding rate.
Maryland now has 8,225 reported cases of COVID-19 / coronavirus infection with 235 deaths statewide. The first case of infection was reported in suburban Prince George’s County, where I have resided for over 40 years, on February 28, and the first death in the county resulting from the virus (also the first in the State of Maryland) occurred on March 18. Since then the number of cases and deaths has risen exponentially and as of this writing there have been 2,251 cases and 70 deaths reported in the county (a quarter of all deaths in Maryland) and 605 are presently hospitalized. The numbers continue to climb.
Today is my 38th day of sheltering-in-place on the fringes of the District of Columbia. I have not left home since I returned from a two-week trip to Ohio. The situation in the entire National Capital Region - DC and suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia - has become quite dire and it is expected to get worse before it gets better. Non-essential businesses and public events have been closed or cancelled and residents have been ordered to remain sheltered-in-place except to procure food and medical or emergency supplies. At the moment some projections are indicating that the peak number of cases in the region may not occur until sometime in June despite the White House foolishly projecting it can begin reopening the national economy by May 1. I listen to the experts!
It was hard to shake off the cold and dreary winter, yet despite the rather surrealistic times in which we currently find ourselves, Spring has finally sprung here in Washington, DC. The iconic Japanese cherry trees around the Tidal Basin and throughout Potomac Park bloomed although few of us were able to enjoy them this year due to mandatory travel restrictions throughout the area. The flowers and the forsythia in our yard have bloomed and the shrubbery and trees are now leafed out. I would enjoy Spring far more if it did not bring with it the dreaded tree pollen that clogs my respiratory system come March and April. That has been the least of my concerns this year.
With the arrival of Spring, I always begin to think forward to our annual summer hiatus at the cottage on Sabbathday Lake, in Maine. We live there June through September when the onset of colder weather forces us southward once again. Spring has not arrived there yet; there was another winter storm just this past week. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote that Maine has no summer, just a thaw. That’s not really true at all. "Maine is a joy in the summer," wrote Paul Theroux. "But the soul of Maine is more apparent in the winter." Maybe this is true, maybe not. Still, summers in Maine are beautiful and don’t let anyone tell you differently.
So here I sit on this reasonably pleasant spring day in the Washington area and I dream of those wonderful summer months by the lake in Maine. They will be here soon enough and it is this dream that sustains me through the long and dreary winter . . . and now through this nightmare pandemic. Under normal circumstances we would be setting out in two months . . . but these are not normal times. And although I can still dream, I am beginning to wonder whether it will come true or not.
Logic might suggest that one would be safer in a place where fewer people live and where there would be less of chance to come in contact with the virus. Following this logic, it would seem that Maine might be an idea place to wait out the pandemic. Unfortunately, it does not work that way and Maine, too, has been bepainted with the pandemic – although to a lesser degree than some other states – and it is dealing with the crisis in its own way in order to prevent the spreading of the virus.
Maine reported its first case of COVID-19 / coronavirus infection on March 12. It was the last state in New England to report a presumptive case of COVID-19. Governor Janet Mills declared a state of emergency on March 15 and restricted public gatherings of more than 10 people while closing restaurants, bars and other public venues. By March 24, however, the number of cases had climbed to 118, the first death having occurred four days earlier. Governor Mills quickly issued an executive order that day closing all non-essential businesses in the state, including hotels and other commercial lodging establishments, and ordering all residents and others either returning to or visiting the state to self-quarantine for a minimum of 14 days.
Governor Mills also asked all out-of-staters who were thinking of visiting or returning to summer homes in the state to stay away for the time being. "If you are safe where you are, stay where you are," Mills said. "You should not be traveling to Maine for an early vacation." The state wants to avoid at all reasonable costs the spread of the virus to any persons they might encounter. Mainer were encouraged to remain sheltered-in-place until further notice pursuant to her "Maine’s Stay Healthy at Home Order."
Nevertheless the number of cases of infections and deaths in Maine continues to rise. As of today there have been 698 cases of infection and 19 deaths reported. Governor Mills issued an Executive Order on April 3 mandating that any individual arriving in Maine self-quarantine for a period of two weeks, regardless of their state of residency, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Specifically banned from entering the state are any individuals displaying symptoms of COVID-19 or individuals traveling from cities or regions identified as COVID-19 hot spots. Governor Mills is prepared to use law enforcement to insure that these restrictions are respected. Violators could be fined $1000 dollars and incarcerated for up to six months.
Given the current situation both here in Maryland and in Maine (a quarter of the cases there are in the area of the state where the cottage is located), the dream of returning to Maine this summer is growing dimmer. It is not out of the question and I can always hope for the best. One might argue that we would be safer in Maine than we presently are in Maryland, especially in this area of the state. Governor Mills has, however, raised an important point to consider . . . out-of-staters would be better served by their own health care providers at home rather than overtaxing medical personnel and facilities in Maine as well as putting a strain on other economic factors.
In the meantime, I am going to hold fast to my dream as Langston Hughes has suggested. And why not? "There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve," Paulo Cuelho tells us. "The fear of failure." There is enough fear to go around these days. Why should I add one more fear to the tally? I close my eyes and I can hear the lake lapping on the shore and the mournful cry of the loons off somewhere in the distance. There is a cool breeze and the rustling of leaves. A smile crosses my face. Hopefully this nightmare will soon be over and we can spread our wings and fly north again.
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