I wish. I wish we could all congregate in Times Square and cheer as the crystal ball slides down toward Earth. I wish we could see the sparkling lights, go to a show on Broadway, have a meal unlike any other with friends. I wish we could all be together. But we are not. We cannot. We will not. We are in isolation, hiding from a form of life that is so small, it takes an electron microscope to see it. And we should hide and hide for as long as it takes. We’ve come to realize that our lives are interconnected in ways we never expected. Humanity is one as victim and now it must be one as survivor.

The news was bad today. Italy posted 386 dead yesterday. Twelve new countries were added to the World Health Organization (WHO’s) Situation Report. Cases in the United States spiked upward and nearly doubled. If cases continue to double every day over the next week, the United States will near 410,000 total cases. Meanwhile, my wife told me that some people are taking this lightly, talking of going out to eat. The restaurants that are still open are packed. Shouldn’t they close? Shouldn’t they let their customers hide and wait. Wait until things are better, are clear. Wait until we know exactly what this little 50 to 60 nanometer virus does. This virus that can park millions of itself on the head of a pin. Shouldn’t we?

I am concerned that people won’t heed the instructions of our health leaders. They’ll just keep on doing and so will COVID and soon we’ll look much worse than Italy and the world will chant that Americans have never followed the rules, how surprised could everyone really be. I picture this as a slow motion movement to martial law enforcing no movements by anyone. Fresh air outside your own door, but nowhere else, and if you do, we’ll detain you. Is that what cooperation is supposed to look like?

As I wrote yesterday, my good friend Dr. David Boulware, an infectious disease expert, is using his own money to launch a study of several prophylactic mediations that could protect and heal those who become infected. I posted and others posted to social media (over 775 shares to date), and only a little over $12,000 raised. Here’s a guy who has a solution and people are reliant on hope? It’s science that solves this. Let’s pay those people to solve things. Our money does no good for us if we are dead or too ill to use it or if the world of humanity has met its match. Keep having hope. Have belief. Have whatever you want to in your isolation. But have your money ready and pay the people who can solve this quickly.

I don’t intend to be so intense and serious, so if I made you scared, frightened, nervous, I apologize to an extent. Let’s not forget though the seriousness this little virus poses. We’ll all be watching its march across our world and watch the number of cases rise continually. When we come out of hiding in a month (or two or perhaps three as Dr. Anthony Fauci is alluding to) we’ll all be thinner, ready to get away from those we’ve encamped with, and all need haircuts.

Now is the time to hunker down, to listen to those in the know, to protect oneself and one’s family, and to interconnect as much as possible on this evil dragon we all call the internet. Reach out to those you know. Make sure people are balanced. Exercise when you can. Eat a little. Think and be happy. Help your kids study, your grandkids study, keep other parents sane. But do so from a distance. Let’s get this little nanometer viral particle eradicated and do it now.