A new week dawns in a new America — a changed one.
A week with schools closed, for at least the next two weeks and perhaps much longer.
A week of empty athletic fields that won’t host school sports for the foreseeable future.
We may face empty supermarket shelves, especially the ones that normally hold reams of toilet paper. Hoarders have bought up massive numbers of rolls of the stuff we use to wipe our butts. Why? No one is really sure.
Restaurants may not serve food we can consume at tables in their location as they move now is to limit food service to carryout or delivery. Californa, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Washington state have ordered bars and restaurants closed to dining in service. Same for New York City. Other states are expected to follow.
Entertainment events we often attend have disappeared for the time being. The iconic Friday Night Jamboree closed down last week and will remain closed for at least the next two weekends and likely longer. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam wants a temporary end to any and all events that bring 100 or more people together at any one spot.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) thinks 100 is still too large a gathering. They want groups to be under 50 in attendance.
Churches around the nation, including some in Floyd County here in Virginia, closed Sunday. Others stayed open, sometimes in defiance of their leaders, saying closing means “the devil has won.” Others are holding services online, through streaming video.
Those who stayed home over the weekend found no sports on TV. The NBA, NCCA, Major League Baseball, and NASCAR shut down, as did other sponsoring organizations.
Northam is urging all Virginia residents to avoid all “public gatherings of all kinds, and if you’re planning to go to a church, bar or restaurant, I would encourage you not to do it.”
Richmond General District Court and Clerk’s office closed for Monday and has continued all civil, criminal and traffic court cases for the next four weeks. No word as yet on how court cases might be handled in Floyd County, where Circuit Court meets on Tuesday along with General District Court and Family & Juvenile cases on other days.