✏️ Roundup: “Seventeen Weeks”

Tuesday July 13, 2020
From the desk of Amanda Eichstaedt…

Wave

Some babies learn to wave before they can even talk. The Queen has a special wave for parades. There are tidal waves, sneaker waves, and waves just perfect for surfing. When you are listening to KWMR you hear sound waves. Allegedly we are still in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, and the end is not in site.

In March of 2011 I attended a conference in Washington DC, and the airplane that was scheduled to fly me back to California had been hit by lightning flying into Dulles Airport. They were inspecting the plane for damage, and by the time they formally cancelled the flight and rebooked me on a 7 AM flight, it was almost 1 AM. I opted to just stay in the airport, instead of shuttling back and forth to a nearby hotel for possibly 2 or 3 hours of sleep.

Two of my friends from the conference were on the same flight that I was on, and we all decided to camp out at Dulles that night. That was the same night as the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. It was surreal to be in a vacant terminal full of television monitors that were all broadcasting the devastating results of a wave that was not as tall as a skyscraper (how I imagined a tsunami), but that kept coming, further and further inland, leaving destruction.

I feel somewhat the same way as I watch people, craving for normalcy (whatever that is) going about their daily lives, hungry for connection with others, disregarding their own self preservation and potentially, the health of others. Just because something is permissible, does not mean it’s a great idea.

Experts on infectious disease are not surprised by the increase in COVID cases after reopening the economy. The virus is invisible, infected people may be asymptomatic, and there are so many unknowns.  What we do know is that it’s worse than the flu, and even if you “recover” as a healthy person, you will likely still suffer debilitating side effects from the virus that sideline you from life as you know it.

I personally would rather sit tight, and stay as safe as I can, even if it means giving up my freedom to roam, if it decreases the chances that I might catch COVID-19. I’m going to stay the course. And so is Jeffrey Manson, our KWMR Program Director, as well as the rest of the dedicated KWMR staff – Richard Dillman, Mia Johnson, Ian McMurray, and Alyssa Tanner.

Hearing the heartbreaking story of a relatively young patient in the hospital, suffering with symptoms of COVID and telling their nurse (because they could not see family) that they “made a terrible mistake,” says it all. I’m going to avoid group gatherings, wash my hands, cover my face, and keep an eye on the data.  The State of California is dialing back the opening of businesses in over 30 Counties, including Marin.

We have to wait this one out. At some point, we hopefully can stand together and do a “crowd wave!” When we beat this thing. And incidentally, Brian Delahunty’s show “The Wave” will be back next Monday, July 20 at 4:30 PM.

We at KWMR want to thank all of the front line workers that are out there providing essential services to everyone during this pandemic. You are appreciated.

Be safe folks, we need listeners.
Thank you all for reading, tuning in, and for your support of community radio, KWMR.

Amanda Eichstaedt, Station Manager and Executive Director

p.s. If you are an essential worker (or have been working with others during this past several weeks) you can sign up HERE to get a COVID test. And Coastal Health Alliance is also conducting tests for workers.

p.p.s. Have you completed the Census? It’s easy and funding for our rural communities depends on it!

Pic: Wave photo: courtesy of Pexels