Life in the Age of Corona

A Daily Diary

Sunday, May 16th, 2021

Unmasking

I woke up to another picture-perfect day.

After coffee in bed and scanning the news I made my way to the park for practice and lo and behold the group decided to dispense with masks. Another step towards normalcy! I do not mind wearing a mask to outdoor practice, but the fact that everyone agreed we were fine without is a big step. We also decided to move class from the park to the dojo once the cicadas are out in full force. Class was followed by Greek food on B.’s and L.”s patio. A small group only.

We discussed the reopening of the dojo and potentially having outdoor classes in addition. Arlington Aikikai does that. We also mused about how many dojos may not survive the pandemic, fortunately not many anyone knew of.

After a very short swim I dashed home as my girl friends were coming over for champagne. All vaccinated, so not only maskless outside, but with hugs! It feels strange to be without a mask now after so many months of wearing a face covering. I will certainly retain my mask when in an environment where I am not 100% sure that people surrounding me are vaccinated, like a supermarket. For now, I am enjoying getting rid of it in and spending time with vaccinated people. Like my girl friends who came over tonight. For the first time on months we hugged. How I have missed human touch.

Our ability to congregate outdoors may be impaired in the coming weeks as Brood X has begun to emerge from the ground an millions of Cicadas are expected to be out singing their song in a couple of weeks. This spectacle is supposedly going to last for a month or two as they emerge in waves. I am reasonably sure the creatures hatching this week are unlikely to find mates as they will presumably die well before they have a chance to find a partner.

Infections in the USA have increased by 25k over the past twenty-four hours to bring the total to 33.69 million, a noticeable slow down.

Singapore, South Korea and Australia are building the capacity to produce mRNA vaccines, not just against COVID, but also to potentially treat cancer and HIV/AIDS.  Increasing the production capabilities also for COVID-19 vaccines is a critical step towards getting back to normal and unmasking the world.