COVID19 Timelines
As the world around us closes down and braces for the full effects of a prolonged global pandemic, the gravity of the moment makes me feel like I should track our own timelines as a family.
I’ll try to keep it updated as events continue to unfold.
February
first few weeks - I am involved in weekly calls with a committee planning an event in Asia… we are constantly monitoring the situation with COVID19 in Wuhan and trying to evaluate if and when to cancel our conference of 800+
22 - I cancel plans to attend an annual media event in Asia even though I’m on the planning committee and have responsibilities
24 - I speak with a friend at The Bible Project to try to help them plan whether or not to come to the event in Thailand that I just made plans not to attend
25 - planners from the event in Thailand officially cancel the event
28
1) first COVID19 patient identified in Oregon;
2) Naomi and I go out to a local pub for some live music. She wonders to herself if it would be one of our last outings for a while. The musicians invite us out to sushi, but I respond that we’re gonna start limiting our exposure outside of the house. Feel crazy saying it, but significantly concerned.
29 - a friend in the Seattle area goes into quarantine with her family because her brother works at the facility where so many retired people are testing positive
March
09
1) Naomi and I go shopping to stock up on basics (toilet paper, beans, rice, bulk, etc.) expecting to enter some challenging days with food shortages, etc. Stores are pretty dead. Everything stocked, nobody yet in panic shopper mode;
2) we email Tessa’s swim coach to let him know that we wish to pull Tessa out of all practices and events,
3) someone living in our neighborhood develops COVID19 symptoms and shares about her experience on NextDoor.com and says several from her community also have symptoms
10 - I visit friends in Welches to make plans for a video shoot project. Some are aware and making plans for a possible lockdown situation, but others aren’t as aware of the seriousness of the situation that may be coming.
11
1) I have lunch with one of my pastors and inform him we won’t be attending church in person for a while. He seems a bit surprised that we are taking that step so early,
2) I email AFS to let them know we are uncomfortable sending Aissa to Seattle
3) we cancel our original plan to go to the Seattle area during spring break and come up with a new plan for a secluded cabin near Triangle Lake, OR
4) I put my gym membership on hold for 3 months
5) NBA suspended
6) Mika’s college, Multnomah, extends spring break by another week and is cancelling larger events
7) Naomi’s mom is sick and we worry it could be COVID. She recovers quickly.
12 - all extracurricular activities at Trinity Academy (Gabe and Tessa’s school) cancelled
13
1) David Douglas High School informs us that they will be closed until April 1st per government mandate;
2) Gabe goes to work at Trader Joes and reports it was their second most profitable day (the day before was more profitable-panic shoppers galore)
3) Gabe & Tessa’s last day of school in the school building indefinitely
14
1) Gabe reports it only takes 8 minutes for Trader Joes to sell out of toilet paper
2) Tessa reports her friend from school has parents who are sick. Lots of sickness going around, but not necessarily COVID19 but everyone is worried it may be. They end up recovering and it appears to not be COVID related.
15
1) our church goes online, but is still streamed live from the church building with a very limited number of people,
2) we invite over Naomi’s parents for a COVID cookout where we keep our distance, they don’t come into the house, and we sit around the backyard fire pit to stay warmer,
3) Powell’s Books announces it will close and layoff their employees
16
1) Oregon restaurants move to a takeout-only system and groups of more than 25 are banned
2) Gabe and Tessa start to do school online
17
1) David Douglas High School informs us that the school closure will extend until April 28 per government mandate
2) McMenamins closes their pubs/restaurants and lays off almost all of their 3000 employees
3) Naomi and I cancel our 25th anniversary plans to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc in Europe in June/July with friends
18
1) South African Airways cancels 162 flights until the end of the month (minimum). That becomes one less option for Emily to leave South Africa if it comes down to that.
2) we receive a package from a relative that includes some masks and sanitizer and distribute to family members along with instructions on how to use
19
1) Naomi’s dad’s temporary place of employment at the census office announces they will be taking a 2-week break, much to our collective relief
2) we receive our first box of groceries by mail from Imperfect Produce
20
1) spring break plans to go to a secluded cabin near Triangle Lake, Oregon leaving Saturday, but we decide to cancel Friday night due to the governor’s order to lay low and not go out unless necessary for exercise, groceries, etc.;
2) Mika reports that her work at Presso Coffee Kitchen had a customer who offered to purchase drinks for everyone who came through the drive thru as a way to help the company and employees,
3) I try to pivot the spring running club for Trinity Academy to a virtual running club in which we start via check-in on Zoom, each individually, then head out separately for our workout
21
1) Emily shares that her program in South Africa that she has been volunteering with is encouraging her to return to the U.S. We help her find tickets to return to the U.S. from Cape Town via Istanbul and San Francisco,
2) people flock to the coast and Columbia River Gorge despite the order to stay home,
3) my friend Ahshuwah puts into my head that ESL Companions, a structure we have already developed, could be pivoted to match up volunteers and English Language Learners without too much trouble
23
1) Oregon governor Kate Brown issues executive order to “Stay Home, Save Lives”;
2) COVID19-positive cases go to 191 but most cannot get tested;
3) Mika’s workplace, Presso Coffee, announces they will temporarily close.
4) My niece and nephew in Arizona get tested for COVID19 due to pneumonia-like symptoms
5) Naomi goes shopping and reports “No rice, minimal flour and lots of rations”
24
1) Emily arrives at night. Mika picks her up and they go to a local AirBnb to self-quarantine for 2 weeks.
2) Naomi is issued PPE from work and shown how to wear it. She receives likely COVID19 patients she will eventually have to visit.
3) I launch ESL Companions as a way to link up volunteers stuck at home with refugee and immigrant ELL’s (English Language Learners) also stuck at home, using modern tech like Messenger, Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp etc.
22 - church streams from the home of our pastor with another stream following from the worship leader
25 - my extended family, mostly on the east coast, organizes an impromptu Zoom call to check in on each other. An Aunt is being tested for COVID (it comes back negative). My brother shares about his family testings. No results yet. Others share how they are doing.
29
1) Gabe returns to work at Trader Joes for the first time in 2 weeks since Oregon has gone into shutdown mode. He is the only employee wearing a mask. They are limiting the number of shoppers to 30 and have more limited hours;
2) Number of known COVID19 cases in Oregon stands at 548, but most can still not be tested.;
3) the dream of a virtual running club for Trinity Academy dies due to our desire to not seeming to go against recommendations of the OSAA (Oregon State Athletic Association)
30
1) First thing in the morning I host an online film festival that would normally have been taking place in Thailand on this same day.
2) TriMet bus drivers call in sick by the dozens. Not clear if they are just protesting work conditions as frontline essential employees without proper equipment, or if they are all sick.
3) Gabe sends in his deposit to Wabash College in Indiana, thereby making his college choice even in light of the COVID19 confusion and questions about the fall term.
4) My aunt in the Philly area, a nurse, shares that her COVID19 test came back negative. A huge relief to so many!
April
1
1) My nephew and niece in Phoenix who were tested for COVID19 showed negative. They are healing up nicely from pneumonia-like symptoms. Praise God!
2) For the second time in the past few weeks, we learn of an international trip coming up with about a 3-day warning. Aissa will be headed out Thursday night/Friday early morning to return to Mozambique. Her YES/FLEX program is ending early, but considered a full successful term albeit shorter. She managed to spend 100 hours in volunteer service with various projects in the Portland area: childcare at church, feeding the homeless, cleaning up trash in the community, planting trees in southeast and northeast Portland, assisting Som with his initiatives to welcome immigrants and refugees, and other avenues.
3) The state of Oregon is officially now at 737 cases and reports coming out give hope: early adoption of social distancing seem to be working in reducing the infection rate!
2
1) Aissa’s last day in Oregon. Needed to close her bank account, get out the money left over. We wear masks and gloves, but are the only ones doing so in the bank. Since we don’t have much time to shop, we run out to Target. It doesn’t have the cheap computer she’s looking for, and the luggage is a bit too pricey, so we head to Walmart. It, too, is completely wiped out of cheaper computers and hand sanitizer. But they do have baby clothes and that’s important since her brother is born today in Mozambique into this crazy world where the country of Mozambique now has officially 10 cases of COVID19 that they know about anyway! Shopping feels surreal. Like a bad dream. I’m not used to going out these days.
2) We order dinner from Chai Thai, takeout, partly to celebrate Aissa’s return home though we are all sad, partly to help support a local small family business. Aissa packs until late into the night, working to get the weight into airline guidelines.
3
1) Mika comes over at 12:30AM to pick up Aissa and taker her to the airport for her 5AM flight. But 4 hours early is way too early, and they sit for hours until the counter opens for her to get her boarding pass and give her luggage. Mika walks her to the gate, since Aissa is a minor, and waits until she is close to boarding.
2) Aissa arrives in Washington D.C. but learns that her flight to Mozambique via Ethiopia is cancelled. She is happy enough to be at a hotel near the airport enjoying the company of several other Mozambican students until another flight can be arranged.
3) Our leadership team meeting with Refugee Highway Partnership North America discusses what we can do to pivot during this time and find out how we can best encourage our network, maybe offer Zoom meetings to pray for and encourage one another. At least for now our plan of having regionals in 2020 may need to be virtual unless we are good to go in the fall, COVID19 manageable by that point.
4
1) I work on creating a space in the garage for Naomi to change clothes when she comes home from work, discarding clothing for the laundry and having some privacy in case someone walks in from the door. :)
2) Oregon reaches 999 confirmed cases
3) Mika, Emily and Preeya move back after self-imposed and parent-induced self-quarantine on Emily’s part. A flurry of activity as the basement is cleaned and decorated so that they can be comfortable, knowing they will be spending a lot of time without jobs for the foreseeable future. Mika at least has school to work on remotely, but Emily is at a loss. Should she get a job? Where? How safe would it be? How long would it be for?
4) Our volunteer applications for ESL Companions are up to 40. We are working to find ways to get them approved and into shadowing online via Zoom so we can link them up and let them loose. I am putting the word out through the Refugee Highway Partnership North America network looking for others who are familiar with online English conversation and teaching.
5
1) Our family worshipped together with friends from church using Facebook once again. A church nearby is borrowing my Vemo livestreaming device and each week they learn a bit more about what is working and what is not. Everyone sorta just trying to figure out how to ride the bike that we find ourselves looking at.
2) In the afternoon I rode my bike about 30 miles. Along the river there were a lot of people, some wearing face masks even while exercising.
6
1) Emily and Preeya give each other haircuts in the back yard. Maybe they would have tried it anyway if the beautician wasn’t closed?
2) Relaunch and redesign of ESL Companions. Getting closer to matching volunteers with English Language Learners.
7 - Aissa’s second flight that was lined up was also cancelled. AFS is wondering if we can take her back for a while.
8
1) We receive word that a close family member in another state awoke with COVID19 symptoms. He is unable to get a test, but receives medical advice and self-quarantines at his home as much as possible (despite living in close proximity to other family members).
2) The state of Oregon announces that the spring term will not return to the physical school building. All spring sports are cancelled.
3) Aissa returns to Portland.
10
1) Two neighbors drop off gifts: bananas we use to make banana bread, and Kenyan samosas!
11
1) Our family member out of state who was sick seems to be improving. His wife is optimistically hopeful knowing that COVID symptoms can improve before getting worse.
2) As we prepare for Gabe’s graduation from high school without the possibility at this point for an in-person, all-together ceremony, Gabe and I do an at-home, in-the-yard graduation photo shoot.
3) An elder care facility 3 miles to our south has reported that 10 of their residents have died from COVID19.
4) Naomi and I take a trip to Costco for the first time since COVID19 hit. (We did some bulk shopping days before Oregon residents started panic buying.) Turns out first responders go to the front of the line so that saved us some time!
12
Our family watches Bridgetown Church online at 11. Afterwards we talk and pray together to help bring meaning into the losses and lifestyle changes. I feel like we are all doing well, but there is still much that is unsaid and unprocessed.
13
1) Aissa restarts studies at David Douglas using online methods now that the district and state has moved in that direction.
2) Aissa is able to pick up a loaner Chromebook from the school, a platform she is already familiar with.
15
I post an article to Facebook: On Christians Spreading Corona Conspiracies: Gullibility is not a Spiritual Gift
18
I have my first Zoom chat with Danilo, a Brazilian who has been in Portland since December but is now stuck at home and unable to easily practice his English. This is my first connection through ESL Companions that I have taken on myself, while the movement as a whole now has about 50 volunteers who have signed up to be matched with English Language Learners.
19
Our family watches Bridgetown church online at 11. Good thoughts to consider on what everyone is giving up and the normal grieving process (graduations, plays, Shakespeare plays in southern Oregon, concerts, plays, conferences).
20
I post an article to Facebook: The problem with thinking you know more than the experts. So much going back and forth as protests take place in state capitols around the country, including here in Oregon where a group of a few dozen gather to express frustration and anger and the ongoing closures.
21
1) Oregon breaks the 2,000 case mark with 78 reported deaths
2) I chat on Messenger with friends from church, one of whom tested positive twice and the other who seems to be asymptomatic even though they live together. My friend who tested positive has cold-like symptoms and isn’t feeling too poorly.
3) Naomi goes on a run and passes a guy in the park sitting on a bench. He has a dry cough and doesn’t seem at all concerned that he’s in public spreading “it”, if he has it.
22
McMenamins, a Northwest-based much-loved chain of quirky restaurants and pubs, announces they will open back up on Friday for takeout and delivery.
24
An acquaintance in Portland has pneumonia and blood clots in her lungs. Damage from Covid19.
30
A candlelight celebration was held on Zoom to commemorate Mika’s finishing of her English as a Second Language training program. Of the 4 students who completed their courses, half of the class was related (Naomi’s mom also completed her certificate).
May
1
We celebrate Mika’s completion of college, and Aissa’s completion of her senior year of American high school.
2
With our raspberry bushes creating a new untended jungle, we finally decide to head to Home Depot where we wait in line, masked, with 2 dozen other strangers until space allows entry. We purchase enough lumber and wire to fashion new raised beds and tame that jungle.
5
Our specific part of Portland is the heaviest hit in the state with 38.9 out of 10,000 known cases. Much of that comes down to one specific nursing home (which has since lost its license to operate).
