Page 54 - ActsCOVID-19_and_Me

The CDC depended on the governors, hospitals, and morgues to count the number of people who were ill and those who died. These numbers were put on a chart and as the line rose or dropped it produced a curve. When the curve flattened would be when the country would consider going back to normal.
In March the nurses and doctors had little or no equipment such as gowns, masks, and ventilators to fight the virus. Not until the end of April did the medical care units receive enough supplies and the death rate begin to decrease. The curve was beginning to flatten.
Ari, you were born on April 10, a month premature. Your mom was frightened about going to the hospital because of the coronavirus but the maternity ward was separated by floors and accepted pregnant ladies. Your dad was in the delivery room when you
were born but had to exit from the hospital right after; he waited at home until you and your mom were discharged, which took another week.
Maryland’s governor sent out orders that landlords were to give
a grace period to their renters. The water and electric companies were instructed not to add any late fees nor disconnect anyone’s service. The lines for the free food were miles long and the mortgage companies had given homeowners a few months furlough. At the height of this pandemic, temporary hospitals had been set up in parks and football stadiums by the National Guard; your Uncle Cody was part of that force. The dead were stored in large semi-trucks until they could be buried or identified by the family; the funeral homes were overwhelmed. Families could hold a service for no more than ten people. It was a sad time.
I celebrated my 86th birthday on May 5, and because the community had visitor restrictions, my sons and daughters left baskets of flowers, cookies, and balloons at the gate. The postman had dropped cards in the mailbox, and I had at least twenty emails wishing me happy birthday. My most favorite card was from you, Declan, a few months before you would turn four in September. Your Mom had you lay on a sheet of brown paper and she drew the top of your body with arms stretched out to give me a birthday hug.
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