How does one respond to a pandemic? We know how to respond to an illness, a breakup, or a collision. But a pandemic, that's a new one. Walking around my local business district early in the pandemic, I was struck and dismayed by the haphazard response to Covid. Not that I was blaming the unfortunate business owners. No one had a playbook for this. But the plastic sheeting ostensibly protecting the counter workers, the frequently updated "we will open on ...'' signs, and the not-very-reassuring "handle cleaned every hour" sign -- these all suggested that we were all figuring this out as we went along. Then there was the "Caution" tape at the office where I see my primary care provider. Caution. Now that's an understatement.
