Here at home, we are trying to limit our exposure to other people as much as possible. The family has stayed home almost entirely, and I typically only go out once every few days to grab a few things or, once every week to two, to do a bigger trip.  

One of the weirdest moments in all of this so far was the day that they closed the local schools and I went to the grocery store (on Friday, March 13) at the moment of the first “run” on toilet paper, sanitizers, pasta, soup, meats, etc. – the atmosphere was like what one sees caricatured in every apocalyptic film – a grab-all frenzy of panicked shoppers filling their cart like there will be no tomorrow.

In trips since, it is common to find shelves alternately empty or lean on many staples. Some stores do curbside pickup only, some limit the number of customers allowed in the store, some have online and phone ordering set up, etc. – there’s a fascinating range of approaches to adjusting to social distancing policies while trying to balance health and commerce.