'Shelter In Place' means "seek safety within the building one already occupies." It is an order traditionally used for a situation with an active shooter, or a tornado, or a radioactive hazard, or similar danger. It is an order that is, in practice, effective immediately.
Today, at 5pm, Alaska is going to "shelter in place." This was announced yesterday. So it's actually a 'shelter wherever you want to go' order. Standard US coronavirus policy.
Telling people that in 24 hours they are going to be told to lock themselves up for an undetermined amount of time is a great way to get them out and about. It's like ordering the state to rush out RIGHT NOW. Folks are packed together at the grocery stores swapping germs more effectively today than anytime in the past weeks.
Wouldn't it be interesting if we had data to track spikes in infection after announcement like this.... wait, we do. This video was viral in chastising Florida spring breakers, but no one published the same details for every college that closed and sent every student to their hometowns-- or every traveler across the globe this winter, whether a business trip or snow bird migration or I-have-to-get-out-of-Alaska-right-now-and-see-the-sun hiatus. This virus was moved by us. The traveling public. All of us either oblivious to what was going on in the world, or thinking that the chances of it effecting us was very small. Well, here we are, told in advance that we are going to have to lie in the bed that we have made, and we should go out and buy some bananas before the deadline.
Americans (and many nationalities) are asking their federal governments to spend already over-taxed resources to rescue them from their vacations-- The coronavirus has been world news since early January, but the ethnocentric USA was only talking about the upcoming presidential election until the second week of March. Now people out traveling want to get home (exactly what caused this problem), but ignorance should not be a defense.
A true "Shelter in Place" is theoretically an effective way to stop this virus. But people will not and cannot shelter under their desks for the duration. People will travel and shop and work and all of us will be pros at manipulating "social distancing" and "essential" to serve our wants and needs.
The governments of the world are failing with their rules. But we, the voting public, could try a different tack. It's similar to "shelter in place" but I call it: "Stop being ignorant jerks." Instead of being selfish, why not be kind? Consider where you are, right now, your home, for a time. Shop-- when you need to, for what you need. Spend time being present with those you are with. Stop spreading rumors verbally, or on social media. Call those you love. Wash your hands and cover your cough. Be ready to serve if asked. And give people some space, or as an Alaskan put it to me long ago in a 'welcome to the neighborhood' speech: "If your neighbor needs help, help him. If he doesn't--leave him alone!"
This too shall pass. When it does, let me know. I'll be sheltering under my desk with my bananas.
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