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By Al Neal
ST. LOUIS—The mood is uneasy. The streets are quiet and show their pain through the paint chipped curbs, cracked sidewalks, and boarded alleyway doors—there’s no foot traffic. Crowds no longer gather to hide the city’s worn-down façade.
Off in the distance, church bells ring. No one is listening. And soon it will be overtaken by the sounds of emergency vehicle sirens dashing off to care for troubled souls during troubled times.
This is a new reality. It’s the reality of life lived from a distance—at least six to 12 feet apart.
With the rapid spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and in the wake of a bumbling and short-sighted response from Washington, D.C., communities have finally begun self-isolating at the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Stay home, read a book, walk outside (with precaution), and be patient. Those are the instructions, more or less. But not everyone can do that.
For those individuals working in the service sectors, some things have to keep going. Public transportation to and from work will be needed. Customers’ scant tips will be a necessity to weather this financial hell storm. Shoppers’ items have to be handled, scanned, and bagged. Health emergencies have to be addressed, even when personal protective equipment is in short supply. And on and on and on....
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