Coronavirus on the rock!

I never expected to be stuck on this island but here we are about to be in that very position. Bonaire FINALLY shut down cruise traffic yesterday, a bit too late in my opinion but I’m just glad they finally did it. All inbound flights from Europe have also been stopped but not yet from the US which baffles me a bit since the US has plenty of cases.

The US is also becoming well known for how poorly they’ve handled the situation so I expect those flights will be stopped soon as well.

We don’t have any confirmed cases here as of this morning but that doesn’t mean it isn’t here. Curacao has a case and most cruises visit both Curacao and Bonaire so it’s extremely likely it’s already here.

I know people joke that they want to be stuck here versus wherever they are in the world, and Bonaire is a pretty awesome place, but realistically our medical system isn’t equipped to deal with something of this magnitude. Our little hospital will likely be quickly overwhelmed once COVID-19 takes hold here.

So what’s it like as of right now? The grocery stores are mobbed, toilet paper is running low, and Amazon doesn’t exist to deliver things to our doorstep. I’ve never seen the grocery store like it was yesterday! Not a single parking spot, people parking down the street and walking, shelves emptying. And those empty shelves? It’s a lot harder to refill them here considering 99% of products are shipped in.

What are we doing? Staying home as much as possible for one thing. Washing our hands more often and not touching our faces. We’re not in a high-risk group and statistically we’re most likely to end up mildly ill for a few days from Coronavirus but it’s not about us, it’s about everyone. The less it spreads the less likely it is that someone in a high-risk group will get infected with the possibility of a serious illness. These are our parents, grandparents, and friends with underlying conditions. So for now, let’s all do our part and stay home! Netflix and chill, read some books, and enjoy a little downtime.

I’ll also be doing plenty of diving!

Stay safe everyone!