The Colorado State Open Thread is published generally every Monday evening at 7PM Mountain time, though I’m not sure that it will be next Monday — so I’d be happy for someone to post one for me. We try and publish information about, of and for people with an interest in all things Colorado, whether you live here or not. Please let me know if you’d like to publish a diary for next Monday.
Mrs. Colotim had her career for nearly 40 years as a nurse, with plenty of hands-on care including her favorite rotation — the ER. Over that time, she’s had the opportunity to witness a few pandemics come along including SARS, MERS and education/training for Ebola, though thankfully she never had a case come through her facility. As a result, her body got pretty beaten up over the years and she now would be considered an advanced risk for flu, colds and the new Corona virus. I, too, would be considered an advanced risk, though I’m a bit younger and not in the worst age ranges for the vulnerable.
In spite of all of this, we have a vacation planned next week using two flights each way to get to a tropical island destination where there have not been any cases of Covid-19 reported so far. Doesn’t mean there haven’t been any so far, and we are certainly risking our health flying in those germ incubators, but Mrs. Colotim hasn’t had a vacation in months and she wants one. She insists this is a risk that she’s willing to take and, unless this is a virus engineered by humans, it’s manageable by the types of protection (hand washing, keeping distance from others, especially people sneezing or coughing and certainly cleaning surfaces before they’re touched) that she’s used to from her decades of nursing. I get to go along with her and I hope that I get through in good health. When we return to Colorado, we’ll be able to self-quarantine ourselves because we have enough food and whatnot to keep our distance from others for multiple weeks.
So, this is just a test. The real risk is this October when we’re scheduled to go to southern Italy and Greece. I don’t think she’s going to give me any choice then, either. She doesn't want to get sick, but she does want to see things before she’s too frail to get to the places she wants to see. Me, generally being the younger and healthier one between us (so far), well it’s my responsibility to ensure she gets to those locations and is able to enjoy them.
I plan on bringing back photos and stories of how crowded the airplanes and tourist destinations were, to share with those of you stuck in the snows of our lovely state. I certainly hope nobody cancels my vacation, either going or returning. I might not hear the end of it from the Mrs.
I have other risks that are scheduled for this year, including a couple of concerts, Netroots Nation and several gatherings with the Estes Park Newcomers group (those gatherings have been canceled through April, however). How many of you are still planning on trips or going to large gatherings if they aren’t canceled? Do you believe you’ll survive the odds and not be a carrier, or are you determined to not be a part of a crowd to the point where you’re planning on self-quarantining and for how long?
As always, this open thread is for anything of interest to you, so you don’t have to talk trips or Covfefe-45 if you don’t want to. The important thing is to contribute to your online community through comments or raspberries.