PA: Wolf Mandates closure of MontCo schools. Plus, panic buying
Today, Governor Wolf mandated schools in Montgomery County, PA close for two weeks beginning tomorrow. Also closed: community centers, gyms, the YMCA pre-K, and non essentials. Grocery stores, gas stations, med centers, and hospitals will be allowed to remain open. MontCo currently has the highest number of reported cases. Despite having several school affected by children or adults exposed to confirmed or possible cases, one district was refusing to close. I wonder if that was a factor in Wolf's decision.....I doubt they would have closed with even confirmed cases.
The new broke as I was picking my teen up from school. The kids were dang excited. They all work on Chromebooks, so they'll continue to do lessons via Google Classrooms. My other child, in elementary school, came home with a bunch of textbooks and extra worksheets.
Within minutes of the announcement, grocery stores were going nuts, which is saying something because it's been crazy in stores for over a week now. In my area, it has been very difficult to get toilet paper. Costco gets wiped out of it's morning shipment within hours. Every grocery store I visited in past week has either been wiped out or extremely low. Cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, flour, pasta, evaporated milk, peanut butter, and pasta have been depleted in many stores. And then today happened. I went to the grocery store after announcements. All registers were open and lines extended halfway through the store into several aisles. Cashiers were moving quick, though. I got into a line about 15 people deep and it barely took 10 minutes from the moment I got into line until I was walking out. Impressive. Two self checks crashed. Friends have been posting pictures of extremely long lines in area stores. Fights broke out over chicken. I picked up snacks for the kids and extra produce to add to what I already have. A 13 year old at home for two weeks = 2 tons of food consumed per day. 
I'm well-stocked on TP thanks to an order mistake I made on Amazon weeks ago. Glad I didn't rectify it. I am in my 40's, lived in Philly most of my life and then the burbs. I've been through numerous huge snowstorms and a few hurricanes. Plus, the Cabbage Patch rush of the 80's. I've never seen stores anything like what I saw today. I have
Here's the thing - a lot is being closed down in our county, but people are seeking activities in neighboring counties and Philly. I just received an email from the Academy of Natural Science in Philly that stated they are remaining open. Color Me Mine, a ceramics shop in Montgomeryville is not holding classes or in store painting, but is encouraging people to stop in to buy pieces and paint them at home and bring back to be fired. On Facebook, local mom groups are posting places that are "bravely" remaining open. So, they'll all just congregate in those areas, which won't do Jack shit to flatten the curve. Other than anxiously awaiting my old man kitty's medicine refill (necessary for life), I jave no plans to venture anywhere. We get his meds called into Cotsco, so that'll be a scary trip.
As far as I know, going outdoors is fine. So, I plan to take my kids on nature walks to scavenger hunt (look for signs of spring, how many blue things do you see, how many bird species can you spot, etc.....all hands off). Other than that, we're not doing anything else. I don't have work. I am in the fitness industry and my place closes after tonight. I will be paid for one scheduled shift (3.5 hours in this case) with no other promises made for the remaining two weeks. I have no health insurance and we are already low income. I have spent a sizeable amount if money in recent weeks as I stocked up. I feel that we are mostly okay for two weeks, though not with the best quality food. I worry about what comes after that. I also worry about job security. My business does not allow hours beyond part time and part of my position is ceremonial . Our charity isn't very charitable, so I am worried.
My dad is a retiree in the city. He's a Vietnam Vet and a widower. My mom just died in January. She would not have survived coronavirus if she contracted it. Now, I worry about him. He's a bit of a survivalist, so he is stocked, but he's over 70. He's super active. We had to postpone my mom's memorial service. We had her funeral in another state in January, but planned a March memorial for Philly area friends. I have put that on hold.
Well....that's my personal novel from PA.