We have been lucky, so far. No one has exhibited any sign of illness despite New York City having become the epicenter of the virus outbreak in the northeastern United States.
I started to work from home on March 13th and it has been fine. I miss the office, I miss the personal contact and I miss travel but the work can still be done and it is made easier because almost everyone else has to do the same thing. The IT has worked well so far.
The luckiest thing is that last year we moved apartment. The main reason for moving was to get some more space - particularly so that the kids to get their own rooms. It was a trade-off: we moved from a smaller, worse apartment in a much better area to a bigger, nicer place in a less salubrious area. That has paid off because no longer having so many nice restaurants and bars nearby is completely irrelevant. We now have a small bit of outside space (a balcony) and we still have easy access to Central Park.
The most immediate challenge has been schooling. Harriet is not someone who likes to get her work out of the way and then relax. In fact it is quite the opposite. Still, I'm impressed at how quickly the teachers have adapted to the new technology. The kids have a morning meeting on Zoom and also have small group sessions on video chat. Again, we have been lucky in that this is fifth grade and the middle school application process was already complete. We did not, as expected, get our first choice of middle school but we have a good one and three of her very good friends are also going there (we will keep on the wait list for the other school).
There is a lot that is on hold and probably will be for some time. Our plans for summer in France are gone and we wanted to do a few things with Mikey that are also now extremely difficult. It's unlikely we even go to the RV this summer and if we do go anywhere it will be closer to home (perhaps we rent a house with a pool in the south).
So like most people there are some minor things and some bigger things that make this less than ideal but we will get through it and there are silver linings, especially the time spent with the kids. Not that this is a competition but others have it really hard. I see the lines at the nearby food pantry. On first avenue I see national guard distributing boxes of supplies to lines of taxis. Many people I know have fled the city but that is not an option for most.
Things are getting better though. The weather is improving although this is New York so be prepared for some volatility (we have had both 30C temperatures and snow in the last few weeks). Most organizations are preparing for a phased return to the office and the immediate crisis for intensive care facilities has abated and there are promising therapies. He is not perfect and really should have done more to release prisoners but New York has been fortunate to have a governor who reminds us what basic competence looks like.
So we keep on adapting to the new normal. We are doing well and are grateful for that.
I started to work from home on March 13th and it has been fine. I miss the office, I miss the personal contact and I miss travel but the work can still be done and it is made easier because almost everyone else has to do the same thing. The IT has worked well so far.
The luckiest thing is that last year we moved apartment. The main reason for moving was to get some more space - particularly so that the kids to get their own rooms. It was a trade-off: we moved from a smaller, worse apartment in a much better area to a bigger, nicer place in a less salubrious area. That has paid off because no longer having so many nice restaurants and bars nearby is completely irrelevant. We now have a small bit of outside space (a balcony) and we still have easy access to Central Park.
The most immediate challenge has been schooling. Harriet is not someone who likes to get her work out of the way and then relax. In fact it is quite the opposite. Still, I'm impressed at how quickly the teachers have adapted to the new technology. The kids have a morning meeting on Zoom and also have small group sessions on video chat. Again, we have been lucky in that this is fifth grade and the middle school application process was already complete. We did not, as expected, get our first choice of middle school but we have a good one and three of her very good friends are also going there (we will keep on the wait list for the other school).
There is a lot that is on hold and probably will be for some time. Our plans for summer in France are gone and we wanted to do a few things with Mikey that are also now extremely difficult. It's unlikely we even go to the RV this summer and if we do go anywhere it will be closer to home (perhaps we rent a house with a pool in the south).
So like most people there are some minor things and some bigger things that make this less than ideal but we will get through it and there are silver linings, especially the time spent with the kids. Not that this is a competition but others have it really hard. I see the lines at the nearby food pantry. On first avenue I see national guard distributing boxes of supplies to lines of taxis. Many people I know have fled the city but that is not an option for most.
Things are getting better though. The weather is improving although this is New York so be prepared for some volatility (we have had both 30C temperatures and snow in the last few weeks). Most organizations are preparing for a phased return to the office and the immediate crisis for intensive care facilities has abated and there are promising therapies. He is not perfect and really should have done more to release prisoners but New York has been fortunate to have a governor who reminds us what basic competence looks like.
So we keep on adapting to the new normal. We are doing well and are grateful for that.
