22.03.2020 | A Journal of Resilience: a Walk in Riverside Park

Sun setting framed by the 69th Street Transfer 

Today was a cool sunny day. I am taking any opportunity to be outdoor for a power walk, until is still feasible. Upper West Side streets are almost empty, the majority of stores and restaurant are closed; it feels eerie, considering the usual density of the city. During my walks I am mindful of the six-foot radius of "social distancing" which I prefer to call "spatial awareness. When I encounter other people I extend my arms, spanning about 65" and twist from the waist, with my back facing the other passerby, making sure that there is at least one-foot gap from the tip of my finger tip. If anybody else would do it the six-foot radius would be respected.

Differently from street parks are crowded and people seem to ignore "social distancing". New York City has been declared the US epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 15000 confirmed cases, an exponential growth in the past week. Governor Cuomo gave a powerful briefing this morning, which confirmed my observations. He stated "This is not life as usual...And this kind of density, we talk about social distancing, I was in these parks. You would not know that anything was going on. It's a mistake. It's insensitive, it's arrogant. It's self-destructive. It's disrespectful to other people."

Sadly once again even in this unprecedented crisis people in the city are disrespectful of others. But I still enjoy the five mile walk and the view of the sun setting by the Hudson River. I return home and I practice my usual mindful movement practice in the icosahedron.

I am grateful for still being healthy and resilient. The brutal divorce perhaps taught to appreciate solitude.

13.03.2020 | State & Politics of a Pandemic

Yesterday, Thursday 12 March 2020, the Governor of New York State Andrew Cuomo declared statewide restrictions on public gatherings in the effort to limit the spreading of the coronavirus (COVID-19)  In the late afternoon Mayor Bill de Blasio also declared state of emergency in New York City. Events involving gathering more than 500 people are banned, including sport and cultural events, concert halls, museums and Broadway theaters. This ban effects multi-billion dollar industries and arrives late considering the worldwide pandemic. It is puzzling how disclosure of cases and measures arrives only in the past few days—in a cosmopolitan city like New York, with perhaps the greatest density and opportunity of human contacts. The recent call for hygiene provoked by this extreme crisis also makes us wonder why these simple easy measures, which helps to prevent many other diseases, have been previously ignored and only now promoted.

According to today update there are 139,018 cases with 5,116 deaths, 70,727 recovered, 80,815 cases China and 15,113 in Italy. More statistics are here

Illustration of ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. By CDC/ Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAM - This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #23312.

However, even in this pandemic which has been unprecedented in modern history politics seems dominated the channels of information. A few examples of information not disclosed.

• Several severe cases successfully treated by Tocilizumab, a drug commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. The oncologist Paolo Ascierto of the Italian Naples' Pascale Hospital stated the drug has been effective to treat pneumonia caused by COVID-19. The drug is also in clinical trials in Wuhan.

In this worldwide health and financial crisis reaffirms the importance of individual agency and critical thinking. It is the only way to survival not only from the objective pandemic but also from fears.