Via email from a young friend who lives in NYC, a medical researcher.#
Yesterday was a spectacularly beautiful spring day. I went out biking in the park in the afternoon. Others had the same idea, and it was so crowded it quickly became almost impossible to maintain the 6 foot distance even while riding a bike. The fact is, NYC is just too crowded to make this work well -- social distancing is just not what this city is about. I'm not seeing the kind of distancing you'd hope to see out here; New York has always felt like a human zoo to me, and it still does.#
My friend and former co-worker's wife is a doctor, just finishing her hospital residency, and they're preparing for all-out war. Constructing tent hospitals outside all the major hospitals to deal with the expected overflow. 5000 confirmed cases now means there were tens of thousands infected a week ago, by the end of this week we will have tens of thousands confirmed, and likely over 100K in less than a month. I am fully expecting NYC to be not only the worst-hit city in the U.S., but possibly the entire world. #
Maybe I should have listened to that natural instinct I felt when I first visited this place -- too many people, get out -- but it's too late now, I'm riding this out right here. #
Last update: Saturday March 21, 2020; 8:59 AM EDT.
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