Coronavirus cancellations left you bored at home? Here’s what you can do.
It seems the entire world is paused. The State Department has advised against international travel. Italy is basically shut down. During this down time while countries try to stop the spread of Covid-19, aka the coronavirus, we can’t even take in a Broadway show or head to Disneyland or Disney World. It would be the perfect time to stay in and watch sports to pass the time, but the NBA, NHL and MLB have postponed play, and the NCAA Tournament is canceled. So what is there to do during this coronavirus down time?
Well, those Tik Tok teens are making memes, with #coronavirus topping 5 billion uses and the app is using the opportunity to share safety tips from the World Health Organization and debunking false narratives about the illness. There are other things to do with your time.
Read a book
Remember those? You don’t even need to leave the house to pick one up. The Libby app allows you to borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your local library, as long as you have a library card and your library uses Overdrive to lend. Homer is a great educational app for those kids stuck home from school. They also, you know, make books in book form still. You probably have a couple of those lying around the house.
Listen to a podcast
There are some great news podcasts such as Vox’s “Today Explained” and the BBC’s “World Business Report” that keep you up to date with world events, excellent in a time when we’re poking our heads out every once in a while to see if the coast is clear. There are some great history podcasts, such as Patrick Wyman’s “Tides of History” and Mike Duncan’s “Revolutions.” “Brain Candy” with Susie Meister and Sarah Rice touches on interesting aspects of pop culture, literature, science, and psychology. Michael Hobbes and Sarah Marshall’s “You’re Wrong About” unravels the myths we tell ourselves about past news events and dives deep into what actually happened. We imagine there will be a coronavirus episode in a future season.
Do get outside
The weather is finally starting to get warmer and dryer in many places. While many attractions are closed, outside isn’t. Hiking trails are an easy place to get some fresh air while still practicing social distancing. Without going that far afield, you can work on getting your home garden in shape for spring.
Keep busy at home
Many of us can still get plenty of work done at home. The digital age allows us to network through LinkedIn, conduct webinars and video conferences over Zoom, and get deals finalized via email (or, you know, phones still work).
While you’re scouring your house for that book you know you have, you can do a little spring cleaning too. You can binge “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” on Netflix then go through your possessions and decide what gives you joy. Maybe you’ll rediscover your love for the guitar you never play anymore.
Even if you’re avoiding the gym, you can still get in a good workout at home. YouTube is full of video workouts such as “Yoga with Adriene” and “HASFit.” If you took our holiday gift advice, you can work out with your Mirror of Backslash Fit smart mat. That Peloton ad doesn’t look so bad now, does it?
If we all do our part, we can keep the hospitals from being overwhelmed with patients and get things moving safely back in the right direction. If you are sick, contact your local health department for instructions, and use telemedicine services such as Teladoc to take precautions and get advice. The hospitals are going to need space for all those babies being born in December.
My only other addition would be to include some doctor apps like teledoc to enhance the point that in many cases you don’t NEED to overwhelm the medical facilities to get some advice or treatment.
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