Sara’s Diary: Day 28 without baseball

It’s been four weeks since the sports world abruptly stopped after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the novel coronavirus. That’s 28 days without baseball. Many businesses quickly followed with tele-work policies, individuals and families canceled almost all of their travel plans and state and local governments began issuing stay at home orders in most of the country for non-essential workers.

As of this writing 95 percent of Americans are under stay at home orders according to Business Insider:

Business Insider

The national numbers are just staggering, whether it’s the number of people at home, the number of people infected or the jaw-dropping weekly unemployment claims. Frankly it’s almost impossible to wrap my head around.

Which brings me to the decisively more local point of today’s post. I wanted to share some of the signs of the times from in and around Wrigleyville. Signs like this notification in front of the Inter-American School explaining that CPS is closed but meals will be provided;

Sara Sanchez

Or this Cubs fan who probably wants to Fly the W as much as the rest of us, but really wants you safe at home for now:

Sara Sanchez

It’s not all happy. Quite a few businesses are worried about being broken into during the shutdown. This unnamed business has invested in something called “survailance.”

Sara Sanchez

The vast majority of messages attempt to offer hope and thanks, however. Just up the street you’ll find this:

Sara Sanchez

The signs of the time are clear within the few stores that are still open as well, like Dark Matter Osmium on Belmont where six foot markers are spread throughout the store, and this placard greets you as you enter:

Sara Sanchez

Or these social distancing markers which appeared in the Whole Foods on Halsted recently:

Sara Sanchez

I’m grateful to every person who took a minute to leave a note of hope on their door, window or lawn. Share some of the images you’ve seen in your neighborhoods during this unprecedented time:

Sara Sanchez