School closure - rest of the year.... announced on day 13 of closure.

On April 1st, the governor of Georgia issued a closure of schools for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year.  And... this is no joke!

I am still processing this.  The past 2 1/2 weeks have been hard... now... we've got another 1 1/2 months of jugging work and homeschooling (after a week off  during our "spring break" next week).  

I did play a little April Fool's joke on them yesterday.  I shared this photo of the governor... with the words "Georgia Students will repeat grades in 2020-2021 due to Covid-19"with them.

I said that Mercer would have to repeat 6th grade and Isabella would have to repeat 1st grade.  They looked stunned and didn't know what to say.  (Mercer said he'd be happy to repeat 6th grade because he didn't like the Middle school when we took a tour a month ago or so.)   

I didn't let it go on for more than a minute.  They laughed and thought it was funny when I told them I was kidding. 

This joke was done before Todd and I told them at dinner.... "no joke" about the school closures.

High School seniors.... feeling for them.... they have no prom.  They have no graduation.  (Hopefully there will be some make-up events during the summer!!!)  


Mom sent an email saying that she and her brothers were able to visit grandma in the nursing home and that hospice is coming to help her a few times a week. I read her email late last night and haven't had a chance to call her yet... I am surprised that they were able to go see her, but so glad they did.  She said they had masks on / grandma didn't recognize them at first.  I am praying for them all.   

Here is an updated screenshot from John Hopkins' dashboard.  I just saw on the news this morning that deaths in the US is over 4,800.  (New York City has approximately 1,400 deaths.)  Total Covid-19 cases in the US have now topped 200,000.  Globally - the reported number of cases is nearing one million....  

And here's a new graphic I have not seen before........ a map (from the New York Times) that shows how rapidly the virus is spreading. The title says "Cases currently doubling every...."  3 days / 5 days / 7 days....  (Cobb County where we live is currently is being tracked at cases doubling every 4.5 days)  There's a "hot spot" in south Georgia that is attributed to 2 different funerals in a small town.  Obviously - the more populated areas are higher than more rural areas.

















It's all very surreal.