Over the weekend this part of Virginia watched consistent forecasts for deep snow. We have seen plenty of snowstorms over the years, and have had ample time to prepare.
(And by the time you read this, the storm is likely in action.)
Five years ago this month, Virginians watched the approach of a different kind of storm, one that threatened death, one of scary but generally unknown characteristics: Covid-19.
By the end of February, cases of Covid were reported in Virginia. By mid-March, authorities shut down everything but “essential” operations. An eerie stillness fell across the land.
Eventually, communities rallied. Schools went online, workers logged in from home, masks became available, and businesses reopened as soon as they could. Nothing, however, was normal; our way of life had changed, and 2020 progressed in disturbing and disrupting ways.
This once-in-a-lifetime shutdown proved to be a futile attempt to extinguish Covid, which eventually caused approximately 1,000,000 known d...