When did you first begin to grasp how radically COVID-19 would change our lives?

For me, there wasn't a single moment.

I remember reading news stories about the diamond princess, that cruise ship that had

to quarantine in a Japanese port last February, and realizing this wasn't just another regional

flu. Then Italy happened. Then New York. Then we were in it.

Good evening everyone. Tonight we're becoming crushed under a tidal wave of unfathomable

numbers. New York City joining California in urging the general public to wear non-medical

face coverings to stop.

But for many Americans, particularly parents, the wake-up call came on February 26th. Thanks

to the warnings of a then-unknown CDC respiratory physician named Nancy Messinier.

I understand this whole situation may seem overwhelming and that disruption to everyday

life may be severe. But these are things that people need to start thinking about now.

I had a conversation with my family over breakfast this morning and I told my children,

we as a family need to be preparing for a significant disruption of our lives.

For her prescience, the Trump administration rewarded her with exile. Trump was still

trying to conceal the truth from the public and that briefing blew the cover off. But she

was right.

You should ask your children's school about their plans for school dismissals or school

closures. Ask if there are plans for tele-school.

And across the country, in the days ahead, school closures became the way many of us came

to grips with the gravity of the situation.

If governments had to close schools, things must be really bad.

...