A salute for our heroic grocery check-out staffers

It occurred to me while shopping at Hy-Vee yesterday afternoon that grocery store check-out staffers are among the heroes of the current COVID-19 crisis, just standing there getting sneezed at, coughed on (and sometimes yelled out) by frenzied consumers stocking up on toilet paper.

Yes, the toilet paper section of the paper aisle was empty --- another example of what seems to be an inexplicable societal fetish, one of the great mysteries of the novel Coronavirus situation.

I was saddened to see that the salad bar --- for me the peak experience of fine Hy-Vee dining --- now is closed (quite sensibly) for the duration. There did appear to have been a run on green beans (?!?), milk and ground round --- three of the items I was interested in.

And I must say I didn't run into a helpful smile in any aisle. It was all fairly grim. But there was plenty of food, so we should be OK.

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As of last evening, 18 cases of the virus had been reported in Iowa --- the latest an apparent example of "community spread" in Dallas County. But testing in Iowa has not been aggressive, so we really have no idea how clearly that number reflects reality.

The governor is recommending that crowds of 250 or more people be avoided --- but has declined to suggest that schools be closed, a step some of our neighbors to the east and some districts in the state have taken. I guess a school building full of germy kids and those entrusted with their care isn't considered a crowd here.

I think that we're having church this morning, then canceling for at least two weeks thereafter --- as directed by the bishop.

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My social media friends who had worked themselves into a lather blaming the media for the current situation seem to have calmed down, alleviating one source of annoyance.

My question of the day: If a travel ban involving Europe were declared, why weren't steps taken to ensure that every American who dashed home and clogged U.S. airports was met by someone equipped with a test kit?

I'd like to think that in the long run the "pandemic" will be accepted for what it is --- another indication of just how interrelated all of us who inhabit this little planet really are. But tribal humanity being what it is, that seems unlikely.