Well, I didn’t go to New York so I had a quiet weekend to catch up on writing and other tasks. I went to the supermarket, where no one seemed to be doing anything out of the ordinary. Maybe I was an idiot for not going to New York.

Yesterday there were 500 confirmed cases in the US and Italy imposed restrictions on its north, quarantining 16 million people, albeit with fewer restrictions and less oversight than China (it’s hard to dissuade Italians not to go get a coffee…) Then today, all of Italy was locked down.

I have traveled extensively in Italy, where people gather in the piazzas all night and crowd cafes and bars 24/7.  In the heat of summer large families go out to dinner at 9 pm. The historical, cultural, and religious sites are packed with tourists; churches are filled to the brim for Sunday mass.  I have trouble imagining the streets of Italy empty.

A friend flew into Philly today after a long weekend in Florida.  She said everything at the airports and on the plane was “business as usual.”

There seems to be a disconnect here…

Since yesterday I’ve been looking at the Indian Wells website, wondering when they are going to post the draws.  Next to the US Open, this is one of the most important American tennis events.  The tournament starts day after tomorrow and all the lead up tournaments have been completed, so the Indian Wells organizers should have all the events they need to compose the draw.  Then I see the notice that the tournament is being cancelled.  Wow, seems like a really big deal to everyone—the players, sponsors, fans.

It seems odd to me that the professional tennis tour is being more proactive than the government.