This is my favorite time of the year: NCAA tournament, Opening Day, people hanging out in Rittenhouse. Instead, this year, it’s feeling more like a sci-fi film. The coronavirus has all of us worried (rightfully) for our parents, our jobs, our families. I just wanted to put out a quick note to discuss where things currently stand.
I had A LOT of events coming up this month, and I was really excited about them. Pop-a-Shot, Bowlizzo, a baseball event at Workhorse in a couple of weeks, our annual hoops brackets. As of now, they are all still on, and I will still be promoting them.
But the simple fact is that all of these events, as well as our weekly quizzes, could be postponed or cancelled at any point. Clearly, public health is far more important than any other consideration. I am not panicked, I think we’ll get through in this in the next few months. But in the meantime, I think we’ve got to keep an eye on the ball and know when discretion is the better part of valor. If the city asks us to shut down events where small groups of people gather, I’ll be the first to shut it down.
A few things I would ask that you guys think about in the meantime:
- I’d encourage you to buy local whenever possible. Most local businesses depend on tourism for at least part of their income, and that’s about to dry up entirely, at least for this month.
- And please help out our Chinatown friends, who have already been hit hard by dwindling business during this virus. Make it a point to order takeout or go to Chinatown this week.
- Really, make it a point to order takeout from everywhere in the city. We’ve got a vibrant food and drink scene that’s going to get hit hard by this. Do what you can to help keep them afloat.
Be sure to check back here for updates…even if we do have to hunker down at some point, I’ll find a way to get you guys your trivia fix. Have a few “Just in Case” projects I’m working on now. Thanks for your patronage, stay safe, cover your damn mouth and nose when you sneeze, and hope to see you soon. Thanks-JGT