Timing Is Everything

I've been doing some math.

China went into an extreme, strongly enforced lockdown in January. About three months later, they are finally allowing some non-essential businesses to open, but people are still forced to stay inside and school is still online. 

Three months. STRONGLY ENFORCED.

Covid-19 is just now hitting a stride in the US to the point where most people (it sounds like) are beginning to recognize it's an actual threat and that they need to stay inside. But from the people I've talked to in the US and the people I was talking to in China, American "social isolation" is an extremely relaxed version of staying inside. 

Even if the US was strictly locked down on a communist level next month, you would still have a long summer ahead. And it won't be locked down that fast. 

I imagine that the US has a long year or 18 months ahead. Probably the world does too, to be honest, but most of the world is ahead of the US in terms of taking this disease seriously.

I think. 
These are just the observations of an American living in Vietnam. But all the statistics show the US escalating at a much faster rate than any other country.

For my part, as safe as we feel Vietnam is, we are staying in. No point in making anything worse. Tourists come through and break their quarantine and we might not hear about it until the next day.

Our biggest worry is that the laws are changing quickly. Especially regarding foreigners. 
So while you in the western world are trying to stock up as much as you can, I am letting myself run completely out of shampoo or peanut butter before buying more... because there is every possibility that our visa will not be renewed in May and we'll have to leave. No point stocking up on things I won't have time to use!

I hope you are all well.
I hope you are all STAYING INSIDE! 
I hope you are able to access help when you need it, but I hope you won't need it.

I hope we won't have to move.