Journal of the Virus Year: My experiences with the virus: March 14, 2020

(Credit: Walter D. Mooney Ph. D., U.S. Geological Survey. Public domain.)

No, I am not sick. No, I do not personally know anyone who is sick from the coronavirus.

The last few days were basically in a free-fall collapse. Almost every item on my schedule was canceled or postponed. The major effects of the coronavirus included the closing down of Brigham Young University and, of course, the Family History Library where my wife and I volunteer as missionaries and the suspension of Sunday church meetings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. for all 16 million-plus members around the world. In addition, the Church's temples were also closed to all but certain approved activities. The impact on our family was dramatic and personal. Where possible, these activities (not including the temples) will be conducted online. In fact, the General Conference of the Church in April will be held entirely online with no one except the direct participants actually attending the meeting in person. See "Updates on How COVID-19 Is Impacting Saints Worldwide" for the entire list of closures and changes.

Another change involved one of my granddaughters who is leaving on a mission for the Church. Normally, she would spend a few weeks at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah but because of the virus, she will have all her training online and go directly to her mission. The changes the past two days or so also impacted all of my grandchildren who are students at the University because all of the classes are going to be taught online and the students are all being sent home. See https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng.

The complications kept us going for two days almost non-stop and then it started to snow. Well, an interesting week. I started this journal because of my interest in history. Today, one of the prominent historians of the Church, Ardis E. Parshall, published an article about the cancellation of the Church's General Conference back in October of 1957 because of the flu. My wife's sister died from complications due to the flu's impact on an unsuspected heart condition. You can read the article and the striking similarities to the current pandemic here: “It Will Be the Wise Thing to Do”: Behind the Cancellation of the October 1957 General Conference."

From my personal perspective, I have spent the last 16 years as a Church Service Missionary, first at the Mesa FamilySearch Library in Mesa, Arizona and then at the Brigham Young University, Family History Library in Provo, Utah with a year off to serve as a Church Service Missionary in Annapolis, Maryland digitizing records at the Maryland State Archives for FamilySearch.org. Not having an assignment at the Library is a major change for me. Like the rest of the world right now, I am practically holding my breath about the rest of the challenges that might occur if and when the virus gains a foothold in Utah. Both my wife and I have weathered the flu, Type B, so we know first-hand what killed off so many people this year and in the past, but the novel Coronavirus COVID-19 is a whole new challenge.

Of course, the organizational consequences of a pandemic are not as serious as the disease and deaths. We live in a community with a significant number of people over 60 who are in the risk category for the coronavirus. We hope to rally as a community to take care of those around us as much as possible and as consistent with good pandemic practices.