I hope everyone reading this is safe and healthy. Hopefully, when you read this we are all back to work and normal social distances. In Miami, Florida, we are accustomed to random school and clinic closures. Every year Barry University closes in preparation for or the aftermath of a hurricane. We have had several major hurricane events with severe building damage and power outages from days to months. These powerful physical traumatic episodes are somewhat forecasted and certainly finite. It is like holding your breathe for 5 days and watching the cone of destruction. The end is always followed with beautiful clear weather (Fig. ) and everyone comes together to clean up.
Fig.
“Red sky at night, sailors delight.” A beautiful sunset following a hurricane, Miami, Florida, USA.
I'm sure we all feel how much different this is. After the state closed businesses, schools and clinics, we implemented stay at home. We then had 3 weeks of perfect weather. There was no debris no clean up, no scramble for water and no streets blocked with fallen trees. Barry University Division of Information Technology immediately enhanced the on-line learning and testing experience and we successfully finished the semester remotely. We graduated our Class of 2020 remotely. Summer classes will be remote learning. We are still under a stay at home order. The clinics are only open one-half day a week for postoperative patients and emergencies. The Mercy Hospital residents have remained very active. Although most rotations have been postponed, the emergency room and nonelective surgeries have been steady. It has been a good learning experience for all of us. We are facing new unexpected challenges and it is bringing people together in small chat groups for solutions. Overall this is a mental challenge with no fallen trees but also no predictable end.