Thoughts from Quarantine

THIS IS NOT HOW WE WANTED TO SPEND OUR MISSION.

For most of us in today's world, the concept of a quarantine has been foreign to our experiences—it seemed somehow archaic and primitive, more fit for the Dark Ages or for Third World countries. Until recently. With the desperate efforts to control the spread of the pandemic coronavirus, the idea behind imposed isolation is that someone who is coming from an area or situation of greater risk might be a "carrier" of the deadly virus even though there are no visible symptoms; and so that person must be isolated until there is reasonable certainty that he is NOT infected.

In the case of the present coronavirus, studies I've read online show that the median time for the incubation period (time for symptoms to appear after exposure) is about 5 days; that 97.5% percent of people who develop symptoms will do so within 11.5 days of exposure, and more than 99% within 14 days. And so it has been determined that 14 days is a reasonable worst-case quarantine period. There are mixed opinions about whether it's possible for a person who is a "carrier" to transmit the virus before the symptoms appear; the cautious approach is to just wait out the incubation period in isolation.

So here we sit. Argentina itself was not an area of high risk, especially since we spent the last 7 days of our time there almost completely sequestered in our apartment due to their quarantine policy. However, international travel provides many additional chances for exposure. And so the Church, being very cautious and conscientious, has asked all returning missionaries, both youth and senior, to obey this 14-day self-isolation. We've survived the first 6 days.

It's a mixed blessing to be back in Utah. I love seeing my mountains and catching the tail-end of the winter season and the beginning of spring. However, to be this close to our grandchildren and to not be with them is a little agonizing! We would have loved to move in with one of our two children and their families, but that would have forced them into a quarantine status as well, and they still have lives to live. And if we do happen to be carriers, the thought of passing the disease to our most dear ones is unbearable. So we took the more cautious route and found an apartment, offered to us by our good friends Troy & Heidi Cox, only a few blocks away from our home. And we are making the best of our time while we wait. We continue to serve in our calling, and there is much work to do remotely in helping with humanitarian projects related to the crisis.

It's strange to ponder that even though we feel perfectly healthy, there might be lurking inside of us, swimming about in our blood or clinging to the tissue of our lungs, a microscopically tiny spec of non-living matter that has the ability to attack and disrupt our normal body functions and not only make us deathly ill, but also reproduce rapidly and then jump from us to everyone in our vicinity. Could that really be? Only time will tell. Meanwhile we are feeling ultra-paranoid about each cough or sniffle, each odd feeling of unusual internal pressure or discomfort.

Microbial invaders attack our body constantly. Various types of pathogens—bacteria and viruses—are regular invaders. The wonder and miracle of the human body includes a remarkable system of self-defense against these invaders. So most of the time, we aren't even aware that an attack occurred. The white blood cells, antibodies, lymphatic systems, and other mechanisms disable the invader before it turns into a serious threat. Apparently some people can be infected with a coronavirus but never exhibit symptoms; their body manages to control it quickly before the attack becomes uncomfortable, then overwhelming and disabling. That's an ideal scenario. Other times, the attack is relatively mild and controlled by the body's innate response. And sadly, for some people, the symptoms become severe enough that the response includes high fever (one of the body's attempts to fight the invasion) and then extreme difficulty breathing. That can become fatal, especially in the elderly and those with other underlying problems. We all hope never to go there.

And so in addition to quarantines for those who are possibly infected, people throughout the world are being encouraged to self-isolate—to minimize social contact, where spread of the infection could occur. Those guidelines gradually became more strict as the awareness of the contagious nature of the virus grew. Public events (sports, concerts, assemblies, even church meetings) were cancelled. Restaurants limited services to take-out or delivery. Grocery stores started limiting how many people could be admitted at a time to ensure there was proper "social distancing" between individuals. Any public group gatherings were banned. It's been a dramatic and shocking time. On Sunday March 29, we joined in a worldwide day of fasting and prayer for relief and speedy resolution. We need to all do our parts to help that prayer be answered.

Though I'm disappointed, frustrated, and annoyed by this inconvenience, a thought came to me earlier today. In a time of imposed isolation, Joseph Smith was once reminded, "Thou art not yet as Job..." (D&C 121:10). I could remind myself, "Thou art not yet as Joseph." Things could be much, much worse in our little quarantined world.

It's going to be interesting, once we are truly past this crisis, to see how people have changed, how life has changed, how the world has changed. We hope and pray there will be positive change. With any challenge in life, we should always seek to learn and grow. We are trying to do that now.