Now I think they've got their attention

When it comes to "social distancing" - our new world order as we all adjust to life amid the coronavirus pandemic - I am something of an expert.

Just ask my wife. She says I've been practicing it for years.

The depth of how COVID-19 is changing our lives finally struck me on the ride home last night.

What a difference a couple of days makes.

I could not help feeling over the weekend that most people were simply ignoring the suggestions to avoid social gatherings.

Yes, the schools were closed. Then we got hit with the suggestion that all "non-essential" businesses be shut down, including bars and restaurants.

But I got a quick grasp on how business was going to react to that when I received several emails first thing Saturday from small business folks who indicated they had no intention of shutting down.

On Saturday, Gov. Tom Wolf upped the ante by informing the state he would be shutting down the state stores, which of course set off a run on the state's official booze retailers.

But for the most part, bars and restaurants went about their business over the weekend.

That changed yesterday, when Wolf put some teeth into his order, in effect shutting down much of the state. That "suggestion" that bars and restaurants close was now no longer a request, but an order. No sit-down service. Only take-out and delivery.

On the drive home last night it hit me as I drove past one restaurant and bar after another, where parking lots routinely are packed, which last night were empty.

I wonder if any restaurants or bars will defy the statewide edict, and what penalty might be leveled on them if they do.

Even President Trump seems to have finally come to grips with what we are facing.

Yesterday he took on a decidedly more somber tone in addressing the outbreak and issued new guidelines to be in effect for the next 15 days.

He urged all older Americans to stay hoem and everyone to avoid crowds and eating out at restaurants.

He also acknowledged - for the first time - the toll the coronavirus outbreak is going to have on the economy, noting it may linger into the summer and could put the nation into a recession.

Here's what else the federal government wants us to do, or perhaps easier said not do:

* Do not gather in groups of more than 10.

* Schooling should be done at home.

* Discretionary travel and social visits should be voided.

* If anyone in a household tests positive for the virus, everyone who lives there should stay home.

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