Re: Anniversary BBQ – Postponed

Sunday 11:30 am

“Hi Everyone,

Hope you have had a splendid self-isolated weekend full of Netflix and chill! Ha-ha

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but in light of recent events, Jasper and I have decided to indefinitely postpone our anniversary BBQ. I know you were all looking forward to the super fun time we were going to have(!), but we think it’s best to stick to the rules and maintain the social distance. Jasper’s grandma is in her 90s and my Dad has a history of respiratory diseases; we don’t think exposing them to a large crowd is wise. They’re already resisting the order to stay inside, so we don’t want to tempt them! We Hope you understand.

If things start to look up again this summer, we’ll definitely re-schedule!

Best,

Penelope and Jasper

”

11:37 am

“Such a bummer! Tim and I were looking forward to your party, but totally understandable. Hope Jasper’s grandma and your Dad are staying safe and healthy! And happy anniversary you two! See you…soon?

Hugs,

Miriam and Tim”

12:23 pm

“Damn, Penny. I didn’t think you were hosting that many people for it to be dangerous! But I guess you never know, especially with Jasper’s grandma. You still owe us a BBQ, you cheap f*cks! JK.

Kyle and Lin”

1:08 pm

“Hey you guys, yeah we figured this was coming! Riley and I are thinking of postponing our wedding, too ☹. It’s been very stressful this past couple of weeks. No one really knows how long this is going to go on. Our venue told us if we rebooked at a later date, they won’t charge us any extra fees, but we’d still have to rebook all of our other vendors. It’s tough times! Anyways, we wish you a wonderful anniversary! You guys are so lucky you got married last year! Hope everyone is washing their hands and staying safe!

Love,

Tiffany and Riley”

1:13 pm

“Can’t believe you guys are buying into this crap! You do realize the mortality rate is only 2%, right? Plus, only 30 people have been diagnosed with it in the city. The odds of any of us contracting this disease is very miniscule. Don’t know about you, but I personally don’t want to live in fear. Can’t let something like this stop you from living your life.

Jay”

1:20 pm

“Of course, leave it to Jay to think he knows better than everybody else! It’s not about living in fear, it’s about doing your part for the good of everyone. Some people are more vulnerable to this virus and we must do everything we can to protect these people. This virus has mutated once, it could mutate again and become more fatal. Don’t be a dimwit, Jay.

Ayla”

1:33 pm

“Jay sounds like patient 31.

Kyle”

1:34 pm

“I hear people think this virus has the potential to mutate and become as deadly as the plague. I personally have been self-isolating for a week now.

Jenny”

1:36 pm

“That’s pretty funny coming from you, Ayla. At least I had more wit than you, travelling to Vietnam in the midst of the outbreak. And let’s be clear, I am not saying go around and spread it when you KNOW you have it (like patient 31), all I’m saying is that there is no need for fearmongering. As I said before, the odds of anyone living in a city of a million contracting a disease that only 30 people have is MINISCULE. Educate yourselves.

Jay”

1:43 pm

“I didn’t travel to Vietnam in the “midst” of the outbreak. I was there in January (a trip that was planned 8 months in advance), when the world had no idea what 2020 had in store for it.

The risk of this disease (suspected 2% mortality rate) is enough to warrant social distancing even if only a handful of people are carriers.

Ayla”

1:53 pm

“Hey Dear, thanks for letting us know! Your uncle and I think it’s for the best, too. Better safe than sorry! Hope to see you lovebirds, soon. Stay safe and happy anniversary!

Love,

Aunt Bee and Uncle Winnie”

1:57 pm

“The society is just overreacting as usual. You have no more chance of getting this disease than you do catching the flu. And it is just that, THE FLU! The government is asking people to self-isolate and limit unnecessary travel. What do they expect? That people will just stop going places? That they start living their lives like prisoners? How long is this gonna go on for? The vaccine isn’t gonna be ready till next year. It’s not realistic to think that people can survive this long “working from home” (that is if they have the luxury of doing so). This is all BS. They just want to perpetuate fear so certain few corporations like Saudi oil, big Pharma and grocery stores can reap the benefits.

Jay”

2:10 pm

“I personally think we should let nature take its course! We’ve already seen a whole lot of environmental benefits. Did you guys see the videos of the dolphins swimming near Venice? It’s surreal. Every few hundred years nature figures out a way to deal with its “parasites”, aka homo sapiens. The plague, the Spanish flu, now this. It’s a natural phenomenon. Maybe it’s time for us (as an invading species) to come to terms with the fact that we’re not above nature. Sooner or later we will succumb to its power.

Matin”

Sunday 2:14 pm

“Wow. Just wow. So, you absolute dipsh*ts are saying that we should let the old and the weak DIE? Madi has just finished her chemotherapy and is very immunocompromised. A**holes like you who don’t take these warnings seriously are risking her LIFE. Do you two have any humanity left or is it all just weed and conspiracy theories up there?

Paresh”

2:23 pm

“Sh*t man. I didn’t realize she was going thru chemo. Hope she’s feeling better! She’s a strong lady. Just to be clear though, I’m not advocating for anyone to go out there and spread the disease. All I’m saying is that maybe this is out of our control. If nature wants to do its thing, we can’t stop it. We just gotta live our lives fully and stay focused on the positives, stuff like the reduced pollution and the big bad corporates going bankrupt. Stay safe!

Matin”

2:27 pm

“Just as a note to Jay, government is actually providing a lot of relief for people who have lost their jobs and can’t afford their bills right now. We must trust the system, or else… we will just add to the chaos.

By the way, happy anniversary Penny and Jasper! Hope to get together after things calm down a bit!

Mike”

2:34 pm

“I am 6 months pregnant and have been stressing about what it’s going to be like closer to my due date. Will I be able to go to the hospital or do I have to do a home birth? Will my baby receive the care she needs? Please understand that this is bigger than you. By disregarding the orders to socially distance yourselves, you will allow the disease to travel from person to person a lot faster. This will inadvertently crowd the hospitals which will put anybody who visits them or works there at a mortal danger. I don’t want my infant baby near any germs she is not vaccinated for. This is very serious, and we should be taking it seriously. We have to work together to curb the dangers of this pandemic, even one person can put a lot of people in danger. Be responsible, please.

Penny and Jasper, I am glad you are cancelling the BBQ. It’s the right thing to do. I wish you guys a very happy anniversary and hope to see you soon after this madness is over!

Sammy”

2:40 pm

“This is not about nature taking its course or fearmongering. This is about not being selfish and acting together to stop a pandemic that has debilitated modern society. Everything you hear is all based on data TO DATE. Things like the fatality rate, the demographic most vulnerable to it, etc. could change as we learn more about this virus. The most humane course of action is to stay alert and prepare for the worse case scenario. If we don’t practice social distancing and “flatten the curve”, we will not only put the most vulnerable in danger, but we will contribute to even more deaths. Deaths that are completely preventable. At this rate, we don’t have enough beds available for the number of people who are going to get sick. Look at Italy. Hospitals ran out of room and people are dying AT HOME, just because they don’t have access to ventilators. We need to give our medical community a chance to do its job.

This is the one situation that once it’s over, we’ll be happiest if we have overreacted. The price of underreacting is ending society as we know it.

Also, happy anniversary Penny and Jasper! Wish you the best.

Phil”

Sunday 3:33 pm

“Hey everyone, sorry for the late response. I was out looking for soap and milk. All grocery stores are out. What is going on?! I don’t understand this hoarding mentality at all.

I am going to be lazy and address everyone in one go… Thanks for all the kind anniversary wishes! We truly did want to spend this day with you, but maybe (if everyone follows the self-isolating instructions) next year! We just want to do the responsible thing and take ourselves out of the equation.

In the future, I will BCC everyone. Have a good week!

Best,

Penelope and Jasper”