Dear Diary,
It's been 1000 days since the first outbreak in our country. One thousand days of social distancing.
First, they told us it was nothing to worry about, then they said to stop gathering. Once they knew the extent of the impact, they told us we needed to stay 6 feet away from each other at all times.
We did as we were told and then we were instructed to stay in our homes no matter what. I lived alone, with no family so this wasn't much of a transition for me at the time.
They ordered businesses to close and then they instructed the people to stay in their houses. At first for a few weeks, then for months.
They said to stop the spread of "virus".
The truth was never revealed to us.
Staying in our homes did shield the devastation of the deaths in our communities. We heard about the famous people dying first. One by one they would show up in our new feeds. This singer died, and then this actor, soon it was senators, congressmen and local new casters.
Being on the front line, I could see the sick and dying, and once in a while I could send a few patients home, cured.
I never understood why they allowed us to stay alive all this time.
They called us essential employees. We were on the front lines, fighting the fight, and killing ourselves to save as many people as we could.
It was months before we realized this wasn't a virus at all.
It was the food, we eat, it was the cleaning products we used, and the cigarettes we smoked.
They used any, and every way they could poison us. They would encourage stocking up in the news, washing our hands to keep the germs away. The public went mad, buying all they could; wiping the shelves of useful everyday things.
Clearing the way for the new world.
We still don't know who "they" are either.
When we lost half the population to the "virus" we as a country fell apart.
Like predicted by an old movie, our country was turned into districts instead of states. The land itself yielded a death or two.
But in the end the country was divided evenly to consist of 25 major Districts.
I live in District 5, the one known as New York.
We were the first to combat the virus, and the 5th highest in the death toll. Our district being surpassed only by California, Texas, New Jersey, and Florida, which is now known as District One.
There has been little travel between the states since the state lines closed, we can only rely on the news coming through our news feed day and night.
All we do is work.
We are assigned our duties, but I am still wondering who we are saving and why.
At this point I am just glad to be alive.
I do as I'm told. I don't ask questions. I go to work, I go home.
What's left of the army are still patrolling the streets. There is no room for error.
There is no talking; we don't dare give our opinions. We walk in silence; with our head down.
I never make eye contact with the officers when I pass by.
My co-workers keep quiet as well. We all see what's going on, but we can't talk about it. The cameras are everywhere. They watch our every move. They hear us.
And we have witnessed what happens if you talk negatively about the "circumstances".
We are fined if we do not keep six feet apart from each other, even still after all this time. The good news is that we are seeing fewer cases theses past few months.
The hospital corridors fell silent recently and we have had time to think. Maybe that's a bad thing.
After a thousand days of fatigue and confusion, who knows what is what and who is who anymore?
We never know what the next day holds.
They plan on giving us a break soon. Although they have been saying this continuously the entire two and half years of this quarantine.
They will be using robotic machines to do most of our jobs. They call them Sims, after the computer game we used to play.
We will still be essential because we will need to control the Sim while it is in the real world.
This way we are sure not to get sick.
It still amazes me that they continue to go to extreme measures to keep us alive. The entire district is mostly dead. What makes us so special?
Most of the buildings around town were destroyed and replaced with high-tech hospitals. I live in the west wing of the East Coast Memorial Hospital.
My employer felt it safer for me to leave my apartment and live here once the new housing wing was built. I've been here less than a week and I'm still trying to adjust to the new norm.
I'll know more next week when we get our review. Rumor has it that we may be asked to test the first batch of Sims. I am a bit nervous. I will need to stay in my home attached to my computer while my Sim roams the world and goes to work for me.
Being from District Five does have it's advantages I guess. I'll let you know how it goes.
Signed. Dr. Emilia Strongsim