Dear fanfic friends,

As some of you may know, I'm an Australian, and the coronavirus outbreak is just starting to reach our country, with a few hundred cases confirmed (about 68 cases in my state). Our government is recommending strong social restrictions; sporting and cultural events are being cancelled, the university my husband works at has shut down all classes, gatherings of over 500 are advised against, and international visitors are required to self-isolate for 14 days or face jail time (some countries are just plain banned). It's early days with few cases, which is the critical turning point at which with strong measures our country can stop a handful of cases turning into a flood.

I'm pretty scared. I have both a respiratory and a heart condition (risk factors for poor outcomes), and everyone else in my immediate family isn't 100% healthy either, so we're bunkering down. My husband is working from home (thank goodness he's allowed), I've pulled my kids out of school, I've stockpiled some groceries, and we've cancelled all social outings and gatherings.

This all comes at a very stressful time for me, as my mother just passed away. :( I returned from her wake (interstate) to find the country going from, "Oh, those poor Chinese and Italians!" into full-on panic mode.

None of my family has significant signs of illness at this point, but every tiny sniffle has us freaking out. Hopefully thus far we're all well, and will stay that way.

Should the worst come to worst, my husband or daughter have my permission to post my unfinished and unpublished fics.

I will check in here on a weekly basis to say, "Hi! Still alive."

For now, all is as well as can be expected. I have paperwork and belongings to go through as I wrap up my mother's estate, a will to update (just in case), and then I'll be trying to distress by working on my fics.

Stay safe out there, everyone. If you can,

Love,
BrilliantLady

#covid19walkout