When COVID 19 first began to take hold globally, my wife and I were in Indonesia where our 10 year-old twins were attending an international school. I had recently retired as Santa Barbara County fire chief, and the plan was to stay there for six months and then return home to Santa Barbara. In mid-March, it became clear that the crisis was going to be a worldwide problem. We became concerned that third-world language barriers and different approaches to health care could put our family at greater risk, so we packed up and came home.
As a former first responder, I tend to plan for the worst-case scenario. Precautions were taken. Grocery trips were handled like a hazmat incident, and everything that came into the house was treated with a bleach solution. Hand sanitizer was liberally applied after and during every trip outside. The CDC had not yet made clear their recommendations on wearing masks, but after having just been in Singapore where literally everyone wore them, we did too.
In mid May, the governor relaxed some of the restrictions, and we followed suit. We went on a couple of socially distanced hikes with friends, went to the beach, and allowed a few socially distanced playdates for the kids.