The Chinese virus across the streets of America

In every town and state in the nation, the virus is affecting the way Americans live. We’ve asked people from coast to coast to tell us about their communities in regards to three questions: What does it look like on your streets? How are your grocery stores holding up? Are people out for themselves or are they pulling together. Here are their answers. Anonymity is preserved when it was requested.

A nurse in Raleigh-Durham, N.C.: “Roads okay, but light traffic. Hardly anybody in the grocery. People being pretty cool. I don’t know how long this is going to last.”

Diane Rose in South Florida: “People are hoarding groceries and not paying attention to isolation orders or staying inside. Still a lot of people on the roads.”

Professor Tim Blessing in Berks County, PA: “Streets pretty much empty. Groceries are empty. My sense is that people are isolating. People are being very careful.”

Writer Elizabeth Fortunato in suburban NYC: “Panicked calm. Most people are being extremely reasonable. But if you’re in a supermarket people are looking at your cart. They’re judging.”

U.S. Army veteran in suburban D.C.: “A ghost town. All downtown closed. Streets empty. People staying inside and acting decently. Opinions of the president are going up.”

Kim Kilbourne in Columbus, Ohio: “Grocery stores are starting to catch up. Roads are less traveled. Lots of U.S. flags are out.”

Lois Dietrich, 35 miles east of Austin, TX: “Not much on roads. Most places are not busy. Grocery store shelves are empty.”

Bob Wert in Southeast PA: “Fewer cars on the road than normal. Groceries by no means packed. No planes in the sky. People are supportive of one another.”

Author and former CIA officer Shelly Mateer in South California: “People are driving less than usual. Groceries are having a hard time keeping items on the shelves. People from other towns are coming here to shop in bulk, leaving much less for locals. Most are pulling together.”

Tara Ragone-Dougherty in St. Augustine, Florida: “People still out on the roads. Lowe’s parking lot was mobbed so much you’d think this was Christmas time. Stores are struggling to keep things on the shelves. People here are super supportive.”