Local (and not-so-local) COVID-19 updates

As of 4PM this afternoon, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is reporting eighty-eight more deaths from COVID-19 (for a total of 844 to date), 1,392 new cases (for a total of 26,867) and 5,319 more persons tested (for a total of 122,049). The state also notes that they've changed the closing time for the daily reports:

Today’s case total reflects a change in data closeout time (from 12:30PM daily to 10AM daily). Data reported out after today will reflect all data reported between 10AM and 10AM the following day.

As of 8:45PM this evening, the town of Acton is reporting a total of 39 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in town (up from 35 yesterday).

I've been ignoring President Trump's "Coronavirus Task Force Briefings" for the last few weeks, as they've been focused mostly on Trump's toadies telling him how much they admire and appreciate his "leadership" (scare quotes mine). Apparently, today's iteration was hold-my-beer-and-watch-this bizarre, even by the standards of the previous few weeks. According to the Boston Globe:
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Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

Meanwhile, Governor Baker has joined a new informal council of northeastern state governors who will work together to try and figure out when and how to return to something more or less normal. Again, from the Globe:
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It was truly weird to drive through the Concord Rotary at 5:45 this afternoon ... and have there be no traffic whatsoever. But that's the way it is, right now.

Old news of a personal note

Today is the thirty-first anniversary of my completing my enlistment in the United States Navy.

I still think that joining the service was the right thing to do at the time. Certainly, leaving the service was the right thing to do at that time.