Plague Diary 2 - Graduation

This morning, the train I usually take had about half the number of commuters as a usual work day. People are staying home in my corner of Chiba Prefecture. 

The senior high school had the graduation ceremony today. Before the event was scheduled to start, there was a brief address about precautions we are taking, and apologies for the disruption. We’re doing what the national government is asking us to do. 

It was really sad to see nearly all the graduates masked up. They’ve grown up so much in the six years I’ve known them, and they were hard to recognize with swaddled like that. Many of the boys have grown into strapping young men, their voices different, so I had to rely on the roll call to identify them. 

Yesterday, I said I’d be home for the duration, but I will attend for the remainder of the week at least. Our staff is expected to attend on a short schedule. In order to stay up to date on any changes, I’ll attend the morning meetings. 

Everything is up in the air. The staff room banter tends to be filled with black humor. That’s how people are dealing with the unease and lack of trust in government decisions.