Written by Sluice Report Editor Rick Baker

Covid-19 has changed many aspects of daliy life here in The United States and around the world. The Coronavirus outbreak, and the quarantines that have come with it, have caused millions of Americans (7 Million in California alone) to be stuck in their homes. Many folks are coming up with creative ways to spend the time they would usually be at work or at the bar hanging out with their friends. I have read about community scrabble games happening. Some neighborhoods have started scavenger hunts while people are on their solo walks for exercise. In Italy neighbors have been filmed singing together from their windows.

Others are using this time to prepare for a longer lockdown in the event this outbreak does last 12-18 months, as some studies have suggested recently, by learning how to perserve food. According to recent reports gun sales have skyrocketed from people feeling like may need to defend themselves or their supplies if society does not get back to normal soon. People are finding new ways to make meals out of different ingredience since store shelves are empty.

Some celebrities and artists are even making “How to” videos for their fans to watch while at home to help pass the time. The Rock band Dropkick Murphys held a live stream concert on St. Patrick’s Day for fans around the world to watch together. The streaming company Netflix recently announced they have launched “Netflix Watch Party” Which allows users to watch movies and show with their friends and family from anywhere at the same time.

With people stuck in lockdown there is a real concern among some doctors (See Dr Oz’s thoughts HERE) about the effects it may have on people’s mental health. Or read this study published in The Lancet titled “The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it” HERE. It found that being under quarantine can be linked with increased anger and/or confusion and can even lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.

The American liquor company Kavana Rum wants to fight boredom and help people feel less isolated so they are going to be live streaming a country “Festival” type concert on Facebook Live this Saturday, March 21st, with many different artists for free so people can enjoy a concert with their friends while quaratined. I asked the CEO of Kavana Rum, Josh Tolley, why he felt the need to have this event “I feel that whenever you can offer a little hope and little escape from a dark situation it shines light into that darkness” was his response.

We could all use a little more light in this dark situation.

You can find Kavana Rum’s Facebook HERE for the Facebook live concert this Saturday March 21st starting at 5:50pm Central time (6:50 pm Eastern/ 3:50pm pacific)