Yesterday I had my first COVID-19 test in a small clinic on 42nd street (negative). Outside in the street there were two lines, one for COVID-19 tests, the other for all other cases. The COVID-19 line was already rather long at 8:45 a.m. and just got longer, also because people in the other line appeared to have priority.
But after two hours a kind nurse measured my blood pressure, asked me if I was nervous (‘The waiting made me nervous,’ I said) and then she pressed a swab deep into my nostrils, not the most pleasant experience, but life is not meant to be pleasant all the time.
‘Call us in 45 minutes,’ she said.
Outside, the people in the long COVID line remained rather civilized, maybe even a bit meek. But meekness and civilization go well together.