I can’t help but share this nugget I found searching the web for images of a one-person protest at the most popular park in the area. By her sign she held up asking people driving by to honk if they supported her, she believed the virus was a hoax, and was handing out flyers to anyone who would come close enough to take one.
Or so I surmise. She was yelling maskless and holding out a sheaf of photocopies with the same slogan as the piece of bristol board she was holding up. I didn’t hear what she was saying as I steered far enough clear of her to meet social distancing guidelines. Who am I to defy governor’s orders?
Anyway, searching this morning for whether anyone who was parked in the street yelling back at her had shared a photograph or perhaps had some details of the hubbub, I found this on the Seattle Times:
By Wednesday, the county’s hotline worked better, saying “if you have questions about coronavirus, press 3.” The county has also now set up a dedicated coronavirus call center (206-477-3977 — this number worked when I called it Thursday.) Eventually, Jackson reached a human. The person listened to her case and said it had been “red-flagged” for attention, and that somebody would be calling her back.
But they didn’t.
“I don’t think I’m ever going to know if I have coronavirus or not,” Jackson said around midday Thursday.
Customer service for COVID-19 information probably needs an expert implementation and an obsequious staff for follow ups.
This is as reported over a month ago. And heavens, I don’t mean to make light of the dedicated staff who are doing their best to help. To quote an emergency medicine staffer I read in the New York Times recently, most people aren’t prepared for or don’t have any experience working through emergency situations. Believe it or not, there are such people that know how to deal with an IVR emergency! It’s just a hard thing to prioritize at any time, let alone during a crisis.