You can’t escape it even when it’s not the topic. I’m reading a piece from NBC on how the virus is affecting Seattle, and then thud.

Down a normally crowded hallway, Market Magic & Novelty Shop also remained quiet. A family bought a small keepsake and then walked out. No one came in after.

“We’re rethinking our business model, that’s for sure,” owner Sheila Lyon said. “People are scared. They don’t want to be in public spaces.”

…

Lyon and her husband make up a little money on the weekends, but every day seems to bring fewer and fewer customers. As a result, Lyon, who has owned her business for 47 years, is turning to social media to entice customers. But even that comes with a caveat, she said.

“Our wholesaler gets his supplies from China,” she said. “He told me he only has six months’ worth of products left.”

Kind of an odd example to choose – someone who sells imported tat to people trawling for tatty souvenirs. Pike Place Market also has crafts shops and of course food, so why single out a “novelty” shop? Maybe because it gets its tat from China. Still makes an odd example for a story on how a disease outbreak is affecting shoppers and sellers.

But that’s not what I was getting at. What I was getting at is…

Lyon is worried about how the emergency declaration will affect her bottom line. King County has already canceled big events scheduled for this week, such as the Womxn’s Day Speaker Series and the Cultural Crossroads Festival.

Oh for fuck’s SAKE – not again. I didn’t know there was such a series, and I would have been fine not knowing.