In Germany, near Frankfurt/Main, situation is similar. People are hoarding toilet paper, flour and yeast. Why? Nobody knows. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Streets are pretty empty, most shops are closed, as are restaurants. But you can order and get your food or books delivered. I have CLL, so I am in the risk group and work from home since last wednesday, and that ist pretty great. We didn’t change our buying habits, either. Hopefully the shutdown will flatten the curve, soon - without damaging the economy too much. 

I live north of Seattle, in the Everett area, where the first case was discovered. Pretty much everything fun has been shut down. But we have a nice home, and we've been retired for a couple of years, so we are used to puttering around and finding things to do around the house. I've been doing minor cleaning to my typewriters, and typing random notes about the state of the world. 

Very new here but thought I'd share my experience anyway.

I'm an artist and poet in Portland, Oregon and due to our proximity to Seattle/confirmed cases in Oregon things have changed pretty dramatically. It does feel bleak and can sometimes be overwhelming -- especially for someone with chronic health problems such as myself who are high risk. 

Most store are shut down / reduced to limited hours with limited number of people allowed in the building at a time to encourage both people to stay home and to allow for proper distancing when you have to go out (think grocery stores, banks, etc). Myself and most of my friends/family have been either laid off or zero-houred at their jobs with the exception of my partner who works at a grocery store deemed a necessary service and is currently getting a small bonus on his paychecks but not enough to really make up for me losing my income (baker at a pastry shop/cafe and since I was hired not too long ago I was the first to be let go)

As for the supermarket hoarding that has definitely been an issue here. I recommend looking for asian grocers in your area who likely are not sold out (thanks racism) and where we have been buying our groceries from. Things that will be sold out regardless where you shop here: rice, beans, toilet paper, cleaning products, hand sanitizer, and wipes.

I've been using my time to focus on home projects (like my typewriter) and trying to soothe myself and others through my work, both writing and art. I started a small poetry by mail project called The Poesy Post when friends/internet folks can send me their address and I post them a letter of a couple poems and ephemera like stickers or cool vintage papers. I think it's most important at this time to nourish our communities as much as we can. I've also been baking at home more and offering to bake things for people and deliver them to their house (drop off on porch or similar no-contact) to again support my community as much as I can.

Portland is also thankfully very active when it comes to community organizing so its been easy to connect and engage with people and help each other out while still being safe/reducing spread/flattening the curve. Wherever y'all live I would recommend reaching out and finding the helpers and see how you can contribute to the health of your communities even when staying inside. Chances are there are people who need the things you're good at!

But on the flipside, I have also seen a very real and sad effect of living under such a suffocating stage of late-capitalism which is feeling "not productive enough" during isolation that I wish more people would cut themselves some slack on. Perhaps it's due to being primarily in creative circles, but a lot of my associates feel this massive pressure that now that they 'have the time' they should be finishing their novels, painting a series, making a film, whatever have you and while yes it's great if you can utilize the time to engage with your passions, people need to be kind to themselves and realize this is a literal world crises and everything has been upended. You're allowed to be upset, and you're allowed to grieve. I've witnessed some early signs of self-induced burnout in friends simply because they feel like this is precious time that they are wasting if they do not use every second of it! But rest/down time is so important as well (especially for your health!)

I will also say the whole situation has made me angry. Angry that services and accommodations myself and others have needed and were told were not possible/reasonable are now handed out left and right. Angry that our government was not better prepared nor has adequately responded. That so many people in fact profited from the wake of destruction and will continue to profit from the eugenic decisions enacted on the poor and disabled who come in contact while those in power can receive testing and care at the drop of a hat. 

But as I try to stay grounded, to focus on being one of those helpers, on working towards mending, I am thankful for the shift in perception that is happening. The loud voices of political nationalists who are realizing their beloved country was never as great as they thought. That their bigotry will not protect them from a virus. That they too can and will be affected by this crisis. I am hopeful that when we as a nation and even greater as a world come through this, we can be stronger together. I have to believe that things will get better. And I will continue to make them better as long as I'm here.

Not to mention the huge prayer meetings being held around the world to scare the virus away. It certainly is tempting to invoke Darwin here, as well as Gaia. I cannot accept any concept of intention here, but there is the concept of a body fighting off an invasion, congestion, and a natural tendency to right an unbalanced condition. When you consider that a condition of the rapid spread of this is unavoidable proximity and easy travel....