See you again soon, Ethiopia?

How long before I can see scenes like this again?

Tomorrow we leave on Authorized Departure for the United States (Arlington, Virginia to be exact). At this point there's no telling how long we'll be in the U.S., or when we'll be able to return to our residence in Addis Ababa አዲስ አበባ. The hopeful answer is "not too long", but that's only hope being expressed. The reality is that we could be stuck in the States for a long time. Considering that the U.S. has over 265,000 cases of the COVID-19 virus compared to Ethiopia's officially minuscule 35, one might ask if we're putting ourselves in greater danger by moving ourselves to the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia). A fair question, especially when taking into account that we'll be under a statewide "stay at home" edict once we reach our temporary accommodations, meaning we'll only be allowed outside for essential shopping trips, plus forays for "brief exercise and fresh air", provided we maintain social distancing. Currently, we have a lot fewer restrictions here in Addis.

Nighttime at the Sheraton Addis

Well, as this article points out, there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding the actual spread of "Wuhan pneumonia" (as it's called in Taiwan!) in Ethiopia, and over the government's ability to handle a massive outbreak. I certainly wouldn't want to find myself trapped here if it ever reached the point where the authorities declared a state of emergency. Authorized Departure (which is voluntary) is preferable to Ordered Departure (which is mandatory) as it allows us to leave at a time of our choosing (at least after taking into account the reduction in commercial flights going in and out of Bole International Airport), and to arrange for somewhere suitable to stay. Hopefully, those colleagues of mine who are remaining here to continue vital work won't find themselves in such a situation.

Filwiha Mosque. The Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council has asked all mosques to close down. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church has announced similar measures

So for the foreseeable future I'll be teleworking from an apartment in the Washington, D.C. suburbs while my daughter continues her online education at wherever "home" is at the moment (her school shut its doors in the middle of March). We'll follow all the guidelines, try not to murder each other in the process and wait to see how things play out. With any luck, it'll be sooner rather than later when we can reunite with all our worldly possessions staying behind in Addis Ababa.

Hopefully...