... so .. here is the e-mail from jarvi raudsepp...

Hey! It is April 3, 2020, and I am coming to you from a quarantine room at a South Korean hospital. I like to think of myself as a positive person, and guess what! A Covid-19 test likes to think so, too. 

Thankfully, my only truly noticeable symptom has been loss of smell for 9 days now - and today it actually started to slightly come back. So I cannot stress enough how fortunate I am. My heart goes out to everyone who's actually suffering from this, and to the healthcare workers who are taking care of them. 

So, here is some relevant background information that I've learned on the ground over here.

So, South Korea is equipped to control the virus extremely efficiently. Getting tested is very easily accessible, which is amazing. The only reason I'm here is because I was able to get tested at the drop of a hat - otherwise, even with self isolation and social distancing measures, I could potentially still be infecting others unknowingly if I go out briefly. 

Advanced safety and tracing measures here make it possible for Seoul, a city of nearly ten million, to keep functioning, albeit on a smaller scale, without continuing to spike in virus cases. And if there is a reported case, the related environments shut down for at least two weeks. 

So: as soon as I got tested, I went into isolation. Received the positive result the next day, thus spearheading the immediate two week closure of Phantom. Self isolation and covid tests for the whole company occurred immediately. And - only ONE other person contracted it. And he was completely asymptomatic. 

It was surreal for me to be the name at the front of this covid closure announcement, but: had I not gone for a test for a minimal symptom, we would not have found out about the second positive case. So. Much. potential spreading has been prevented! 

All this to say, while it may seem worrisome that after I flew here, I contracted this, at least, I know I have it. And, I am in one of the most capable countries for dealing with it. Even with a much bigger population than other cities with similar amounts of cases (which, for a country as populous as South Korea, would be, comparatively and relatively, a much smaller number of cases) they are able to nip it in the bud whenever possible, and help prevent a continuous mass spread. It's not perfect, but it's highly functional. 

I am thinking of you all with love, all the way at home self isolating and being safe...I know this is all daunting, uncertain, overwhelming. But my takeaway from the experience I'm having is, this can be spread so easily between people who don't even know they have it. So self isolate with confidence and the knowledge that you really are making a big difference, so that life can go back to normal as soon as possible.