Kickstart: This blog has not (yet) been canceled

Look, I know. Each day lately seems like it's just a list of things that are no longer taking place. Or have been postponed.

Think of spring. NBA games? On hold. Major League Baseball? All spring training suspended and the start of the season is being pushed back.

The Boston Marathon? Moved to September.

March Madness? Nope.

Your kid's middle school basketball games? Time out.

In fact, between the time you hit "read" on this email and the time you finish it, I'm pretty sure another couple of events will be canceled.

Our sister publication Automotive News has been forced to postpone its annual World Congress. The Society of Plastics Engineers' Antec conference is still on schedule for San Antonio March 29-April 3 with some top speakers on the schedule, including Dow Inc. CEO Jim Fitterling. But there are a lot of days between now and then. Just prepare to be flexible. And stay healthy. And know you're not alone.

And if you find yourself working at home like Senior Reporter Bill Bregar, learn to adapt, even if that means hitting up a different fast-food joint. And getting moral support from your dogs.

You've heard all about Purell and how hard it is to find bottles of the hand sanitizer on store shelves.

Forbes has a story on the creation of Purell in 1946 by Akron, Ohio-based GoJo and its growth to becoming a staple of American households in the 1990s.

As the story notes, its success was as much about packaging as it was about performance.

"John Nottingham, whose firm Nottingham Spirk helped Gojo develop Purell's branding, logo and packaging, says before Purell successfully entered the consumer market in 1997, it was just another commercial hand cleaning product. But in the late 1990s, after Nottingham Spirk suggested that Gojo package its sanitizer in a clear plastic bottle and add bubbles to the formula, which gave it an 'appealing, fresh and clean aesthetic,' Purell started to catch on. 'Purell was a game changer and it changed consumer behavior,' says Nottingham. 'It became a mainstream product.'"

We've had a few stories on Plastics News about materials companies donating supplies to medical facilities in areas hard hit by COVID-19.

Covestro AG just found a way to add 3D printing to those donations.

On Twitter, the German materials company noted that medical workers who have been working since the end of December in China to battle the coronavirus outbreak have been complaining that their ears get sore from the elastic strap.

So Covestro developed a 3D printed, reusable strap that can hold the mask in place.

The first batch was donated to hospitals in Xiaogan and Shanghai, Covestro said.