COVID impacts

[Polyacrylate]

My wife will be driving me by car and parking in a disabled car parking space. My contact with others will be minimal.

We have already discussed with the oncology specialist the balance of risks of attending versus delay. Her view is that if we delay the risks of the cancer recurring sooner are high and also the spread of Covid-19 may increase if we delay, thus making the treatment riskier for me to attend. If it is done now it should be completed before Covid-19 is eveywhere.

That strikes me as a reasonable plan. Stay safe, Ogg.

 

[ChloeTzang]

My wife will be driving me by car and parking in a disabled car parking space. My contact with others will be minimal.

We have already discussed with the oncology specialist the balance of risks of attending versus delay. Her view is that if we delay the risks of the cancer recurring sooner are high and also the spread of Covid-19 may increase if we delay, thus making the treatment riskier for me to attend. If it is done now it should be completed before Covid-19 is eveywhere.

Glad to hear that, Ogg. Sounds like a good plan.

 

[ChloeTzang]

I've been on a short vacation to New York. The night I arrived, Trump announced the travel ban from Europe. The next day, Broadway closed (so my trip to see the new version of West Side Story was cancelled). Now the restaurants are due to shut. I'm heading home to the UK tomorrow, and I'm hoping all flights aren't cancelled, so I can get out of the country okay.

That sucks. On the other hand, think of the story you can tell after this is past.

“There I was, trapped in New York....”

 

[BelleCanzuto]

Glad to hear that, Ogg. Sounds like a good plan.

Hey Chloe - How was your shift? Ok?

 

[Javahead]

That sucks. On the other hand, think of the story you can tell after this is past.

“There I was, trapped in New York....”

Wasn’t there a movie about that?

Here in California, most of the Bay Area counties have ordered Shelter-in-place for the next two weeks. My company has ordered us to work from home and only come if there is no alternative. Expect most Silicon Valley firms to take a measurable productivity hit this quarter, but at least we’re working - restaurants and bars are closed.

 

[BelleCanzuto]

Wasn’t there a movie about that?

Here in California, most of the Bay Area counties have ordered Shelter-in-place for the next two weeks. My company has ordered us to work from home and only come if there is no alternative. Expect most Silicon Valley firms to take a measurable productivity hit this quarter, but at least we’re working - restaurants and bars are closed.

I was wondering if you were in the shelter-in-place area, but I can understand if you don't want to say.

If you are, I hope you and your family stay well, and are able to get through the next few weeks unscathed.

 

[NotWise]

Here in California, most of the Bay Area counties have ordered Shelter-in-place for the next two weeks. My company has ordered us to work from home and only come if there is no alternative. Expect most Silicon Valley firms to take a measurable productivity hit this quarter, but at least we’re working - restaurants and bars are closed.

My son-in-law was in Cuppertino last week, and now he and my daughter are in isolation here for at least another week.

He usually works from home, so it isn't so much an economic impact for them. I'm not sure how the rest of the logistics work out.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Hey Chloe - How was your shift? Ok?

Yes, it was totally normal. We only have a few cases in state, half a dozen. I’m sure there’ll be more over the next couple of weeks. None at all where I am right now. But I wore an old norton anti-virus CD as a mask when I walked in this morning. I was followed by a wave of laughter.....

Someone has to supply the humor and old Oscar Wilde is long gone....

 

[KeithD]

I presume it was nervous laughter.

My granddaughters were sent home from the university and my son has arranged to work mostly at home (he's a senior virtual reality scientist, so I guess he can manage that). The kicker, though, is that my daughter-in-law is a nurse in a major city hospital. I won't mind if they make her go through a disinfectant chamber every time she comes home from that. Actually, I wouldn't mind if they made her live in a hotel for the duration.

 

[ef_oh_ex]

Yes, it was totally normal. We only have a few cases in state, half a dozen. I’m sure there’ll be more over the next couple of weeks. None at all where I am right now. But I wore an old norton anti-virus CD as a mask when I walked in this morning. I was followed by a wave of laughter.....

Someone has to supply the humor and old Oscar Wilde is long gone....

ha ha ha Chloe !
That's the funniest joke that you could have pulled off by uplifting the staff!
Kudos to you for being so witty ! Oscar would be so proud.
If I have to be in quarantine, I would love to be with you (for several reasons)
Ef_ :tulip:

 

[RelentlessOnanism]

That sucks. On the other hand, think of the story you can tell after this is past.

“There I was, trapped in New York....”

Actually, you joke, but that's not a bad idea. Hmmm, how do I incorporate some incest into the mix, I wonder...

 

[Rustyoznail]

Actually, you joke, but that's not a bad idea. Hmmm, how do I incorporate some incest into the mix, I wonder...

Easy...

"There I was, trapped in my New York hotel room. Dad had already left for France but Mom, my sister, and I were stuck in the room for two weeks. All because Mom has a cold."

And away you go!

 

[ChloeTzang]

One and half weeks ago, there was one care-recipient in my wife's group with suspicious symptoms, who got isolated. Some colleagues refused to come back to work, putting their family first. In a care-house for elderly people with dementia, very few staff members are familiar with the isolation drill; some don't even seem to have sufficient knowledge/common sense/sobriety to do the routine tasks they are supposed to do.

Poor old man, already lost in his own head, was now 'handled' by people wearing scary protective gear, doing scary things to him, and he wasn't allowed to leave his 'prison'. Fortunately, it was 'just pneumonia'.

Do I feel angry because of the care providers who refused to do their job? Yes. But I also know there are several sides of this story. Elderly care is not highly paid. A number of nurses and carers are single mothers, working part-time jobs. I don't consider most of them to be the brightest of the brightest, and you can't blame them for that. At this moment, it seems that no-one can properly inform and instruct people about the risks and procedures to follow. Everyone is scared, it is a scary situation, and the information going around is wild, contradictory, and misleading, while the official information seems inadequate (especially when you're scared already) and different from what your neighbors tell you.

Yes, I feel for them. A lot of those staff are on close to minimum, often with no health plans, very little training and no protective equipment. And they’re potentially exposing their own families? I don’t blame them for mistakes, they often have no idea. It’s their management I put at fault. These companies are often big business and they should at least have contingency plans ready. A lot of the do, but how they’re going to work in practice is another story. The ones that stay and keep doing their jobs in the face of that 100% certain risk are real heroes in my mind. At least when I go to work I’m trained and I have the right equipment.

 

[ChloeTzang]

I presume it was nervous laughter.

My granddaughters were sent home from the university and my son has arranged to work mostly at home (he's a senior virtual reality scientist, so I guess he can manage that). The kicker, though, is that my daughter-in-law is a nurse in a major city hospital. I won't mind if they make her go through a disinfectant chamber every time she comes home from that. Actually, I wouldn't mind if they made her live in a hotel for the duration.

Lol. Partly. Partly disbelief.

You know it’s be safer just living at work. Less chance of spread because medical workers are going to catch this despite all the precautions. I’m certainly not going near any seniors... if people trest the social isolation thing seriously it’ll work but only for a while. You have the homeless in places like San Francisco, you have people in crowded and sub standard housing, you have people who just won’t understand and who will panic. Shrugs. You do the best you can and some States are taking it more seriously than others. We e had weeks of lead time after all.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I think two weeks for an individual to see it they've got it is entirely reasonable. But thinking that we can all just stay home for two weeks and it will all be over is wildly optimistic. There are a lot of people who have to go out, ones we normally never think of - truckers bringing food and fuel, garbage collection teams, the people operating utilities like water and electrical, plumbers for when your only toilet plugs, bus drivers to get many of them to work, cops, firemen, ambulance staff. A 100% lockdown is essentially impossible. And even if we beat it down in one area, there will be new infections from outside once the curfew is lifted. Bottom line, this will take a lot longer than some think.

To my way of thinking, it takes a certain amount of heroism to be, for instance, working the till in a grocery store, being in close proximity to dozens if not hundreds of strangers every day.

What scares me are the stories of people still out partying in crowded bars, that sort of thing.

A good tracking site, BTW, is run by Johns Hopkins University: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

 

[Javahead]

I was wondering if you were in the shelter-in-place area, but I can understand if you don't want to say.

If you are, I hope you and your family stay well, and are able to get through the next few weeks unscathed.

Yes, we are. Along with almost eight million other people. So far, so good. I think we’ve good for at least a week before we start our descent into madness and cannibalism.

 

[KeithD]

Old fart writers should fare better in isolation than most others. The social distancing recommendations don't change much of what I do anyway once it's wiped out meeting and concerts schedules, most of which I was dreading going to to begin with. I admit most don't have an ability to separate much.

 

[oggbashan]

Today I went to our local hospital for two appointments. The car parks were half empty when usually there are people driving around looking for a space.

I then went on to the AGE-UK centre to have my toenails cut - something I have done every five weeks. After today they are closing the centre to all over 70s - most of their users. They will remain closed for 12 weeks.

I have received six emails today cancelling events or closing facilities until further notice. Most would be those that would expect most of their customers to be over 70.

 

[oggbashan]

I've just had another email - English Heritage are closing all their staffed sites from tomorrow evening until 1 May at least.

Some local ones weren't due to open until 1 April and I was expecting to visit some of the more remote sites like Richborough Castle. Now I can't.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I've just had another email - English Heritage are closing all their staffed sites from tomorrow evening until 1 May at least.

Some local ones weren't due to open until 1 April and I was expecting to visit some of the more remote sites like Richborough Castle. Now I can't.

Gee, Ogg, you were there when it opened. Isn’t that enough?

 

[Javahead]

Gee, Ogg, you were there when it opened. Isn’t that enough?

He can have fun storming the castle - and dust off those rusty climbing skills at the same time.

 

[oggbashan]

Gee, Ogg, you were there when it opened. Isn’t that enough?

It is always pleasant to revisit the scenes of my youth. I had been around 100 years before the first Roman fortification of Richborough for the Claudian invasion.

Actually my maternal ancestors fought Caesar's legions 55 BC in what is now Belgium, gave them a bloody nose and had to flee to the Iceni (later Boudicca's tribe). They were involved in Boudicca's revolt, sacking Colchester, St Albans and London.

 

[yukonnights]

It is always pleasant to revisit the scenes of my youth. I had been around 100 years before the first Roman fortification of Richborough for the Claudian invasion.

Actually my maternal ancestors fought Caesar's legions 55 BC in what is now Belgium, gave them a bloody nose and had to flee to the Iceni (later Boudicca's tribe). They were involved in Boudicca's revolt, sacking Colchester, St Albans and London.

Well dang, this explains why your such a rowdy rogue — it's in your genes

 

[oggbashan]

Well dang, this explains why your such a rowdy rogue — it's in your genes

Yep, both sides of my ancestors.

Apart from helping Boudicca, they were in both armies at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, both sides at Agincourt and Crecy; involved in the Reconquista of Spain; all the crusades; both sides in the American War of Independence; for and against Napoleon; in the French and British armies in the Crimea...

 

[Bramblethorn]

To my way of thinking, it takes a certain amount of heroism to be, for instance, working the till in a grocery store, being in close proximity to dozens if not hundreds of strangers every day.

This is true even without a pandemic

UK having second thoughts about the "herd immunity" strategy: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51915302