Corona Virus

[Sinned]

I have decisions to make. I work in retail, mainly on a checkout. I can limit contact with folk and can maintain, mainly, the 6 foot distance as there is a counter between me and the GP. But I'm nearly 66 with diabetes so I suppose come into the high risk group. So do I self isolate for a few weeks or do I continue to go into work and put myself at risk? I reckon that the virus will percolate through society so the chances are that I will get it eventually ( I have had flu several times so I know that I'm susceptible to why not now when I am that bit stronger than in a few week's time. In the period of self isolation I get paid and I could do without the wage anyway. I guess that I'll persevere for the moment and go into work but may need to make a decision eventually.

Most mass gatherings are being cancelled or postponed so life may get a bit tedious for a while.

[pelmut]

I have decisions to make. ... do I self isolate for a few weeks or do I continue to go into work and put myself at risk?

In your case, self-isolation woud be a good idea.  I imagine that being a diabetic and working in the food industry would qualify you for priority treatment once a vaccine becomes available.

[howardfh]

I have decisions to make. I work in retail, mainly on a checkout. I can limit contact with folk and can maintain, mainly, the 6 foot distance as there is a counter between me and the GP. But I'm nearly 66 with diabetes so I suppose come into the high risk group. So do I self isolate for a few weeks or do I continue to go into work and put myself at risk? I reckon that the virus will percolate through society so the chances are that I will get it eventually ( I have had flu several times so I know that I'm susceptible to why not now when I am that bit stronger than in a few week's time. In the period of self isolation I get paid and I could do without the wage anyway. I guess that I'll persevere for the moment and go into work but may need to make a decision eventually.

Most mass gatherings are being cancelled or postponed so life may get a bit tedious for a while.

Just out of interest - and it would't stop Coronavirus anyway - do you take the annual flu jab to assist keeping that away?

[Coder]

One of the strategies being employed is to flatten the curve - essentially medical professionals recognize a significant portion of the population is going to contract it, and with a large portion of individuals who will need intensive care, the hospitals will be stressed leading to triage.

So try to reduce transmission speed, so that people get it later than sooner, and more spread apart, so that there is a “trickle” into hospitals rather than what is happening in Italy right now.

Is it going to work? Dunno. Just look at St Patty’s day celebrations - or tweets from a crowded airport in Chicago. It’s difficult to get people to change their lives even if THEY themselves aren’t at great risk, rather it’s our elderly and immunocompromised populations that are most vulnerable. And we want people to accept men’s skirts (although from the individuals who post here, people do)! Here’s an actual virus that could kill millions if not moderated, and they party.

[moonshadow]

I get frustrated with the mixed signals from Washington...

They tell us "do not hoard" (where is the line between hoarding and stocking up?)...

... then they tell us the nation might have to shut down for two weeks or longer...

So what are we to do if the latter happens and a household runs out of provisions because they didn't stock up?

... trust the government?? Uh-huh...

Yeah, because they've never been caught in a lie...

[Coder]

I get frustrated with the mixed signals from Washington...

They tell us "do not hoard" (where is the line between hoarding and stocking up?)...

... then they tell us the nation might have to shut down for two weeks or longer...

So what are we to do if the latter happens and a household runs out of provisions because they didn't stock up?

... trust the government?? Uh-huh...

Yeah, because they've never been caught in a lie...

Makes you wonder doesn’t it? Maybe they have a definition for hoarding - where a hoarder is anyone but a bureaucrat.

[pelmut]

I was brought up in a household that had just got through WWII and hoarding was the normal way of life.  The cupboard under the stairs was full of tinned food and there was more in the garden shed; some of our furniture was made from tea chests and my grandfather's worshop ran on tools he had accumulated at the end of WWI, topped up with a couple of items from the local government surplus store.  He had boxes and boxes of things that "might come in useful one day".  My mother 'halved and turned' bedsheets, adapted clothes and economised in every way possible -- and taught us to do the same.

It wasn't a case of "What do I need" or "Where can I get...?", it was "What can I do with what I have got -- and can I make anything useful from this?".   ...and, yes, we had a dustbin on the corner of the street where we kids were sent to throw the potato peelings and other kitchen scraps, to be boiled down and fed to pigs on the nearby allotments by a man who went round collecting the bins with a horse and cart.

[partlyscot]

I have decisions to make. I work in retail, mainly on a checkout. I can limit contact with folk and can maintain, mainly, the 6 foot distance as there is a counter between me and the GP. But I'm nearly 66 with diabetes so I suppose come into the high risk group. So do I self isolate for a few weeks or do I continue to go into work and put myself at risk? I reckon that the virus will percolate through society so the chances are that I will get it eventually ( I have had flu several times so I know that I'm susceptible to why not now when I am that bit stronger than in a few week's time. In the period of self isolation I get paid and I could do without the wage anyway. I guess that I'll persevere for the moment and go into work but may need to make a decision eventually.

Most mass gatherings are being cancelled or postponed so life may get a bit tedious for a while.

I am in a similar situation, though I'm in generally good health. I do have a pacemaker, though the underlying condition is not one that puts me at high risk for the virus. I'm probably due for a replacement this year, and I'm slightly concerned they may not be able to do that operation on schedule.

My employer has been *extremely* active on cleaning and other anti virus procedures, and as of this week, is going on short days, though that is more likely to do with financials. I think I might be out of a job soon, or at least, seeing a long term drop in pay. I doubt I will be alone in that. On the positive side, the province has guaranteed 2 weeks paid sick leave for self quarantine if needed, and the federal govt seems to be working on an announcement to protect renters and mortgage payers etc. I have been seeing some panic buying, I had to go to the store early yesterday, to get eggs, as for the past 3 days all the local stores have been completely out at my usual time. I'm off for the next 3 days, and at some point will be buying in a backpack full of tinned goods etc. I normally have a decent stash, but I've been lazy this year, and used most of them up rather than shop.

[Shilo]

I updated my virus scanner with the latest set. By accident I spilled some wodka over the keyboard but that is a blessing in disguise. I will not send any virusses myself over the Internet. I feel quite confident I will weather the storm, even with the official approach to the problem.

All the time I was thinking alcohol is such a good product to sanitize. They should commandeer bars and add them to the health care system and not close them.

Don’t laugh I bought some yesterday. It was the only beer on special offer at the supermarket. I’m heeding government advice to use alcohol to kill the virus and am taking plenty internally, purely for health reasons you understand.
Seriously, as I’m in a high risk group of late 60’s with diabetes asthma etc. I giving a great deal of thought as to whether to continue with teaching for the time being. I don’t need the money and family are urging me not to take the risk.

This sounds like a good idea. One question will it cause a problem if when I go into the bar I order a Corona

[moonshadow]

Welp... looks like the federal aid package exempts employees that work for companies with greater than 500 employees.

Moon is on his own again.

Good thing this old social outcast managed to put a little back in savings.

I can't even say what I want to say because in just going to piss everyone off.

But suffice it to say, the evidence seems to indicate that when this gets bad, myself, my wife, and my daughter will be abandoned by this so called "system".

Gonna stop here... mood getting very dark.

[Freedomforall]

Welp... looks like the federal aid package exempts employees that work for companies with greater than 500 employees.

Moon is on his own again.

Good thing this old social outcast managed to put a little back in savings.

I can't even say what I want to say because in just going to piss everyone off.

But suffice it to say, the evidence seems to indicate that when this gets bad, myself, my wife, and my daughter will be abandoned by this so called "system".

Gonna stop here... mood getting very dark.

Moon you want piss me off. Say what you feel. Whatever is in your heart, let it out! I see your state is still virus free.

[Freedomforall]

I am not sure what I am going to do. I have been driving for Uber/Lyft some. That will stop. I also deliver for Amazon, as well as direct traffic for the phone company. Some of the morons I work with think this is all a joke and come to work sick. I was sick 3 times in the last 4 months due to other people coming to work sick. One guy has a cruise planned. I am glad cruises have been cancelled, becasue he is one of the people that is always sick. He said he does not care if he is sick. He intended to go on the cruise and get everyone else sick.

[kingfish]

Being in the southwest corner of the hottest county in Massachusetts, I am seeing quite a bit of proactive action going on. The government has done some less than constitutional regulation banning any public gathering of groups over 25 people, restricting restaurants to take-out only and shutting down on-premises drinking. My work, with its near ideal 3-1/2 mile commute, has me now working from home. Here's a picture of my new temporary setup. The background has my projector screen on a youtube "relaxation" video with rotating video clips from the ISS feed.

[crfriend]

The background has my projector screen on a youtube "relaxation" video with rotating video clips from the ISS feed.

The heck with that, I was lookin' at the 'scope.

I really need to get my old one (a Tek 465) fixed. The problem is that I need a 'scope to fix my busted one, and I can't lift my 545A any longer... Where can one get stuff like this fixed?

[moonshadow]

Moon you want piss me off. Say what you feel. Whatever is in your heart, let it out! I see your state is still virus free.

Thanks, but I'll be okay. I have a good work ethic and a keen sense of predicting things like this.

I've lived my whole life following the rule "plan for the worst, hope for the best". The downside is it has conditioned a certain level of cynicism in me, the upside is I tend to be over prepared.

Granted, I never expected my emergency fund to have to be employed over the complete shutdown of society at large... frankly even my cynical ego was expecting something more personal, like a major illness, or my house being destroyed by disaster...

Which by the way... when our home was struck by a tornado in 2010... Uncle Sam was nowhere to be found... But by God he knows where to find me come tax time!

So.... for certain privileged folks and businesses... the government is going to prop them up.... I just hope they appreciate it.

I want to go on the record here and say that I truly have NO ISSUE with public money helping people in need. I'm not really bothered by the fact I personally will see none of it. I'm simply bothered by the hypocrisy. For too many years I've listened to locals rattle on about government handouts, and how the government needs to butt out of their life.... Every county in southwest Virginia is feeding poor children, and that's a good thing. But it bugs me when these parents rant about liberal freebies, when they themselves suckle the governments teat every chance they get.

I just wish for once Joe and Jane sixpack would recognize which side their bread is buttered on...