Coronavirus pandemic

[LM117]

NC's governor is keeping all schools closed until May 15 and has ordered all gyms, health clubs, movie theaters, hair and nail salons, barber shops and massage therapists to close by 5pm Wednesday. Gatherings of 50 or more people are also banned. It was previously 100.

https://abc11.com/health/covid-19-latest-cooper-executive-order-closes-k-12-through-may-15/6041143/

Meanwhile, on this side of the state line, our governor is keeping all schools closed for the remainder of the school year, along with ordering more restrictions.

https://wset.com/news/coronavirus/vdh-reports-254-cases-of-the-coronavirus-in-virginia

Executive Order 53 is effective at midnight on Tuesday, March 24.

Restaurants can remain open for carryout, curbside and delivery service only.

All recreation and entertainment facilities like bowling alleys, theaters, fitness centers and race tracks must close.

Personal care services that cannot adhere to social distancing like barbershops, spas and massage parlors must close.

Non-essential retail can remain open if they can allow 10 or fewer people, they can practice social distancing and they increase sanitization procedures.

Essential services like grocery stores and health services will remain open. They need to adhere to social distancing and sanitation procedures.

"This is an unprecedented situation, and it requires unprecedented actions to protect public health and save lives,"  said Governor Northam. "I know the next several weeks will be difficult. These restrictions on non-essential businesses will create hardships on the businesses and employees affected. But they are necessary, and we do not undertake them lightly. I am calling on Virginians to sacrifice now, so that we can get through this together."

The executive order is in effect for at least 30 days.

[ozarkman417]

In an overnight move, my local park board taped off playgrounds.



SM-G965U

[Max Rockatansky]

My cousin is getting over what she suspected was COVID-19.  Apparently it will take at minimum seven days (this is in Michigan) to get test results back, so far it's been only three.  She works as a nurse so at the moment she has been sent home for isolation. 

Locally in Central California there really isn't much news.  Apparently there hasn't been any deaths in San Joaquin Valley and the last I checked I don't believe Kings County had a confirmed case.  Yosemite was shuttered apparently at the request of Madera County but Kings Canyon/Sequoia remains open...might be snow shoe time Saturday. 

[jakeroot]

Washington residents are now being asked/forced to "stay in":

https://twitter.com/KING5Seattle/status/1242253589667553286

[fwydriver405]

In my neck of the woods, all of York Beach is being closed indefinitely after an "unacceptable influx of weekend visitors".  Apparently, Popham Beach State Park's car park up in Phippsburg ME was full, prompting the state of Maine to issue public safety warnings. There were a lot of people walking the trails in Portland's Back Cove yesterday. Not sure how this will affect the other state parks in the near future...

York beaches close amid coronavirus concerns

"In the interest of public safety, we ask that visitors observe the following: If you are not feeling well, DO NOT enter. Practice social distancing. DO NOT gather in groups of ten or more."

[gonealookin]

An annoying behavior I've observed and am already tired of:

At the store, people who come to the stack of baskets, pull out their wipes and fully sanitize the one they're going to use before they pull it out of the stack.  There are people behind you who have to wait for that.  You can grab the basket with your wipes, gloves or whatever, pull it out and move a few yards away and do all the cleaning you want over there without blocking anybody.

I also saw this on the airplane a few nights ago, the standing in the aisle and wiping down the seat during boarding, completely disregarding all the people lined up behind who are trying to get on the plane.

I hate being the a-hole but patience is going to wear thin pretty quickly on this.

[Max Rockatansky]

I don't think I've seen a single person wipe down a cart or basket all month.  Come to think of it the only day I went to the store and it was super busy was when I went for beer the night Fresno announced their stay at home measure.  It would had been a fast trip had the person in line in front of me not tried to use 8 million coupons. 

[SSOWorld]

I don't think I've seen a single person wipe down a cart or basket all month.  Come to think of it the only day I went to the store and it was super busy was when I went for beer the night Fresno announced their stay at home measure.  It would had been a fast trip had the person in line in front of me not tried to use 8 million coupons. 

Because the wipes were hoarded off.

[Max Rockatansky]

I don't think I've seen a single person wipe down a cart or basket all month.  Come to think of it the only day I went to the store and it was super busy was when I went for beer the night Fresno announced their stay at home measure.  It would had been a fast trip had the person in line in front of me not tried to use 8 million coupons. 

Because the wipes were hoarded off.

Perhaps so, I don't recall seeing the stand they are usually on present either.  Either way I feel like I missed out (probably for the best) on the widespread levels of malfeasance that wasreported afoot around that time in stores. 

[7/8]

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-orders-all-non-essential-businesses-to-shut-down-1.4864492

Looks like I'll be working from home starting Wednesday. It'll be interesting to see how this affects my company's construction projects (mainly local road reconstruction).

[Plutonic Panda]

Just in case anyone needs to know how much TP they really have: https://howmuchtoiletpaper.com/

[jakeroot]

I don't think I've seen a single person wipe down a cart or basket all month.  Come to think of it the only day I went to the store and it was super busy was when I went for beer the night Fresno announced their stay at home measure.  It would had been a fast trip had the person in line in front of me not tried to use 8 million coupons. 

I'm very fortunate to live within walking distance of a grocery store.

My rule-of-thumb is this: no cart, no basket: only grab what you can carry in your arms. Since I ultimately have to carry everything home. Usually this is easy because I have a reusable bag with me to plop things into, but every now and then I forget. In which case my rule-of-thumb comes up.

At any rate, I refuse to use the trolleys or hand baskets. Extra important now with the Coronavirus issue (it's been my rule for a while anyways).

[Max Rockatansky]

^^^

I can't remember the last time I needed a shopping cart at a regular grocery store.  Usually all I ever go for is; something my wife wants, a 32oz Poweraid I need for a long run, or fried chicken from the deli.  The grocery store isn't so bad compared to the horrors I've seen inflicted upon shopping carts at places like Walmart and Target. 

Just in case anyone needs to know how much TP they really have: https://howmuchtoiletpaper.com/

I was at something like 1,100%.  We are still going through wedding supplies from last year and that was one of them. 

[bing101]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-chloroquine-idUSKBN21A3Y2

Warning there is a report of a Chloroquine overdose death and allegedly the intention was to stop COVID-19.

Also Hawaii has issued a stray at home order.


https://www.khon2.com/coronavirus-2/8-new-covid-19-cases-in-hawaii-bringing-state-total-to-56/

[Bruce]

The pandemic is also revealing an ugly side of American culture: the widespread acceptance of anti-Asian racism.

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1242292009844563968

Calling it the "Chinese virus", as the president does, just emboldens the racists.

[gonealookin]

Just in case anyone needs to know how much TP they really have: https://howmuchtoiletpaper.com/

I was at something like 1,100%.  We are still going through wedding supplies from last year and that was one of them. 

Wait...what?!?!  "Honey, what are we going to give the Rockatanskys for a wedding present?"  "Hmmm...how about a couple of those 48-packs of toilet paper from Costco?  That would be perfect!"   

[AlexandriaVA]

The pandemic is also revealing an ugly side of American culture: the widespread acceptance of anti-Asian racism.

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1242292009844563968

Calling it the "Chinese virus", as the president does, just emboldens the racists.

Needlessly too. You can talk objectively about the origins of the disease - no serious person doubts that the virus emerged in Wuhan/Hubei Province. But the political spin gives a proverbial "green light" for people to go an run with it.

Reminds me after 9/11 how some Sikh men (who are not Muslim) were harassed because they were wearing turbans.

[Plutonic Panda]

^^^

I can't remember the last time I needed a shopping cart at a regular grocery store.  Usually all I ever go for is; something my wife wants, a 32oz Poweraid I need for a long run, or fried chicken from the deli.  The grocery store isn't so bad compared to the horrors I've seen inflicted upon shopping carts at places like Walmart and Target. 

Just in case anyone needs to know how much TP they really have: https://howmuchtoiletpaper.com/

I was at something like 1,100%.  We are still going through wedding supplies from last year and that was one of them.

lol... now you can send them pictures and say "you thought you were being clever by cheaping out, but's who's laughing now!?"

[Max Rockatansky]

^^^

I can't remember the last time I needed a shopping cart at a regular grocery store.  Usually all I ever go for is; something my wife wants, a 32oz Poweraid I need for a long run, or fried chicken from the deli.  The grocery store isn't so bad compared to the horrors I've seen inflicted upon shopping carts at places like Walmart and Target. 

Just in case anyone needs to know how much TP they really have: https://howmuchtoiletpaper.com/

I was at something like 1,100%.  We are still going through wedding supplies from last year and that was one of them.

lol... now you can send them pictures and say "you thought you were being clever by cheaping out, but's who's laughing now!?"

I was laughing all last year with those 140 something cans and bottles of beer that everyone didn't bother to finish.  It took me almost eight months to finish all of it.  I still have bulk bottles of bleach that probably would last me through a couple nuclear wars at this point. 

[bugo]

I'll be more happy to "buy American" once we start building quality stuff, and/or have better quality control. My car was made in Mexico, to the chagrin of many Americans, but it's screwed together nice and tight.

But it's cheaper to make things in Mexico or China. They don't have pesky things like Minimum Wage or environmental standards which add to the cost of everything.

However, Mexico does have better standards than China, and I really don't mind things being made in Mexico and raising their standard of living closer to ours, as they are a part of us, North America.  I favor the three of us (Canada, US, Mexico) standing together with our smaller neighbors in Central America and the Caribbean.

I have both Mexican and Chinese guitars, and they are all excellent. The days when American guitars were a lot better than guitars that are made elsewhere are over.

U304AA

[Rothman]

Just in case anyone needs to know how much TP they really have: https://howmuchtoiletpaper.com/

I was at something like 1,100%.  We are still going through wedding supplies from last year and that was one of them. 

Wait...what?!?!  "Honey, what are we going to give the Rockatanskys for a wedding present?"  "Hmmm...how about a couple of those 48-packs of toilet paper from Costco?  That would be perfect!"   

My thoughts exactly.  And I thought our wedding was done on the cheap...

[1995hoo]

Just in case anyone needs to know how much TP they really have: https://howmuchtoiletpaper.com/

I was at something like 1,100%.  We are still going through wedding supplies from last year and that was one of them. 

Wait...what?!?!  "Honey, what are we going to give the Rockatanskys for a wedding present?"  "Hmmm...how about a couple of those 48-packs of toilet paper from Costco?  That would be perfect!"   

My thoughts exactly.  And I thought our wedding was done on the cheap...

One of my college roommates gave me some TP as a law school graduation present, but it was a joke that had to do with an incident during our fourth year of college in which he did a study to determine who in our apartment was using too much TP so he could divide up the TP cost in proportion to the number of squares used. (I'll explain later if you care.)

[wanderer2575]

I would be in favor of a permanent travel ban on China. I mean really what do you need them for anyways? They are not are friends they haven't been for a really long time.

I disagree, they are a huge trading partner and it would be an economic disaster unto itself.  I haven't had a chance to reply to JN yet but I think he's right on the money about why new infections tend crop up in Asia first.

Yeah they have taken lots of our jobs away. They aren't are friends and never will be again. It's time that we get rid of that made in China label for good and make our own stuff again.

China took no US jobs.

US corporations willingly gave them to China (and Vietnam, Malaysia, et al)

And U.S. consumers went right along with it.  It's always easier to blame Business than to look in a mirror, but businesses produce the goods and services their customers buy.  If U.S. consumers (including me; I'm as guilty as anyone else) insisted on paying the higher prices for U.S.-made goods, things would be a lot different.

[Max Rockatansky]

Just in case anyone needs to know how much TP they really have: https://howmuchtoiletpaper.com/

I was at something like 1,100%.  We are still going through wedding supplies from last year and that was one of them. 

Wait...what?!?!  "Honey, what are we going to give the Rockatanskys for a wedding present?"  "Hmmm...how about a couple of those 48-packs of toilet paper from Costco?  That would be perfect!"   

My thoughts exactly.  And I thought our wedding was done on the cheap...

For what it's my wife encouraged cleaning supplies as gifts.  We even had a taco truck cater the wedding, it was only $1,500 to feed 220 people people.  At this point in our lives practicality is definitely way more of a priority I would say than getting fancy gifts or spending a ton of money on weddings. 

[TheGrassGuy]

About the "18 month" Imperial College predictions, about the possibility of multiple waves of illness, one major problem I have with that study is that it makes the assumption that restrictions are fully lifted after a few months. Of course the virus will start returning if everything returns to normal at once! The study never considers what happens if we return to normal life gradually, i.e. if we start out by lifting some of the restrictions but not others. For example, maybe we'll have to wait this out until summer, but by doing so they're buying time to advance testing and identify cases more conclusively.

Perhaps, let's say, by September, jurisdictions will have become so confident with the testing that schools can reopen to non-infected staff and students with minimal risk of invoking spread, but everything else stays closed. Maybe in December, they can close schools for a month or so (under the pretext of an extended winter break?), but reopen malls and department stores--albeit likely with limited hours, etc.--and allow religious worship services for the Christmas season. Taking these kinds of measures would make for a good way to return to regular lifestyles while simultaneously curbing the virus and preventing a second wave. It's certainly better than the other extremes (either staying under lockdown until a vaccine is available, or completely resuming the status quo). What do you think?