Update: my boss and her family have been quarantined and apparently they will soon be getting tested. So that's a good sign that tests are at least available to them soon. They are in N. Virginia.
Update: my boss and her family have been quarantined and apparently they will soon be getting tested. So that's a good sign that tests are at least available to them soon. They are in N. Virginia.
Last edited by Poisoned Youth; 03-12-2020 at 11:51 AM.
The Dow is dropping like the Titanic.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
The usual suspects are once again unable to comply with our hosts' rules.
In other news, I heard it was Lino's birthday today. Congrats!
Agreed. Everyone stay safe -- avoid crowds, stay home if you can, wash your hands. This thing is not a joke or a hoax.
Thank you for putting it into words much more eloquently than I could have. I'm with you on all of the above.
It's not myself I'm concerned about, but my parents, grandparents, and others who probably aren't as healthy. So if I start feeling sick, I won't be going anywhere near other people if I can help it.
Thanks for this post, Bruce. It's good to hear how things are going in other places, from folks who are on the ground. I have a friend who lives in China, though thankfully nowhere near Wuhan, and they've been dealing with lockdowns as well. But he told me a couple days ago that things have been getting better where he's at, thank goodness, and some of the businesses are opening up. They're enforcing social distancing there as well: For instance, in the Starbucks they only permit one person per table. It seems the methods they've been using have helped at least.
VDGG concert cancelled? OK this now officially a tragedy!
I apologize for making things worse; that wasn't my intention. I have a natural dislike for observing only one side of the subject matter being presented. I won't post further however I do implore future posters to resist the urge to use selective quotes and facts to make a case, without including different or opposing views.
Thank you.
My brother lives in Michigan, and his wife is in a rehab facility due to a stroke in December. He just found out yesterday, with no warning, that the place was going on lockdown with no visitors allowed until the end of March due to COVID-19 (at least). She is due to go home hopefully within another 2 weeks (but is not ready to do that yet). He was pissed that there was no warning, but understands and believes that she is in the safest place for her right now.
I have taken this seriously and made sure that we have enough non perishable food for a 3 week lock down if necessary. And if it all blows over (which seems less likely each day), then we will have plenty of food to eat later! Luckily, I can do a lot of my job from home.
The only "sides" of this issue are the truth and the untruths. As much of a political junkie as I am, this is not about politics. It's about public safety and common sense.
Smart hygiene and common sense. Even little things can lessen the curve. For example, if you go into public and have to open a door, try to use the door frame instead of the handle, or a portion of the handle that most won't use. Or use put your hand in your sleeve. If you can avoid using cash, that's a good idea. Keep a pen in your pocket so you don't have to sign a credit card slip with a public pen. If you're looking at goods in a store, grab what you want from the back of the shelf instead of the one in front that may have been handled by others.
My biggest frustration with this are those who are less concerned because they might not get a serious case if they get infected. That's a recipe for spreading it to others. Stop thinking of only yourself.
Also, the cashier who rolled his eyes when I took a pen from my pocket to sign a receipt less than an hour ago. I wasn't shitting my pants over this; I wasn't being cautious.
We are only as safe as the dumbest person in the room. Let's be smart about this.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
The word I have been using is "respect". I respect this is serious nature of this virus. I respect the science. I respect the global response. I respect the big measures taken so far. I respect the work of people in our community to keep us safe. I respect others who take it more seriously than I do.
In the end, one might look back on this years from now and see a (modest) death toll in the U.S. and feel like it was mostly "no big deal". But from where I sit, if that does end up being the case, it will be because we, as a society, erred on the side of caution.
WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.
Caution, and science, and information. Including a lot more testing.
Very true. And sadly, there's a ton of information circulating on social media that is patently false. My coworker (who gets all of his news from Twitter) told me that the virus is "encapsulated" (I think what he meant was enveloped, because there's nothing anywhere I could find about it being "encapsulated"), and so he says it can survive on surfaces for months without a host.
Not true; it's just fear mongering. In fact, one reason coronaviruses categorically don't survive "for months" outside of a host is because they have a viral envelope (a membrane that's crucial to their function) so they are actually less hardy when exposed to the environment -- because that membrane is susceptible to disruption from outside factors. It's one reason why the rabies virus is extremely hard to catch unless you're bitten or scratched by a rabid animal. If he had done any research he would have known that. But who knows how many people he has spread that to already? It's frustrating.
Good idea about carrying a pen with you, btw. I'm going to start doing that too.
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