Corona Virus Now Spreading

[MoonstoneWolf]

I feel like I'm going on some weird expedition just getting ready to pick up last minute grocery items. St Louis was put into 30 days lockdown (same as the stay at home issued on Saturday but ticketed if out for non essential trips). We need bread and milk and some other items. What with the latex gloves, sani wipes and a bag to dispose of. I'm even wiping down the quarter I need to "rent" Aldi's cart. And I'll be there as soon as they open. Cat's have 30 lbs of food but I'll pick up another bag for them. They haven't had bad reactions to Aldi cat food so hopefully it stays that way.

I'm just curious, are the police going to stop every person they see driving a car to make sure they are going to a grocery store? Doesn't make sense since most non essential businesses are closed now (at least here) so what? Someone is going to camp out for 30 days at a doorstep? In cold and rainy weather? And anyone can say they're going for groceries. Not sure how this is going to be enforced.

 

[Kieka]

I am about to head to work with my two essential workforce letters (one from my company and one from the company we contract with), company ID badge and wearing my company jacket. It's very odd to be checking for a letter authorizing me to go to work.

 

[Jem]

Michele says that she wouldn't be surprised if she got a call from the hospital that she retired from asking her to come back to work or volunteer.

As much as the hospitals need the help, I have heard that most of the deaths of doctors and nurses in Italy, were the ones who came out of retirement to help with the crisis. I get wanting to help but I question how safe it is.
I also understand that their health system is completely compromised and overwhelmed at the moment as well, possibly not having the necessary protection, and the US is not at the same crisis point as Italy...but if she decides to help out...I hope she stays safe and healthy.

 

[KittyFriday]

I’m feeling under the weather today, no fever but some nasal congestion and body aches. I keep telling myself it’s just a cold. Thankfully I’m working from home; I had a list of stuff I wanted to get done today but this morning at least I’m going to try to rest.

We have one case in our city but it was someone who travelled and immediately went to the hospital upon returning. But who knows how many unconfirmed there are.

I used to have really bad health anxiety which is pretty well controlled now and the scariest thing for me is that you could have it for like 14 days before showing symptoms. And then be sick for awhile after. I always preferred things that acted quickly, less time to sit around and get more and more nervous about what may be to come.

 

[Jem]

OK, this one made me laugh....the guy decided to use his goat to get out of the house. I assume this man does not "walk his goat" on a regular basis, but you have to give him credit for being creative.
Walking the goat not an excuse for leaving the house, say police

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Thankfully St Louis city and county consider pet needs including walks as essential. I would be devastated if something happened to my cats and was told they don't matter.

 

[mani]

OK, this one made me laugh....the guy decided to use his goat to get out of the house. I assume this man does not "walk his goat" on a regular basis, but you have to give him credit for being creative.
Walking the goat not an excuse for leaving the house, say police

Wow.. you know life is tough when you can't even walk your goat!

 

[Jem]

I’m feeling under the weather today, no fever but some nasal congestion and body aches. I keep telling myself it’s just a cold.

It most likely is a cold. Try not to worry. Easier said then done....I know. I went thru the same thing last week. Mine started with the dry cough, slight fatigue and aches for the first 2 days...I was slightly freaked...but then came the sinus pressure and congestion, never had a fever at any point. I have never been so happy to get a cold! LOL!

 

[mani]

I started coughing terribly in the Supermarket yesterday. I got myself to the car before I was lynched, and coughed so badly I freaked myself out.
Then I talked to friends about it, and a neighbour who had had a similar experience. It seems the Supers are constantly 'decontaminating' and I had a reaction.
I'm not a big supermarket person, but I think I'm about to be a non-supermarket one. There are small businesses to support, so I'll run with that.

 

[denice]

I am about to head to work with my two essential workforce letters (one from my company and one from the company we contract with), company ID badge and wearing my company jacket. It's very odd to be checking for a letter authorizing me to go to work.

Ohio isn't going that far. All nonessential businesses are closed and it is up to essential employers to get everyone home that can work from home. I am wondering though why they didn't clear the beaches. I seen pictures of the beaches filled with people. Ohio is using law enforcement to break up public groups.

 

[WillowMarie]

I'm wondering why flights aren't cancelled nor airports closed. I have several flights for spring travelling (certainly non essential) which I don't want to take now but airlines would cancel them only if I take airline credit back. Now I may be out of US in foreseeable future and may not be able to use these credits. So I'm left with the choice of either loosing money or flying, which is ridiculous given the circumstances. Do they really want me to fly? I'm wondering if "shelter in place" order would change anything in this regard, and airlines would be required to refund. Does anyone know?

I question this, too.... seems like a petri dish. Maybe try to fight it? It would be ridiculous if they would not cancel. Not sure, but that is a good reason to fight to get your money back.

I have similar worries with my rental. I'm back in Illinois, but still paying for it. My landlady wants to move someone new in May after I was supposed to leave after graduating. Not sure when it will be safe for me to return and pick up my stuff... Having anxiety because I worry she will tell me I have to move out so the new tenants can move in... If it is not safe, I'm not traveling half way across the country to move out. I'm going to tell her I'd still be paying if it is not safe in June, etc., but it hurts to pay money on a place when I'm not using it.

Good luck with your flights! Keep us updated.

And the Governor said that he won't enforce Social Distancing but a more severe authority will, The Grim Reaper.

Well, that concerns me because people who think they are immune or fine will continue to pass it by seeing others. Here in Illinois there is a Stay at Home and no groups over 10, I believe, are supposed to be together. I saw an article stating the police had to break up at least 2 house parties in Chicago... some of the comments of the article have said there are groups of people playing sports at the park... Goodness, help us all...

Pennsylvania state police to enforce business closures

I gave this as a link, but I had heard it during one of Gov Wolf's announcements. PA state police will begin to check and enforce non-essential business shutdowns, starting at 8:00 this morning. I can understand why; I know of several businesses whose owners said they simply weren't going to shut down.

Can't give blood here; I never could because of high blood pressure. Rick has a rare blood type and he used to get called out of work to go to the hospital when they urgently needed that type. Since he was diagnosed with epilepsy and went on meds, he can no longer give blood.

I've already heard someplace where a business, think it was a bar or club, was forced to shut down because they kept the indoor dining/gathering area open... I understand, too, why business would stay open, but it is also a health risk. I hope there is lots of assistance in the future for smaller businesses to help them recover. I can only imagine how hard it is on them.

OK, this one made me laugh....the guy decided to use his goat to get out of the house. I assume this man does not "walk his goat" on a regular basis, but you have to give him credit for being creative.
Walking the goat not an excuse for leaving the house, say police

Awww! Poor guy... he tried so hard. <3 Goats are so cute, too! How could you tell a goat they cannot go on a walk??

It most likely is a cold. Try not to worry. Easier said then done....I know. I went thru the same thing last week. Mine started with the dry cough, slight fatigue and aches for the first 2 days...I was slightly freaked...but then came the sinus pressure and congestion, never had a fever at any point. I have never been so happy to get a cold! LOL!

Hope you both feel better soonWhile it is probably just a cold, please remember to continue social distancing and hand washing. Take care!

I started coughing terribly in the Supermarket yesterday. I got myself to the car before I was lynched, and coughed so badly I freaked myself out.
Then I talked to friends about it, and a neighbour who had had a similar experience. It seems the Supers are constantly 'decontaminating' and I had a reaction.
I'm not a big supermarket person, but I think I'm about to be a non-supermarket one. There are small businesses to support, so I'll run with that.

Oh, wow, that sounds scary. I've had random heavy, dry coughs where it is hard to stop and not sure what triggered it, too, throughout my life. I wonder what is being used to decontaminate the stores? Maybe it is the amount of cleaner used, too. When I worked as a quality assurance associate, I always saved washing the bathroom floors as the last step because it added to the chemicals in the air and after a quick clean and mop of the floors, I would be able to leave the restroom. Hopefully this means the store is working really hard to keep things clean, if there is that much that people get irritated from it.

Maybe the small businesses will also have less foot traffic? Let us know how it goes!

 

[Willowy]

There's no reason to restrict outdoor activities, like walking the goat () or jogging. You need fresh air and sunshine and as long as you stay away from other people it shouldn't be restricted. And people can drive around in their own cars if they want. I'm afraid they may be going too far in enforcement :/.

 

[NY cat man]

I've had a dry cough too, but most likely it stems from the case of the sniffles I've had lately with the accompanying post-nasal drip, but no fever or aches, aside from the ones normal to old age.

 

[WillowMarie]

There's no reason to restrict outdoor activities, like walking the goat () or jogging. You need fresh air and sunshine and as long as you stay away from other people it shouldn't be restricted. And people can drive around in their own cars if they want. I'm afraid they may be going too far in enforcement :/.

I'm worried about some of the forest preserves and parks here. Some have closed that may have hand railings that are used, etc., and all bathrooms and buildings are closed. Staff of the preserves are also not coming in to maintain the area, and I worry visitors will not clean up trash, if they visit. Based on human history, it is only a matter of time before the parks and preserves close due to trash, etc. Hope I'm wrong.

Having a park backing up to my backyard, I do worry that people are not taking the 6 foot rule and other precautions seriously. When I see people walk past each other coming from opposite directions on the paved path, neither make an effort to walk off trail to pass. There is also a frisbee golf course where a frisbee gets thrown in a metal basket at the end of each course... The frisbee has to be pulled out, and a person's hands often brush against the metal chains hanging while doing this. I think that is a concern for passing the virus more...

I have also read, which I mentioned in a previous post, that people in Chicago have said they have seen people playing sports in parks in groups despite the stay at home order, which people are allowed outside for walking, etc.

Unfortunately, if people are refusing to use caution, it may be necessary to restrict outdoor activities. yes jogging and walking pets should be safe, but maybe in that area, too many people did not follow the 6 ft. rule and they had to become strict with everyone.

 

[donutte]

I don't even know what to think about this. Unless those are 15 days of people being physically barricaded where they are at, this will fail. Trump: 'We can't let the cure be worse than the problem itself'

 

[Kieka]

Ohio isn't going that far. All nonessential businesses are closed and it is up to essential employers to get everyone home that can work from home. I am wondering though why they didn't clear the beaches. I seen pictures of the beaches filled with people. Ohio is using law enforcement to break up public groups.

Right now they aren't checking for essential work authorization, but my employer wants all of us carrying the letter and IDs until further notice. With how quickly things are changing it could change within hours (plus I go through three counties to get to work so the rules may vary between counties).

 

[KittyFriday]

I don't even know what to think about this. Unless those are 15 days of people being physically barricaded where they are at, this will fail. Trump: 'We can't let the cure be worse than the problem itself'

Well, the concerning thing is that it’s not as simple as staying home when you’re sick. If you can be a carrier for a long time before coming down with symptoms (if you ever get symptoms) you can be spreading the virus without being aware that you are.

In regards to flights, I cancelled mine that was happening at the end of April. I was flying to visit a friend who ended up coming back to Kansas anyway. As of right now, Southwest is not giving refunds for their Wanna Get Away tickets, just credit. So if this is all over in the fall I might just use that credit and go somewhere anyway.

 

[donutte]

Well, the concerning thing is that it’s not as simple as staying home when you’re sick. If you can be a carrier for a long time before coming down with symptoms (if you ever get symptoms) you can be spreading the virus without being aware that you are.

Not to mention, we are not doing a national lockdown or SIP. Everybody is basically doing their own thing at state or local levels. Unless they plan on barricading people in where they are for 15 days, even if that was an accurate number.... this wouldn't work.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

I just got off a teledoc appointment because I rather suddenly lost my sense of taste and smell yesterday, which really freaked me out. I've had allergy-like symptoms for about a week and a half (sneezing, post-nasal drip, sinus congestion) along with coughing. No fever, no shortness of breath. Doctor told me that, since I was coughing, he couldn't rule out an upper respiratory infection and I should self-isolate for 7 days.

 

[catapault]

I'm sorry to tell you this, EmersonandEvie but I just saw something in the New York Times this morning that sudden loss of smell and taste may be a sign of covid-19 infection.

Lost Sense of Smell May Be Peculiar Clue to Coronavirus Infection

"Anosmia, the loss of sense of smell, and ageusia, an accompanying diminished sense of taste, have emerged as peculiar telltale signs of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and possible markers of infection."

This is apparently fairly new, so you might want to teledoc again and mention this.

Take care and get better while you sequester at home.

The NYTimes article may be viewed on your computer but apparently not on a phone.