Corona Virus Now Spreading

[denice]

So far people haven't gone crazy here, I am hoping that continues. I still have bad memories of crowded grocery stores, that didn't help things one bit, and people with huge packs of toilet paper or paper towels. I still haven't figured that one out. I get the disinfectant, still hit or miss on those, the hand soap and the hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is no longer an issue because there are brands now that I never heard of. It used to just be Purell or GermX. I have yet to see Purell in the store that I go to, I think that is the preferred one for health care facilities. I see GermX on a regular basis and then there are all the new and off brands.

 

[Jem]

Things are going well here, but we also have few cases and not any outbreaks in my region. Currently sitting at 126 cases (total). We've had several new cases since Thanksgiving...I think 14 or 16...? The latest one reported yesterday. So it's slightly concerning considering we would typically get one or two every couple weeks or so. At times not having any new cases for 4-5 weeks. But overall, in the grand scheme of things, we're doing good. It's frustrating though that the large majority of cases are deemed travel, or contact with positive case related. And as for contact with a positive case, word gets around here, and usually they are friends or family...not just random. So I guess it means that those who do travel, stick to themselves for the most part.

As for shopping...the only thing that is consistently missing from the shelves are wipes and some brands of disinfectant sprays (mostly Lysol), are in limited supply. There are several other good brands to choose from though, so no biggie...at least for me anyway...I'm not really "brand loyal".
Our grocery stores are even putting "high demand" products on sale every once in a while...so that's good on the stores for doing that.

 

[LTS3]

From what I understand, Yeast and flour were in short supply, if non-existent during the earlier lockdown. It seems everyone was making their own sourdough bread; and baking a ton of things from scratch.

A lot of people hoarded baking goods with the intention of making bread and such but never actually did. They probably won't be buying any more baking goods this time around. Some may never even use their hoarded baked goods ever so all those products will go to waste

I don't like the gooey sticky thick hand sanitizers The dentist office has one of those with a weird coconut scent and it's gross and my hands feel dirtier than before I used it. I have a travel sized Ms. Meyer's brand sanitizer spray that smells sooo good. I haven't seen any more of it at the supermarket since.

 

[Xraystyle]

Halloween in Itaewon (the "foreign" area of Seoul) this weekend (from a newsite, I stayed in)...while I'm shocked (but not surprised) by how many people went out (it is considered a huge party night in Seoul by Koreans...), at least most wore masks. They closed the bigger clubs, too, to try to prevent this by showing people there'd be nothing to do if they came out...but well...part of the tradition here is just being on the street in a costume.

crossing my fingers that we don't get our level raised...but it would be fitting with what's going on in the rest of the world...

 

[denice]

The WHO chief has tested positive.

They broke up two Halloween parties in New York City that had close to a 1000 participants. They gave citations to the organizers.

 

[artiemom]

Massachusetts is having a bit of a lockdown beginning Friday night. We are lockdown from 10Pm to 5am, daily. All merchants, restaurants have to close at 9:30pm.
Masks are mandatory, everywhere, even WITH social distancing.

This is the beginning of what we have been preparing for.. Stores are going to be mobbed..
I am up early and will take advantaged of early senior hours, today and tomorrow. Just to replace what I have used.

 

[Antonio65]

I took these photos for you at the local store, a supermarket. As you can see, what is missing or out of stock in several parts of the world, it's still available on the shelves here.

Bleach, fully stocked up.

House cleaners, several kinds, all available.

Pasta, what we Italians eat the most. Apart from a sector which was on offer, the rest is all there.

Toilet paper, plenty of it, well, sort of, but no shortage at all. Rolls of kitchen paper are in the next aisle, same situation.

 

[jcat]

Antonio65 Barilla is what Germans were hoarding. A lot of Buitoni products are also sold. There are several German brands, too, and many people make their own, especially "spätzle", so this fear of running out of pasta is irrational.

And now's the time to admit that we've been stocking up on Italian cat litter - Siria. That's Mowgli's favorite.

 

[Antonio65]

And now's the time to admit that we've been stocking up on Italian cat litter - Siria. That's Mowgli's favorite.

Well, it's time to admit that I didn't know that until you mentioned it. I'm so curious to know how good it is. Does it really clump fine? I mean, does the clump stay compact even when you scoop it out?

P.S.: It sounds like you are based in Germany

 

[Jcatbird]

Things have been off again here. I never did find anymore Lysol spray which is bad for me because it is the only one that doesn’t bother my allergies. The dry cat food we use has shot up in price and is only available in small bags . I have a Clowder of rescues to feed! The canned food became available for months but is now hit and miss which means I must go back on the hunt here. Masks are being worn in most places. Some smaller stores only allow a few people in at a time. I happened to need to go to help with some feral cats in a small town nearby and the person who drove me is a truck driver. He picked me up in a huge semi! Lol I got to ride in the back part of the cab of the truck. For me, this was a lot of fun. I haven’t been anywhere but the grocery store, drug store and the vet in months! We had to “drop off his load” at a “Big Box” store Wharehouse distribution facility. Hmmmm. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures once inside but there were thousands of Conex shipping containers of supplies. The driver told me that the facility has stayed full all year. He carries much of what we all look for in the stores. Soooo, the supplies are still flowing. I guess lots of people have stocked up and are still doing so. Hoarding still? At least I can find food again. The variety is limited. Where the counters used to have great quantities, now there will only be a few choices but at least the counters aren’t totally bare anymore. I’ve really been craving some creamed corn though. Lol I saw some last January but none since. I am seeing alcohol and Clorox again. Yay! My family all live in an area hard hit. I don’t know when I will get to see them again. My Dad is 92. The last time I saw him was last Thanksgiving. I’m very glad I made the trip when I did. We had planned for me to move there and bought a house just as Covid hit. It stands empty but I am glad I live in a rural and pretty place. Case numbers have been low. Although COVID has been hard, it certainly makes us appreciate all the simple pleasures in life. I am very appreciative for EVERYTHING! The sky is beautiful tonight and the air is fresh and cool. The cats are all snuggled up against me like a fur blanket and I am grateful.

 

[Antonio65]

Although COVID has been hard, it certainly makes us appreciate all the simple pleasures in life. I am very appreciative for EVERYTHING! The sky is beautiful tonight and the air is fresh and cool. The cats are all snuggled up against me like a fur blanket and I am grateful.

It is kind of the opposite for me, I'm not finding interest in anything anymore but cats and their welfare. All other things that were giving me some meaning in life are meaningless now.
A part of me would still keep following my hobbies and interests, the other part of me says "I don't care at all", so it's happening that I keep buying stuff that I might use for my hobbies, as I used to do in the past, but then it piles up in a corner of the house, unused. I have a pair of boxes from Amazon that I bought in September and haven't opened yet. I had spent hundreds euro pointlessly. I see my life a mess, now.
It it weren't for my cats (Giada at home, the two semi ferals in the yard, and my colony) I would just lock myself up in the cellar and wait for the end.

 

[KittyFriday]

I haven't looked at my credit card statement either. Between holiday gifts, stocking up on food, my dog's surgery, and my cat's upcoming dental, I'm going to be paying that puppy off for a while.

We had a boom in cases at the beginning of fall, but they've gone down in the county though we've had several new deaths. They're apparently predicting a boom, according to my boss (she's a biosafety person so she'd know).

Shortages, from what I've seen, are frequent and kind of weird at times. I went to the pet store to get Friday a new collar and they had two collars available, and the entire aisle of cat toys was completely bare. I went to Marshall's to look for a sweater for my dog because they usually have cute ones, especially around Halloween and Christmas - nothing. Paper towels and toilet paper are picked over, but present. You can usually find household cleaners, like toilet cleaners, Windex, Clorox spray, but no general disinfectants. Hand sanitizer is plentiful but I've had a terrible time finding hand soap.

 

[artiemom]

I cannot look at my credit cards. I used to just have a primary one. The others were for emergencies. I would use them occasionally to keep them active.

Now, I am using them all!!! It is ridiculous. But, I have most of the major shopping done.
I really expect a shortage of things— soon.

People are panic buying. Between the bevy of the month, when checks come in; to the announcement of increasing cases, to the semi-lockdown at night ——- it is incredible.

On Tuesday morning at 7:30am. And at 6 am, the grocery stores were mobbed.

 

[Lari]

I found out I was possibly exposed and had to run out and get a test (the friend I was babysitting for tested positive, and I'm assuming she was exposed last week when I was still babysitting since she had heard about positive tests in her office over the weekend).

I'm pretty upset right now. I hadn't been wearing a mask while babysitting her kids, and now I really wish I would have, or I'd stopped working sooner. I hate this so much.

 

[Antonio65]

I'm pretty upset right now. I hadn't been wearing a mask while babysitting her kids, and now I really wish I would have, or I'd stopped working sooner. I hate this so much.

Are you feeling any symptom or unwell?

Keep in mind that wearing a mask does not protect you from getting the virus, it protects others from getting the virus from you. Don't feel guilty for that, it is very likely that the outcome was the same even if you were wearing the mask.

I hope your test comes back negative. If it's positive and you're still feeling right, you might be part of the vast majority of asymptomatics.
Problem is if you have been in contact with others meanwhile. They should be tested too.

 

[KittyFriday]

One of my friends (in SD) has been tested I think three times now. She was supposed to come back last weekend to go wedding dress shopping with another friend but was feeling unwell so didn't return (and got tested again).

She's supposed to return this weekend, but Kansas just added South Dakota to its quarantine list. So I probably won't get to see her, at least not for long. She's supposed to be buying a humidifier from me so I'm hoping I can see her long enough to at least unload that.

 

[denice]

I understand being upset about shutdowns and online learning for school. Many small businesses are unable to hang on. People are unemployed, with summer day camps then schools closed many people can't go to work. I don't get the issue with masks and social distancing. I don't get having issues with no large private gatherings, that is the issue in Ohio now. That is just spoiled bratty behavior, 'I can't do what I want when I want'.

 

[Lari]

Are you feeling any symptom or unwell?

Keep in mind that wearing a mask does not protect you from getting the virus, it protects others from getting the virus from you. Don't feel guilty for that, it is very likely that the outcome was the same even if you were wearing the mask.

I hope your test comes back negative. If it's positive and you're still feeling right, you might be part of the vast majority of asymptomatics.
Problem is if you have been in contact with others meanwhile. They should be tested too.

I've been a little congested since Saturday, but I don't know if it's covid, a cold, or pregnancy rhinitis. I have a slight headache today, but I've also done a lot of crying over this and the election stress.

I had an outdoor baby shower on Sunday. We were all wearing masks, so hopefully if I do have it I didn't spread it, but I let them all know. I also stopped at the store yesterday, but hopefully that didn't count as long enough contact with people.

I'm worried about having to cancel midwife appointments so late into my pregnancy. And I'd set up a vet appointment for Sparkle I'll probably have to cancel if I come back positive as well. And we were supposed to have Maternity photos on the 14th, though that would be 10 days past testing, so even if I was positive those might still be okay, depending on how our photographer felt.

 

[jcat]

Well, it's time to admit that I didn't know that until you mentioned it. I'm so curious to know how good it is. Does it really clump fine? I mean, does the clump stay compact even when you scoop it out?

P.S.: It sounds like you are based in Germany

Yes to both those questions. We've tried numerous brands of biodegradable litter from renewable sources, including another corncob litter from Poland. Siria is very fine, clumps well, and doesn't fly all over the place despite its light weight. We were very pleased that Mowgli seemed to like it best, too. The one problem with it is that we can only get it from Amazon. Amazon Germany sold out of it within a few days of Italy's first shutdown, so we obviously weren't the only ones who stockpiled it.

I'm American (from Philadelphia, PA), but have been married to a German for 40 years and have spent the greater part of my adult life in southern Germany.

I understand being upset about shutdowns and online learning for school. Many small businesses are unable to hang on. People are unemployed, with summer day camps then schools closed many people can't go to work. I don't get the issue with masks and social distancing. I don't get having issues with no large private gatherings, that is the issue in Ohio now. That is just spoiled bratty behavior, 'I can't do what I want when I want'.

"Pandemic fatigue" is a very real phenomenon. That's the main reason why the current shutdowns are more limited in scope than the springtime ones. It's not just that governments have recognized that some activities weren't as risky as first feared, when so little was known about the virus, and the medical field has more experience in treating Covid-19 patients. The emotional toll of isolation is so high for many people.
But - that's absolutely right about the spoiled bratty behavior. Is it really too much to ask people to make some short-term sacrifices in their social lives in order to prevent serious illness and deaths, keep entire economies from collapsing, enable children to get an education? Other generations laid down their lives for the common good, e.g., during WWII. That should put those of us unwilling to wear masks and reduce social contacts to real shame.

It's normal to gripe about restrictions and shortages. It's incredibly selfish and irresponsible to flout rules put in place to protect others.

 

[Antonio65]

Yes to both those questions. We've tried numerous brands of biodegradable litter from renewable sources, including another corncob litter from Poland. Siria is very fine, clumps well, and doesn't fly all over the place despite its light weight. We were very pleased that Mowgli seemed to like it best, too. The one problem with it is that we can only get it from Amazon. Amazon Germany sold out of it within a few days of Italy's first shutdown, so we obviously weren't the only ones who stockpiled it.

I have read some reviews on Amazon, and a few people seem unhappy with it, because they say that clumps break or that it smells.
At the moment I'm using a vegetable clumping litter made in Italy, branded like Perfect Hygiene. It's very good, in my opinion, and I bought over a dozen of packs during a sale. I should make it to the end of next Spring. Now that same litter is much more expensive, and unless there's another offer or sale, I should look somewhere else.
I used to buy the Ökoplus Cat's Best, but its quality worsened a lot and I have to give up.

I'm American (from Philadelphia, PA), but have been married to a German for 40 years and have spent the greater part of my adult life in southern Germany.

We're not so far, after all