Corona Virus Now Spreading

[sweet jane flash]

Oh drat, it did not copy the picture; but it is of a trolley car driver refusing a passenger from entering since he was not wearing a mask.

 

[sweet jane flash]

We've gotten a little paranoid about all of this. I wore a scarf to the store and left it in the car when I came home. It was several days before I went out again, and by that time, any germs on it had died, so I wore it again.

If 2% of the population has the virus, that means 98% doesn't. We need to be cautious, but not paranoid. Front line responders and health care providers are bombarded with the virus everyday; we aren't.

DreamerRose more than 2% have it. They just have not been tested. Cannot even get tested! Must be half dead to get tested... . Please stay safe.

 

[LTS3]

The governor just signed an order requiring every resident to wear a face covering of some sort while out in public if staying 6 feet away from others is not possible, such as public transportation, effective May 6. Just a few weeks ago he said face masks were not necessary and resisted calls to make face coverings mandatory. Why are local leaders, governors, etc so slow to be proactive and take precautionary measures well before a crisis hits hard to keep people safe? Individual cities and towns have their own rules, some require mandatory face coverings in public and a hefty fine for non-compliance while others only advise wearing face coverings.

The property manager of the complex I live in sent out an email informing all residents that because of the new state order and a town order, the Board of Trustees have approved a rule that we're required to wear face coverings in any common area both inside and outside of the buildings until further notice. This includes hallways, elevators, parking lots, just walking the dog around the property, etc. Not sure how enforceable this will be and what penalties, if any, will be given to non-compliant residents.

 

[denice]

I just got back from the store and there was much more in the way of disinfectants on the shelfs. I picked up a big container of the Clorox wipes, I just picked up two of the small Lysol ones last week and I am going through them fast. I took one of the Lysol ones into the office for my one day a week. I had some Clorox ones in there but they were expired, I was using them but I don't know how effective they were. They had hand sanitizer, plenty of the convenient little bottles of hand soap, and lots and lots of paper products. Paper products of every type and brand. I thought that would happen when people finally decided enough is enough.

 

[Willowy]

Haha, nobody is going to buy toilet paper for the next 6 months! So then there will be too much, and then eventually it'll all even out again.

I'm going shopping today, I hope they have everything. I could use more wipes too.

 

[LTS3]

I went to the supermarket late morning today. There was at least a dozen bulk packages of Bounty paper towels but no toilet paper, most likely because early morning shoppers bought it all. I'm good on both for now. Only the small cubes of tissues available. There was no disinfectant of any kind. General cleaning supplies like bathroom cleaner was limited. There was more dish soap on the shelves. I got a few more bottles of hand soap.

 

[DreamerRose]

DreamerRose more than 2% have it. They just have not been tested. Cannot even get tested! Must be half dead to get tested... . Please stay safe.

Officially, 3% have been diagnosed. Even if 7-8% have it, that's still not the majority of people. There are also indications that the saturation of exposure increases the likelihood of contracting the virus. Remember all those Spring Break people on the beaches? It didn't turn out to be the mass infection that was expected.

 

[Willowy]

Remember all those Spring Break people on the beaches? It didn't turn out to be the mass infection that was expected.

It might have been. Since they were young and healthy they may have been asymptomatic. Without testing everyone there's just no way to know, that's what makes this virus so frustrating.

 

[denice]

It seems like shortages are regional in nature. With things like paper products and disinfectants I don't think there are supply chain differences between regions. I think the 'hoarding fever' is breaking at different times in different places. I was surprised to see hand sanitizer, I didn't think I would see that in a store for quite awhile. It wasn't those convenient smaller bottles with the pump it was the quart bottles of GermX. I bought one to take into the office for my one day a week. It is impossible to wash my hands every time I touch a possibly contaminated surface so having hand sanitizer at my desk will be convenient. I am not going to leave wipes or hand sanitizer at my desk though. With only being there once a week I know there is a very good chance that they will do a disappearing act when I am not there. I stopped for gas after the supermarket and I did use it after I pumped gas.

 

[sweet jane flash]

Officially, 3% have been diagnosed. Even if 7-8% have it, that's still not the majority of people. There are also indications that the saturation of exposure increases the likelihood of contracting the virus. Remember all those Spring Break people on the beaches? It didn't turn out to be the mass infection that was expected.

DreamerRose we don't know yet how much damage was done by the "Spring Break" people on the beaches in Florida and also all the people populating on the beaches in California. That is just it. Those states and many others as well have not reached their peaks yet and we still have the 2nd wave of Covid 19 to deal with. I don't know if they have enough tests in Florida or not but I know they definitely do not have enough tests (almost none, sadly) in California. As I stated before, you almost have to be half dead to get a test at all. The few tests they do have are being used, in CA, only for those who are already so deathly ill that they probably don't even need a test. The experts really have become very adept at recognizing the symptoms of Covid 19 and that is a good thing. If people move too fast with this, and do not take it seriously for what it is, hideous as it is, deadly as it is and CONTAGIOUS as it is we'll never get rid of it and many more people will suffer and die. And most of them will die alone because they do not allow visitors in the hospital at all. NO visitors. NO goodbye dear one "I love you so much". I pray for everyone in this world daily because we need it and I do not disregard the warnings. In my town it is illegal to be out without a mask. And those who enforce that rule do not give out a warning first. Of course they never will catch all the insensitive and downright rude and reckless fools who do not listen to the experts. This pandemic has already killed more people than the war in Vietnam. It cares not about race, money, age or anything else. Please stay safe yourself and protect the safety of others.

 

[denice]

Ohio has a date when people, employees and customers, have to wear a face covering inside of stores. That is along with maintaining social distancing. There is no requirement for it outdoors. I still don't think a cloth mask is necessary where social distancing can be maintained. The problem arises in stores where even with the best efforts it cannot be maintained 100% of the time and surfaces can be contaminated. This stuff is so contagious it only takes that very short time.

 

[Willowy]

A lot of the stores here have started requiring masks, despite everything "opening". Menard's is requiring them now, which is kind of surprising considering their usual clientele.

 

[Willowy]

Costco has enough TP for everyone in the state, I think . And it's fairly late on a Saturday, meaning they probably had a lot more this morning.

They also have some hand sanitizer in a box of small bottles.

 

[Texaskitty]

I work for CPA/accountants/tax preparers. In a smaller town about 20 miles outside of Houston TX. We were essential business. We couldn't close our office down during all this. We had to keep preparing tax returns, everybody wanted theirs done right now, so they could get their stimulus check either direct deposit or mail, so their tax return would have their direct deposit bank info in it to get their stimulus check, or to get info from us to get their SBA loan. Its been insane, the worst tax season ever, that I have seen in 15 years in this business. The phone never stopped ringing and still hasn't. Most of our clients came in wearing masks but a lot of them who were about to meet with our CPA said can I leave it off, because you can barely talk thru it, and we said fine, I know most people wont agree with me but I think a lot of this is overblown, we've destroyed the economy and countless lives and occupations over something that when we look back on much later will turn out to be like super bad flu season and it should have been treated that way instead of destroying people's ability to make a living. We sanitized the counter every day and the pens if the client didn't bring their own. We sanitized the door handles. Washed our hands every time a client handed us a credit card. This crazy panic over Covid 19 has thrown our business into turmoil. And destroyed other people's livelyhoods. I'm grateful we are working and sad a lot of people aren't. But it's time to put some common sense into this thing. Let people have the freedom to open up their businesses, with common sense.

 

[denice]

There has been a lot of economic devastation over this. Is it overblown I don't know. It does seem to be much worse in very congested cities, New York City being a prime example. It did need to be taken more seriously then a seasonal flu which I feel we have become too blasé about. Maybe this will make most people take this more seriously as we begin to open things back up. Many people probably didn't realize that things like frequent handwashing and avoiding crowded non-ventilated indoor areas was the best way to avoid respiratory viruses. I think most people realize it now. I think it will maybe make people less cavalier about getting or not getting a flu shot as well as getting vaccinated for this if one comes available. It definitely was not overblown as far as the elderly go especially those living in nursing and assisted living facilities.

 

[Texaskitty]

I totally understand your point Denise, this is tough row to hoe.

 

[DreamerRose]

I agree. I never meant to be cavalier about this disease, but there's no need to go overboard. There's no need for me to wipe down my counters, door knobs, or phones everyday because I live alone and no one has been in my house. Common sense and reasonable caution are the way to go.

BTW, my sister lives in an assisted living facility that shut down right away when the virus first arrived, and so far, no one there has gotten the disease.

 

[denice]

Some states require nursing homes that have the space to take convalescing Covid patients discharged from the hospital who are still contagious, New York is one of them. The nursing homes objected but that is the state law. This came out when Cuomo started threatening an investigation into the deaths in nursing homes and the nursing homes went public to defend themselves. Cuomo replied that was the law.

 

[Tobermory]

we've destroyed the economy and countless lives and occupations over something that when we look back on much later will turn out to be like super bad flu season

There are times when I start to think the same...and then I remember that in New York City alone, there have been more than 18,000 confirmed deaths—a number I’m sure is much higher— in just a couple of months, and funeral homes are having to stack the dead with ice in rooms and trailers. It’s not like any flu season I can remember. It reminds me of things I’ve read about the plagues of the Middle Ages. We are a vulnerable species in so many ways.

When our CPA finished our taxes, we drove to the office, parked, and called. They gave us instructions over the phone, came out, and put our return and supporting documents on a table by the front door, then went back in. We got out of the car (we were wearing masks), reviewed everything, signed, and put the documents through a slot in the door. I wish we could have sat with him and gone over everything in person, but this worked, and it ensured everyone’s safety. And we got our refund a week and a half later!

 

[denice]

This is really an impossible situation with no good options. What we have been doing isn't sustainable, even Governor Cuomo has admitted that. It is a situation with no good solution. What it comes down to is what level of serious illness and death can the system handle and we as a society able to tolerate. Absolutely no good choices available.

I think that is what our Governor here in Ohio is looking for, that balance with a slow reopening. He is not a Trump minion. He was the first Governor to close down schools, he then shut down the bars right before Saint Patrick's day and then did the shutdown. He knows that it cannot be sustained so now it is the painful search for a balance. Something that is sustainable until either a treatment to keep it from going into the serious form of the illness or a vaccine is available.