Corona virus ~ so as not to hijack 200meters thread

Deni D

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
Staff member
I didn't want to post on 200meters thread because I feel like his news about his son is more important, well just as important, no yeah, actually more important and more long lasting than this virus storm is probably going to be.

I'm in the at risk group, 65 and already have breathing problems and a weakened immune system so I'm not taking it lightly but common sense is telling me stocking up on non-perishable food might just be a priority over stock piling a large quantity of TP and hand sanitizer as we've seen in my area.

In my case I already stock up on TP, paper towels, laundry detergent and cleaning supplies as a rule so I don't have to bother running to the store for bs items, so maybe I'm ahead of the game. I also drink bottled water but in a pinch I'd deal with my tap water, a taste I do not prefer. I don't see a risk in my water being turned off due to this virus, don't understand all of the stockpiling of bottled water, unless I'm missing something.

I'm on the east coast of the US. Our local school system is ramping up the online school access and put out a special news video yesterday in preparation for school closings. We don't have one reported case in my county, yet. The colleges are falling one by one to cancelling all but online classes. All of the local stores, including the grocery stores, pharmacy stores and the big box stores are out of TP, hand sanitizer, actually any alcohol based products, and water.

I ordered a bunch of non-perishable foods from a local grocery store, to pick up tomorrow, because I was a bit worried about the content of the presidents special report tonight. Seems I didn't have to worry about people wondering how they were going to eat if they were quarantined for a long period just yet, there was no mention of that. Tomorrow I'm going to pick up those groceries and also pick up paint and other supplies for projects I have planned for my house. I will be set up to stay at home for an extended period of time with plenty of food and plenty of supplies to keep me busy around the house.

I've thought about the possibility of delivering meals to the kids who get the free lunches locally because our local special report mention they don't know if/how they are going to get the lunches to the kids. I could wear gloves, I have a box of them for my camper sewer change outs. I can keep my hands off of my face and just drop off the meals to the doors with no contact to anyone. Or deliver medications if the local pharmacy decides to go that way for the senior, at risk, customers. I'll see what comes up locally.

But this clearing out the stores of TP and water by people who seem to have no common sense as to where their next meal might come from if they are quarantined has me baffled. Do they typically wait until they are at their last square, no square to spare (Seinfeld reference), do they think they are going to eat the freaking TP if they are quarantined and can't go out to a store or what? Or are they lemmings with no ability to think for themselves?

It just seems to me the preparations people are making, in this area at least, make no sense to me. Maybe it's just desperation locally hoping the TP gods will come to their rescue?

I think one of the actual real problems we have here are the young families who have no choice but to go to work in order to get paid and have to put their children in a daycare, or count on school and the before and after school programs. Such a hard situation when/if the care programs and schools close down. I don't see them getting much help. Even someone like me, who would have the time, couldn't risk the exposure from them and therefore their children. That's really being stuck between a rock and a hard place. I hope someone comes up with something for them, but I'm not seeing it so far.

What do you all think?
 
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KTMom91

Well-Known Member
Found out today our district is cancelling sports events, the colleges in town are going to online classes, and Costco was out of TP.

I worry too about the people who can't afford to miss work. Being a substitute teacher, if I don't work I don't get paid. Inconvenient for me, but devastating for someone else without sick pay or vacation time.
 

BusynMember1

Well-Known Member
I am far more worried about those who panic and buy up the stores than the coronavirus. They are closing events here too plus the colleges. What next?

I am not seeing anything productive from the government at all. Young families with kids, if schools shut down, will have to.stay home if daycares also shut down. There are some home based women I know who.would probably babysit at a premium price. Jaden's sitter is a distant relative and already said she isn't afraid of the virus and will sit for Amy's school aged kids. Most are not that lucky.

I personally have never seen our country's citizens acting this scared nor our government this ineffective. i am not taking sides politically. Nobody is soothing nerves or coming up with good ideas on how to handle this.

I do not believe that terrifying so many people is in our country's best interest. Scared people are not rational and may fight, literally, over toilet paper. Calm and cool thinks better. I really don't appreciate the media lighting a fire under the feet of our citizens who tend to panic. All three news channels are serving no good purpose in my opinion and I hope even more people turn off the news or trade cable for Netflix. Most of all, I see the media as causing this extreme fear. Fear sells. I will never turn those cable news channels on again.

I remember a time when we had strong, smart leaders in our country. in my opinion we don't right now on either side of the aisle. I pray that people will mostly stay calm and use common sense.
 
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MissLulu

Well-Known Member
Here in Australia, there's been a mixed reaction - panic buying (particularly of toilet paper!) for weeks vs people saying "meh, the flu is worse." In the last 24 hours people seem to have started to take things way more seriously and there's really discussion of mass school closures, banning of mass events like football games, (the Grand Prix has been called off) and other isolation measures. We have had travel bans in place for some weeks - banning travellers from China, South Korea, Iran and Italy, but I think those bans are being widened today. Many workplaces have told their workers to work from home and others have banned all travel (both international and domestic) for the time being. My husband's company is one of these.

I have tried to be level-headed. We haven't been stockpiling as such but over the past month have just added a few extra things to our weekly shop. I don't want to be hoarding goods at a ridiculous level, because I know there are some in the community who are unable to afford to bulk buy and I want to leave some supplies available for those people. Some people have been incredibly (and unnecessarily) greedy, which saddens me.

On a personal level, I'm quite sad because I'm an author and I have a new book coming out next month. I think my book tour will have to be cancelled and I'm worried that sales will be down because I fear we'll be in lock down by then. I realise there are many people in a much worse position than me, but writing is my career and if this book has weak sales it will be harder to get a new contract. Still, I'm trying not to dwell on that and be grateful for the fact that I am relatively healthy and live in a country with good health care. I have a home to shelter in and a good stock of supplies should they be needed. I'm not elderly and not in a high risk group (although my husband is diabetic and two of my kids are asthmatic, including Difficult Child). I'm mildly worried about my husband, so we are trying to stay home as much as possible and take sensible precautions like regular hand washing. Difficult Child will not be taking any precautions, I suppose. He is moving out of our home next weekend, and I hope he will be sensible about his health,(making sure he has an adequate supply of medications for instance) but I'm not optimistic! I'm letting that go. It's outside of my control.

I'm very worried about the vulnerable in our society. Our government announced an economic stimulus package yesterday, which is a good start but does nothing for casual workers or those on very low incomes. I hope that will change if things get worse here.
 

louise2350

Active Member
I live near Boston. A lot of schools and places are closing up due to the virus. I'm 70 but not worried - will just take precautions. I hope this virus will end soon. I know they are warning people but sometimes it's too much when it's all you hear on the news.
 

AppleCori

Well-Known Member
I plan events/fundraisers and I have cancelled everything for this month.
Taking things day by day, week by week, otherwise.
Today I am going to do some extra cleaning, after one in-person call I need to make and a few online things that need taken care of.
My daughter attends classes one day per week, which is today. I have been awake for a while now, thinking about it. I am going to let her go. No cases have been detected in our county, though there are several in a neighboring one.
Tonight hubby, daughter, and I are going to watch Netflix and play games (no virus news). We had originally planned to go to a get-together, dance thing, but it was cancelled, and even if it hadn’t been, we might have skipped it. Lots of people. My daughter was looking forward to it, though. I’m glad I didn’t have to make the decision.

Saturday we were originally planning to go visit my in-laws who are almost 90 and live in another state. We have decided to not risk their health and wait to visit until this blows over, as hubby is worried about them. They are in a senior living place, so their needs are taken care of and their other child lives near them. No plans for Saturday now, though. May just stay around the house.
I am deciding on whether to attend church, and I have an informational meeting Sunday night for something my daughter wants to join. Leaning toward going to both.

This coming week is Spring Break for the school district. I had planned several things which we are now not going to do—Capital Day at the state capital; a presidential museum quite a ways away from where we live; a fun, family-oriented fundraiser where the money spent on the event goes to a good cause (and i had organized it).
We are suppose to go (indoor) camping next Friday. I haven’t decided whether to go or not, but leaning toward going, as it won’t be a big crowd like the other events.
Because of Spring Break, I can put off decisions about my daughter’s dance, robotics, scouting, etc this month for a bit longer.

Just this last weekend, we had an event and later took my daughter and her friends to the movie theater. This week, we had scouts, dance four nights, I hosted a teen event, and many other activities. Things have definitely changed in the last couple of days for me.

I am worried about the economy, jobs, businesses, the stock market, the elderly, etc.

Pray that our Congress will work together to fight the virus and mitigate the damages to businesses and workers, as well as people lookin for work, the elderly, etc.
This is a time to come together as a country and as a global population.
 

BusynMember1

Well-Known Member
Ok so now our schools are closing soon. And many churches. Not yet ours.

I feel a bit surreal but almost like we are all in a big adventure where we have to go back to older times and make do. I am going to expand our garden. My husband and I will invite my parents to stay with us so we can help care for them and keep them safe. We are not against a party here and there, but not now. My kids and grands will visit. Nobody else.

We are going to stock up on board games and old books and puzzles because I don't think there will be much to do in our city. i expect most entertainment to shut down so we will have to find ways to have fun at home. Or we can take our camper to the forest where nobody else is.

I do feel for the vulnerable population. My parents are definitely there. And hub is diabetic and.no kid. But to be honest the vulnerable are in danger when exposed to the regular flu or anything, really. My folks are in their mid and late 80s. When asked about Coronavirus, my mother very calmly said,"I have had a great life and I don't care how I get to heaven." My Dad is similar.

So....my husband and I decided to treat this in a more fun way. We are not minimizing the illness, but if we must change our lifestyle to be our healthiest, and, more importantly, care for my parents, we are darn determined to enjoy ourselves as best we can.

Hoping everyone can stay strong, look towards the sunlight and trust God, if God is in your life. There is a lesson for us in every challenge, I believe....maybe this is telling us to slow down and to enjoy the simple things in life that money can't buy. To smell the flowers. Let's try?

Love to all.
 

Nandina

Member
What an optimistic way to look at the unknown, Busy! And I love your mom’s response. It’s like everything else that we lack a whole lot of control over. Just try to stay safe, healthy and make the best of whatever comes along.

I’d like to think that some other people are using this “hunker down” time to connect more with family members, but alas, my fear is that they’ll just spend more time in the company of their phones!

I don’t mean to make light of a serious situation but not seriously, I mentioned to my husband that it might be a good time to invest in Netflix stock! Lol

Best wishes, everyone for good health and a positive attitude!
 

200Meters

A real bustard
Israel is in partial shutdown. Almost 200 cases. Thousands in self-quarantine. No schools. No cafes, restaurants or theaters. The tourism industry which is so important to our economy is reeling. No gatherings of over 10 people. Lots of people working from home. Here are the Health Ministry guidelines in English.
 

MissLulu

Well-Known Member
Israel is in partial shutdown. Almost 200 cases. Thousands in self-quarantine. No schools. No cafes, restaurants or theaters. The tourism industry which is so important to our economy is reeling. No gatherings of over 10 people. Lots of people working from home. Here are the Health Ministry guidelines in English.

Wow. That’s full on. But we have to do what’s necessary. I expect Australia will be in a similar position sometime soon. Are you able to work from home 200m? I’m fortunate in that I already work from home, but my husband doesn’t. Some of his work can be done remotely but some is hands on (he works in IT). Not sure what will happen with his job. He may be forced to take leave.

What about the prison? Are you still able to see your son?
 

200Meters

A real bustard
I am able to work from home and expect to be told to do so at any moment. We have one computer, a laptop which I received from my office, with a SIM card, so I can work from anywhere because I'm on call 24/6. Mrs. 200Meters just received a laptop from her office so she can work at home too.

We won't see Youngest until he is released a week from tomorrow. Corona is in the Israeli prison system, though not at the prison Youngest is at.

One consequence of the Corona crisis is that Prime Minister Netanyahu's corruption trial, which was due to start on Tuesday, has been postponed until mid-May.
 

ahhjeez

Active Member
I love your attitude Busy. My mom lives with me and she will be 70 in April so I'm watchful and trying to prepare without freaking out. My husband is also over 60 and works with the public so I'm a bit worried about that. Like Louise I'm also near Boston and we had planned before this to go into the city for a day, but now we are actively social distancing. Fortunately my son was already doing college online and is keeping busy with friends through his gaming platform. My business has ground to a halt so I'm really worried about that. I'm hoping that we can get ahead of the curve on this and minimize what could be pretty bad. I'm also immunocompromised and on an immunosuppressant so that's an added layer for me. I'm trying to be sensible and make sure I'm following all the recommended precautions without panic. I'm really hoping that this will not last too long, but I'm preparing as best I can.

One thing I did notice when I was out shopping at my local grocery was how awesome everyone was being with each other. I saw people looking out for the elderly, trying not to hoard, checking to see if other shoppers maybe needed something in their cart if there wasn't anything left on the shelves. Gave me hope and a glimpse at how good people can be. ♥ Wishing everyone here well.
 

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Very weird dilemma...
I’m 55++ (don’t wish to say my actual age)
And I have a few underlying health issues.

I’ve waited a gazillion years to take piano lessons again. And have been doing so for a year. Took them as a kid. I’ve made nice progress. I have a lesson this week (teacher’s house). I use hand sanitizer before and after the lesson. He teaches mostly kids and a few adults like myself. I have a few autoimmune things and high blood pressure. I’m on a handful of medications. No immunosuppressants (if I were, I would not go)
I think I’m going to the lesson anyway this week. I’m not in a state like Washington with a huge amount of cases. But, our state does have cases and our actual large city has a few. Any thoughts? Ugh.

pS I use the hand sanitizer on my own. I sooo wish he was insisting that his students do this, but so far he hasn’t said anything. I have recently started limiting my going out. Hubby does the food shopping now, for example.
 
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MissLulu

Well-Known Member
Very weird dilemma...
I’m 55++ (don’t wish to say my actual age)
And I have a few underlying health issues.

I’ve waited a gazillion years to take piano lessons again. And have been doing so for a year. Took them as a kid. I’ve made nice progress. I have a lesson this week (teacher’s house). I use hand sanitizer before and after the lesson. He teaches mostly kids and a few adults like myself. I have a few autoimmune things and high blood pressure. I’m on a handful of medications. No immunosuppressants (if I were, I would not go)
I think I’m going to the lesson anyway this week. I’m not in a state like Washington with a huge amount of cases. But, our state does have cases and our actual large city has a few. Any thoughts? Ugh.

pS I use the hand sanitizer on my own. I sooo wish he was insisting that his students do this, but so far he hasn’t said anything. I have recently started limiting my going out. Hubby does the food shopping now, for example.

Nomad can you use a antibacterial wipe to wipe down the keys before you play? That along with the hand sanitiser is probably a good precaution.
 

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I can and I think he would understand. Thank you...I might do just that. :) And my husband suggested on top of all that hand sanitizer, come home and wash my hands all the way up to my elbows. I think I’ll do it all!
 

Nandina

Member
I saw a doctor on The Rachael Ray show demonstrate making your own hand sanitizer:

2/3 C Isopropyl Alcohol (at least 60% alcohol; 90% is best)
1/3 C Aloe Vera gel
Couple drops essential oil of your choice
Mix well

He used a funnel and poured into a small spray bottle.

*If you can still find isopropyl alcohol!
 

200Meters

A real bustard
Israel is up to 344 cases.

A friend of mine said that so many people stuck at home (working or not), we're either going to see a spike in births in 9 months...or a spike in divorces in 2. :p

Driving into Jerusalem this morning (I'm still at the office for the time being) from our 'burb was a breeze. No traffic, no bottlenecks, zip.

Our new 120-person Knesset (parliament) is being sworn in today, three MKs at a time.
 

Deni D

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
Staff member
We are seeing some more restrictions and closings here. And folks are getting the changes a bit confused in my area. A friend of mine called me a little bit ago telling me all restaurants and bars are closing period. Not true, they will be open for take out and will close at 8 pm with the new curfew we have in place. This friend of mine is well known for not having any food in his house and eating mostly take out so now he's out shopping for food. I didn't tell him, for now anyway, he will be able to eat as he normally does because I figure it's a good idea he get some food in his house. I'll tell him later :)

I'm officially self quarantining myself for now. I'm pretty good with hunkering down in the very cold weather here anyway, not for what will be this long but I'll do fine.

A couple of suggestions for anyone looking for things for them or family members to keep from climbing the walls. These are the things I'm going to be doing.

~ udemy it's www.udemy.com, all kinds of online courses, I usually take the web development type classes but they have all different kinds.

~ online museum tours
https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours

~ start outside spring clean up early

~ go for a walk

~ go for a short drive to a nice local place, either stay in the car or just get out and walk around a little bit

~ clean the house really well, nah, no, that's no fun
 

susiestar

Roll With It
For a fast DIY hand sanitizer spray (comparable to the ones sold at the registers at Sprouts/Whole Foods), fill a small spray bottle with alcohol. Add a few drops of essential oil if you like. Put the cap on and use. I started doing this after reading the ingredients in a tiny $4 bottle of hand sanitizer at Sprouts. I get 97 cent spray bottles at Walmart and keep one in my purse. I also keep on full of dry mouth mouthwash for my own cheap DIY dry mouth spray. Good for anyone who is on medications and has a problem with this!

We are being careful, though errands have to be run. The non-walmart grocery store here is getting toilet paper in every single day. I know on one day they ordered 400 cases and sold it in under an hour. Though that is starting to slow down. They kept paper towels on the shelf for a whole 10 hours! I am willing to bet that if I asked (and paid someone five bucks), they would put a package of toilet paper back for me. Mostly because I know all the employees through Wiz (he is a manager there). I am a bit worried about him. He is on vacation, looking to find an apartment and a job in another city. He texted me that he is safe and all is well. He wants to move very badly and had it planned for mid April. I someone think that may not be happening. Though I never know.

Stay safe.
 
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