Yesterday, things got real around my home town, Rochester, NY, when the news broke that the second diagnosed COVID-19 case was a 60 year-old woman who worked in the Greece, NY public schools. She was exposed at services at a Ukranian Catholic Church in another suburb on March 1, and worked a couple of days with symptoms before testing. Prior to her diagnosis, the only confirmed case in Rochester was a man who had traveled to Italy. So, in one fell swoop, we learned that we had community spread, that the virus had been in our community for weeks, and that it makes no sense to keep schools open. There had been a debate on Thursday and Friday over whether the schools should be closed. By 2:30 yesterday, that debate was over, and the schools all closed. Our County Executive, a Democrat (thank you baby Jesus), declared a state of emergency yesterday.
If you know Western New York, you know about Wegmans, our big grocery store chain and cultural touchstone. They’re exceptionally good, and exceptionally profitable in part because they are able to service far more customers in a store than the average grocery chain. Unfortunately, that’s a problem in a panic, and there’s been a bit of panic here. Toilet paper is all sold out. There have also been shortages of eggs, pasta and sauce, and some frozen items. Wegmans is addressing that by closing stores at midnight and re-opening at 6 AM to allow stocking and cleaning. I was at a suburban Wegmans at 10 AM on Friday and it was much more crowded than usual. Today, I went at 7 AM for my usual weekend grocery run, and it was more crowded than it would have been normally at that time, though not so crowded that I couldn’t maintain good social distancing. Wegmans also put out a lot more hand sanitizer and everyone was using the disinfecting wipes on the grocery carts.
While I was shopping, Wegmans staff were still stocking. There were limits on popular items (4 cans of soup, 2 packages of chicken breasts, 4 boxes of pasta, etc.). Shelves were still partially empty, but there was no item that couldn’t be purchased in some form, though it might be in the most expensive form (for example, only organic, free-range eggs were available.)
Other than the stupidity of the toilet paper shortage, everything else that was running short made sense if you were planning to possibly isolate yourself and your family for 14 days. It’s easy to sit in judgment of hoarding, but that judgment just amounts to the absurd statement, “All those hoarders are getting in the way of my responsible preparation.” As long as everyone can get some food, these minor, transient shortages aren’t the worst thing that could happen. More concerning was what the cashier told me: Thursday’s traffic in that store had been on par with Christmas Eve. I’m guessing that some people were exposed at grocery stores and that there will be spread.
The only truly irresponsible thing I’ve witnessed so far was crowds of young people bar hopping yesterday. My daughter told me that bars were telling people to come out and support them so they wouldn’t go out of business. Cuomo has declared that all restaurants and bars must operate at 50% capacity, but I doubt that edict was being carefully enforced on St. Patrick’s Day.
Of course, this is a report from suburban privilege. Even the most debt-strapped suburbanites can afford to throw an extra $100 on the credit card to buy pasta, sauce and eggs. We all have cars to drive to the store early to stock up. We have the technology to work from home, and white collar jobs that want us to work from home, and to let our kids participate in distance learning. If you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck in the city, with no credit card, you can’t stock up. You have to get to your low-paying service job and work even if you’re sick. And what are you going to do with your kids out of school? School is far more than education in the inner city: it is two or maybe even three meals, and before school and after school daycare in a “wraparound” program. Children will be damaged by this pandemic even if nobody gets sick. Still, I think closing the schools now, rather than dithering around and closing them later after more spread, was the right move, but that’s easy for me to say.
Well, that’s my not-very-brief report from my home town. What’s happening in your neck of the woods?
debbie
Cases here went from 2 to 26 in one week. Full panic is on display at the stores. I still need stuff, but I’m holding for a few days. Hopefully, the panickers will have run out of storage room by then.
Rob
Noga Tarnopolsky
@NTarnopolsky
1m
#BREAKING: With Lieberman’s support, the mandate to form a new government goes to Benny Gantz. #boom
Dorothy A. Winsor
My DIL was told on Friday that starting next week she’ll be teaching kindergarten from home. I can’t even.
David C
Wegmans (I’m originally from Buffalo) in Frederick, MD was crowded yesterday AM. No Saturday AM “Wegmans buffet” (free samples), but except for some areas, it was well-stocked. They had a sanitizer person wiping down surfaces and cart wipes and sanitizer dispensers.
We built surge grocery capacity over 2 weeks ago and just go to get some fresh items. Take care, all. Tony Fauci will be on all of the Sunday news shows so we should get a good idea of where we stand.
Sab
@debbie: LOL. Come sit by me (six feet away).
WereBear
People here think we are a tiny town (we are) and so we are isolated (we are not.)
We are a year round tourist destination, with several major events that happened within the last two months. Yes, if you live in one of those even tinier towns who get flooded with visitors only in the summer, you might be more isolated.
Which is why I was so cautious two weeks ago, and plan some phone calls with management Monday morning. I think we should shut down now, ahead of being told to.
JPL
I posted this downstairs, but the bars and restaurants are one reason why the age of those diagnosed with the respiratory illness related to the virus is trending down. Elderly people are staying home. link
Nora
My younger brother was arguing with me and my brother-in-law last night about how everyone’s “overreacting” and “the flu is so much worse.” Until my sister separated us and made us talk about something else, it was insanely frustrating. Facts and statistics did nothing to change my brother’s mind. I’m afraid he’s going to be one of those people who ignores the guidelines and just keeps on doing whatever he wants. He’s probably not personally at risk, but he’s going to endanger others by his stubbornness and stupidity. Grr. How many more are there out there like him?
JPL
@Rob: Wut? I assumed that Bibi had it.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
/Even childless guy stares blinking into the middle distance/
I see people on twitter dot com ragging on parents making play dates and shit, but I can’t imagine what it’s like to have a couple of bored, hyperactive kids stuck at home all day.
MattF
Schools closed in MD by order of the governor. I think kids who get free meals at schools can still get them. Went to my nearby Italian deli to buy frozen pasta, sauce, and meatballs, no problem. Will try other grocery stores later in the week.
rk
I work at a hospital. We had our first case of CV yesterday. Everything is eerily quiet and kind of sad. Our blood supply is critically low because no one is donating. I went back to work after a week and the world has changed.
Spanky
Paper products aisle in our local (Southern MD) Giant Foods was cleaned out by 10:30 Friday AM. As I was providing photo documentation to Mrs S a guy came up the aisle and grabbed the last pack of napkins. That’s gonna hurt after he wipes with it for a few days.
Mrs. S went through last night to pick up a few more veggies and the aisle was still cleaned out. I had been picking up an extra pack whenever I was in there over the past week so we’re good for TP for at least a couple of weeks.
Eggs, bread, and fresh veggies will be stocked as shipments arrive, I assume. Until they no longer arrive, at which point things will have become very very bad.
Barbara
My school district is providing take away breakfast and lunch for anyone who wants it on the normal terms, meaning if you don’t pay now you won’t have to pay for that either. Plus school PTAs are arranging with local restaurants to provide free or reduced fee meals for students with ID. They are also setting up a hotline to address issues for those who will have wifi and childcare issues.
Miss Bianca
In keeping with its reputation as Colorado’s hardest-drinking town, Salida was rockin’ last night. My band had our usual “Saturday before St. Paddy’s gig” at our usual venue, and I kept waiting to hear that it had been cancelled, but no dice – show must go on, pandemic or no! Other bands were not so lucky – their gigs got cancelled, all right, but just to throw a little salt in the wound, the reports I got was that all *their* venues were still open, and packed. Jaysus Christ – the Masque of the Red Death should be updated to be set in mountain town Colorado. My ex’s girlfriend, a very sweet lady, who was my yoga instructor when I still lived there, and an anti-vaxxer (altho’ a former chemist, seems to me she ought to know better) was telling me not to worry, it would all be over in two weeks, and it was all I could do to keep from shouting, “are you FUCKING kidding me?!”
Meanwhile, in my town, I helped preside over the shutdown of the theater I work for (nothing scheduled now till April 17), and the newspaper office will also be shut. I guess I can get them to mail my latest paycheck…all my reporting will be done from videotape of public meetings for the time being.
MattF
@Nora: There is a ‘paradox of preparation’– at the point you actually need to take steps to prepare, any measures you take will appear to be an overreaction.
Sab
My sister has been going to China forever so this isn’t a new drill to my family. Trump makes them seem like unwashed nitwits, but they have millenia of experience with infectious diseases in congested cities. They know what they are doing. My family does what they do.
Guys at work thought I was nuts this year, which is weird because we have had flu since forever, nd a thirty something spouse almost died last year. Plus half the tiny office is over 60. Whatever.
Since sports got cancelled they are FINALLY focused. Whooppee!
Fortunately the nature of my work keeps me stuck in my office typing away to maximize billable hours. Not much interaction.
Betty Cracker
This morning, the local paper announced that the first case in our mostly rural, Republican, tourism-dependent county has been confirmed. Yesterday, the county seat irresponsibly went forward with it’s St. Paddy’s parade. About half the usual crowd showed up, they say.
The governor says the state is purchasing something like 600K testing kits. There are almost 22M people in the state, so that seems inadequate to me, but what do I know? Anyhoo, if the virus gets widespread in the big retirement communities around here, I think things will get very bad very quickly.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@JPL:
I don’t know how old Vietor is, but I doubt he’s over forty
Jerzy Russian
The schools in San Diego are shut down. Last Thursday the nearby Trader Joe’s was crowded, and had many empty shelves. Yesterday the target in the mall was not that crowded, but on the other hand there were lots of empty shelves (no soup except for cream of celery, no TP, no pasta, etc.). I went there to get some cat food, and I can report there were no shortages of that.
ThresherK
My regular grocery run was changed a bit. All fresh meat and poultry are gone.
Ice cream variety is low. I managed to not look closely enough, and bring home a flavor which I can’t eat (walnuts) and my wife can’t eat (bananas), so I have to go back for something else.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
In my DIL’s case, how many 5 or 6 year olds have access to the internet for several hours at a stretch? But what’s the alternative? I want someone to blame, and I choose Donald Trump.
Fleeting Expletive
Good lord. This is what we’re dealing with, Governor Stitt of OK taking his kids to a restaurant last night and proud of it. The upside is a lot of call for his resignation. That deal about him accepting Medicaid expansion through OBAMAcare? Block grants and (micro)managed-care HMO’s. Serious grift, Oklahoma style!
If you all have already pointed and laughed at him, my apologies. Social distancing has eroded my vigilance against sloth, meaning I just got up. Okay, my vigilance against some other vices has slipped too.
Never mind.
MattF
@ThresherK: I’ve run out of my personal Talenti stock– I can live, I guess, without Sea Salt Caramel, but Double Dark Chocolate is another matter.
ThresherK
No apology needed. Stitt’s idiocy bears repeated pointing-and-laughing.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@MattF:
Oh! OT, but essential. For the life of me, I can’t unscrew the top from a Talenti gelato container. Mr DAW can, with much struggle. Last time I needed one opened, he wasn’t here so I took it to our doorman. He also struggled but succeeded. Is there a secret way to do it? If so, why wasn’t I told!
MattF
@Dorothy A. Winsor: I’ve found that desperation helps.
debbie
@Rob:
I’m skeptical. Not 10 minutes ago, it was reported that the election would be postponed.
Fleeting Expletive
Oh, and lots of people pissed that OK’s meagre stockpile of CV tests went largely to Jazz players and why didn’t they go to residents first, STOP that. Medical decisions are medical decisions and I don’t want to hear any word of preferring one class of people over others for testing and care. Corona virus doesn’t prefer one class over others, except maybe old people.
joel hanes
@Miss Bianca:
Back in the Pleistocene, I used to ski Monarch for a week every winter. Upper Christmas Tree was the first place I ever broke a cornice, and I learned to unweight on Ajax. It was a little family ski area then.
A Ghost to Most
Floriduh man:
debbie
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Someone here who was confirmed is 31 years old. Everyone needs to be vigilant.
Kelly
The largest cluster in Oregon is 9 confirmed cases in a nursing home in Lebanon about 30 miles south of us. As of yesterday only about half of the 151 residents and 225 staff have been tested. Community spread.
My 83 year old Mom is taking social isolation seriously. She’s stopping her weekly outing with my mentally disabled adult niece. She’s been taking Marcy out for a walk in a park and lunch for decades. It’s usually the highlight of Marcy’s week. Mom will not be going grocery shopping or taking her sister Norma that no longer drives grocery shopping. I’ll take care of Mom and a cousin will take care of Norma.
joel hanes
@debbie:
Utah is reporting symptomatic cases among school children.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Doing the math – Norway, after a serious testing effort found 1,056 positive cases and has had two deaths, that suggests for every death there are 500 people with the virus. Going by the 54 deaths in the US that means the likely number of infected people in the US is 27,000.
Miki
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) just announced all schools closed for next 8 days, The 8 days are to be used to prep for distance teaching, which is to start 3/30. Other actions being taken to support workers, small businesses, healthcare workers, etc. Presser ongoing – and good. Confirmed cases went from 21 yesterday to 35 today ….
WereBear
Some of this is they’re scared and minimizing the danger, but this might be the worst defense mechanism to pick during a pandemic.
Jager
Midday Thursday Costco in Westlake Village, CA was packed. The huge dog food area was bare, there were 6 big bags of puppy food (I counted). No rice, no pasta, half as much coffee as usual. Little or no soup on the shelves, bread down to about a 3rd of normal. No chicken, one (!) whole chicken left in the case and a few packages of legs and wings. They had some hamburger, no roasts. There were some high priced cuts of beef available. Canned tuna and chicken-gone, of course, no TP. They were so busy, there was no extra check out folks to help pack the groceries. The lady who checked me out looked exhausted. I headed to Vons to get dog food, they had plenty. The soup and other canned goods were almost gone. No TP available.
Anze the Dog has food and so do we. We’re good.
BTW one of my friends in West Palm and some of his local buddies are blowing this off and are out partying, bars are packed down there.
WereBear
@rk: I would show up for donating, but don’t I need to know my COVID-19 status first?
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
NC has 26 right now, seven of whom are part of the “Biogen cluster”. A guy who visited someone in a Kirkland nursing home before they locked down. Several international travelers and cruise passengers. And a few we can’t account for, including an elementary school teacher.
Because we have a lot of both pharma and tech, the panic is in full swing. I had to go out for routine groceries yesterday and got to see it first hand. A professional trainer I know is looking into using Zoom to coach bodyweight exercises instead of meeting clients at the gym. (Alternative ideas welcome.)
Fleeting Expletive
Two days ago, last time I was out, found a pair of brown cotton work gloves in my pocket which was good for navigating the world. Why does no one suggest just wearing regular gloves, which would also discourage the face touching and look good too. Church going gloves, man. I wish I had some of those white ones with lace ruffles at the wrist like I did when I was eight.
Spanky
Well, I can sit here and get stressed reading about CV or I can go put new cutters in the planer and clean it out. Ordered parts for my 40 y.o. table saw yesterday, so that’s down until parts arrive on Thursday. And the yard ain’t gonna clean itself up.
If you have to be forced to stay near home, is there any better time than early spring? Just imagine if this had hit right after Thanksgiving.
Later!
Aziz, light!
In their meme-driven culture, some of the yoots seem pleased that the Boomer Remover will free up jobs and housing stock. I suppose I should stop visiting Imgur.
WereBear
That was my second realization when the news came that Trump had essentially shut down the CDC. I guess, as a novelist, I will jump to Worst Case Scenario just automatically.
Gelfling 545
First confirmed cases here in Erie County NY are ages 35 & 20.
Mer
For the love of god-the Italians are showing us what will happen and we are choosing to ignore this. We all need to self quarantine for 3 weeks, on our own, not wait for an order. We need to decide as a country to fight this virus and not wait for our leaders, or we follow the lead of those who are (Jay Inslee). We have sacrificed before (WW II) and need to do this. If we are not out, there is no one to spread it to. It is incomprehensible, but if we really want to return to our lives-we need to fight this together. It is our way of life we are fighting for and yes that requires us to fight and sacrifice . We can’t wish this away. The most dangerous thing to me-is that asymptomatic people can still be contagious and infect others. Why are any of us willing to take that risk for ourselves and others? We can’t be selfish. This is not us thumbing our noses at terrorists-the virus isn’t trying to intimidate us-it isn’t swayed by in-your face bravado. It needs to be hit the best way to fight it-get out of its ‘ way. It also allows for hospitals to take care of the sickest and doesn’t overwhelm them. After 3 weeks-every American is tested-free of charge. Athletes, actors, political folk, news people, attorneys, elderly, children, we are all at risk.
we have this idea that when we are sick- we tough it out-that is so wrong and we are not going to tough this one out collectively-unless we do something outside the box.
It sounds drastic but please tell me something different.
Crashman06
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
On day four of this and it’s not easy! Tomorrow, both my wife and I have to start working from home while both kids are out of school for the next two weeks I am not sure how we’re going to do it!
Jim, Foolish Literalist
The governor of OK tweeted out a picture of him and his small children at a crowded restaurant last night. No furrin virus is gonna keep real men from going out for a double cheeseburger. Then he deleted it.
Another young woman, I don’t know if she’s in politics or media, was bragging about having gone to a Red Robin and it was crowded. She got ratio’d as they say, and tweeted this in her defense “how can I spread the disease if I’m not sick?”
Mike in NC
Washington Post has an article up entitled “Infighting, missteps and a son-in-law hungry for results: Inside the Trump administration’s troubled coronavirus response“. We can all take some comfort that Jared is in charge.
joel hanes
Ima just leave this here …
https://twitter.com/thejuicemedia/status/1238667841655541760
Jim, Foolish Literalist
This morning. This. Fucking. Morning. This is what the fucking moron is thinking and communicating about
joel hanes
@Crashman06:
You’re not going to get much work done.
And that’s OK.
BBA
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: If they were just risking their own lives by going out, I’d say let ’em, it’s their (literal) funeral.
But they’re putting us all at risk.
Joey Maloney
From Israel: Bibi announced last night that the country is going on semi-lockdown. All entertainment venues, hotels, shopping malls closed. Schools and universities too. A total shutdown of restaurants was announced but apparently many are getting around this by going to takeout-only – or pretending too. Lots of storefront places have sidewalk seating only and some still have their chairs out. I haven’t been to the grocery today but I went yesterday and it was maybe a little busier than normal but fully stocked. The beaches are supposed to be closed too, but no one seems to be enforcing that yet, I suppose because the weather isn’t that warm yet and it’s mostly surfers and solitary walkers, not acres of people basting their flesh.
And, as noted upthread, Liberman got to slip the knife between Bibi’s ribs. Find the picture of him shaking hands with Gantz: his shit-eating grin says it all.
Fleeting Expletive
While I’m in a talkative mood, here’s another idea: carry a little bar of soap with you in a baggie and obtain a bottle of water, wash your hands. Repeating from yesterday, hotels can donate amenity soaps to homeless folks to maintain their own suppliers’ business. Also, Japan (?) maybe goofed early on by closing schools but not everything else. Teenagers, it appears, will find ways and places to meet & mingle without adult permission. Huh, how ’bout dat.
bemused
@A Ghost to Most:
I read this to my spouse and he said, “Republicans, me, me, me”.
debbie
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I saw that tweet. “It is my right.” Choke on it, bitch.
I am so sick of the stupid. I’m fighting with one brother who insists first that it is the common flu and then that it’s not half as dangerous, and another brother who is treading dangerously close to racism in his “China is to blame.”
ALurkSupreme
Here in Athens, GA, we now have two confirmed cases of COVID-19. The Publix market on the west side of town had a lot of empty shelves yesterday, my spouse said.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Devin Nunes on the Maria Bartiromo show, it looks like this was this morning?
The Murdoch family has a lot to answer for
tinare
I went to Costco on Friday, just to pick up some of my normal stuff. There were no paper products and the meat cases were severely low. I just needed a box of puppy pads and my allergy meds, so I was okay. I then went and stocked up on wine, because that seemed like a better thing to hoard than TP. On Saturday I ran to a grocery store to get some fresh produce for the week. It reminded me of the run on stuff before a snowstorm so I don’t think it’s super unusual human behavior. I was surprised that there was plenty of milk, bread and eggs. I guess French toast is just essential in curbing snowstorms, not viruses.
Ascap_scab
Drove by our local Walmart yesterday and didn’t go in as the parking lot was as full as in the days before Christmas. Went in this morning with the parking lot mostly empty and found the store completely ravaged.
Locally, we have not had any confirmed cases and as of Friday, our local schools will be open on Monday. Not only was Walmart out of all of the basics and perishables, but even the spice racks were empty.
It can’t have helped that the store hours were cut back by decree from Bentonville HQ so there was no overnight restocking.
I got everything I needed as I already have a fully stocked pantry and freezer, but wow, the panic has taken over.
Crashman06
@joel hanes: I can accept that. I hope our employers can as well. I expect a lot of catchup work to be done in the evenings.
jeffreyw
@Fleeting Expletive:
Evolution In Action
WaterGirl
@rk:
It is spooky. Our world has changed and I don’t believe it will ever go back to what it was. Some changes will be good; many will not be good.
Truly the end of an era.
A Ghost to Most
@David C: It figures Fredneck would get a Wegmans after we left. Good for the town, though.
bjacques
In NL:
(In English)
1135 have it, 162 in hospital, 20 dead.
Museums and events of more than 100 people are cancelled. Restaurants, bars and open markets still open, so far, and small businesses getting loans to tide them over.
Supermarket shelves are sometimes bare if the predictable items, but only for several hours at a time awaiting the next truckload of stock.
No screening flying in via Schiphol, apparently none going into Heathrow, according to a friend passing through today.
https://www.rivm.nl/en/news/current-information-about-novel-coronavirus-covid-19
Adam, you’ll appreciate an article in the weekend FT (paper edition; can’t find it online) about Italy feeling abandoned by the EU, by closed borders, lack of aid, and unhelpful remarks by Christine Lagarde. China stepping into the gap by shipping ventilators. Belt And Road builds another on-ramp…
Cheryl Rofer
@Betty Cracker: Each testing kit (if that’s the kind that CDC is/was distributing) is good for a couple thousand people, I don’t recall the exact number.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
you can imagine this guy’s bumperstickers
My grandpappy bled out on Omaha Beach so I could dip parker house rolls in the chocolate fountain at Golden Corral, and I’m not gonna dishonor his memory by staying home and eating chicken pot pie in front of the TV like I’ve done most of my life!
Bill Arnold
Sign outside pub in Edinburgh
via Charlie Stross
BBA
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: You know what, Republicans? Fine. I admit it. Hillary had emails. Lock her up.
Now can you please focus on the virus that’s going to kill us all? Or are you going to be parading her corpse around in 100 years, saying we may have lost civilization, but at least we showed that b*tch Hillary what’s what?
Jesus fucking Christ.
Dorothy A. Winsor
WereBear
@Fleeting Expletive: I mentioned it here, when I stocked up on winter gloves at 75% off. They are washable, too.
Sab
@Jerzy Russian: Well that’s a relief. The olds can eat.
jeffreyw
We went to the local Kroger store Tuesday about 10AM and it seemed deserted. The only really depleted section we noticed was the bananas – but there were still plenty. We went to do our taxes Friday afternoon and swung by the same store and it was as crowded as if it were a holiday eve. TP gone, paper towels, wipes – all gone. Still plenty of meat, the produce section looked good, lots of bananas. We grabbed chicken, onions, potatoes, kitty litter and kitty food. We plan to hunker down.
A Ghost to Most
@Bill Arnold: Given BoJo’s policy of “Let’s all get it, and get over it”, they pretty much are.
Sab
@WereBear: Lots of gloves are actually washable. I have LLBean ragg wool gloves with leather palm pads. I run them through the washer all the time. Dry them on the radiator. Probably could use some saddle soap, but meanwhile they are fine.
PAM Dirac
@A Ghost to Most: And it might lose the “Fredneck” label in the near future. The last voter registration report had Ds passing Rs. There are still a lot of very red areas, but things are getting bluer and bluer.
WaterGirl
@Crashman06: I would suggest that you guys each “work” and “do childcare duties” in shifts.
“Mommy’s working now.” “Daddy’s working now.”
Daddy works 5 hours. Mommy works another 5 hours. Everybody plays for 5 hours. Then bedtime. Or 2.5 hour shifts, with more rotations.
Anything to allow you guys to have some sense of order.
lamh36
There has been 2 deaths announced in Louisiana today, both patients in Orleans Parish.
There is a poll this morning showing a parisan divide over coronovirus
You can guess which group is on the side of Chump…smh
Brendan in NC
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: I’m in Charlotte, and everyone was still taking it lightly, until Thursday, when there were 2 confirmed cases in Mecklenburg County. The schools were just closed; but the college kids are still out in force.
Kathleen
I went to my neighborhood Kroger about 7:30 yesterday morning.
It was well stocked, except for a very few items. I even snagged a pack of Charmin bath tissue! Kroger is restricting quantities on certain items, e.g, toilet paper, hand soap and sanitizers, tissue, wipes, etc.
I had a lovely conversation with an associate as she checked me out from (Kroger set up separate checkup for aisle with restricted items). I thanked her for being there and commented on how well the store was stocked. She said shelves were pretty bare Friday night but trucks came in and the night crew worked very hard to restock. She then told me that she had been homeless for 10 years and really appreciated and enjoyed her job and how being homeless gave her new perspective on what is important. I also observed all the associates were bantering and laughing as they worked – the young woman who checked me out called me “Sweetie”. I’m just trying to counter the grocery store horror stories that are proliferating right now. My experience was quite pleasant.
I really appreciate all the of the people we depend on to provide our food. There are many people we don’t see who order, update systems, warehouse, ship and perform myriad other tasks to support store operations. Shout out to logistic companies, truck drivers and suppliers also. Disclosure: I’ve contracted with giant grocery retailer for a long time and am amazed and impressed at how many moving parts there are.
I’m scheduled to fly to Tampa next Friday and return following Monday and am debating if I should reschedule. I’m more afraid of being stranded than anything because events are moving so fast it’s hard to predict what will happen with domestic flights. It’s my grandson’s 24th birthday and he paid for my ticket so I’m really torn.
PsiFighter37
Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I took the kiddo for a ~4 mile stroll or so through NYC – down from Chelsea to West Village, then back up to the neighborhood via the West Side Highway. We only stopped at Murray’s Cheese, which had what I’d describe as the regular number of folks inside. It felt like the same number of people were outside as well. I’m not entirely sure the broader NYC population is necessarily taking ‘social distancing’ to heart.
As for me, I’m going to limit exposure from hereon out to going to work (although I really think companies are way behind on this – they are being far too reactive to what is happening), going to the small gym next door (only allowed in with a trainer), and that’s it. I had been contemplating organizing rooftop drinks for our remote work location (downtown Brooklyn), but I think that’s a bad idea now. We should really be working from home at this point, IMO.
A Ghost to Most
@PAM Dirac: Impressive. When we first moved there (1983), the klan was still burning crosses on Braddock Mtn.
Mike in NC
@A Ghost to Most: We got hooked on shopping at the Wegman’s in Fairfax, VA. About the only thing we miss about the area.
Elizabelle
I picked up a few books at the library yesterday, two of them from the Hot Reads (ie. very popular) shelves. (The new LeCarre! In which he discusses Trump and Brexit.)
Anything I should do to disinfect them? Have left them in my car trunk, for the time being.
Our country libraries are still open, although I cannot say for how long. The schools are definitely closed.
Kathleen
@Barbara: I’m so pleased DeWine (Ohio governor) has made ensuring public school children who rely on schools for meals a priority, and our local school districts are making provisions to feed them. I haven’t heard compassion from a Republican official in so long it’s thrown me off balance.
debbie
@Kathleen:
My Kroger got a truck yesterday, but it was only half full.
snarlymon
Went to my local King Soopers (Krogers) yesterday and was stunned by how much of the store was cleaned out. almost no produce or fruit. Who sections of canned food empty. Dairy case maybe 1/5th full. I spoke to another person who was shopping and he said that he had been to three other KS stores and they all where like this. I had been filling me pantry for the last two weeks but I guess I am a little behind the curve.
The Pale Scot
For now the shortages are shipping related, not production caused
Meanwhile at the toilet paper warehouse
debbie
@Kathleen:
I believe Trump said he would announce restrictions on domestic flights on Monday. I haven’t seen any information about which cities were involved.
The Thin Black Duke
@WaterGirl: The next time this happens, there will be smart, sane and competent people in the White House and Senate. Hopefully.
Sab
@debbie: Confirmed but not drastic here is 49. summit county O
AARP cancelled its tax prep service. We are getting its refugees. I wish Trump IRS would extend the filing deadline a couple of months. I am sure they will on April 14. Mnuchin wants to keep his job meanwhile. Be best grifting.
Kathleen
@Dorothy A. Winsor: I have the same problem with every thing I attempt to open, but I recall Talenti is particularly challenging.
laura
Spouse is a high frequency donor of both plasma and platelets- 2x per week on average. Last week he was notified that both donations went straight to the hospital with no intermediate storage. Highly unusual. He noted that the blood center was jam packed with whole blood donors.
Heading out to the farmer’s market for veg and eggs, then stop for critter chow, cheese and such like. Will spend the day climbing laundry mountain, boiling the house and starting a batch of meyer lemon marmalade.
Fingers crossed that things look fairly recognizable in the coming days and weeks.
evodevo
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Well, Miss Frances did it in the Fifties lol – remember “Ding Dong School”. I watched that on our little black and white TV in our living room…nowadays it should be easier with all those “personal devices”
joel hanes
@Elizabelle:
Anything I should do to disinfect them?
If you can arrange it, a day outdoors in full sunlight, flipping once, should really help with the covers. UV is really hard on virus particles.
Have no good ideas for the pages, though, except waiting while time and entropy gradually degrade the virus.
The Dangerman
No real surprises with maybe one exception. Of course, panic buying; shelves are getting emptied out pretty damn fast (or are emptied already of course).
I was floored yesterday when the one thing I was NOT going to do was fill up gas at Costco. I figured NFW, they will be slammed and, with my luck, I’d wait for an hour (hours?) only to have the pumps go down when it was my turn. I figured time to pay premium prices and be done with it. Drove by $4.55 (kinda still in the sticks), $3.95 (when I got more into town; that one was tempting), and I figured, hell, let’s go to Costco and roll the dice. Hardly anyone at the gas aisles; great, thought I, they are running out just as I drove up. Nope, filled up (at $2.85!!!). Easiest Costco gas pumping ever! It was kinda like the 84 Olympics in LA; traffic was supposed to SUCK. Nope. Best traffic ever in LA (when I was an LA Boy; a long time ago).
lamh36
joel hanes
As nearly as I can tell, there’s no acetaminophen available on Amazon for delivery before mid-April.
khead
This gave me a chuckle. From the Wikipedia entry for “The Crazies”.
A Ghost to Most
@snarlymon:
The entire paper aisle at our KSoop had nothing but aluminum foil.
I did score in that they were restocking meats at the time. Timing counts now.
WaterGirl
@Elizabelle: I would put the books in a bag and return them to the library immediately. :-)
There’s no way to disinfect each individual page.
Elizabelle
@joel hanes: Thank you. Can do that, and will.
Early article (March 6) in the Miami Herald. They suggesting washing hands after handling library books.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article240916496.html
Gvg
@rk: how can we donate safely? Our safety, the nurse, our blood not carry the virus? Does anyone know this?
WaterGirl
@The Thin Black Duke: From your lips…
Cheryl from Maryland
My mother-in-law’s retirement condo community in Northern Virginia has restricted visitors to essential only. Also no buses to church, grocery stores, etc., no communal events inside the facility. They have a small grocery store inside and are allowing food deliveries to the front desk. The management regularly does these things during serious influenza outbreaks, including extra cleaning, so everyone there knows what to do. New thing is that the screening starts at the front gate to the complex. My husband and I are over 60 and he is immunosuppressed so we’ve been close to self quarantining for close to two weeks with daily temperature checks. Thank you Maryland library system for having online ebook checkout.
Sab
@Elizabelle: Wear gloves while reading, then wash gloves
Books don’t breathe at you.
lamh36
Saw a news alert that Walmart was closing their stores earlier so that they can restock the stores more quickly.
Percysowner
I’m staying out of the stores, for the most part. I just put in a pickup from my local Kroger for tomorrow, I’ll see then how much I can’t get. I’ve been buying a couple of extra non-perishable foods every week since I first heard about COVID, and I refilled all my meds, so I should be okay. I am going to hit my local coffee roaster and get a pound of coffee to hold me over.
Tomorrow I go take care of my granddaughter and my son-in-law starts working from home. My daughter may end of working from home as well.
And now I hear Governor DeWine is saying the schools may be closed through May. I guess we’re all going to find out what it’s like to live in interesting times.
A Ghost to Most
@Mike in NC: We miss buying a bushel of crabs, cardinals, and the Mexicali Cantina in Fredneck.
chopper
here in seattle the (larger at least) stores are stocked better than they were during the first wave of buying. TP will come back on the shelves soon enough.
Kathleen
@debbie: Argh! I don’t know if it helps that Cincinnati is home of Kroger corporate HQ!
What do you think of DeWine? I think he’s doing a good job.
On another note, I early voted on Friday and energy was high! Crowd (which included a few candidates) was applauding us when we entered and exited the Ham Co BOE. It was awesome!
Miss Bianca
@lamh36: Man, I love our governor! : )
One of the few who has declared a state of emergency so far, btw.
ETA: Reading down that Twitter thread, I see a sensible comment from Bill Kristol – of all people! – calling out Fox News as one of the reasons both the US govt. and the populace are so woefully unprepared. Damn, when I find myself agreeing with BK, I feel almost certain that the end times are, in fact, upon us.
FlyingToaster
Up heah in the Hub (Graytah Bwahstin) schools are closed, despite the [GOP] Governor. And bars _were_ supposed to be at half-capacity last night, which was not being enforced until bar employees started tweeting pictures of the crowds. Heh.
The Gaming Commission ordered the casinos to shut (take that, Encore!). Grocery stores are starting to shorten hours: Stop&Shop is now 7:30a-8p (instead of 6:30a-10p), with limits on some hard-to-restock items.
Our school had closed Thursday for a normal Friday Teacher Professional Development day, and at 9am Friday I got the e-mail that school would be going online this week. They’d been planning since January 21st, so they had most everything at turnkey except for the actual lessons. Monday and Tuesday are materiel pickup, with Middle School plus younger siblings picking up on Monday, and everyone else on Tuesday. All MS students have a school-issue chromebook, but there are additional print materials that will be in lockers (Grades 2-8) or cubbies (PK-K-1), plus bring home their composition books and class journals.
Monday the Middle School has two sessions of Introduction to Zoom, with instruction beginning Wednesday. I have to make sure that the basement door is clear of obstruction (boxes, and I believe the humongous rice containers that all belong downstairs) so that HerrDoktor can videoconference from the basement, and WarriorGirl can Zoom from the living room without their noise bothering each other. I’ll go hide on the second floor…
All of our weekend stuff for March and April was cancelled. Science Olympiad, Suzuki Festival, tour group rehearsals and performance, violin graduation, recitals, Playathon, and the Aikikai is shuttered. My gym is closed.
Target here in Watertown was socked pretty hard; I don’t plan on going for our normal supplies until later this week, but my bet is that they’ll have to shorten hours as well. We have our cubby of takeout menus, but right now we’re cooking up a storm, so that we will have a fridge full of food to nosh on. I’m planning on a StarMarket run concurrent with the “WarriorGirl picks up her shit from school” outing tomorrow, so we’ll have the shi-shi staples (Xochitl and Frontera tortilla chips), and I’m planning on the normal bakery-coffee beans-ice cream run to Newtonville on Tuesday.
We’re hunkered down except for “shop off the list” dashes.
Sab
@Percysowner: My grocery was out of flour. There goes my idea of living on bread and homemade pizza.
WaterGirl
@joel hanes: I ordered some from Amazon, maybe an hour ago, after reading that Advil (which is my drug of choice) makes things worse if you have COVID-91.
Maybe my order will be cancelled, but they took the order and didn’t say it was unavailable. Not cheap, but I bought it anyway.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BGEW2SQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027689XU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
PAM Dirac
@A Ghost to Most: We bought our house in 2006 and even then most of that explicit crap had gone underground. I think it has become more and more a Washington suburb and the economic model has depended more and more on people with reasonably high disposable incomes. Even the agriculture has gone more upscale. There are more acres in vineyards than any other county in MD by a pretty large margin.
Kathleen
@debbie: Thank you! I can’t stand to listen to him, wouldn’t believe anything he said anyway, but am thinking the worst. My ex husband told me about the possible domestic travel bans but I didn’t know when announcements would be made so I appreciate your info.
L85NJGT
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
“Experts”?
I’m pretty sure that was isolationist Republicans.
Kirk Spencer
If you’ll pardon the digression, I’m going to take a minute to blather about professions that can’t do social distancing. In particular I’m going to talk about the logistics chain.
So, you’ve decided to manage social distancing effectively you’re going to order even your groceries through a local grocery store. Let’s walk the chain backward, ok?
The driver who brought it to your door picked the material up from
one of the people at the store loading the order in a box, who got the order from
a coordinating clerk who received the list, sorted it against what was in stock, and printed it.
That loader picked up food in a location
that was stocked by one of their co-workers, maybe on a different shift
who met a driver to exchange confirmation paper so he could unload the truck.
That driver’s route back can track identically to the delivery driver, and it just keeps echoing back till we get to the packaging plant and from there back to the farmer.
So there are two things that I think you need to keep in mind about this chain. First, it’s an inevitable route of contamination unless you can go to a farm and pick your own – and better figure out how to pay the farmer while maintaining social distancing. Second, that pipeline is surprisingly narrow, and so sadly vulnerable to being constricted by both mitigation of and infection by this virus.
What I think I’ve talked myself around to is that we should build a couple of weeks of stock. But then we need to make sure we eat FIFO – first in first out. If you’re going shopping once a week, eat stock week one, and buy stock week three. Next week eat stock two and buy stock four. So on, so forth. So /when/ the pipe breaks you’re not suddenly looking at stuff that’s a month old. And so /when/ the pipe breaks you’ve learned from practical experience what stock you forgot, or got too much, or really had no business stocking, or can’t really stand to eat so need to get something different. And your emergency stock is now useful
Because there will be what get called supply chain disruptions.
== ==
I know it’s a digression on my own comment, but this is my long-standing reason for despising all the lean and just-in-time management principles. Too much redundancy is expensive, but none is – sooner or later – fatal.
Kathleen
@evodevo: I LOVED Ding Dong School!
Sab
@Kathleen: Dewine is why I can forgive my ancestors for being Republican. The new guys are actually relabelled Dixiecrats.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Miss Bianca
@khead: I want to find this movie, now! Except that I’d have to order it through the library, and now I’m paranoid about handling library materials…sigh…
snarlymon
They have also reduced the hours at KSoops. I often go after 9 pm to avoid crowds, but they now close at 8
WaterGirl
@Sab:
Try ordering flour directly from King Arthur Flour. I was able to get flour from them 2 weeks ago.https://www.kingarthurflour.comDo not forget to buy yeast! :-) That’s what I did, and only thought of the yeast a week later. Happily, there was still plenty in stock.
edit. Never mind, every flour I clicked on just now was unavailable.
Miss Bianca
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Oh, no!
Kathleen
@lamh36: So are Kroger and Publix. Kroger new hours are 7am to 9pm (usual hours 6am to 12am.)
different-church-lady
I’m now dealing with this by thinking “Hey, we’re all in this together, world wide,” and refusing to take part in gloom porn (Cole in the Twitter sidebar, I’m looking at you).
Felt stupid buying toilet paper on Friday, but we actually needed toilet paper.
Geoduck
I live in SW Washington State, so we’re a week or two ahead of everybody else in all this. We’ve only had three official cases declared so far in my county, but there’s gotta be more out there. Everything’s shut down, schools, libraries. I was already a hermit, so I don’t know if people are still packing into bars in town. The local Safeway is out of TP, bleach, sanitizers and rice, with everything else picked over to varying degrees. Wasn’t particularly mobbed when I was there.
Sab
@The Dangerman: Ohio we are under $2 per gallon.
gene108
@Kathleen:
My mom showed me a trick, which I never thought of.
Put the lid under running hot water from a faucet. Lid expands. Easier to open.
Kathleen
@Sab: I’ve thought the same thing. DeWine is awful on reproductive choice issues but I believe at heart he’s an old school Republican who does care about governing and has many years of government experience both locally and nationally.
Immanentize
@different-church-lady: You and the OzarkHB household do not think toilet paper ahead I see…. ???
different-church-lady
@Aziz, light!:
There are idiots in this world of all ages who believe there will be a magic unicorn that will make housing affordable. This is not possible as long as greed is unregulated.
Good advice at all times, normal or crisis-laden.
rk
@Gvg:
I have no idea how blood donations can be handled safely in the case of a pandemic. All I know is that our blood supplier says that they’re at critical low levels. No idea how the docs will deal with it. I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to go a donation center at this time.
Kathleen
@gene108: Ah, thank you!
joel hanes
@WaterGirl:
Thanks. I hit that.
They’re saying April 4th delivery.
We’ll see.
Ruckus
My report is that I went to Vons yesterday, a part of a big supermarket chain. If I count right the conglomerate has 17 separate store names under Albertsons. They are big.
A lot of shelves were empty early afternoon. All paper and cleaning products were gone. The cashier told me that the stores would only be open 9 to 5 or 5 to 9, this particular cashier doesn’t speak very clearly so I checked their website and there is no mention of the times. But it makes sense.
I was there to do my weekly shopping and a lot of stuff was gone. Their bread area is about 20 feet of shelves up to 5 feet high, only thing left was about 6 loaves of sourdough. Decent bread, not my first choice, but that ship had sailed some time ago. Most people were keeping social distance. Most of the checkers/baggers had no idea of social distance. I almost wanted to wear a mask, just on the off chance that it might help some. And scare off those without any awareness.
debbie
@lamh36:
Amazing that while he was typing in on his phone, he had not one single thought about how his tweet would be received.
He deserves to get stuck in a 6-hour line for his luggage when he lands.
Sab
@Sab: I bet Ted Strickland is glad he didn’t win. Also too Hillary. I wouldn’t want to manage this mess. Trump doesn’t either so he isn’t.
WereBear
@Kirk Spencer: Thanks, good stuff. We have been defrosting on the regular last few weeks, so we know what we’ve got.
Omnes Omnibus
Same here on Saturday. But I was alarmed that the store was out of Bonne Maman orange marmalade. I had to buy Poulaner All-Fruit raspberry preserves. I’ll be okay, but it was daunting for a bit.
different-church-lady
@Immanentize: If it comes down to it, I have enough junk mail to make it through nuclear winter.
zhena gogolia
@different-church-lady:
I’m not even as receptive to Trump criticism these days. Just miss me with it.
debbie
@Sab:
That wouldn’t have happened. She would not have canned all the people who could help with this.
Skepticat
A friend recently posted a suggestion I think is a great idea. Buy a gift certificate (or even better, several), preferably online, from your favorite restaurants. They’ll have the use of the money now, and when it’s safe to do so, you’ll be able to enjoy a nice evening (or several evenings) out.
Here on our little desert island in the Bahamas, we’re still subsisting on relief supplies donated after Dorian. At the moment, we still have a stock of TP and antiseptic wipes, probably because we don’t have cases of the disease YET and no one’s panicky YET, but we’re short on bleach because we’ve used so much in cleanup. I have more peanut butter protein bars than I really want, and friends have been flying in cat food and lactated Ringers for my fabulous felines. The one grocery store on the big island is having trouble with supply only because high seas in the Gulf Stream have prevented the freight boats from crossing. At their government’s urging to do so before flights are restricted, Canadian neighbors are returning home much sooner than planned.
If blazing sun does deter the virus, I’m in great shape. However, it makes working on the rubble pile very difficult. It does kill my appetite, though, so there’s that.
Stay well, all.
different-church-lady
@Omnes Omnibus:
It really is Armageddon, isn’t it?
Immanentize
@Sab: But if you read “The Name of the Rose,” don’t lick your gloved fingers to turn the page!
A Ghost to Most
@PAM Dirac: We left in 2009, we lived in Middletown after a stint in Farm Brook. We were pretty poisoned to the place in 1994, when I was recruited by one of the founders of the League of the South, due to common connections with my family. He’s probably still there, along with his friends.
Omnes Omnibus
@different-church-lady: I am keeping a stiff upper lip.
Kelly
My wife is our connection to the wingnut id via her social media accounts and wingnut relatives. As of yesterday she reported robust, widespread denial Coronavirus is a big deal.
Barbara
@PAM Dirac: After FDA headquarters moved to Rockville a lot of FDA employees now live around Frederick. Also, you can commute to DC by train. Lots of movement to canal towns like Shepherdstown, WV as well.
Immanentize
@debbie:
My guess is that Trump will just restrict travel to Blue States and sanctuary cities. Florida will of course remain open to all travel.
Elizabelle
@Sab: Disagree, politely. Am sure both Hillary and Strickland would rise to the occasion. Knowing that Foxbots will decry their every move, but they would at least have taken early warnings seriously and ramped up.
Good to hear that DeWine has been responsible WRT C19. A pleasant surprise.
Thinking how the new Democratic governor of Kansas (a physician, I think) might get a lot of grief down the road since Brownback left the state in such dire straits.
But I trust Democrats to do their best on this. Cuomo in NYS has stepped up to the challenge.
Elizabelle
@Kelly: Bringing the Great Wingnut Rapture of 2020 that much closer to its inception.
Keep it up, wingnuts. Reduce your voting numbers! That will show Hillary and Obama.
Skepticat
Advil always was what I relied on to manage fibromyalgia pain—until the doctor discovered it’s compromised my kidneys. Please be careful with it, coronavirus or no.
tomtofa
@Miss Bianca:
Both the 1973 (George Romero) and 2010 versions are on Youtube.
L85NJGT
The dishwasher pods were cleaned out.
Barbara
@gene108: Hot water, then bang on it with the handle of a heavy knife. That’s what my mom taught us to do. Might not be as effective with plastic lids.
Chyron HR
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I remember when the “experts” said America couldn’t […] go to the moon.
I… I think “experts” were involved in the Apollo missions?
Immanentize
@different-church-lady: That is the modern replacement for the old recycled Sears Catalogue which was what was used in my grandparents’ outhouse.
Chief Oshkosh
@Nora: Puh-lenty.
My experience so far has been that Trump voters are pointedly going to bars and other places so that they can intentionally thumb their noses at C-19.
Miss Bianca
@Omnes Omnibus: Oh, my, out of my favorite marmalade, the definition of a first-world problem! ; )
Going shopping this morning, gathering a couple weeks’ supplies. Including marmalade, if it’s on sale.
Thinking about stocking up on a 5-lb’er of clover honey if it’s still on sale, for the brewing of mead.
tomtofa
At the local Raleys last evening one could get any frozen veg one wanted, as long as it was cauliflower.
Sab
@Skepticat: Restaurant gift certificates. What a great idea. I don’t want to eat out now but I would like to help.
How are you doing on your island?
WaterGirl
@Kirk Spencer: Thank you for this comment. ❤️
I am putting everything I order in a 10-day quarantine, but there are so many people who do not have options.
So very many people who have to make terrible choices.
Barbara
@Skepticat: As opposed to Acetaminophen, which compromises your liver and compounds alcohol related damage. I take far fewer pain relievers than I used to because they all have side effects. You should take something in case of high fever but they are otherwise optional. Dehydration is often associated with a lot of the flu related misery or so a doctor once told me, so drink lots of fluids. Hopefully that holds somewhat true for CV.
Brendan in NC
@Mike in NC: As an ex-Rochesterian who used to work for Wegmans – I’m waiting for them to move into the Charlotte area – they’re in Cary – but it’s a 2 hour ride…
ziggy
That’s what I’m starting to see down here in Olympia, WA. We’ve been in hoarding mode for a while, so we are pretty stocked up. I don’t see any reason why there won’t be supplies continuing to be available (like in Wuhan). No reason to go crazy at the store.
But we need bacon! it’s a staple. So going to attempt Trader Joe’s today (last time they were sold out of my favorite).
Sister Golden Bear
As mentioned last night, I live in San Mateo County (CA), which is one of the hot spots. County Public Health just banned all gatherings of 50 people or more — although I assume SFO, and probably public transit hubs are exempted. Gatherings of 10-50 people are only allowed with some significant mitigation measures, including sending attendees 24-hour advance notice that attending may pose a health risk.
I was already getting a bit of cabin fever, since I’ve mostly been home since getting laid off six weeks ago, plus I’ve been trying to Marie Kondo the house/catch up on home repairs while I’ve had downtime, so my “workplace” has been the entire house — which as discussed in the work-from-home threads, isn’t a great thing psychologically.
I’m about to get serious about job hunting next week (I was fortunate to get 60-days notice, but didn’t have to be in the office, as well as getting a severance package), so we’ll see how that affects things. Fortunately, Silicon Valley was already mostly working from home (the freeways have been incredibly empty), so I can probably do any interviews remotely.
As I’ve mentioned, all the shutdowns are devastating to my friends who are artists, DJs, performers, actors, promoters, bartenders, etc. Here’s some suggestions on how to help out these folks during the crisis.
Ken
@different-church-lady: If it comes down to it, my shower is two feet away from the toilet.
WaterGirl
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Fuck. He is a damn hero.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
not being a New Yorker, I have no opinion on Bill DeBlasio, but this is astounding
NotMax
And so it goes.
WereBear
@Sab: It wouldn’t be this much of a mess with any function adult in charge. For instance, I was calm until a couple of weeks ago, when I found out the Pandemic Response Team had been dismantled.
That’s when I “over”_reacted and did not stop until NYS Governor Cuomo at least made sure NY was responding properly.
MattF
@Skepticat: I had to stop taking ibuprofen for the same reason. Simply didn’t know that my blood pressure medication (lisinopril) + ibuprofen was bad news for kidneys. Saw a nephrologist and he handed me a long list of NSAIDS that I may not take.
WaterGirl
@joel hanes: The first one is april 4 for me, the second is march 19-25. I ordered both because my Amazon order of Purell a couple of weeks ago was cancelled.
I figure this gives me 2 chances for not being cancelled.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
He has tweeted that he doesn’t feel too bad. Let’s hope it stays that way.
ziggy
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I’m rapidly developing an opinion on de Blasio, and it isn’t good. Pretty much everything I’ve heard out of his mouth is idiotic.
Sab
Sister Golden Bear
Not a real PSA — but it should be.
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: Yep. One of the scariest things I have read is that some people seemed to have turned the corner and were feeling better, when it suddenly took a turn for the worst and they were dead in a few hours. I don’t have a link, but it seemed like a credible source when I read it.
WereBear
@ziggy: I heard the Governor had to come down on him hard to cancel the St Pat parade.
PsiFighter37
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: de Blasio’s laziness is going to get exposed in a big way. Maybe the fucker should’ve been focused on tightening up contingency planning instead of wasting most of last year on a vanity run for president.
Nobody here likes that asshole as far as I can tell – he made a good first impression in 2013, but otherwise the guy’s been a completely shit politician who got lucky the NYS GOP has totally fallen apart this decade. If Hillary had won in 2016 and Joe Lhota ran for mayor again in 2017, I’m pretty sure de Blasio would have lost – anti-Trump backlash is the only reason he crushed it that year. Even amongst my more liberal friends, I do not know a single person who likes him.
PAM Dirac
@Barbara: Yes, both the northward move of a lot of Fed agencies and Ft Detrick being a big NCI center resulted in a lot of very well educated people with good salaries moving to Frederick. That is why we moved. I was a branch chief at NCI and half my staff was in Frederick. By the time I retired, my “southern” office was all the way up to Shady Grove.
PsiFighter37
@WaterGirl: The NYT did an article on 2 Chinese doctors (late 20s) who got sick with the virus. The one who ended up passing away took a turn for the better before completely crashing.
evodevo
@Kelly: Yes, same here among wingnut relatives/acquaintances – even my dermatologist was complaining about “over-reaction”. And we are just 15 miles from the virus ground zero in Ky, Cynthiana. Matter of time, people, matter of time…
MomSense
@different-church-lady:
The knitting memes of people knitting colorful fabric right into the TP rolls are pretty funny. I wish I had some cotton yarn in the house.
WereBear
I hear that’s a cytokine storm warning: which means younger people don’t have the free ticket they think they do.
rb
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
It is far more than that, by an order of magnitude at the least. Far more in WA alone. More in NYC alone. We haven’t just been slow in testing. Trumpkins have sabotaged testing.
LuciaMia
The WH insisted they’d reveal, at 5PM today, all about the fabled Google site that 1700 engineers are working on and Google says it knows nothing about. Shall we hold our breaths?
West of the Rockies
@joel hanes:
I have come to looking forward to your comments with gratitude and pleasure. They are funny and/or informative. Keep up the good work, sir.
NotMax
@different-church-lady
This.
Prudent caution, yes. Anxiety uber alles, no.
Mentioned in an earlier thread that according to mom (NYC area) the all kosher market which she sometimes shops at – out of convenience for small shopping trips as it is the easiest walking distance from her abode – is now handing out gloves to customers entering the fresh produce section and checking that they are being worn when shopping in that area. She’s also making an extra effort to drive a little further beyond the big chain supermarket in order to give business to Asian and Asian-owned markets for other shopping needs.
p.a.
Experiencing withdrawal on day 4 of giving up gym (Planet Fitness). Walks and the minimal tubes and bands I have home don’t make up for the equipment there. The strap systems A.S. posted earlier today look interesting. Fortunately for the current situation, when I’m depressed my appetite cliffdives. Eating now more to maintain my immune system/general health than for pleasure.
Redshift
The school system on our area (not sure if it’s statewide) will provide free meals to those who have been getting them, though at a smaller set of locations, not every school. Accompanying adults can get a meal for $2.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@Dorothy A. Winsor: maybe a weekly emailed packet to parents of worksheets and to do at home projects. My daughter got those as homework in kindergzrten.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@Kirk Spencer: Yes, but you’ve still pared the necessary contacts down to a minimum. Shopping in-store would give you almost all of those plus every other shopper.
I liked the grocery routine in Italy that someone here described. (La Nonna?) Two shoppers at a time, everyone gloved and masked.
LuciaMia
Hmmm, she probably would have been one of those that, at the start of WWI, insist that it would all be over by Christmas.
PsiFighter37
@LuciaMia: If I were Google, I would let the White House stomp all over their mushroom-sized dicks. They are big enough where they can get into a pissing match with them if really needed.
Redshift
@LuciaMia: The fact that they think it would take 1700 engineers is the most obvious clue that they made up the whole thing.
Uncle Cosmo
Buying TP in bulk ain’t stupid – I do it regularly & I’m a single male. You’ll need it eventually & it keeps forever.
What IS stupid is backing up the SUV for cases of bottled water (most of which is rebottled tap water from cities with functional H2O systems, marked up 1000%). If the water systems (most of whom, outside Flint, provide perfectly potable tap water) fail, we’re screwed anyway. Same for electrical grid, phone service, etc.
The only thing I can figure is that your average USAn, never having faced a natural disaster quite like a pandemic, is just kneejerk-reacting by doing the things appropriate to natural disasters s/he has faced, like a snowstorm or hurricane.
Kelly
Wondering if this is what it feels like to live on the lower Mississippi when the tributaries are flooding and the rain isn’t going to stop. You know the water is coming.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Kristine
@Dorothy A. Winsor: An old trick taught to me by my undergrad research advisor to open stuck jars–stick the cap end in the hinge side of a door jamb and close door until jar is secure, than twist. Careful when closing door because it applies enough pressure to crack plastic. (I have trouble with Talenti jars, too. If the issue is that it’s frozen shut, a quick shot under the hot water tap might help, even if a little bit of the gelato melts.
West of the Rockies
One personal effect of this pandemic on me is that I find myself regarding humanity as a whole with more patience and affection (just not the science-denying, Fox News-watching, Purell-hoarding mouth breathers).
If you haven’t done do lately, look up and listen to Carl Sagan’s speech that begins, “From this distant vantage point, the Earth made not seem of any particular interest…”
West of the Rockies
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Fuckin’ A… Trump IS the Coronavirus.
PsiFighter37
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I have to imagine Merkel told that company to not take the offer but to also never pick up a phone call from the administration again.
Rob
@debbie: @JPL:
Noga Tarnopolsky
@NTarnopolsky
#Breaking: Now official. Pres. Rivlin announces he will ask Gantz to form Israel’s next goverment tomorrow at noon.
12:47 PM · Mar 15, 2020·Twitter for iPhone
https://twitter.com/NTarnopolsky/status/1239231826176151557
Kathleen
@Sab: Dreft! Oldie But Goodie! Didn’t know it was still available.
Immanentize
@Rob: Whoa. That’s a big Effin deal.
NotMax
@Uncle Cosmo
Yeah, for some people it’s a talisman; a tangible manifestation they’re doing something to provide the feeling of warding off a hazard
Fleeting Expletive
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: yeah but who’s the cpac dude?
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Kristine: I have a gripper thing that holds the top, but I can’t twist it hard enough. I’ll have to try the hot water tap.
debbie
@Kristine:
I pry up with a fork or bottle opener (I still have the old kind) to break the vacuum.
Kathleen
@p.a.: My Y branch is still open but not holding classes. I think it will probably close next week. Fortunately my condo has a pretty complete workout room but I may head to Dick’s to get some bands.
debbie
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
What an idiot.
debbie
@WereBear:
And that storm is another reason not to go nuts on anti-inflamatories, natural or chemical.
debbie
@Rob:
Yay!
Kirk Spencer
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: And that you missed my main point shows how my ramble wasn’t clear. Let me come at it slightly different.
In the US we have had an ongoing shortage of over the road drivers for a handful of years now. There are a lot of secondary consequences I’m not going into here. The key one, however, is that there is NOT a lot of redundancy in that particular pipe.
There will be supply chain disruptions. There will be grocery (and other necessity) interruptions. Getting a couple of week stock is good.
Shopping in store increases your chances of contact but removes a link in the chain. To be honest that chain is the least fragile. If nothing else work out a deal with your neighbors so each week “x” acts as the neighborhood’s delivery van, or so someone covers grocery pickup if neighbor “y” comes down with Covid.
It’s not the last mile. It’s the miles between that are fragile, and we will see interruptions. Prepare, but don’t panic as things get rerouted.
WaterGirl
@Kelly: More than once in the past 3 weeks I have thought of the books On the Beach.
J R in WV
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I read that twitter thread with great interest. There was a pretty well written description of Tommy’s friend’s background where his wife tells us that he was exposed to TB in the military.
Many of the following twits leapt to the conclusion that the person with SARS-Covid-19 had TB and that this was why he had the new disease. No one could tell them that “exposed to” is not the same as “infected by”. It’s like they can’t read at all, or that their brain edits out written facts that contradict their wishes…
Very sad to see.
WaterGirl
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: That’s appalling. Though not at all out of character.
Skepticat
I’d encourage this if only we could keep them away from the rest of us, but sadly (for many reasons), they insist on walking among us.
Kathleen
@WaterGirl: Oh, yeah. This administration is a mash up of Dr. Strangelove and Network.
Origuy
@rk: I went to Stanford Blood Center yesterday and donated. They were full of people who had walked in, so I had a bit of a wait. They close at 3 on Saturday, which was when I left. The waiting room was still full.
Bill Arnold
@Kelly:
I’m currently differentially avoiding Trump voters with extra social distance. It’s a death cult, with its own propaganda apparatus, the latter led by Fox News.
Bill Arnold
@Skepticat:
This should be better known. My mom’s kidneys were nearly destroyed by NSAIDs, starting with Advil or whatever it was called when first available; it was a wonder drug vs arthritis. Ended up with 1/4 of 1 kidney functioning, and survived 10 years by complying with a strict kidney diet (died in her late 80s).
J R in WV
@Ascap_scab:
In the news I heard about grocery stores cutting their hours, they all claimed they were closing over night specifically so that restocking could take place without customers in the way!
Maybe the trucks full of goods didn’t show up overnight? Bad sign if so… on the other hand, Walmart, so maybe they just took the cash they didn’t have to pay in wages and pocketed it!
WereBear
@debbie: I take an old paring knife and STAB it through the (cleaned) jar lid like Travolta giving the adrenaline shot to Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction.
Works every time. Scotch tape on top after.
Another Scott
@Barbara: Plus, if that doesn’t work, if one is really desperate, one can (carefully!) poke a hole in the lid with a sharp knife. Then seal the hole with a piece of Scotch tape (or similar).
Cheers,
Scott.
WereBear
@Another Scott: I prefer my dramatic version: see above.
Another Scott
@WereBear: GMTA!
:-)
Cheers,
Scott.
J R in WV
@Skepticat:
I’m on Naproxen at the prescription dosage level, and I drink a wee bit, so every 3 months I get blood work done at my Doc’s office.
I was warned about kidney damage from that prescription by my PT therapist last time I had a joint replacement, so I’m very careful not to overdo it, and am grateful to my Doc for the quarterly validation of both kidney AND liver function, which so far are better than just acceptable.
Better to be lucky than to be good in some cases!
J R in WV
@The Pale Scot:
Pretty hysterical, worth watching, the warehouse makes a football stadium look cramped and small… much laughter by the forklift guys.
suezboo
President Ramaphosa just declared a National State of Emergency. 38 confirmed cases, some in my province. I am old and have COPD. Feeling vulnerable but far from panicked.
Rob
@Immanentize: @debbie:
Yes, it is a big deal. Some good news today!
debbie
@WereBear:
If I tried that, the blade would glance off the jar and take off a finger or two. ??♀️
Whereaway
@MattF: Unfortunately, Ibuprofen on its own can be very hard on kidneys. It works very well as a pain-killer for me, but I work on keeping usage down to once or twice a month.