Coronavirus ~ COVID-19

[JDeere]

Still working from home

Still doing what i have to do for the family

[C0LLETTE]

...and in Canada:

" The federal Department of Global Affairs is facing criticism after it shipped 16 tonnes of personal protective equipment to China to help Beijing fight the coronavirus last month. The government says the shipment was an effort to collaborate with China in the fight against COVID-19. "

[GeorgiaMa'am]

The U.S. is now the epicenter of the COVID-19 virus. It has overtaken China and Italy as the country with the most cases of COVID-19. This is per the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 web site.

I heard about this on the BBC World Service News.

[C0LLETTE]

Now I have to wonder why we didn't send all that stuff to the U.S.

[easygoingfemme]

I went on a grocery run for my parents yesterday. The store was scary. Lots of people silent shopping wearing face masks and lots of empty shelves. I could tell my parents haven't been to the store in a while because they list they wrote me still specified things like... this brand dish soap with this scent... those days are over.

I have to file some missing persons reports today for residents who have not checked in and are not answering their phones.

Work is like... an anxious calm now. We have a rainbow initiative in our area- everyone is encouraged to put rainbows in their windows to encourage positivity. I cut a thousand strips of construction paper yesterday to give to residents to make rainbow paper chains. Now we have rainbows hanging everywhere.

My mom is making face masks but now the world is out of the elastic for the ear cuffs on them. She is making one for every staff still working with me and every resident living with us so like... 150 face masks.

I mostly stay calm during the day. I'm busy at work and then stay busy at home but I wake up with my heart just pounding from all of the anxiety I absorb and produce during the day. It sneaks in during my sleep.

[Jedi]

We went out for groceries and meds yesterday. Not too many people shopping and everyone was polite and kept their distance. We even found some tp. Now the shelves were picked through pretty good. Pasta and mac & cheese were scarce but not non existent. Soaps and sanitizers are still empty. Cleaning wipes are empty. We are making do. I'm glad we have each other to be in lock down with as well. All I can really do in all this is hope for the best......but my gut is telling me that this is a while off.

[homoe]

Originally Posted by C0LLETTE

Now I have to wonder why we didn't send all that stuff to the U.S.

Perhaps they tried but our delicate genius of a president declined!

[C0LLETTE]

Here's a good tip I've heard about:

Seems we touch our faces 20+ times a day without being aware and this contributes to risk of virus...

So: put a magic marker dot or X on the back of your hand ... you will prob see it every time your hands starts heading up to your face and then change course if you can.

[homoe]

During the White House's Thursday coronavirus task force briefing, President Trump boasted about a "terrific meeting" he had with state governors about coordinating a response to the outbreak. "We had a great meeting," Trump said. "It was no contention. I would say virtually none." But according to multiple reports, drama-free is not the apt summary of the conversation.It might have been more accurate to say the call at times veered into testy territory.

For instance, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee urged Trump to use his authority to mandate the production of medical supplies. The action is something the president can do under the Defense Production Act, a Korean War-era law that gives the president powers to force businesses to make goods when there is national demand. In response, Trump said the federal government serves as the "backup." That comment apparently set off Inslee."I don't want you to be the backup quarterback; we need you to be Tom Brady here," an angry Inslee shot back at Trump, referencing the football star and friend of the president, according to the Associated Press, which obtained a recording of the call.

Washington is among the states rushing to secure hospitals beds, masks, ventilators and other critical supplies as the number of those infected with the coronavirus starts to overwhelm hospitals.

During the White House briefing, Trump did obliquely reference his clash with Inslee, but downplayed it, saying: "Maybe one person was a little tiny bit of a raising of a voice, a little wise guy." On the Brady comparison, Trump said Inslee was not criticizing Trump's ability to quarterback a nation during a global pandemic. Instead, Trump heard the Brady comment as flattering. "Yeah, he meant that in a positive way. We need Tom Brady," Trump said. "We're gonna do great. He meant it very positively."

I have no doubts whatsoever he was criticizing not flattering!

[Buckaroo]

I would like to thank all the people who are keeping this country running. Obviously the healthcare workers but also all the food service people, grocery store workers, and the truckers who are driving down highways where rest areas are closed, restaurants are closed. Thanks to the people who are FOLLOWING the protocol to slow the spread of this virus. You are the ones saving lives!! This virus doesn't have legs, it can't walk, it only moves if you move it.

[~ocean]

Originally Posted by Buckaroo

I would like to thank all the people who are keeping this country running. Obviously the healthcare workers but also all the food service people, grocery store workers, and the truckers who are driving down highways where rest areas are closed, restaurants are closed. Thanks to the people who are FOLLOWING the protocol to slow the spread of this virus. You are the ones saving lives!! This virus doesn't have legs, it can't walk, it only moves if you move it.

(((((((((( bucky )))))))))) thank you for your courageous job in health care , at this very critical time ~

[theoddz]

So, my sister calls me from the small town in Illinois where she lives, to tell me that the state of Illinois is willing to offer me 3-4 times my "usual" pay rate (about $150/hr) to come out of my retirement and work up there.

If I were physically and medically able to, I would do it, but it'd be a literal death sentence for me, so.......no.

If I were possibly able, I'd do it for less money, and only because being a Respiratory Therapist is just a part of who I am, and I got into this profession out of a desire to help others and not profit from the misery/misfortune/suffering of others. To me, medicine and health care should be a right and not the providence of only those who are able to pay for it. I miss working in my profession and I miss the good people I worked with, over the 30 years I spent in it. I really enjoyed it. It wasn't always easy, by far, but I always felt that what I did mattered and that I was blessed with the opportunity to help others to live a better life.

Standing aside during this crisis has been harder for me than any of the "bad" days I ever had at work.

~Theo~

[Kätzchen]

Just got home, and I filed my claim for unemployment (what a fiasco, the state phone number they tell you to call is out of order, it's blown to smithereens).

I guess it's just a matter of time now before I learn if they give me temporary unemployment or if I'm on my own financially. It worries me because technically I am furloughed, until we get news if we go back to work, which could be two months from now or maybe we won't go back to work until after summer, early fall. Not sure what will happen.

So far, I am safe.

While filing for unemployment online, I got a call from my dental office. Wow, they are sending someone by my house with a food box donation and other goodies I might need. I cried, because I didn't expect anything like that and I feel so fortunate to have an amazing dental office that cares about me.


I'm frazzled, tired, emotionally spent and weary. The past two weeks at work has been very trying, dealing with people as they try to figure out what they do next. Heck, I'm in that same proverbial boat. So much stress.

I'm just holding positive space in my life for good news for anybody and everybody and to include good news for me too.

That's all I got tonight. Sending safety wishes and recovery JuJu to all of us.

[homoe]

President Donald Trump is considering an “enforceable quarantine” of New York and the surrounding areas as part of a short-term plan to combat the coronavirus. Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday that he was considering implementing the measure in New York because of the extreme number of cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, in the state. He said surrounding states could be quarantined too.

“We’d like to see New York quarantined because it’s a hotspot — New York, New Jersey, maybe one or two other places, certain parts of Connecticut,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “We might not have to do it but there’s a possibility that sometime today we’ll do a quarantine — short-term, two weeks for New York, probably New Jersey and parts of Connecticut,” he added.

The plan would restrict people in New York and other federally quarantined states from traveling to other parts of the country. “They’re having problems down in Florida. A lot of New Yorkers are going down. We don’t want that. Heavily infected,” Trump told reporters.

Trump clarified that the potential measures wouldn’t impact truckers or trade. “This does not apply to people such as truckers from outside the New York area who are making deliveries or simply transiting through,” he said. “It won’t affect trade in any way.” Shortly after he announced plans for the quarantine, Trump tweeted that a decision about whether to quarantine the region would be made shortly.

Why is Trump so worried about Florida when the Governor didn't seem to be all that concerned when allowing the "spring breakers" free access to roam around?

Oh right that's where Mar-a-Lago is!

[Kätzchen]

Today I went to do my weekly laundry and thank heavens, the owner has posted notices on all doors and is supervising and enforcing a 6 person limit in the washeteria (you can load up your laundry, but ya gotta leave and wait for it to finish, same with drying, no folding up laundry, you gotta take it home).

As I was leaving, the owner came by like she does frequently and I asked how my favorite butch worker was doing. Apparently she's not doing well. I have no idea if she was exposed to the virus, but the owner demonstrated genuine care and concern over her long-time worker's health.

I went shopping for groceries while my laundry was washing and when I got ready to go through the check out, I had to ask the person who wouldn't wait their turn to back up and give me room, per state law mandate (6 ft). I was gloved and masked, for my own safety, but that person was so effin inconsiderate. Everyone turned to give them the evil eye but it didn't faze them in the least. I repeated my request to back away from me, but they were still unfazed and kept encroaching upon my space. Luckily, I bought enough groceries to last a couple of months, so I won't have to go grocery shopping for a good long while.

I actually found a FedEx store open near me, and I got lots of 'proof' type documents printed off for a variety of reasons, anticipating that I'd need proof of being furloughed for unemployment purposes and other things like if I have to miss a rental payment if this economic crisis doesn't lead to being back on the job by early May. It was kind of spendy to get all that printed off, but it's better to be prepared than to not be able to go get things like this printed off in case of the ultimate social lockdown where you can't even go anywhere, period. So I'm prepared with documents and prepared with a new round of buying a supply of postage stamps.

I even stopped by my internet provider's office and made a last minute payment to bide time until the end of summer. So at least if we are forced into staying home at all costs, then I will have internet access.

I'm sad for my butch friend who works at the washeteria. So sad. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for her that she'll pull toward the safe side of health soon.

[FireSignFemme]

The number of confirmed cases in our area doubled overnight and I woke to news of another death. The health department has an alert notice letting visitors to the site know their updates won't be as timely, and might not even happen at all over the weekend.

Our mission had to cut the number of beds by just over half due to social distancing restrictions. Food hoarding is making it difficult to provide meals because much of the food the shelter receives is from grocery stores donating what they aren't able to sell, and there are problems finding to go containers to serve the meals because restaurants are purchasing more due to the increase in food sales.

Residents at the shelter are only being allowed to leave for work or doctor appointments. The mission has stopped using volunteers. Staff have been serving meals to people outside the building and having fewer people sit at each table during meals. Residents have stepped up to help with cooking and cleaning but food donations are dramatically down.

It pisses me off to hear Trump is saying states need to do more to help themselves. Easy for him to say when his net worth is around three billion dollars and still he felt a need to dabble in charity fraud. But hey cheer up everybody - The Trump children had to undergo compulsory training to ensure this type of illegal activity never takes place again!

Yeah that ought to teach them.

[~ocean]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

Today I went to do my weekly laundry and thank heavens, the owner has posted notices on all doors and is supervising and enforcing a 6 person limit in the washeteria (you can load up your laundry, but ya gotta leave and wait for it to finish, same with drying, no folding up laundry, you gotta take it home).

As I was leaving, the owner came by like she does frequently and I asked how my favorite butch worker was doing. Apparently she's not doing well. I have no idea if she was exposed to the virus, but the owner demonstrated genuine care and concern over her long-time worker's health.

I went shopping for groceries while my laundry was washing and when I got ready to go through the check out, I had to ask the person who wouldn't wait their turn to back up and give me room, per state law mandate (6 ft). I was gloved and masked, for my own safety, but that person was so effin inconsiderate. Everyone turned to give them the evil eye but it didn't faze them in the least. I repeated my request to back away from me, but they were still unfazed and kept encroaching upon my space. Luckily, I bought enough groceries to last a couple of months, so I won't have to go grocery shopping for a good long while.

I actually found a FedEx store open near me, and I got lots of 'proof' type documents printed off for a variety of reasons, anticipating that I'd need proof of being furloughed for unemployment purposes and other things like if I have to miss a rental payment if this economic crisis doesn't lead to being back on the job by early May. It was kind of spendy to get all that printed off, but it's better to be prepared than to not be able to go get things like this printed off in case of the ultimate social lockdown where you can't even go anywhere, period. So I'm prepared with documents and prepared with a new round of buying a supply of postage stamps.

I even stopped by my internet provider's office and made a last minute payment to bide time until the end of summer. So at least if we are forced into staying home at all costs, then I will have internet access.

I'm sad for my butch friend who works at the washeteria. So sad. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for her that she'll pull toward the safe side of health soon.

awww Ketzchen (((((( your friend )))))) God Bless her ~ so many people are being arrogant about the virus.

[~ocean]

I had a Corona break down today ~ I hid in my room and cried my eyes out over a baby infant that had recently died ~ I had heard it on the news passing threw the kitchen ~ the feeling of helplessness and despair overwhelmed me. Normally I'm a pretty strong and hopefully logical person ~ but today logic turned into anger at the Lord ( that I am ashamed to admit ) what test of faith constitutes death ? this virus is ruining doctors forever ~ having to make a decision of someone else's time of demise ~ their soul is exposed ~ so vulnerable I just want to hold them. ((((((( the whole dam world )))))))

[A. Spectre]

My bride and I just returned from The Virgin Islands on a belated honeymoon late last night, I would like to share my experiences concerning the virus with you.

First, I really did not believe AA would actually fly there, kept checking my messages from Expedia or AA prior to departure. So, we get to O'hare the per usual 3 hours in advance to be poked, prodded by the surly TSA (who did NOT want to be there, who could blame them?) Kept checking the flight departure board to see if it was cancelled, but no, we were a go.

The plane holds over 150 passengers, there were 8 of us on board (including the crew!) It was wonderful and ghostly all at the same time.

The Virgin Islands only had 2 confirmed cases of this virus and all of us were doing normal things like dining out, boat rides with others for the first 2 days. THEN, the stay in place order came about. Since the tourist trade is 90% of the islands GDP, naturally ALL the shop keepers were alarmed. NO more dining in, NO more shopping anywhere except 1 grocery store (only 3 allowed at a time.)

One shop keeper told us on Thursday, the Governor has ordered a 30 day no visitors to the island. People were scrambling to go back home, a mad house of sorts. Our return flight was cancelled, rescheduled 3 times. We were redirected to Miami which was a bummer because Florida is turning into such a hot spot. I noticed over 95%of all of AA's flights were cancelled. It was eerie being at an international airport with only a handful of people. Nothing was open, the flight attendants were pissed off (who could blame them?)

The flight was 45 minutes early due to no waiting to taxi, no waiting for other planes to land or take off. Anyone remember the airport scene in The Langoliers? I would not have been too disappointed to wait out the curve of the virus in St. Thomas, but we are happy to be at home with our pooches.

[FireSignFemme]

Wow I got a letter from management letting us know the front office is now closed and how to handle rent payments for those who usually pay in person. At the end it says -

We understand this pandemic has potentially impacted you financially and as our valued resident we wanted to alleviate some of the financial burdens you may be experiencing. As a way of showing our gratitude and appreciation, we are offering the following incentive: During the months of April and May, we will deduct $50 from your rent if you pay your rent in full on or before 9am on the 4th of each month. We understand your home is critically important to you during this time of uncertainty and hope this incentive allows you to feel a little more comfortable in that home. We are in this together and together we will get through this! Sincerely the team at …

It's good news but at the same time it isn't. Anytime there's a bit of financial reprieve that's a happy thing, but knowing the economy is getting bad enough they're fearing they might lose tenants so are are throwing money our way, as an incentive to get us to stay and cough up the rent in a timely fashion, well that isn't very comforting, any kind of reassuring at all.