Covid19

[thollandpe]

Yes, that photo is our local pond. No, I am not in the photo. I'm keeping my distance. And I'm not telling you where I'm walking!

Attachment 114926

Wow. No wonder you're spooked. My walk yesterday was 12 miles (with 1200 feet elevation gain) and I was unnerved when another human came up behind us. We pulled aside and let her pass at an appropriate distance.



We did not, however, see her pet dinosaur.

[crumpton]

Question to our locked down brothers on other continents or even N.Y. for that matter, how does this list of permitted “openings” from central Texas compare to yours?

Coronavirus in Austin, Texas: Shelter-in-place | What's open? | kvue.com

[sk_tle]

Question to our locked down brothers on other continents or even N.Y. for that matter, how does this list of permitted “openings” from central Texas compare to yours?

Coronavirus in Austin, Texas: Shelter-in-place | What's open? | kvue.com

I get an access denied error to the web page.

[NYCfixie]

Not much but essentials.
MASSLIVE Coronavirus shutdowns: What’s open, what’s closed in Massachusetts?

Learn about businesses and organizations defined as providing "COVID-19 Essential Services" under Governor Baker's March 23, 2020 Emergency Order

Unlike some other areas, NY, NJ, CT, MA have cancelled all elective and non-urgent doctor and dentist appointments.

Public transportation is on a very reduced schedule.

My wife's 5-12 school is located near a few Boston hospitals and they have "donated" their parking lot to medical professionals who need to commute by car (and would normally commute by public transportation).

I still don't understand why people don't get it. Even if your state/city/local-area is not yet affected, it will be soon enough and the severity will depend on what we all do to social distance and help contain the spread. And the stocking up on food is beyond me. We are not in a famine state and the pipeline is full of food. Same for TP; does a household really need a 6 month supply?

[Blue Jays]

"...And the stocking up on food is beyond me.
We are not in a famine state and the pipeline is full of food..."

Good post, NYCfixie. I can somewhat see the idea behind substantial food purchases.
For example, if a family only visits grocery once per month and makes single $1000 purchase instead of $250 x 4, that reduces contact.
At same time, if they purchase for a YEAR that messes with the supply chain. I can see both sides as long as supply is adequate.

[Chik]

The moron heatmap, courtesy of The Economist:

[Chik]

Question to our locked down brothers on other continents or even N.Y. for that matter, how does this list of permitted “openings” from central Texas compare to yours?

Coronavirus in Austin, Texas: Shelter-in-place | What's open? | kvue.com

"Access denied" on that URL. Likely cause being that they are not GDPR compliant.

Here's what's in place in Belgium: Coronavirus in Belgium: The latest developments | The Bulletin.

[NYCfixie]

Good post, NYCfixie. I can somewhat see the idea behind substantial food purchases.
For example, if a family only visits grocery once per month and makes single $1000 purchase instead of $250 x 4, that reduces contact.
At same time, if they purchase for a YEAR that messes with the supply chain. I can see both sides as long as supply is adequate.

It's clear that this is not to reduce contact but rather to be selfish, overbuy, and stockpile (based on my own personal observations, speaking with managers at local grocery stores, and news reports). Assuming that people eat "some" fresh fruits and vegetables, one cannot buy a month's supply at a time.

As an example, the management company from my apartment building and many others across the Boston area, sent out an email this morning stating that they have received a staggering amount of service calls for refrigerators/freezers failing. They specifically wrote that some tenants are packing refrigerators and freezers so full and turning down the thermostats so cold to keep everything cool that these appliances are breaking because they were not meant to be overfilled.

Also think about the staggering effects to our environment by using extra electricity to run these appliances and the extra trucks needed to haul these goods that we do not need to stockpile.

[Matthew Strongin]

It's clear that this is not to reduce contact but rather to be selfish, overbuy, and stockpile (based on news reports and speaking with managers at local grocery stores). Assuming that people eat "some" fresh fruits and vegetables, one cannot buy a month's supply at a time.

As an example, the management company from my apartment building and many others across the Boston area, sent out an email this morning stating that they have received a staggering amount of service calls for refrigerators/freezers failing. They specifically wrote that some tenants are jamming there refrigerators and freezers packed so full and turning down the thermostats so cold to keep everything cool that these appliances are breaking because they were not meant to be overfilled.

Also think about the staggering effects to our environment by using extra electricity to run these appliances and the extra trucks needed to haul these goods that we do not need to stockpile.

There's probably an interesting case study in which products are no longer available due to purchasing well past their typical supply needs and which products are still plentifully available. Like liquid hand soap vs. bar soap at my local grocery store.

[Will Neide]

Question to our locked down brothers on other continents or even N.Y. for that matter, how does this list of permitted “openings” from central Texas compare to yours?

Coronavirus in Austin, Texas: Shelter-in-place | What's open? | kvue.com

What’s actually closed?? Seems like everything can remain open.

[NYCfixie]

There's probably an interesting case study in which products are no longer available due to purchasing well past their typical supply needs and which products are still plentifully available. Like liquid hand soap vs. bar soap at my local grocery store.

More than 2 weeks ago I was in NYC on 3/9 visiting family (of course in Scarsdale and New Rochelle area on 3/8 before schools were closed and the national guard showed up to help clean and help with logistics) and as soon as the governor mentioned the upcoming shut down my wife begged me to get in the car and drive back to Boston which I did.

On Tuesday 3/10, I visited 4 stores (2 CVS and 2 supermarkets) in the Boston area before I could find toilet paper for sale and I was not even able to get the soft and cushy type I like, I was stuck with that 1 ply sandpaper. My point is that this was well before anyone even thought MA (or even just the Boston area) would have a shut down but people were already in panic buying mode. Now 2 weeks later and it is only get worse even though all reports, and reality itself, have shown there is no shortage of food or TP.

/rant over

[NYCfixie]

On a more positive note, I have been impressed that "some" people are doing the right thing.

Our neighbors from when we lived in NJ posted on FaceBook asking any artists (we had a few neighbors who were painters, performance artists, etc.) to look through their supplies for N95 masks and donate them to local hospitals whose PPE supplies are running low.

This was also the neighborhood whose residents would always run very long extension cords across the street when one side of the street lost power (different power grids) so that nobody would be without. You would never hear a generator because everyone was so helpful and generous.

Why can't we have more of this rather than stockpiling?

[Tom]

Karen said when she went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription everybody there was wearing masks, they moved the card swipe machines 6 feet out on tables from the counter, the waiting aisle has a big orange tape down it with red tape every six feet and a sign to move up one red unit at a time if you're waiting. And if you look like you can catch it they're tossing the bag with the pill bottle out to you!

Today was the first day at the oncologist that every single person was wearing masks, yesterday they gave me a letter to keep in my car in case I get apprehended coming in for treatment. They were no fun, though, they said I couldn't use it to try and get out of a speeding ticket.

My brother in law that is a facilities manager at the big hospital in Albany finally got sick but apparently they have a fast test which I didn't know had been rolled out. He was told within an hour he came up negative, but while he was there waiting he saw an entire nursing unit come up positive and be told to go home.

[King Of Dirk]

What’s actually closed?? Seems like everything can remain open.

The order affecting Harris County, Texas (Houston) as of 11:59pm last night has so many loopholes it might as well be the tax code.

Ready Harris > Stay Home

[deano]

My mom and grandma, both accomplished at sewing, are making PPE like banshees.

[bcm119]

When all of this is said and done, it will be interesting to see how virus spread correlated to things like population density, use of public transit, weather, and especially sociological factors like attitude towards government and work ethic. I have a hunch there is some correlation to the head-down work ethic of the northeast that makes it more susceptible to this. Just anecdotally, almost everyone I know in the northeast was dragging their ass into work right up until a day or two ago; my partner and I in the bay area have been working at home for 2-3 weeks already.

[Chik]

As expected, now that the Olympics are formally postponed, Tokyo is suddenly a “focus of an outbreak”. And yet, they are still only talking about a lockdown. The governor asked residents to stay at home for the weekend as if the whole region will be refreshed come Monday morning.

The veneer is starting to peel off, once again indicating that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t.

I’m afraid things will get ugly in Japan.

[Bobonli]

When all of this is said and done, it will be interesting to see how virus spread correlated to things like population density, use of public transit, weather, and especially sociological factors like attitude towards government and work ethic. I have a hunch there is some correlation to the head-down work ethic of the northeast that makes it more susceptible to this. Just anecdotally, almost everyone I know in the northeast was dragging their ass into work right up until a day or two ago; my partner and I in the bay area have been working at home for 2-3 weeks already.

Yup. And I'm sad to say that there are people/businesses that are disregarding the stay home order. Today I saw a paint store, clothes store and some office buildings open and running; crews doing renno work on a storefront. Apparently some people still dont think it applies to them. And some people who are "essential" seem to be oblivious, too. I went to get take-out and the sole employee making the food, running the register and answering the phone was wearing gloves. And I didnt see him change them once when transitioning from task to task. So he made my food with the same gloves he handled the last customer's money.

[deano]

Yeah, the stuff people mumble about being "essential" is such a joke.

[Blue Jays]

"...I went to get take-out and the sole employee making the food, running the register and answering the phone was wearing gloves.
And I didnt see him change them once when transitioning from task to task.
So he made my food with the same gloves he handled the last customer's money..."

Whoa! So what happened after?
Did you depart without the food?