COVID-19/Coronavirus Information and Support Thread (see OP for useful links)

[Darla Starch]

To be fair, this was Florida man......

Guess he had enough of being a test subject for GrayStillPlays.

 

[Woodybobs]

Clearly it would be an option to adjust it at that time. But doing so would once again result in economic strife, and a loss of misallocated resources. Yes, it's not off the table to miss the target date, but it would be paid for heavily. Probably still not as heavily as we're paying for just not having an end in sight. People are hearing August (the president said that). Some people are saying 12 months, others are saying 18 months. Restaurant owners (and other business owners) are not just going to bleed money for a year. They'll close up. They'll find out that they could have stayed open if they'd just held on a little longer, but entirely too late.

We can't keep people in the dark forever.

We've heard nothing but maybes and possibles. Setting a date doesn't change the fact that we don't know when that date should be. This is the
strategy for the moment. Either it works or it will change. We haven't had enough time to know if it's working yet.

I think we know that's not true. We've paid a heavy price to get here, we should at least get some of the benefit. You're making no sense.

The point is that making a decision to return to normal in a month makes no sense. What if the lock-down in Italy succeeds in managing new cases. Surely the smart thing to do then would be to continue it in the USA, if needs be.

And when do we ease back on restrictions?

I certainly don't consider myself qualified to answer that.

 

[Jtheripper]

I just had a good contract cancelled at the last minute, needed it absolutely, now im in deep trouble and my wife to, even her safety for complicated reasons but it's from loss of my earning with this too, cause of this stupid virus.

 

[UKMikey]

So we have another Scumbag trying to profit from this, and surprise surprise its Mike Ashley.

He has classed his Sports Direct stores an 'essential service' so he can keep his stores open during the lockdown, it means its workforce will be classed as key workers and will be forced to work.

His reasoning? That the British public will need to exercise during the lockdown, and Sports Direct stock and sell fitness and exercise equipment....

He sent an email to all SD workers barely an hour after the PM made his address.

Talking of scumbag bosses, Tim Martin is refusing to pay Wetherspoon staff during the shutdown and has advised them to work for Tesco's instead. Nice...

https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/24/weth...iByi0DdQ7Awmn9HfjfRg-1k4truwWnIfnLoqyz0EBv-Gk

 

[Biggles]

I'm in the most vulnerable group (UK) and got my letter today (my parents too) about 12 weeks isolation from outside and to semi isolate from the other 3 people in the house. Not sure how we do the last bit... Do I need to put traffic lights in the doorways?

That will be 15 weeks I'll be stuck in the house. Cabin fever is kicking in already so I'll be Napoleon by the time I'm allowed back out...

Well, as long as you're not Travis Bickle we can all rest easy.

 

[Liquid]

So... how contagious is a hantavirus? That's gaining traction in news columns as a survivor of covid dies of it in China.

 

[Blitz24]

So... how contagious is a hantavirus? That's gaining traction in news columns as a survivor of covid dies of it in China.

Very rare to see human to human transmissions of this and there is a vaccine for it. In addition, it seems to be picked up by eating bodily fluids of mice/rats. So avoid eating Jerry or Mickey.

 

[Biggles]

What I find totally irresponsible is that CNN has a permanent "ticker tape" up on their TV programming showing the coronavirus infection & death totals. Is that really particularly helpful or informative? Why not show flu deaths, traffic accident deaths, heart disease or cancer deaths? I don't know what other cable channels are doing this, but it's going to further depress spirits & morale at what is clearly already a difficult time.

 

[McLaren]

Going to end up working. My county added “and sales” to Dallas’ wording, so my work finds me essential despite all Dallas-resident employees being kept home. It’s the same order....

Such a **** show here in Collin County, though. The 1 county that has declared a Stay-At-Home but also says, “ALL businesses are essential” so now workplaces in the county can make their own decisions. Dallas Mayor expected to re-address the city and uniform everyone to Dallas’ order and late April deadline.

 

[DG_Silva]

Install tiktok to stay up to date with the bored youth.

Latest challenge is huffing gas and lighting it.

Nah, I'm waiting for the compilation on Youtube of head explosions...

 

[sirjim73]

Very rare to see human to human transmissions of this and there is a vaccine for it. In addition, it seems to be picked up by eating bodily fluids of mice/rats. So avoid eating Jerry or Mickey.

Is eating Bugs Bunny ok?
If you go to the "quacks" do you end up saying "nyeeer, what's up doc?

 

[Jezza819]

Going to end up working. My county added “and sales” to Dallas’ wording, so my work finds me essential despite all Dallas-resident employees being kept home. It’s the same order....

Such a **** show here in Collin County, though. The 1 county that has declared a Stay-At-Home but also says, “ALL businesses are essential” so now workplaces in the county can make their own decisions. Dallas Mayor expected to re-address the city and uniform everyone to Dallas’ order and late April deadline.

We were just informed that they are cutting our hours and our pay back "for only the next 2 weeks or so" But I'm guessing that "or so" will probably last more than a month.

 

[Danoff]

We've heard nothing but maybes and possibles. Setting a date doesn't change the fact that we don't know when that date should be. This is the
strategy for the moment. Either it works or it will change. We haven't had enough time to know if it's working yet.


The point is that making a decision to return to normal in a month makes no sense. What if the lock-down in Italy succeeds in managing new cases. Surely the smart thing to do then would be to continue it in the USA, if needs be.

I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say.

I certainly don't consider myself qualified to answer that.

Apparently nobody does, and it has lead to significant economic fallout.

We have an idea of what flattening the curve looks like. So we have target dates that we could set out to give our economy some certainty. So much of economics has to do with planning. You'd have barely seen much of a fluctuation at all in our economy if you had forecast this last year. "Hey everybody in the US, you're gonna take the 2nd half of march off, and almost all of April living in your houses. Make preparations over the next 6 months". Then people would have stocked up slowly, employers would make arrangements in advance, and the whole thing would go quite nicely and smoothly. Tell them we don't know when you're going to go down, but you're coming back up in the end of April and it goes much less smoothly. Tell them (in advance) that you're going down in March and we don't know when you're coming back up, and it's even worse. Tell them at the last second that you're going down and there is no end in sight... and you get panic, layoffs, and general catastrophe.

What we need now is some stability. A target date to work toward (for most of the country) would release pressure on supply chains, employers, businesses, and might actually increase the number of people distancing, and might even lead to more people working at home. Employers would be much happier to send everyone home for a few weeks, work or no work, if it means they'll be back soon. What they can't do is hang on for 12 months that way.

Trump is apparently thinking along these lines. I have to say that I personally think Easter is too soon to really get the benefits of what we've put in place right now (ie: lockdowns). Based on the way the numbers are shaping up in Colorado, Easter seems likely to be a scary time period. New York and SF are slightly ahead of us.

 

[PzR Slim]

 

[Danoff]

I keep thinking those numbers need to be per capita. Larger populations should have more deaths. Spain would stand out even more.

It would ruin some of what the plot is trying to show though, so really you just need both.

 

[Veinz]

The Ontario Government declared the mining industry as essential so I will still be working. I’m on the fence about this.

 

[Biggles]

I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say.



Apparently nobody does, and it has lead to significant economic fallout.

We have an idea of what flattening the curve looks like. So we have target dates that we could set out to give our economy some certainty. So much of economics has to do with planning. You'd have barely seen much of a fluctuation at all in our economy if you had forecast this last year. "Hey everybody in the US, you're gonna take the 2nd half of march off, and almost all of April living in your houses. Make preparations over the next 6 months". Then people would have stocked up slowly, employers would make arrangements in advance, and the whole thing would go quite nicely and smoothly. Tell them we don't know when you're going to go down, but you're coming back up in the end of April and it goes much less smoothly. Tell them (in advance) that you're going down in March and we don't know when you're coming back up, and it's even worse. Tell them at the last second that you're going down and there is no end in sight... and you get panic, layoffs, and general catastrophe.

What we need now is some stability. A target date to work toward (for most of the country) would release pressure on supply chains, employers, businesses, and might actually increase the number of people distancing, and might even lead to more people working at home. Employers would be much happier to send everyone home for a few weeks, work or no work, if it means they'll be back soon. What they can't do is hang on for 12 months that way.

Trump is apparently thinking along these lines. I have to say that I personally think Easter is too soon to really get the benefits of what we've put in place right now (ie: lockdowns). Based on the way the numbers are shaping up in Colorado, Easter seems likely to be a scary time period. New York and SF are slightly ahead of us.

Well, of course Trump, as a deeply religious person, is anxious to have the country out of lockdown by Easter.

In an interview on Fox News later Tuesday afternoon, Trump said, Easter "is a very special day for me," and that it would be "great to have all of the churches full."

"So, I think Easter Sunday, and you will have packed churches all over our country. I think it would be a beautiful time and it's just about the timeline that I think is right," he later added. He said he isn't "sure" that would be the official deadline.

Completely delusional. There's not a snowball's chance in hell that it will be safe to have "packed churches" at Easter. More likely, most of the country will be peaking at that time & will have to maintain isolation in order to ensure that the numbers come back down.

This is Trump's idea of "reassuring people" - lying. It's worked so well for him up to now that he's sticking with it.

 

[Jtheripper]

The Ontario Government declared the mining industry as essential so I will still be working. I’m on the fence about this.

Lol really, maybe because workers are isolated from the rest of the population.

 

[McLaren]

Iran is flattening? Everything I’ve read showed them struggling without any leadership, sanctions against them, and an expected, high death toll.

 

[Veinz]

Lol really, maybe because workers are isolated from the rest of the population.

lol no we arent

 

[Jtheripper]

lol no we arent

I see well didn't mean to undermine anything just seems it be their excuse to declare it essential which seems far fetched. Better be safe then if you are not isolated.

 

[PeterJB]

So I start at Domino's next week, which I'm two minds about as I need the money and while my long-term career plans are on hiatus it's either this or a supermarket without the option of working from home. That being said, they're being very careful: the shop is now cashless with no walk-in customers; all orders must be made online or over the phone. The shop is cleaned every two hours, all staff have been issued company hand gel, (which I carry around with me wherever I go anyway) drivers aren't allowed anywhere near the food preparation areas, and when delivering we must leave the food on the customer's doorstep. I'm a germaphobe and a hypochondriac by nature, and it's only since yesterday that this virus has been bothering me in a way that is normally reserved for things like norovirus. It felt utterly bizarre on the drive to and from the interview seeing the amount of people out on walks, like something out a dystopian novel: state-approved recreation with a thumbs up from Big Brother.

 

[Woodybobs]

I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say.

Perhaps. I thought you were saying this.

And he should set that date now, and stick to it

Apparently nobody does, and it has lead to significant economic fallout.

That's because nobody feels confident about when that date is. That's not to say that date won't ever be known. Others will know it long before me.

We have an idea of what flattening the curve looks like. So we have target dates that we could set out to give our economy some certainty. So much of economics has to do with planning. You'd have barely seen much of a fluctuation at all in our economy if you had forecast this last year. "Hey everybody in the US, you're gonna take the 2nd half of march off, and almost all of April living in your houses. Make preparations over the next 6 months". Then people would have stocked up slowly, employers would make arrangements in advance, and the whole thing would go quite nicely and smoothly. Tell them we don't know when you're going to go down, but you're coming back up in the end of April and it goes much less smoothly. Tell them (in advance) that you're going down in March and we don't know when you're coming back up, and it's even worse. Tell them at the last second that you're going down and there is no end in sight... and you get panic, layoffs, and general catastrophe.

What happens if it becomes clear we have to change the date? I don't think we can confidently predict when this curve flattening will be achieved. That's the problem. Our politicians are hopeful of getting back to some kind of normality before May. They're just not confident enough to commit to any time frame, suggesting worst case scenario could even be a year or more. The right thing to do is to admit their lack of knowledge, and work towards gaining some.

A target date to work toward

I'd be amazed if there isn't a target date.

What they can't do is hang on for 12 months that way.

Based on the information we currently have I agree with that.

Trump is apparently thinking along these lines. I have to say that I personally think Easter is too soon to really get the benefits of what we've put in place right now (ie: lockdowns). Based on the way the numbers are shaping up in Colorado, Easter seems likely to be a scary time period. New York and SF are slightly ahead of us.

Why do you think Easter is too early but April 20th isn't? I'd be delighted if either turned out to be correct, and either of them could. Is that just a line in the sand where we say enough is enough, come what may we're going back to work, irrespective of what we learn in the next month?

 

[Danoff]

Why do you think Easter is too early but April 20th isn't? I'd be delighted if either turned out to be correct, and either of them could. Is that just a line in the sand where we say enough is enough, come what may we're going back to work, irrespective of what we learn in the next month?

Eventually that is exactly what we have to do. The sooner we do it, the less damage we do economically. Based on the trajectory we're on, Easter looks like it would be right about crunch time. April 20th looks like it would be after the bump. It doesn't have to be April 20th, it's just an example. But we need something concrete, and something soon, or the fallout will continue.

So I start at Domino's next week, which I'm two minds about as I need the money and while my long-term career plans are on hiatus it's either this or a supermarket without the option of working from home. That being said, they're being very careful: the shop is now cashless with no walk-in customers; all orders must be made online or over the phone. The shop is cleaned every two hours, all staff have been issued company hand gel, (which I carry around with me wherever I go anyway) drivers aren't allowed anywhere near the food preparation areas, and when delivering we must leave the food on the customer's doorstep. I'm a germaphobe and a hypochondriac by nature, and it's only since yesterday that this virus has been bothering me in a way that is normally reserved for things like norovirus. It felt utterly bizarre on the drive to and from the interview seeing the amount of people out on walks, like something out a dystopian novel: state-approved recreation with a thumbs up from Big Brother.

Pizza delivery is one of the things that's going to keep the world running. Just be smart about your hands and the rest should be fine. COVID-19 is not as insanely contagious as Norovirus.

 

[Woodybobs]

Eventually that is exactly what we have to do. The sooner we do it, the less damage we do economically. Based on the trajectory we're on, Easter looks like it would be right about crunch time. April 20th looks like it would be after the bump. It doesn't have to be April 20th, it's just an example. But we need something concrete, and something soon, or the fallout will continue.

If we successfully flatten the curve and learn enough to be confident that returning to normal is the correct course of action then we'll have achieved our immediate targets. If it looks like we are going to do it then a confident prediction will present itself. Until then we shouldn't force the issue unless we think we can't achieve our targets, which hopefully won't be the case. Thus far there appears to be too many unknowns for most(all?) governments to set a date.

 

[Danoff]

My state is officially on this chart We have 11 deaths today. So I can play the home edition. The next 2 weeks will be interesting on that chart.

If we successfully flatten the curve and learn enough to be confident that returning to normal is the correct course of action then we'll have achieved our immediate targets.

No.

We can do that at the expense of economic prosperity.

If it looks like we are going to do it then a confident prediction will present itself.

...by waiting until the economic damage is done. No. This is unacceptable.

Until then we shouldn't force the issue unless we think we can't achieve our targets, which hopefully won't be the case.

We should force it now, because we're harming ourselves every day.

Thus far there appears to be too many unknowns for most(all?) governments to set a date.

This comes at extreme cost. A plan is not too much to ask.

 

[Joey D]

How is it that the New York City metro area accounts for nearly half our COVID-19 cases? I mean I get it's a massive city/metro area, but looking at LA it's barely a fraction of NYC's cases.

 

[Woodybobs]

My state is officially on this chart We have 11 deaths today. So I can play the home edition. The next 2 weeks will be interesting on that chart.



No.

We can do that at the expense of economic prosperity.



...by waiting until the economic damage is done. No. This is unacceptable.



We should force it now, because we're harming ourselves every day.



This comes at extreme cost. A plan is not too much to ask.

The decision can still be made to return to normal at any point. There doesn't need to be date set yet. If we accept we've lost then we go back to work. Predicting that date so far into the future (at least publicly) is basically accepting we're not going to flatten the curve. Can you imagine trying to enforce the current restrictions once people start thinking we've no chance of flattening the curve in the time remaining. It'd be a farce.

 

[Dotini]

How is it that the New York City metro area accounts for nearly half our COVID-19 cases? I mean I get it's a massive city/metro area, but looking at LA it's barely a fraction of NYC's cases.

Reliance on public transportation may be the big difference between NYC and LA.

 

[ULTRAVIOLENZZ]

The Comprehensive Timeline of China’s COVID-19 Lies
https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/chinas-devastating-lies/