Conavirus......

[oldhat]

I don't suppose I should be surprised, but in my brief forays outside during the past two days, I'm still seeing people engaged in unessential activities like eating in restaurants, attending a yoga class or getting a haircut. In one case, I walked by a kitchen cabinets store near my house and saw people inside talking to a salesman. You can't wait to install your new kitchen counters?

I absolutely get it that people want to get out of the house and do something that feels normal. I also get it that there are people whose jobs require them to be in contact with others. I'm especially sympathetic to supermarket cashiers, whose job requires them to have close contact with hundreds of people, but whose role may turn out to be as important as police or firefighters before this is all over.

On other other hand, if I were a movie theater usher, I sure wouldn't be showing up for work. It's one thing when your job involves selling people food. It's quite another be asked to risk your health and the health of those around you so someone can see Frozen 2.

It may be that movie theaters around here have closed already, I'm not sure. Most public spaces--schools, libraries, churches and gyms--have closed down within the past 2-3 days.

One thing I've been wondering about--every time I see pictures of people in groups (just now was looking at scenes from mobbed airports) half the people are wearing face masks--where the heck are they getting them? By early this past week, any kind of prophylactic or disinfectant item, such as face masks, gloves and or course hand sanitizer, had been completely stripped from the shelves. For anyone around here to have masks, they would have had to be incredibly prescient or have some kind of connection.

[Teacher Terry]

Luckily I go to a one person shop to have my hair cut and colored. Although, his wife works in a nursing home. I am not getting my eyebrows waxed because I don’t want anyone that close to my face. Our ski resorts shut down and usually they are open as long as possible. If we go out to eat we are going at odd times so no people. We will totally stay home once we need to but don’t want to start to early. A good friend of mine is 74 with 6 serious health conditions and she hasn’t changed anything and goes out daily. She has been in the hospital many times in the past 3 years and then her Yorkies have to move in with us. We have decreased going out to twice a week not counting going to friends homes.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Haircuts unessential? For some women depending on hair style sure, I don't need to get a haircut. For men, yea I don't think so (unless they are bald ). It's about looking presentable for work etc..

Ushers don't just suddenly quit their jobs? Well they will probably be out of a job soon enough, maybe they are just trying to earn money while the sun still shines, before it all tanks. Being homeless is probably not too good for one's corona survival rates either afterall. Just sit around and collect unemployment? Haha, one would only say that if they have literally never collected it. That's a fraction of anyone's income (I'm not sure to what degree it depends on your current income, but it's about 30% of one's GROSS income). That's almost never enough to live off.

[Tybee]

The movie theatres in our town went to a 50% (the multiplex) and 40% (the standalone) seating capacity, meaning if the theatre seats 500, they will only let 250 in.

[SteveinMN]

I'm still seeing people engaged in unessential activities like eating in restaurants, attending a yoga class or getting a haircut. In one case, I walked by a kitchen cabinets store near my house and saw people inside talking to a salesman. You can't wait to install your new kitchen counters?

This week I have scheduled 1) a home visit with an elderly friend and her husband with an organization that is helping them move to assisted living next month; 2) a physical therapy appointment (the first after two weeks); 3) a standing lunch gathering with a few former co-workers; and 4) the very last session of a volunteer gig I've worked at the food bank (along with a team of about half a dozen) for more than eight years (the task is moving to facility many miles away).

The home visit is, in my mind, low-risk. I suppose I could phone in but it wouldn't be quite as helpful (the reason I'm there at all). I will sit several feet away from the other participants and try not to touch anything.

I will ask the therapist on Monday if I can postpone that appointment but, really, things aren't going to be better in another week or two, including the reason for the PT in the first place. The clinic is separate from the general-practice clinic in the building. It should be an easy in-and-out with only a little more hand washing involved.

Lunch likely will be cancelled with so many of the co-workers logging in from home. That's sorted.

The volunteer session? The food bank expects a serious increase in demand from people no longer getting the paychecks they need to live on. Everything we touch is wrapped and we don't handle it for long. We're all old and retired and I believe any one of us not feeling well will cancel. I think we can manage maintaining a reasonable distance from each other as we work. Personally, I would hate to miss this session -- this is one of the best teams I've ever worked with and, after this, we're done.

I believe social distancing is going to be in place for another couple of months. At some point in that time, I will need to go to the grocery store to replenish. Something in the house may require a trip to the hardware store. I'm about two-three weeks away from my monthly haircut (I like my hair short and it grows pretty fast). I do not expect to hear an "all clear" on social distancing in two or three weeks. So maybe it makes sense to get my hair cut this week so I don't need another haircut for another month, when the number of COVID-19 cases is likely to be exponentially higher than it is now.

The couple in the kitchen cabinet store may need to select cabinets because the house is scheduled to be finished and closed upon in another month and they have to decide now. Go to the movies? Attend March Madness? Maybe entertainment options are more "unnecessary". But, without context, it's hard to determine what people consider necessary, especially when we're talking about a period of several weeks. Self-care takes many forms and, right now, with an uncertain pandemic and an uncertain financial environment, self-care remains important.

I will note that the amount of traffic on our street has declined a lot in the last week. I think the number of passenger cars almost matches the number of delivery trucks now. People in this neighborhood seem to be getting it.

One thing I've been wondering about--every time I see pictures of people in groups (just now was looking at scenes from mobbed airports) half the people are wearing face masks--where the heck are they getting them?

A friend of mine who lives on a rural hobby farm in the south has routinely bought N95 masks by the dozens. He's hitting his stash now for himself and his family. He's far more of a prepper than most people but he does use the masks for farm chores and the like. I don't doubt there are bunches in circulation. In fact, having worked at a company that makes such masks, I probably have some still sitting in our basement. It's not like they go bad.

[oldhat]

The movie theatres in our town went to a 50% (the multiplex) and 40% (the standalone) seating capacity, meaning if the theatre seats 500, they will only let 250 in.

I'm not sure about your geographical location. Here in a hot zone, allowing 250 people into the same space unnecessarily would be irresponsible.

Given that it looks like the feds have complete effed up an aggressive testing regime, social distancing will be the most effective means of "flattening" the curve of spread. Places that aren't already hot zones likely soon will be, and should start implementing these policies NOW.

I just returned from a brief walk around the neighborhood. A 7th-Day Adventist church nearby was holding services (though the parking lot was far from full). Another, smaller group (some kind of Christian sect of what appear to be Haitians or Dominicans, I've never been quite sure) that has taken over a dead Methodist church was also holding services.

I was very surprised to see this. I'm sure these are good Christian folks and not kooks, but this is just irresponsible, and I hope the church elders start to exercise some common sense.

[Rogar]

I don't suppose I should be surprised, but in my brief forays outside during the past two days, I'm still seeing people engaged in unessential activities like eating in restaurants, attending a yoga class or getting a haircut. In one case, I walked by a kitchen cabinets store near my house and saw people inside talking to a salesman. You can't wait to install your new kitchen counters?....

I suspect there are still significant numbers of people who fall into the "no different than the common flu" category and consider many of the precautions a media fueled panic. Plus younger people probably don't see the risk.

I have a nearly full box of N95 masks purchased a some time ago for belt sanding some house siding and for allergies doing some sorts of yard work. I haven't decided if there would be any occasion where I might wear them.

There are a lot of occupations that are not in the service industry or people unable to work at home where work goes on in some sort of normal fashion.

[Tammy]

Lots of people think it’s nothing. Vegas is a hotbed for that sort of thought.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trave...ng/5050573002/

[catherine]

I suspect there are still significant numbers of people who fall into the "no different than the common flu" category and consider many of the precautions a media fueled panic.

That's DH. He thinks this is hubbub caused by CNN. I tell him, what about China, Iran, Italy?? Are they swayed by CNN?

Meanwhile, he's over 65, overweight, a smoker, with underlying health issues. The kids were SOOOO excited to see us out of Jersey and landed on our relatively deserted island.

[jp1]

And now everyone returning from Europe was forced to wait hours jammed together at the airports to be ‘health screened’. I wonder how many infections that will cause.