Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus)

Since COVID-19 has now been declared a pandemic, I wanted to see how the FOLCs here are doing. My country (the United States) has declared a national emergency, and stuff is being canceled all over the place.

I'm fine thus far, and so are my family members, though I worry because there are a lot of 70+ family members (including a frail great-aunt in her late 80's, a great-uncle who just turned 100, and an 84-year-old uncle who has survived multiple cancers and other issues).

The school district I work for has been shut down until April 13 (the day we come back from Spring Break). The kids are expected to work from home using their Chromebooks, which is likely to be ineffective, since the kids 1) view this as an extended vacation, 2) often don't have access to WiFi in order to use the Internet, and 3) are using very old equipment that breaks down if you look at it cross-eyed (I'm the librarian/computer tech for my school, and I spend a huge amount of time fixing the Chromebooks and begging for more when I run out of fixable machines).

The play I take part in each year, the Ramona Pageant (aka Ramona Outdoor Play) is canceled for this year. It isn't the first time it's been canceled (it was canceled in 1933 due to lack of money, and from 1942-1945 because of World War II), but this is the first time I my tenure that it's happened (I started in 1995; the show has been around since 1923). It should return next year (knock on wood), but it's still disappointing.

Stay safe, FOLCs. Wash your hands with soap and water, stay well-hydrated, and stay home if you're sick if you possibly can.

It's a little scary. I don't envy you, Annie, dealing with those Chromebooks. I made the mistake of teaching at two universities this semester and now have to figure out how to teach Chemistry labs on-line.

It's not a fun time for anyone. (Except, as you said, maybe the kids . At least we're all feeling fine so far.

Hopefully these precautions will be sufficient to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and life will return to normal in a few weeks.

Take good care of yourselves and stay safe!

Everyone in my immediate circle is ok (kids, husband, parents, close friends). A cousin of mine is maybe 2 degrees separated from a confirmed case in STL. He is IT at a school where the parent and sister of a then-potential (now confirmed) case "violated quarantine" (there is debate on whether they were dictated to quarantine themselves) and went to a father-daughter dance at the school as well as a few house parties. It caused the private school (a high school with a pre-k on site) to shut down.

Down my way (two hour drive from STL) they are being cautious but still having church and school. We had a few events postponed, but that was because of a storm that had the potential to make those death-making tornadoes, not the virus (no confirmed cases in Cape or Jackson).

My area of CT suspended schools as of this past Friday. There was a *possible* exposure at one of the local colleges (as far as I know it has not yet been confirmed). We just got an email with voluntary work/links to use to keep the kids learning but it doesn't count as school days. A) They have no way to track if kids are using it and B) only 3rd grade and up get Chromebooks to take home. My girls are only 1st graders, Yes, they have access to iPads and/or Mommy and Daddy's computers to work with us but not all kids are that lucky. The school sent home a survey today as well to see how people feel about things like getting rid of the April Break/Easter Break...the governor has waived the mandated 180 days of school BUT we can still be in school up to, but not to exceed, June 30.

Supermarkets are insane right now. Barely any bread, no tissues, cleaning supplies, paper towels, napkins, hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol to make hand sanitizer with, aspirin, cold meds, toilet paper, meat, or pasta. Next to no canned goods, barely any sports drinks (but plenty of soda), almost no water. I was able to get some stuff that we needed earlier in the week but if this becomes extended, I might have to pay the higher fees and use Amazon Pantry or Peapod or other grocery delivery service. It's EXTREMELY difficult to not panic while in the stores because of the way people are acting/stocking up/hoarding. It feels a lot like the end of the world and it's terrifying.

EVERYTHING over here is cancelled. No library events (but it remains open), museums have shut down, high school play is off, no sporting events, etc. I'm hoping for at least some good weather so we can play in the backyard. I'm not risking a trip to the park or anything like that. I'm trying to keep any outings to strictly need-based trips, like food runs.

So far, we're all feeling fine here. The kids are already a tad stir crazy and there's been quite a lot of crying about how they want to be in school (ah, those early years when they still love school!). We've begged my father-in-law not to see patients in person for the foreseeable future (he's a psychologist) as he's over 70 and still caring for his 102 year old mother (who has round the clock aids to care for her at home).

Here's hoping scientists can crack this virus and figure out treatment/a vaccine quickly so life can go back to normal soon.

Stay safe, FoLCs! And remember, this too shall pass. We just have to stay smart and stay strong.

A few years back, when I had had a four-month bout of bronchitis, the doctors told me that my lungs were compromised and that consequently I should take extra precautions to avoid any pulmonary illnesses. I therefore began to practice social distancing before that phrase started being plastered everywhere. So far, so healthy. I'm glad I retired when I did -- although Spring Break has been extended for students, faculty are still expected to report to work. They are using the Spring Break extension to convert in-person classes into online ones.

I don't really have anything to add to DC's description of life in the U.S., other than that coronavirus-related news and activity seems to have had exponential growth. Although the virus has been making the news since January, coverage had been at simmer level until recently. It started bubbling on Wednesday and explosively overflowed on Thursday. You would now be hard-pressed to find many news stories about anything else. Not surprisingly, the panic levels of the general public shot way up on Thursday; that's when there were runs on supermarkets, floods of cancellations, etc.

Stay healthy,
Lynn

No confirmed cases in my neck of the woods, but confirmed exposure at the University. All the colleges in town and nearby have gone to online learning for the rest of the semester. The school district I teach in is still holding classes, but I've had significant amounts of absent students this past week. And the district has said that they will work with families who want/need their kids to stay home.

Annie B: I have expressed your concerns to my students every time they ask about it because I feel the same way!

scifiJoan: I too must figure out how to do chemistry labs online, but at the high school level. At this point, my classes are online and we work together in class, so I don't have to change much, except the labs. I'm probably going to video myself doing them and post them for students to watch and write up.

Christina: I'm in MO as well and heard all about that STL case from my students.

DC: I was just talking to my husband about how hard it is to not get sucked in by the panic. We've already had to order a few things from the internet because the store was out and so were we. Peanut butter. We can't live without peanut butter.

Lynn: I haven't been told in so many words, but after my last year of respiratory related health issues, I'm pretty sure I'm on the immunocompromised list myself. The only difference I see is that people here started flipping out a few days earlier (of course, I work with high school students who love to spread rumors). I spoke with my students every day last week about the coronavirus and referenced our "baloney detection kit" that we used the previous week to identify fake science.

Since both my husband and I are teachers, an extended time at home will just feel like summer to us. Maybe my house will finally be clean.

Hi JellyS2,

I'm sorry to hear that I am not alone here in the compromised-lung department. Stay safe.

I love your "baloney detection kit" concept. I am sure you have had ample reason to break it out recently.

I had to smile at your reference to your house possibly finally being clean. High on my "to do" list for the next few weeks is start giving my house s serious decluttering and cleaning.

Joy,
Lynn

Popping back in to join the "compromised lung" group. I'm an asthmatic and so is one of my daughters. It's doesn't make us immunocompromised but it still makes this virus scary as heck. Thankfully, my daughter really only expresses the asthma as a really harsh cough when she gets sick (at this time) but I'm full-blown, everything makes me wheeze/short of breath - cold air, certain triggers like pine and smoke, exercise, getting sick, you name it.

I'm glad some of you were able to order what you need online. It seems like whatever I try to order (like bread mix because I thought it might be the perfect time to try out my bread machine - never had a chance because my parents gave it to me when the girls were like 4 months old) is out of stock. We just got word that all of the local stores that sell food - Stop & Shop, Price Chopper, even Walmart, for example) are reducing their hours to allow for more time for the workers to restock the shelves. It's a good move, and, honestly, I wasn't planning to go out at like 10pm to shop anyway.

I took a look at the official CDC map yesterday and it seems like my state is still (thankfully) on the very low side of confirmed cases - only 6 or 7 (can't remember which off hand). I just wish it could tell us which towns. The first 2 cases were a solid one hour drive away from where we are but I did hear of an 82 year old woman a few towns over with a case. Now, she could be an 82 year old practical shut-in who is of little danger of spreading the virus or she could be a vibrant, active, goes everywhere and does everything kind of lady.

Oh well. I did get a few rooms cleaned/disinfected/dusted since the quasi-quarantine hit (we can still leave our houses to shop and the like). Now I have to get the kids motivated to help in the other rooms because it looks like Toys R Us threw up in here.

Oh, and a friendly and fun reminder - Being home gives us all the perfect opportunity to get our Kerth votes in.

Latest CDC statement is you should not have any events with more then eight for the next two months.

I just received an email that my school district will have school tomorrow so I can see students one last time and then close until April 13th. I get March 18, 19, and 20 to work in my classroom before I'm not allowed to come back either. We'll switch to online learning during the two weeks not of spring break. I'm probably one of the most prepared because I flipped my classroom (students watch videos and take notes at home and then practice with me in class). Not sure what I'll do about labs... But its all good. The stress is high though because the district isn't communicating very well or in a timely manner, not even with the teachers.

I'm in the less-crazy part of Europe so things are pretty quiet. Most businesses are closed except for the supermarkets, pharmacies, etc. The biggest worry is probably economy itself, provided the shutdown of public life really does slow down the rate of infections. For me, not really much more time for the boards than before, given I can just telecommute, which is great in and of itself given the situation.

Stay safe everyone.

Michael

This is both a little better and a little worse for us. They had a professional development day yesterday so the school was already scheduled to be closed on Monday. That morning they first re-scheduled and then a few hours later cancelled the kindergarten concert that had been previously delayed due to weather. Not long thereafter the school closed until April 3rd (pending no extensions). On Monday we will be picking up my two younger kids' devices. I have no clue what they're planning on doing or offering for my pre-ker (her Parents as Teachers person will not be making visits). This early afternoon we made an emergency trip to the library to borrow a few books before they close until April 7th. I didn't pick up any books for myself, too focused on trying to keep social distance while there (there were two other kid/parent groups in the same area while we were there.) My kindergartener still has his counselling appointment this evening. We'll see if this will be the last one for a while or whether we will still get to keep it going.

Our local library system is closed along with the schools. They just had restaurants got to take out only. The library spent all the slack in the budget on lots of ebooks before they closed.

So I'm kind of surprised my area doesn't yet have a confirmed case. Just about every major metropolitan area in MO now has at least one confirmed case. In Greater KC's case it's unknown where one of the people got it (i.e. community Spread). I'm also noting that there's a LOT of stuff still open, especially a Hobby Lobby (WHY???) With that said, it's pretty common that people will come to our area for the hospitals and then go out to eat and shop (the Walmart in Cape is known as one of the largest traffic ones in part because of that). IOW, I almost expect any confirmed case to be one community spread.

My wife is a sales admin, and her company (a national radio chain) was staunchly opposed to letting anybody work from home, as have her immediate boss and the station manager. As of this past Monday, she's working from home for the foreseeable future. Her office is in our master bedroom. She has the laptop, and she spends her either on the phone setting sales appointments for the sales people or creating photo ads and videos for companies advertising on the station. So far she's doing quite well. I know, I can her her on the phone.

Since we're both over 60, she has a pacemaker and I had a liver transplant last year, we're both in the higher-than-average-risk category. I like to go out to lunch, eat, and read something - not happening now. All the fast food places are drive-thru only, and the sit-down-how-may-I-serve-you restaurants are ghost towns. I'm used to working from home, but she's not, and she has taken the opportunity to show me some of the things she does at work. It's actually nice right now. I don't get cabin fever, and the weather's nice enough for her to garden or sit on the front porch and read. The only thing I really regret is that the senior center where we both exercise (cardio and weight machines) is closed, so I can't ride the bike that goes nowhere now. I'm using my home weights, but there are muscle groups I can't stress right now. Still, this is lots better than a hospital-busting pandemic.

And I have more time to write. My muses have given me a real pipper of a plot. No spoilers, but it may be the next big thing I post (after Veterans, of course).

Stay safe, y'all.

Another European here.

They just put border patrols around our most populated county, stopping any other traffic than work, parental right and immediate health related. Most confirmed cases are also within that area. When the lock down was announced, people began to flee to their summer places and secondary homes. Time will show how many of them carried the virus and dropped it off at rest stops and local grocery stores along the way. International flights were stopped relatively late and the tourists were not told to avoid public transport and go guarantined which was baffling.

I live outside that county.

Our first sick were healthy adults, being ski tourists who brought the disease from Austria. Now it is likely spreading among the population. We are told to avoid crowds and other people and to wash our hands. Do not visit grandma at all, preferably no one. All events are canceled, libraries, theatres, and public sport venues closed and access to school limited. Ski centres closed when people started rushing into them. There is talk about closing bars.

People hoarded toilet paper (why, we still have some paper industry even when many mills have shut down during the years), hand disinfectant (now you find none), pasta, yeast, minced meat, and canned food. So much that someone with little money has difficulties to find their favourite products unless they can go shopping early. I hope it will get better when the hoarders are stuffed and our food industry will deliver some more.

We were told that while you are not allowed to do anything you normally do, you can still go outside but then authorities noticed how much traffic that gave to hiking paths and public barbecue places and such they started to disable them too.

A handful of people have died, most of them old. The worst is still ahead. The criteria for testing is tight so you don't know how many infected there are out there. Any symptoms of respiratory infection and you should quarantine yourself.

I am not taking this well. Mostly because I cannot do anything. I cannot kick anyone or anything, I cannot eradicate the virus, and I can not run my errands like I used to nor do my sport because the club is closed until June and who knows if that barring will continue. My everyday life would not be that different except that I have no agility class and no library, I am unemployed and live alone but I had plans to try to change that and now I lost hope.

We were told to avoid each other but I spend this week at my brother's because his kids were kicked out of daycare and he had to work. So I looked after them during the day and spent some quality time with them.

Hello Sorbus,

I am sorry to hear that this is such a difficult time for you. Please do not lose hope... Whether it be in weeks, months, or (hopefully not) years, this crisis will eventually pass.

As is obvious from another off-topic thread, I find it helps me to focus on the positive aspects of any situation. In your case, you have the opportunity to become closer to your niece(s)/nephew(s) than you might otherwise have done, and you are forming memories with them that will last a lifetime.

Hang in there.

Be Well,
Lynn

If you are feeling a bit closed in these days, you might want to check out some 3D virtual tours of some U.S. national parks. I've only started exploring them, but I have to say that they are gorgeous. If you know of similar touts in other parts of the world, by all means post them. (I know there are a lot of tours of museums that are freely available, but at the moment I, for one, am more interested in seeing something other than walls -- no matter how pretty or thought-provoking the artwork on them might be. Virtual museum tours would be fun another time, though.)

Be well,
Lynn

Just dropping in to ask how y'all are handling the step-by-step reopening that's happening in the U.S. Here in the middle of Flyover Country, we're seeing some fast food places with fewer than half the tables available than were set up in mid-March. My wife has gone back to work at her office, even though she really didn't want to go. Lunchtime traffic is getting heavier, too. We actually have rush hour in the morning and evening again. I'm still working from home, and I won't go back to the physical office downtown unless there's some kind of thing I have to do there. And frankly, I like it here in my home office. I don't have to dress up, fight traffic, or get distracted by coworkers while I'm trying to focus. I can start a load of laundry during a break, make sure the puppy is outside when she needs to be, and I don't spend a bunch of money on gasoline. And that daily commute that was, to my mind, a complete waste, is now a ten-foot walk from one room to another. It's great!

Yes, I know, not everyone is a sociopathic, neurotic loner like me. I'm weird and I know it. So I figure my reactions are atypical.

No, I'm not going to address the protests and riots going on. That's a discussion for another thread.

How are y'all doing?