Serious Covid 19

I hope you are all safe and well. This is your thread for all discussion about the Coronavirus pandemic. You can share what your personal experience has been like and if the area you live in has been deeply impacted, post developing new stories, recommend safety tips. We're all in this together brothers and sisters.

On my twitter trends it says China has reported 0 new cases. I hope its fazing out. Everything being closed is not good for us, we need to get our groceries.

Always try to purchase canned goods and other non-perishables during each grocery run, to slowly build up your stock! Might not be useful now, but when this passes, people really should start doing that. Who knows when the next major shutdown will happen. Same with first-aid and cleaners. Good to have extra bandaids, isopropyl alcohol, hand soap, and cleaning spray on hand. At least try to have a jug of white vinegar in reserve. Might not smell great but it'll help you keep your home clean.

You can use a splash of white vinegar along with some liquid soap to wash your clothes if you can't get hold of your normal laundry detergent.
1 part isopropyl/hydrogen peroxide, 1 part white vinegar, and 10-15 parts warm water makes a very good cleaner and disinfectant!
Dumping some vinegar into your toilet bowl will help you scrub it clean.

Plus a lot more! I love having white vinegar in reserve for cleaning. <3 So versatile and environmentally friendly.

I'm working from home starting this week. We don't know for how long this will last. I'm estimating several more weeks, maybe a month... I don't think anybody truly knows.

The town I live in got its first 2 confirmed cases yesterday.

School district closed down on Monday, is to be closed down through the 27th, and the board of education will decide on that day whether or not to re-open or continue to stay closed. Right now the expectation is that they'll decide to keep things closed for at least another week, but we'll see what happens. So I get at least 2 weeks off--unpaid cuz I'm just a sub, but I can live for a while without any pay since I still live with my parents.

I don't know all of the things New Jersey is doing about this, but iirc the state government has banned gatherings of 50+ people and has closed bars and restaurants, or at least told them that from 8PM on they can only do take-out orders. Or something. I think some stores are even starting to place limits on how much of certain items you can buy.

I'm personally not worried about this, as I'm not in one of the two groups that make up the vast majority of deaths (old people and people with pre-existing medical conditions), nor am I likely to spread it to a lot of people if I do get it, since I never go out much to begin with and so with no work I have little reason to leave the house much. symptoms kind of seem flu-like, so if I do get it's not like I'm going to suffer horribly. Never really bought into the panic and paranoia a lot of people have either. Those never help, and the apocalypse is not coming, it's unlikely that things are going to become akin to an irradiated warzone. Store shelves only look empty because stuff flies off them as soon as they get replenished, not because there's literally nothing left and/or the supply chain is dead.

U.S. government needs to get its shit together in regards to testing and medical supplies though.

Michigan is pretty bad. As of right now we have 110 cases and 1 death as of yesterday. The Governor has done the best she can and our dumbass President called her out on Twitter saying she needs to be doing better and that she hasn't been doing her best. Work closed as of Monday because we are huge and serve food.

At the moment there are only 10 confirmed cases in my area, but that hasn't helped my anxiety at all...I catch the bus to work every morning, and my place of work is frequented by people who go out into the community on a regular basis. On top of that, my mother works at a school - although she'll be working from home come the end of this week - and my father is a postman, so he's out and about a lot as well. My brother's complete lack of the concept of hygeine has never been quite this noticeable before, either...we have a social story about handwashing above the sink now and I *think* he's following it, but I've caught ALL of them walking out of the bathroom without washing their hands in the last week.

Add all this up and I'm a shaking wreck. My manager is arranging things so I can work from home - my colleague is already doing this - and in the meantime I'm just doing my best to...function, tbh. Thus far the virus has only killed people with underlying health conditions, but that's me. I've had a constant headache this last week, I'm barely eating, my sleep is disrupted, and I'm constantly nauseous. At this point I'd almost welcome an excuse to self isolate in my room for 2 weeks.

I'm very worried about my grandparents, too. There are more cases where they are, and they're both quite active. My grandfather is also on chemo tablets for blood cancer, and my grandmother...well, I don't know, and that worries me even more, because she was quite ill when I was last with them, and her cough has come back *again* and they're both in their seventies now so they're in the age group that seems to be most affected by this in terms of mortality rates.

The UK government's response to this has been disgracefully lacking, but then, this is the government that thinks taking us out of the EU is a good idea, so expecting any kind of intelligent response would be unreasonable I suppose.

Meanwhile my state is at the top of case numbers in the US (2,600+ cases total so far), though far less deaths than the state with the second-highest number of cases, and less than the third. Things seem mostly as normal here tbh... our local grocery store is near empty for some things like meat, pasta, sanitation products, and even things like oranges + lemons (???), but otherwise I don't notice much different? Still a ton of people walking along the beach. Maybe there are a little less people out than normal but it's not enough for me to notice the difference in my neighborhood. Meanwhile, mom (who works what she considers a necessary job that she absolutely can't do from home.......) says there is almost no one on the buses to/from work.

In a way I see both sides here since total isolation would drive me completely crazy. My anxiety peaked back when I did nothing but sit on the computer and play games so I absolutely need to go outside for walks at least every couple of days or the anxiety would start to flare up again. I'm just careful not to get too close to people and of course will not go anywhere that has large gatherings unless absolutely necessary.

Downside is my doctor appt is March 25 and their next available appointment isn't until June so... I may have to go to that.. :x But will have to call and see if they're actually taking patients in person right now.

Last night I was told there's 39 confirmed cases in my state.

I'm temporarily laid off at my work because of this, and without pay too. It really sucks. And thankfully we're all stocked up on food for a few weeks or so, but I'm still worried about others. And I have no idea how long all of this will last.

My univeristy has cancelled face-to-face lessons and I won't have any work at my local football club for the forseeable future. I was planning on going to watch my favourite team on Sunday, but that obviously won't be happening now either.

Suppose I at least have more time to work on my uni assigments since the deadlines will be extended, so there's a positive. Will probably need to get a PC for most of the work though.

It seems people that work or were layed off over this in the US might be getting $1000 in April and another $1000 in May. I am hoping this virus doesn't last too long and I hope to see most people recover from this virus.

New York is pretty bad. Heard awhile back New York had the most cases of any state in the US. My work program was cancelled for awhile, so I'm stuck at home for the foreseeable future. I guess that's for the best.

I've also heard that America will probably be dealing with this pandemic for 18 months, and I really don't want to be dealing with it fo that long.

There's a couple of cases nearby. We've had majority of schools shut now and sadly GCSEs have been scrapped for this year.

The only thing irritating right now about the whole thing in the UK, is that it's showing quite strongly how greedy people can be. Majority of the shops I've been in to have had empty shelves. As I'm someone who can be seen as vulnerable, but I have to care for a disabled parent (vulnerable as well), I've struggled to pick up just the basics, like bread or meat. We're lucky we've got a freezer with enough food and a cupboard with tins because if this panic buying continues, it could get extremely difficult.

I'm actually happy to stay inside, as I work from home anyway, but it's worrying, since I've got a few appointments to go to in the next couple of weeks and it's hard trying to reschedule dentist ones. There's lacking spaces.

Hopefully this virus will die in summer. I've got a lot of plans I really don't wish to cancel on.

Sheep said:

Meanwhile my state is at the top of case numbers in the US (2,600+ cases total so far), though far less deaths than the state with the second-highest number of cases, and less than the third. Things seem mostly as normal here tbh... our local grocery store is near empty for some things like meat, pasta, sanitation products, and even things like oranges + lemons (???), but otherwise I don't notice much different? Still a ton of people walking along the beach. Maybe there are a little less people out than normal but it's not enough for me to notice the difference in my neighborhood. Meanwhile, mom (who works what she considers a necessary job that she absolutely can't do from home.......) says there is almost no one on the buses to/from work.

In a way I see both sides here since total isolation would drive me completely crazy. My anxiety peaked back when I did nothing but sit on the computer and play games so I absolutely need to go outside for walks at least every couple of days or the anxiety would start to flare up again. I'm just careful not to get too close to people and of course will not go anywhere that has large gatherings unless absolutely necessary.

Downside is my doctor appt is March 25 and their next available appointment isn't until June so... I may have to go to that.. :x But will have to call and see if they're actually taking patients in person right now.

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This is something I strongly relate with. I noticed a heavy increase in own my anxiety during off periods of school such as Spring and Summer breaks. No matter how well I'm doing, when those breaks hit and things slow down the anxiety returns. Our area has had a massive shut down so there isn't much to do here at this point. And I noticed a few days ago a return of anxiety and panic.

Similarly I also an appointment around that same time to get some stitches removed. Our county is desolate right now and there's a somber feeling whenever being out in public now. Shelves in stores are wiped out and most people have self quarantined.

With all the restrictions that are currently introduced more and more I kinda reevaluated my life style and came to the ironic realization that my default way of living, the one I've followed for years, is already way more restrictive than anything they proposed. So whether I want or not: I'm following the rules without trying xD

As far as panic goes: I'm pretty calm about it. At the beginning there was a lot of anger due to pressure because of all the anticipation that made the air feel very heavy.

Heck, I even found toilet paper a couple days ago, so I'm set for the next 2-3 months.

From Tuesday on it's going to be home office for me, as well.

A lot of states across America are releasing percentages of their jail population right now because of the pandemic. Inmates are at increased risk of getting the virus because of sanitation issues and the size of the populations living in close proximity.

I understand that many of these will be low-level offenders, but this still gives me some pause however because that isn't every case. The details vary depending on the state, but in one of the counties in North Carolina (the state I live in) felons are also up for release.

https://www.wbtv.com/2020/03/18/mec...jail-inmates-avoid-cellblock-outbreak-covid-/

For the most innocent of offenses like smoking marijuana, I think it would be harmless to let that person go home, but that's about as far as I would go. Even freeing a burglar would sound a little risky to me.

Nah said:

symptoms kind of seem flu-like, so if I do get it's not like I'm going to suffer horribly. Never really bought into the panic and paranoia a lot of people have either. Those never help, and the apocalypse is not coming, it's unlikely that things are going to become akin to an irradiated warzone.

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More than seventy thousand patients have recovered around the world. I agree with the panic not helping. This indeed isn't the apocalypse. Shelves being empty doesn't sound good... Stay safe, though.

As for India:
->So far, there have been 341 cases reported, and 22 in my state. The government is tackling the situation well, in my opinion. Lockdown has been initiated, schools, malls and software companies shut, and train services have stopped, including Metro services.
-> Airports have mandatory screening and sanitary facilities are available. Any person returning from another nation have to follow self-quarantine.
->Spreading of panic and misinformation will lead to a six-month imprisonment in my state.
->Except for the sound of birds chirping, I couldn't hear a thing outside. It is a silent end to the spring, except for the appreciation part - at 5:00 PM, people around the nation clapped for showing appreciation for the medical workers. And as usual, there were some extras, with people blowing conch shells as well.
->Maharashtra (the state which has Mumbai as the capital) has seen the most number of cases. This is largely due to the irresponsibility of those people that refused to quarantine themselves :/ There hasn't been any hoarding and groceries are functioning.
-> Seventeen states haven't yet been affected, but they're still implementing precautionary measures.

And yes, it is annoying to stay at home and do nothing but read books and play games. It was just a week ago when I and my friends had planned for a daily game of cricket!

Soaring Sid said:

-> Airports have mandatory screening and sanitary facilities are available. Any person returning from another nation have to follow self-quarantine.

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I'm really infuriated by the UK for not doing this. When I arrived on Friday evening I was free to just leave the airport as normal. I transited in Dubai, arguably the biggest and most international transit hub in the world and I highly doubt everyone on my flight into Manchester has decided to self quarantine for the advised amount of time.

My mother and sisters keep breaking quarantine and leaving the windows and doors open... where I live had no cases at the start of the month to at least 40 now. I think I'm going to just hide in my room and not let anyone see/go near me.

I will hopefully be working from home by the end of the week, but whether I am or not today was the last day I'm going into the office. I had multiple panic attacks this morning and I ended up coming home early...I have apparently reached the limit of how much I can endure with this situation, and from now on I am going out only for walks to get some fresh air. As useless as the UK government has been, that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore good sense provided by their guidelines.

I'll have to go into work one more time to pick up my laptop and work mobile when they arrive, but I sure as hell won't be catching the bus to get there (although the bus I catch is relatively safe I suppose - they get cleaned thoroughly every night, and the one I catch is on its first trip...and there were only 2 other people on it this morning) and I won't be staying long. I am more than happy to work from home, but I am done risking my health for my job. Whilst the company I work for provides an essential service - it's a call centre for alarm units for the elderly and vulnerable - I work in the finance department, which is important, but not essential. All that is absolutely critical to the business is the corporate side of things, which I am only peripherally involved in, and can be done from home. So yeah. That aside...I have a medical condition that weakens my immune system, and severe anxiety. I should have been working from home last week.

My mother is now working from home - she works in a school - and all of my brother's appointments and care workers have been cancelled...that's already resulted in several loud and violent tantrums, so it's going to be an interesting few weeks. My father is a postal worker so he's still out and about...for the moment. Who knows how long that'll last for though. Everything in this country is coming to a grinding halt...better late than never I suppose.

Hope everyone is feeling well and staying safe.