Coronavirus

[#1]

So, today this happens.

[#2]

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Petra R wrote:

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I can see the tin-hat-brigade and the conspiracy theorists have a field day with that... Or do sensible countries not have those?

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Oh no worries, we have plenty of those here as well.

Quoting an article from RNZ:

The uptake of the app so far amounts to 13,600 businesses - less than 3 percent of the country's 540,000 businesses - and 380,000 people who've downloaded it.

And this is a rough explanation of how it works

https://thespinoff.co.nz/business/20-05-2020/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-governments-new-contrac...

[#3]

My county had 509 new cases today, an appalling new record, and Arizona had 3591 new cases, also an appalling new record. The governor has at least finally allowed local govt to override him and require masks.

We also have two massive wildfires burning the state.

Deaths are still "low" but hospitals are filling up. Sigh.

[#4]

Italy is slowly returning to a new normal, although so far the mass influx of tourists that makes my summer months hell every year has been, shall we say "muted!" I feel bad for the businesses that tend to make 80% to 100% of their annual income during June, July and August.

I can't pretend to miss the noise and full carpark traffic and so on.

I've not done any graphs because there are now such sophisticated interactive tools out there that my amateur efforts have become woefully inadequate.

The best one I've found is this one, you can select your country, with many you can drill down to region or state level, and it includes forecasts, hospital bed and ventilator use and so on. It's well worth exploring. One thing I found quite scary is how long Italy had so many less ICU beds than needed...

I have been working on a post on the whole journey and how it has changed my world and me, too. It seems like only yesterday that I created this thread and everything changed....

Kelly, sorry to hear you guys are still in the thick of it....

[#5]

I would be very interested in reading that post!

Arizona was actually doing very well at the beginning. Low cases compared to say, New York. But then we opened up and it got hot and everyone retreated into the air conditioning and things suddenly got very frightening. The only hope I have is that it's younger people with milder cases but I guess we shall see. 😞

[#6]

Huge increase here in Mississippi, especially along the coast where I am.  Younger people, too.  Beaches, bars and casinos - oh my!

[#7]

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Mary W wrote:

Huge increase here in Mississippi, especially along the coast where I am.  Younger people, too.  Beaches, bars and casinos - oh my!

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Social distancing works - but so many people think that the pandemic is over and governments, except perhaps Germany, are not doing much to disabuse people of this thought. Six-hundred people have been returned to lockdown in Germany. 

The thing that is woefully lacking in communities the world over,  is respect. 

[#8]

Arizona now has more than 1500 cases per 100k population. Lombardy region for comparison had approx 950. Plus it's a thousand degrees out and the place where we would go to escape the heat has been on fire for a month and is closed to the public.

My brother and sister in Florida are both waiting (more than 5 days!) for results of their tests.

[#9]

Melbourne (AU) is once again on full lockdown -

And at least half of the US should be ...

[#10]

Well...the C-wrap has truly hit the fan in good olde RSA. Economy shattered - and the virus causing havoc with hospitals not having the capacity to deal with everything. And this is the truth, not the propaganda.

[#11]

Hi Irene, take good care of yourself and stay safe!

Spain has more than 100 active regrowths now.
Some areas have returned to phase 2.
People are behaving really stupid here (domestic and foreign)

[#12]

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Maria T wrote:

Spain has more than 100 active regrowths now.
Some areas have returned to phase 2.
People are behaving really stupid here (domestic and foreign)

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It is such a SHAME when all the hard work and sacrifice goes to waste.

It's happening in many places. I'm still limiting contact to trusted delivery drivers and avoid any supermarkets and so on. 

The gated community where I live consists to 80% of holiday homes, which are empty most of the year (making it very peaceful from September to May) and usually it's a circus by mid July, but I noticed that around half are still empty, so people aren't even visiting their own (second) properties.

With the darned thing still exploding in the Americas, it will unfortunately be a very long time before we get anywhere near anything approaching the new normal.

Happy to see New Zealand has is contained. I looked at them with admiration from the start.

[#13]

It's increasing dramatically in my county - not just new cases, but also deaths.  We are now required to wear masks pretty much everywhere and all the time.  The bars in New Orleans have walked back and now only have pick-up and curbside delivery.

[#14]

I wish they would make masks in supermarkets (at least) mandatory here in France. Most women wear them - but I have noticed a sort of macho refusal among men from the age of about 50 upwards. Sorry guys, that is not meant to be sexist - just what I have observed. 

The very young of either sex don't care. They think they are immune and that they are the only ones that count. But it is becoming increasingly obvious that the younger generation are being affected and are dying, not at the same rate as older people, but it is increasing.  

[#15]

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Petra R wrote:

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Happy to see New Zealand has is contained. I looked at them with admiration from the start.

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We are indeed very lucky, but in all fairness, it's been a lot easier for us to contain it than for the rest of the world. That said, we are now facing the problem of people escaping from isolation facilities to go shopping.

[#16]

So much for the nonsense concept of "herd immunity"

I copped a lot of heat from the start for saying the idea is deeply flawed and likely won't work, and even if it could theoretically work (it turns out it can't), trying to achieve it would cost millions of lives.

[#17]

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Maria T wrote:

Hi Irene, take good care of yourself and stay safe!

Spain has more than 100 active regrowths now.
Some areas have returned to phase 2.
People are behaving really stupid here (domestic and foreign)

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I'll put my two cents in it.

The growth is totally fine as long as medical system can cope with it. If hospitals are overflowed with those who ill of pneumonia, that's really bad. If hospitals are alright, then nothing to worry about.

The virus cannot be stopped. The creation of vaccine is vague. I've been hearing news for many months: we're close, here it will come soon, yes, yes, just wait a little bit, so many candidates already, blabla. Vaccine is not coming.

There is actually a way to stop the virus: everybody stays locked down for two weeks (or better a month). But that's obviously not possible.

[#18]

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Aleksandr S wrote:

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There is actually a way to stop the virus: everybody stays locked down for two weeks (or better a month).

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Been there, done that for 1.5 months, failed to meet the goal. Seeing how none of the predictions really amounted to anything tangible, hoping that the virus makes a stage exit in the same way it came on the international stage, fast and furious and leaving everyone speechless. Then we can all go back to discussing Upwork's color scheme choice and again perceive Petra's choice of home abroad as perfect.

[#19]

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Vladimir G wrote:

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Aleksandr S wrote:

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There is actually a way to stop the virus: everybody stays locked down for two weeks (or better a month).

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Been there, done that for 1.5 months, failed to meet the goal. Seeing how none of the predictions really amounted to anything tangible, hoping that the virus makes a stage exit in the same way it came on the international stage, fast and furious and leaving everyone speechless. Then we can all go back to discussing Upwork's color scheme choice and again perceive Petra's choice of home abroad as perfect.

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I did it for three months and am still cautious. Vlad, it will pass. It's not a flu virus, I know, but Spanish flu, which was truly catastrophic did eventually take a back seat. The plague that decimated Europe in the 14th century still left enough people to  create the world as we know it. We just need to be sensible and get through it.

If we can't jump on a plane or go to discos for the moment - so be it. But you will be OK. Things are going to get more difficult before they get better, but it will get better. 

There are positive things about this fléau - we have cleaner air, if only temporarily, but it should make us stop and think. 

Colour scheme: green ( I remember snarling about this at the merger. I have changed my mind!). 

[#20]

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Vladimir G wrote:

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Aleksandr S wrote:

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There is actually a way to stop the virus: everybody stays locked down for two weeks (or better a month).

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Been there, done that for 1.5 months, failed to meet the goal. Seeing how none of the predictions really amounted to anything tangible, hoping that the virus makes a stage exit in the same way it came on the international stage, fast and furious and leaving everyone speechless. Then we can all go back to discussing Upwork's color scheme choice and again perceive Petra's choice of home abroad as perfect.

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As far as I could see it in my city, the lockdown was fake. Lots of people walking, going about their business, children playing with other children, queues on bus stops, crowds in churches and in metro, not keeping distance in shops. The criteria were not met. Can't say the same for other countries and cities though.

[#21]

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Aleksandr S wrote:

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As far as I could see it in my city, the lockdown was fake. Lots of people walking, going about their business, children playing with other children, queues on bus stops, crowds in churches and in metro, not keeping distance in shops. The criteria were not met. Can't say the same for other countries and cities though.

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It was very widely observed here in Italy (I think the overall death and carnage of the early days really hit home hard.)

Restrictions have largely been lifted but numbers are staying low in Italy simply because people learned to socially distance responsibly. I've been worried with the rise in Spain and worry about the usual August madness here in Italy making people act irresponsibly. Germany is worried too because cases are creeping up. 

To be honest, I am still shielding. I go to the beach before dawn so the dog can run. I have not been in a shop of any kind since... February I believe. Let alone a bus etc.

This will not go away until there is a vaccine and a treatment.  We might as well get used to a "new normal"

[#22]

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Petra R wrote:

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It was very widely observed here in Italy (I think the overall death and carnage of the early days really hit home hard.)

Restrictions have largely been lifted but numbers are staying low in Italy simply because people learned to socially distance responsibly. I've been worried with the rise in Spain and worry about the usual August madness here in Italy making people act irresponsibly. Germany is worried too because cases are creeping up. 

To be honest, I am still shielding. I go to the beach before dawn so the dog can run. I have not been in a shop of any kind since... February I believe. Let alone a bus etc.

This will not go away until there is a vaccine and a treatment.  We might as well get used to a "new normal"

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I think, for now, it is the best thing to do, if you can do it, of course.
We are also maintaining a "confinement" as much as possible.
We have no choice but to take buses to go shopping, but very few people move in them and we are all very aware to be careful. Actually, we are all like family.
Spain, I am afraid, will end with a new confinement. Things are going wrong, and August has not started 

[#23]

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Maria T wrote:

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We have no choice but to take buses to go shopping, but very few people move in them and we are all very aware to be careful. 

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I am now 100% shopping online, while still supporting family owned businesses 🙂 - 

Trying to buy as much from those as possible, the rest comes from Amazon.

[#24]

We have been in lockdown since March this year. You are not allowed outside your home without a mask. Govt. has clamped down on just about most freedoms. Luckily, my daughter could go back to work a month ago...She (actually I as my name is on the registration documents) owns a one-man business. She is still trying to catch up on the rental payments that she could not make due to not being able to work.

But this lockdown has impacted my family tremendously. My husband cannot work. He is only cleared for work at post level one of lockdown. This means no work, no pay. And as he runs his own business...well... it's getting lame talking to the bank about home payments and such. AND his job sees him flying to Botswana, Namibia, and Mozambique. So... ha! He CAN go, but for one day's work, for example, he has to come back and go into 14 days' quarantine. And this is if he is there for one day only (usually about 2-5 days). So, in effect, they say he can work 2 days per month. How the heck do you run a business that sees you having to go to meetings (can't do it via the internet because his work entails him having to physically BE at a place, do the needed inspections, and make the necessary recommendations and such)... and dealing with people all over the globe at the same time. And if he has to work here, he can't do it outside the province without permission. But if he DOES get permission, he has to be home the same day because he can't stay over because it has to be at a PERMITTED hotel or such and not a B&B as he usually does - because most hotels and all B&B's are still closed. Of course, the PERMITTED accommodation is hellishly expensive. 

Catch-22, no?

And he can't get a local job because of our country's 26 years' BEE restrictions. 

At present, my income is what puts food on the table, pays our electricity, water, rates and taxes, and of course, internet and such. It is a S^&&tshow. 

And then something was just published about limiting freedom of speech (internet and otherwise) with hefty fines or possible jail time involved. 

[#25]

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Irene B wrote:

We have been in lockdown since March this year. You are not allowed outside your home without a mask. Govt. has clamped down on just about most freedoms. Luckily, my daughter could go back to work a month ago...She (actually I as my name is on the registration documents) owns a one-man business. She is still trying to catch up on the rental payments that she could not make due to not being able to work.

But this lockdown has impacted my family tremendously. My husband cannot work. He is only cleared for work at post level one of lockdown. This means no work, no pay. And as he runs his own business...well... it's getting lame talking to the bank about home payments and such. AND his job sees him flying to Botswana, Namibia, and Mozambique. So... ha! He CAN go, but for one day's work, for example, he has to come back and go into 14 days' quarantine. And this is if he is there for one day only (usually about 2-5 days). So, in effect, they say he can work 2 days per month. How the heck do you run a business that sees you having to go to meetings (can't do it via the internet because his work entails him having to physically BE at a place, do the needed inspections, and make the necessary recommendations and such)... and dealing with people all over the globe at the same time. And if he has to work here, he can't do it outside the province without permission. But if he DOES get permission, he has to be home the same day because he can't stay over because it has to be at a PERMITTED hotel or such and not a B&B as he usually does - because most hotels and all B&B's are still closed. Of course, the PERMITTED accommodation is hellishly expensive. 

Catch-22, no?

And he can't get a local job because of our country's 26 years' BEE restrictions. 

At present, my income is what puts food on the table, pays our electricity, water, rates and taxes, and of course, internet and such. It is a S^&&tshow. 

And then something was just published about limiting freedom of speech (internet and otherwise) with hefty fines or possible jail time involved. 

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Irene, I am very sorry for what you are going through. You, your family and the country.
I hope that, inside the bad, all of you are well (including the hens)
At least, is work coming to you?
Take care!

[#26]

Yes, I fortunately have some long-term clients that are keeping me slightly afloat for the most part. Thanks for asking. I appreciate it.