[smerriman]

Google 'why toilet paper' and you'll find many many articles There's absolutely no connection whatsoever between toilet paper and the coronavirus, but it seems it's just some weird psychological effect.

[Cyberyeti]

smerriman, on 2020-March-15, 03:55, said:

Google 'why toilet paper' and you'll find many many articles There's absolutely no connection whatsoever between toilet paper and the coronavirus, but it seems it's just some weird psychological effect.

Well if you're going to be cooped up for 2 weeks, it's something you absolutely don't want to run out of.

My supermarket has no pasta and precious little rice.

[FelicityR]

Cyberyeti, on 2020-March-15, 04:20, said:

Well if you're going to be cooped up for 2 weeks, it's something you absolutely don't want to run out of.

My supermarket has no pasta and precious little rice.

Just read that the British government is going to ask people over 70 to self-isolate for up to four months. [Four months!] Whether that is logistically possible is another matter. But if that is the case, then bridge in clubs is probably going to come to a grinding halt. And so are plenty of other businesses.

[Cyberyeti]

FelicityR, on 2020-March-15, 05:16, said:

Just read that the British government is going to ask people over 70 to self-isolate for up to four months. [Four months!] Whether that is logistically possible is another matter. But if that is the case, then bridge in clubs is probably going to come to a grinding halt. And so are plenty of other businesses.

I believe our league which is the only club event I play will not be happening on Friday. If over 70s self isolate, that will leave less than 10 regulars in our club, and most of those will be in their 60s. I'm younger than that but with other issues, so I won't be going.

[kenberg]

FelicityR, on 2020-March-15, 05:16, said:

Just read that the British government is going to ask people over 70 to self-isolate for up to four months. [Four months!] Whether that is logistically possible is another matter. But if that is the case, then bridge in clubs is probably going to come to a grinding halt. And so are plenty of other businesses.

This seems surprising, maybe we will see exactly what is recommended. If a person thinks that they might have the virus then self-isolation is appropriate regardless of age, so I am guessing they are asking for extra caution from those who are most apt to need urgent care, and surely that applies to over 70. But four months? Surely they cannot confidently say that caution should be taken for exactly four months. Something like "until we get this under control, and we expect that to be a matter of months" seems better.

As mentioned earlier, I'm 81. I didn't play bridge Friday, and this was because of the virus. I usually walk with a group on Saturdays, I did not do it this yesterday, but that was because I have been doing quite a bit of walking and my knee was registering a complaint. I expect to be going with them next week. But I will probably skip the lunch in a crowded restaurant afterward.
We have to try for some version of sanity. Sitting on my butt for four months watching tv (yes, the telly to you) doesn't seem like a good idea, nor does sitting in a crowded room playing cards that everyone else has been handling. There are going to be a lot of people who have the virus but do not know that they have the virus. I hope no one gets their nose too much out of joint when I hold back on social events.

There was a polio epidemic in the US in 1949. I had to look up the date. I was 10 then and I do not recall staying out of the local swimming pool or the nearby lakes (I grew up in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes), I probably should have stayed away, but I have no recollection of doing so.

Care is needed, maybe I would agree that a great deal of care is needed. I plan to do my grocery shopping at uncrowded hours, but I don't see myself as stopping my hikes. I'll keep my distance maybe, that sounds good. And I will listen to suggestions. The morning paper came wrapped in a bag as it always does. Several people handled that paper before it went in the bag, and then the deliverer handled the bag. I suppose I should think about this, but so far I have taken no precautions. It's stunning to think about just how many ways there are to potentially pass on a virus, which of course explains why it does, or can, get out of control.

[Winstonm]

kenberg, on 2020-March-15, 08:07, said:

This seems surprising, maybe we will see exactly what is recommended. If a person thinks that they might have the virus then self-isolation is appropriate regardless of age, so I am guessing they are asking for extra caution from those who are most apt to need urgent care, and surely that applies to over 70. But four months? Surely they cannot confidently say that caution should be taken for exactly four months. Something like "until we get this under control, and we expect that to be a matter of months" seems better.

As mentioned earlier, I'm 81. I didn't play bridge Friday, and this was because of the virus. I usually walk with a group on Saturdays, I did not do it this yesterday, but that was because I have been doing quite a bit of walking and my knee was registering a complaint. I expect to be going with them next week. But I will probably skip the lunch in a crowded restaurant afterward.
We have to try for some version of sanity. Sitting on my butt for four months watching tv (yes, the telly to you) doesn't seem like a good idea, nor does sitting in a crowded room playing cards that everyone else has been handling. There are going to be a lot of people who have the virus but do not know that they have the virus. I hope no one gets their nose too much out of joint when I hold back on social events.

There was a polio epidemic in the US in 1949. I had to look up the date. I was 10 then and I do not recall staying out of the local swimming pool or the nearby lakes (I grew up in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes), I probably should have stayed away, but I have no recollection of doing so.

Care is needed, maybe I would agree that a great deal of care is needed. I plan to do my grocery shopping at uncrowded hours, but I don't see myself as stopping my hikes. I'll keep my distance maybe, that sounds good. And I will listen to suggestions. The morning paper came wrapped in a bag as it always does. Several people handled that paper before it went in the bag, and then the deliverer handled the bag. I suppose I should think about this, but so far I have taken no precautions. It's stunning to think about just how many ways there are to potentially pass on a virus, which of course explains why it does, or can, get out of control.

You may want to consider shopping online for groceries and having them delivered if that is an option in your area.

[Trinidad]

The government of the Netherlands has announced more strict measures: Closing of schools, restaurants, bars, ...

This has caused long lines in front of the so called "Coffee shops", where one cannot buy coffee (or toilet paper), but can buy soft drugs, such as marihuana (Link).

Rik

[y66]

Winstonm, on 2020-March-15, 10:33, said:

You may want to consider shopping online for groceries and having them delivered if that is an option in your area.

The way shopping online works at the Whole Foods in my neighborhood is that they pay people to shop for you at the local Whole Foods and then deliver your groceries to your door. So, if the local Whole Foods is out of it, you're still stuck. What we're seeing in Arlington, VA looks a lot like what happens when a major snowstorm is forecast if anyone can remember those days. People just go and buy a lot of stuff that they consider staples to beat the rush and because they don't know when they'll be able to shop again. With the virus, people are probably also thinking about minimizing the number of trips they make which affects how much they buy. My wife reported that the fresh produce section of the local Whole Foods was decimated when she went yesterday.

[pescetom]

Today's statistics in Italy: positive 20603 (+16%), dead 1809 (+26%), no longer infected 2355 (+20%). Fatality rate 8.1%.
Which further confirms the slight drop in growth rate.

The good news is that so far the south of Italy is still relatively unaffected, which is just as well given that the health system there is chronically overstretched and inefficient even without a pandemic. Outside of Lombardy it's the cities starting with P that are most worrying, for some odd coincidence (Parma, Padova, Piacenza, Pesaro).

Last I heard, my friend with symptoms had 40 degrees fever and has still not been able to talk to a medic. The TV has started to openly discuss the crisis of intensive care in Lombardy and the growing saturation of surrounding regions. The total number of people in intensive care due to virus is 1672, compared to 650 just 5 days ago. The percentage of positives receiving intensive care has dropped from 10.1% to 8.1% in the same time, hopefully just due to a greater proportion in the early stages of infection.

[Cyberyeti]

Trinidad, on 2020-March-15, 11:40, said:

The government of the Netherlands has announced more strict measures: Closing of schools, restaurants, bars, ...

This has caused long lines in front of the so called "Coffee shops", where one cannot buy coffee (or toilet paper), but can buy soft drugs, such as marihuana (Link).

Rik

From what I've seen Belgium has this most right, shut the schools but use them as child care facilities for key workers so they don't have to stay home.

I have a good friend in the Hague, whose boyfriend (from the US) is studying in the Hague, but currently doing his study abroad in Belgium, with the uni closed but lessons being delivered remotely.

[gerry]

Wow.

https://www.theguard...navirus-vaccine

[y66]

Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to “flatten the curve” by Harry Stevens at WaPo

[FelicityR]

pescetom, on 2020-March-12, 12:15, said:

If restrictions on movement really are effective then a major drop must be coming soon. Today all non-essential shops plus bars/restaurants (which were open during the day) were closed down nationwide. Basically one can only leave house to go to work (if approved) or a medical visit or the local food shop - and must have a written declaration.

I, too, thank you for your Italian updates, pescetom.

It is surprising how many in the UK are still in denial about covid-19: panic buy essential goods in the shops, then go to crowded pubs and restaurants on Sunday (yesterday). If this online article in the Daily Mirror about what is happening in Italy doesn't make an impact on the British population, then nothing will. I have to say that I do find many of the British population nowadays, selfish, greedy, hypocritical, and so out-of-touch with what's happening in the rest of the world.

https://www.mirror.c...treets-21698823

The measures that have been brought into other countries will definitely happen here, too, I feel, within the next few days. If not, then there will be just more unnecessary deaths.

[pilowsky]

Just in, in Australia:
"To States and Territories

The ABF recommends that Bridge Clubs be temporarily closed for four weeks as from Wednesday 18th March 2020 (or a date next week set by the club) with the situation to be reviewed at the end of that period. A further extension may be imposed if necessary.

Almost all the clubs that I am a member of have sent messages saying that they are complying. One of them after discussing it first. I'm surprised that they felt the need to discuss it first.

[barmar]

All the clubs around here have closed.

Today the Massachusetts governor ordered that all restaurants stop only serve takeout.

[Winstonm]

Quote

French health ministry official Jérôme Salomon said Monday that the situation is "deteriorating very quickly" while providing this statistic: of the between 300 and 400 coronavirus patients in intensive care in France, about half of them are younger than 65, The New York Times reports.

It's time for all people and all age groups to get on board the stop the virus train.

[y66]

How Taiwan Used Big Data, Transparency and a Central Command to Protect Its People from Coronavirus (March 3) by Beth Duff-Brown at Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International studies.

As of March 3, Taiwan had logged 42 confirmed cases and 1 death; the US had logged 107 cases and 6 deaths.

As of today, Taiwan has logged 67 confirmed cases and 1 death; the US has logged 3,823 cases and 67 deaths per NYT.

[Trinidad]

gerry, on 2020-March-15, 17:28, said:

Wow.

https://www.theguard...navirus-vaccine

The German response was: "There is a limit to capitalism."

Rik

[pescetom]

The rain falls a little closer every day. A week ago the virus had reached cities 30 miles away. Three days ago was in the city 2 miles away. Today the first case in our road. So far our bridge club is untouched.

Today's statistics in Italy: positive 23073 (+20%), dead 2158 (+19%), no longer infected 2749 (+17%). Intensive care 1851 (+11%). Fatality rate 8.6%.
So back to the seemingly physiological 20% rate (except for intensive care) desite the first days of real shutdown.

[shyams]

https://www.msn.com/...8VnD?li=AAggNb9

I think the Western governments (including the UK Govt.) are guilty of hubris. The level of unpreparedness is shocking.

Can anyone imagine our Health Secretary reaching out to China seeking to borrow doctors/nurses who have dealt with the COVID onslaught?