Sorus wrote:Libraries, schools, museums, everything here is closed.
It seems that the USA is taking this more seriously than here in the UK. I was in Birmingham yesterday, Britain's second largest city, and it was crowded and business as usual.
As Italy is now closed we were scheduled to handle thier workload with statutory overtime. Got a text message this morning cancelling SOT, thank goodness.
There were some rumours floating around the workplace through the week that we might close down as well. I've squirreled away a small bundle for emergencies and would welcome the break.
I would love a break, I just want some reassurance that things will be back to normal-ish in the near-ish future, and that doesn't seem likely. People here went into full panic mode after the school closures were announced - descended on grocery stores like seagulls at a picnic.
It's been a pretty fascinating display of human nature and whatnot, but I'm struggling to get a big picture vision of what things are going to look like a month - two months down the road.
Oh, a change is coming, feel these doors now closing
Is there no world for tomorrow, if we wait for today?
I don't know how realistic the idea is, but apparently the reasoning behind a fairly lax response in the UK so far is that they expect much worse in a couple months and they don't want to have people start isolating now and get so sick of it they break isolation during the peak of the epidemic.
But, if it is out there now, not taking precautions can lead to more widespread exposure. The social distancing here in the States is to hopefully "flatten the curve" of the number of cases at one time.
I don't think anyone expects to lessen the number of cases. The intent is to spread them out over a longer time so the medical system is impacted less at once.
Sorus wrote:It's been a pretty fascinating display of human nature and whatnot, but I'm struggling to get a big picture vision of what things are going to look like a month - two months down the road.
Yeah, can't help feeling it's all some social experiment.
As if the virus were directly proportional to mobile technology such as smartphones and social media users - and only the very young and very old not jacked-in 24/7 supposedly are more at risk.
Interestingly, the first I've heard of a viral flu victim with a name and not just a number were Tom Hanks and his wife Rita.
But then I don't read newspapers or own a TV, catching only snippets of Al Jazeera BBC or the CNN in the canteen at work.
Well, that escalated quickly. Apparently we have 61 cases now, state of emergency has been called, schools closed from Wednesday (school holidays were starting soon anyway, so they just closing a bit early), large gatherings prohibited, travel bans, etc. etc.
Newsfeed is starting to look like an excerpt from the game Plague Incorporated.
With self isolation protocols in place, I think it is apropos for me to again publicly thank the Watcher who recorded every episode available of Doctor Who from An Unearthly Child through Twice Upon a Time on to dvd and shipped them to me. When cabin fever hits hard, I'll be distracted for a long time.
They just issued shelter in place orders for SF and surrounding areas. Everything non-essential is shut down until April 7th. Yikes. I prepared for this, but I didn't expect it to really happen.
Also can't figure out if my workplace is considered non-essential. I want to say yes, but places that offer postal services are on the essential list, and the mothership won't shut us down if they think they can squeeze a dime out of it.
Also can't reach my boss - not surprising because this came out of nowhere - when I left work he was assuring me that we would not be closing.
I just want to know. Part of me hopes we are. I don't want to get sick, and I have literally never had 3 weeks off in my life. The last time I had 2 weeks off was in 2001.
Aaand edit. Apparently we are an essential business. Frak. No rest for the wicked. I knew I should've stayed in the book industry.
I suppose I should be grateful - although I do have over 3 weeks of PTO, I should save it in case I actually get sick. And while this does increase my odds of getting sick, I don't expect us to have many clients, and I was literally the only person in my car on the train home today.
Just got a robocall from work reiterating that all locations will be open and we're all expected to report for duty.
Oh, a change is coming, feel these doors now closing
Is there no world for tomorrow, if we wait for today?
Sorus wrote:Just got a robocall from work reiterating that all locations will be open and we're all expected to report for duty.
Oh yuuuck.
I would be scared.
(Darn. I was rooting for option "Sorus'-boss-truly-didn't-know-partly-because-things-can-change-so-fast.")
Also, RE grocery stores... I went to the local one we frequent on Sun. I felt like I was moving through a dream.
Not quite seagulls here, but more like anxiety lying under the surface of a quiet lake of facade.
"People without hope not only don't write novels, but what is more to the point, they don't read them.
They don't take long looks at anything, because they lack the courage.
The way to despair is to refuse to have any kind of experience, and the novel, of course, is a way to have experience."
-Flannery O'Connor
"In spite of much that militates against quietness there are people who still read books. They are the people who keep me going."
-Elisabeth Elliot, Preface, "A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael"
We're working from home as of yesterday, appears that one of our staff may have come into contact with somebody who was in contact with people who tested positive, so yesterday we were all told to go home, just in case.
Of course, we can work remotely, so not a big problem for us. Now have to wait and see if the potential source of exposure tests positive.
On the one hand, I should be grateful to have a job, because there are a LOT of people completely out of work right now, and I don't know what the future holds for my workplace.
On the other hand, I feel more expendable than essential, and it seems like places that actually care about their people are doing more to protect them. Not that this is breaking news; I just needed to vent a little.
It's not quite as surreal as I expected out there - people don't seem to be taking the STAY AT HOME headlines as seriously as they should be. I'd love to stay at home for three weeks. Makes me wonder what it would take for me to actually get some time off. Narrowed it down to either an earthquake of 7.0 or higher, or Martians, and I'm not 100% sure about the Martians.
Oh, a change is coming, feel these doors now closing
Is there no world for tomorrow, if we wait for today?
We got shamed on the national news for our failure to take it seriously, and today was a little more dystopian. I got stopped by the police on my way to work, which could have gone worse than it did because I didn't have any company ID on me. Managed to convince them that I would not be out there if I did not need to be. Fewer people on the street in general, but probably still more than strictly necessary. Day 2 and they're already going stir-crazy. It's going to be an interesting three weeks.
Oh, a change is coming, feel these doors now closing
Is there no world for tomorrow, if we wait for today?
Today was about the same. Downtown was dead. Still some people wandering around. There seem to be a fair number of lonely retired folks looking for conversation and whatnot - exactly the part of the population that shouldn't be out wandering around right now.
The post office had a very long line (which I fortunately did not need to wait in), but there was some interesting people-watching to be had. Nobody maintaining their /range 6 (pardon the WoW reference - that's a command that puts up a warning if someone comes too close to you) - but a lot of people wearing improvised masks that probably won't offer much protection. One guy looked like he was celebrating Casual Friday on the Death Star. I'm... not sure it was intentional. This city...
Oh, a change is coming, feel these doors now closing
Is there no world for tomorrow, if we wait for today?
Sorus wrote:One guy looked like he was celebrating Casual Friday on the Death Star. I'm... not sure it was intentional. This city...
That's an awesome (good and bad) visual!
Traffic here has reduced dramatically. Schools are still open, but parents may be voluntarily keeping their children home. So far, we aren't in full lock down - but things move rapidly. Because I live on an Island, the government has placed restrictions on anyone coming in - mandatory isolation for non-essential visit reasons. My wife's cake business will die - too many cancellations (understandable). Well, not 'die', but be suspended for a while.
I hope your wife's business bounces back quickly. Bakeries are the closest thing I have to a vice, and I hope my favorites are still around when the dust settles. I know things aren't going to magically spring back to normal when these 3 weeks are up. Our world has changed.
I know it's a selfish thought, but I don't like change.
Oh, a change is coming, feel these doors now closing
Is there no world for tomorrow, if we wait for today?
This working from home thing is a bit of a pain though.
Otherwise all good, or at least, as good as it can be...still early days here though I think, they're predicting confirmed cases will exceed 200 today...
We jumped from 70 to 76 since yesterday, just in the city. Which doesn't seem too bad - at least it's not doubling and whatnot. I suspect that number is inaccurate due to the shortage of tests.
Still too many people out and about. The governor put the whole state under shelter in place as of midnight last night, and it still doesn't look like people are taking it seriously. I wouldn't be out there if I didn't need to be. Bloody situation-has-escalated-but-you're-still-expected-to-work robocall woke me up last night.
But I am grateful to have a job. Even though cuts are coming next week, it isn't dire yet. I don't know if my workplace can survive this. So much of our business depends on conventions and tourism in general. The hotels are all closed and the convention center has been turned into an emergency management hub. This isn't going to blow over in two weeks. This isn't going to blow over in two months.
Oh, a change is coming, feel these doors now closing
Is there no world for tomorrow, if we wait for today?
Flippin 'ek! The Shadow of Mordor has now reached Cov, where I live.
Schools are out, bars are closed, even our national sport (soccer) has had an extended cancellation till the end of April.
On the plus side, where I work there's a provisional pay rise with lots of overtime. Meh, I'm kicking it back this weekend.
Apparently we have 61 cases now, state of emergency has been called, schools closed from Wednesday (school holidays were starting soon anyway, so they just closing a bit early), large gatherings prohibited, travel bans, etc. etc.
