COVID-19/Coronavirus thread

[greg775]

5 hours ago, The Beast said:

Greg. Here are some legitimate questions. Do you live alone? What phases would you suggest to re-open everything? Have you tried alternatives to Starbucks coffee, going for a walk or run to get exercise? Have you thought of getting clippers and giving it a go with a haircut? I am trying to understand your circumstances.

THANKS for asking, Beast. Yes I am alone now. My phases to reopen?: I think things should go back to the way they were right before the lockdown when we were getting "cautious."

In other words, yes, reopen the library. Right before shutdown there was one person at a table working or reading, just one. People if they saw someone walking toward them stopped or walked the other way.

Yes there will be more germs on door handles, etc. Just don't touch your face or ears or eyes and wash as much as you can.

Same rules for restaurants and coffee shops. Let people in but they must be at least 10 feet apart. If it fills up, no more can enter the restaurant til the 10 feet rule is abided by.

Church ... three people in a pew; once the church fills up, no more can come in. No giving out of Communion or wine from the cup. None for now. ...

Sporting events play them without fans. ... Players do not sit in the dugout, but in the stands spread apart. Let in some fans to sit in the upper deck. Maybe a couple hundred for the entire upper deck. No concessions.

My only problem is what to do with college class and high school class and grade school and day care. Not sure yet if schools should welcome students back. I might poll all the scientists and see if they agree it's safe enough to have class with the setup like church. Three in a row in the classroom.

(As far as haircut; I won't cut my own. This is America and I will wait til somebody can do it for me). I go to the park every single day and sit in a bench area. I stuffed a lid of a coffee cup or two in the bench  to see if anybody else has sit there. If they sat there they would definitely remove the lid.

I give myself an A-plus for abiding by all social distancing rules. I have broken none of the rules and have purchased two masks. Peace.

Edited May 1, 2020 by greg775

[greg775]

2 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

Fair enough.  Thanks for the clarification.   It’s frustrating when you are trapped for months on end in a foreign country...but can’t go home either.  Or at least going home doesn’t even guarantee being able to see family members (in assisted living).  Or, if you go home, you have to leave your wife and five year old, not knowing if you can ever return.  Then, having to guess if Iowa’s political strategy will wipe out July, and if Trump will insult China to the point that the current flight ban on any foreigner into China might actually last into the fall semester (meaning you lose your job, in all likelihood)...then, on top of that, paying thousands of dollars for intl. flights that used to be $800-1200 typically.   

Bless you caulfield. I don't know if u believe in God or not, but I do pray for you and your family. Sorry you are going thru this far away.

[greg775]

8 hours ago, Quin said:

Look man, I get it.

My contract was going to be converted to a staff position before this hit. I'll likely lose my job once it ends next month and have to stock up on seizure meds after I lose my healthcare.

My fiancee and I will probably have to postpone our wedding, which we've been planning for over a year, and have already poured a lot of money into. Our honeymoon was the first real vacation either of us were going to have had in 9 years.

I got a suicidal brother in California flouting social distancing rules because he and his friends don't care. Ironically, he's a germaphobe, so he's still taking precautions, buts it's infuriating.

And trust me, I'd really love to get a haircut right now. But I know I'm one of the luckier one's right now if this is honestly all I'm dealing with.

But like I said, I get it. b**** and moan about the haircut - if you need to vent about it and don't feel safe on the general board, DM me. I'll listen to you and won't mock you, and I'm sorry for contrasting you with healthcare workers. Just please think about this next time you say younger generations are coddled or soft, etc. as you used to.

Thanks for your post. I feel for your situation in all that you outlined here. All of that sucks big time. I am sorry you are going through troubles and pray you and yours will be OK. Your first three paragraphs all are heartbreaking. Sorry. Thanks for the offer.

I do stress that my moaning and groaning is because I feel like a lot of people don't understand we are going from being the most spoiled people in the history of humanity and it's difficult to go from having everything to being told we must stay inside. We must do this. Must do that. I feel as if local government are being jerks about it.

Your problems are way worse than mine at this time. I don't personally see the problem if I express disgust at my situation on a message board. I feel mental health is important (or was important) and now people laugh and say "suck it up." Two months ago, only the rarest of the rare sucked it up. It's hard to go from a totally selfish society to immediately wanting to obey bossy government officials.

[greg775]

8 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

Getting your haircut isn't mental health Greg, it's vanity.   Everything you b**** about, Starbucks, shopping, haircut, vanity.  Don't ever try and drop your bullshit in my lap, you have been whining about a haircut since you FOUND OUT ABOUT A SHUTDOWN.  
 

you want to talk about insensitive? How is a barber supposed to cut your hair from six feet away?   Who is going to cover for a barber if they actually get sick because someone comes in and transmits the virus to them because "AWWW MY HAIR IS LONG IT MAKES MY HEAD HURT".   Do you even know a stylist or barber personally?  I do.  She is fucking petrified of this, she is on meds To treat her chrones disease and she is scared she could be immunocompromised and get covid.

 

but yea, you keep on whining about your hair Greg.  

I tried to answer everybody's posts tonight. I think this is the last one. ... No it's not vanity. It's America and I just want a haircut after 3 months. Don't know why you call it bullshit when I told you I've complained some but violated no social distancing requirements at all.

Your barber paragraph is interesting. Rather than re-but it I'll say it makes sense. I'm not so sure me plastering a mask to my face and him wearing a mask or maybe even one of those hasmat helmets would put barber in danger. Your friend makes sense. But does she need $$. She needs to make a living, too, I would think. I know a barbershop owner here desperate. He needs $$$ for his family.

Finally, I don't really understand why liquor stores are open and churches are closed. Oh wait. The state gets tax money off liquor sales. And don't forget the lottery tickets. Also a cynic would say the government is enjoying keeping the churchgoers home. They get nothing from it.

Finally ... Obama golfing ... I read some public official got caught at the beauty salon. Greg has obeyed all rules; many others have not.

[YoYoIsMyHero]

20 minutes ago, greg775 said:

I tried to answer everybody's posts tonight. I think this is the last one. ... No it's not vanity. It's America and I just want a haircut after 3 months. Don't know why you call it bullshit when I told you I've complained some but violated no social distancing requirements at all.

Your barber paragraph is interesting. Rather than re-but it I'll say it makes sense. I'm not so sure me plastering a mask to my face and him wearing a mask or maybe even one of those hasmat helmets would put barber in danger. Your friend makes sense. But does she need $$. She needs to make a living, too, I would think. I know a barbershop owner here desperate. He needs $$$ for his family.

Finally, I don't really understand why liquor stores are open and churches are closed. Oh wait. The state gets tax money off liquor sales. And don't forget the lottery tickets. Also a cynic would say the government is enjoying keeping the churchgoers home. They get nothing from it.

Finally ... Obama golfing ... I read some public official got caught at the beauty salon. Greg has obeyed all rules; many others have not.

Alcohol dependence is a very real thing and hospitals don't need people going through withdrawal filling up their ER

[Jerksticks]

43 minutes ago, YoYoIsMyHero said:

Alcohol dependence is a very real thing and hospitals don't need people going through withdrawal filling up their ER

Yes very true...but methinks the withdrawals are not even close to concern #1.  
 

Family Feud: Reasons Continued Alcohol Sales Are Important During Coronavirus

Survey says:

#3: 1 Vote: Tax Revenues

#2: 1 Vote: Don’t Want Withdrawal People Filling Up Hospitals

#1: 98 Votes: Don’t want the social drinking class realizing they aren’t social drinkers...leading to huge surges in violence, rioting, murder, chaos and the complete destruction of the United States in like 6 hours. 

[greg775]

2 hours ago, YoYoIsMyHero said:

Alcohol dependence is a very real thing and hospitals don't need people going through withdrawal filling up their ER

Don't know if that holds water. Why? Let's say somebody is arrested for a severe DUI and doesn't see the light of day (no bail) and is thrown in jail a year or so. They don't let the person detox. It's lockdown and no booze for the criminal.

I personally believe liquor stores are open thru a double standard. The governor wants the tax dollars off each bottle. I've talked to a barber friend of mine who is MORE THAN WILLING to work with government on this. Government not interested. It's the power. Governor is happy to know she controls my comfort (hair). Power hungry makes me ill.

[greg775]

Kansas governor scared silly of corona in a state without a ton of problems issues some lame reopenings starting Monday. She announced bare minimum type stuff tonight in her powerhungry way.

No hair salons or barber shops will open for a long long time to come. Greg is gonna have to do something. Wish I had somebody i could trust without corona to chop my hair. I know I ain't got corona at this time. Am scared to have somebody cut it. Don't wanna get corona. Thanks, Guv.

And yes I've written the guv a third time and some Republican politicians to express my support for a pair of barbers i know here who literally need cash NOW to feed their families.

Oh well, I'll try to stop whining about my personal minor problems. They will open church for services with social distancing. I didn't read how many people will be allowed in on Saturday/Sunday Masses. I have a sneaky feeling my church (a bit conservative) won't be opening up despite being allowed to.

p.s. This will be "funny" if our conservative Guv. decides to prohibit grade school, high school and college classes this fall if at the same time the NCAA has a plan for football. Shutting down class first semester means no Kansas football or basketball even if the NCAA decides to have seasons. The rule is no sports are allowed on state schools campuses if the campuses are closed to students.  Our guv tonight said life may never be the same. Sounds like a guv who will not be allowing classes to be held for a long long time.

Edited May 1, 2020 by greg775

[bmags]

8 hours ago, Jose Abreu said:

I don't agree that this is the biggest crisis in American history, but by the time it's all said and done (including a second wave), it's not hard to see more Americans dying from COVID-19 than in the wars you mentioned. Especially if the country re-opens prematurely, which seems likely.

 

Moreover, I'm surprised you only mentioned wars. I think a better example would've been African-American slavery, even if it wasn't a single "moment", but I guess it depends on how you interpret the question.

There are a lot more people now. This will not pass the civil war's devastation on that front and hopefully nothing ever will.

The Spanish Flu killed 650,000 people in the US with about 1/3rd of the population. Hopefully we won't even surpass the raw numbers. But at same proportion of the population that would be around 1.65 MM people. 

Lets hope we don't get  anywhere near either.

[bmags]

4 hours ago, greg775 said:

Kansas governor scared silly of corona in a state without a ton of problems issues some lame reopenings starting Monday. She announced bare minimum type stuff tonight in her powerhungry way.

No hair salons or barber shops will open for a long long time to come. Greg is gonna have to do something. Wish I had somebody i could trust without corona to chop my hair. I know I ain't got corona at this time. Am scared to have somebody cut it. Don't wanna get corona. Thanks, Guv.

And yes I've written the guv a third time and some Republican politicians to express my support for a pair of barbers i know here who literally need cash NOW to feed their families.

Oh well, I'll try to stop whining about my personal minor problems. They will open church for services with social distancing. I didn't read how many people will be allowed in on Saturday/Sunday Masses. I have a sneaky feeling my church (a bit conservative) won't be opening up despite being allowed to.

p.s. This will be "funny" if our conservative Guv. decides to prohibit grade school, high school and college classes this fall if at the same time the NCAA has a plan for football. Shutting down class first semester means no Kansas football or basketball even if the NCAA decides to have seasons. The rule is no sports are allowed on state schools campuses if the campuses are closed to students.  Our guv tonight said life may never be the same. Sounds like a guv who will not be allowing classes to be held for a long long time.

In South Korea they opened churches with assigned seating. Maybe they try same as yours. It will allow them to do tracing better afterwards if someone gets sick.

[bmags]

FYI if anyone needs one in Chicagoland or knows of someone who does:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-cb-coronavirus-chicago-area-mask-giveaways-list-20200430-6t66tjw2pfcrzmqvakusrj7oi4-story.html

Quote

• Volunteers were scheduled to pass out free masks and gloves from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday in the CSO Sports Multiplex parking lot, 1301 E. 47th St. The effort is organized by community groups and Ald. Sophia King, 4th.
• A local organization, Masks4Chi, is partnering with Chowbus, a food delivery platform, to deliver cloth masks with food orders starting Thursday and continuing as supplies last. People can also get masks when picking up food at participating locations.
• Five thousand free masks were to be given out while supplies last beginning at 10 a.m. Friday at 3506 W. Chicago Ave. in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
• The 5th Ward was scheduled to host two mask giveaways: one at 11 a.m. Friday at 7351 S. Stony Island Ave. and the second at 2 p.m. at 60th and Stony Island Avenue.
• About 6,000 masks were to be given away to 9th Ward residents from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Pullman Community Center, 10355 S. Woodlawn Ave. Masks are limited to two per resident.
• Elderwerks Educational Services was scheduled to give away free masks to senior citizens from 9 a.m. to noon May 8 at two locations: Elderwerks Education and Resource Center at 251 E. Northwest Highway in Palatine and The Landing on Dundee Senior Living at 156 W. Dundee Road in Wheeling.
• Chicago’s 33rd Ward office will be handing out free face masks from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Tuesday, 3001 W. Irving Park Road.

 

[default]

11 hours ago, StrangeSox said:

Influencing social behavior. Fear of disapproval of your peer group/social connections has long been used as a tool to shape what is or isn't acceptable within a given society or culture. 

 

 

Fear-based motivation is LAZY and psychologically damaging.  

Edited May 1, 2020 by default

[caulfield12]

Really went out for the first time today.

Had wife shave off all hair with the electric trimmer we bought for our son when he was just one or two.

Had a robot serve our food inside the restaurant...while playing Canon in D of all songs.  That was kind of cool.  They use/used them in hospitals to deliver food or medicine, protecting staff.  Also in quarantine centers...to deliver food to hotel rooms.

Temperature checks going into shopping areas, but not most individual stores.

Everyone wearing a mask...just slip it down around the neck to eat or drink.  Didn’t like feeling at first because it’s already getting really hot here...but got used to it.   Just a regular surgical mask, not N95.

Saw one goofball dressed in a hazmat suit with improvised gas mask in mall...more fashion statement or way of being anonymous than genuine fear IMO.

Are supposed to sit just three on 5-6 person subway seat, but many are ignoring that and just sitting down.   Subway was the emptiest I have ever seen it except 1030-1100 pm at night.

Was stopped in subway for not having work permit...but wife quickly explained situation and I was able to go everywhere with green QR pass code on my cell phone.  Didn’t see a single foreigner besides myself all day long.

Our neighborhood is completely blocked in by massive metal gates...it will take me an extra 5-10 minutes to get to work now, meaning 40-50 minutes each way...especially with all the phone and document checks, temp checks, etc.

Everything overall was about 30-40% back to normal...for the first day of May holidays (kind of like Memorial Day feeling), normally there would be tens of thousands outside instead of hundreds.

Restaurants at about 10-20% capacity.   Keep in mind, this is three full weeks after the city started opening, and one week after pretty much everyone came back this past Sunday.

Edited May 1, 2020 by caulfield12

[bmags]

25 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Really went out for the first time today.

Had wife shave off all hair with the electric trimmer we bought for our son when he was just one or two.

Had a robot serve our food inside the restaurant...while playing Canon in D of all songs.  That was kind of cool.  They use/used them in hospitals to deliver food or medicine, protecting staff.  Also in quarantine centers...to deliver food to hotel rooms.

Temperature checks going into shopping areas, but not most individual stores.

Everyone wearing a mask...just slip it down around the neck to eat or drink.  Didn’t like feeling at first because it’s already getting really hot here...but got used to it.   Just a regular surgical mask, not N95.

Saw one goofball dressed in a hazmat suit with improvised gas mask in mall...more fashion statement or way of being anonymous than genuine fear IMO.

Are supposed to sit just three on 5-6 person subway seat, but many are ignoring that and just sitting down.   Subway was the emptiest I have ever seen it except 1030-1100 pm at night.

Was stopped in subway for not having work permit...but wife quickly explained situation and I was able to go everywhere with green QR pass code on my cell phone.  Didn’t see a single foreigner besides myself all day long.

Our neighborhood is completely blocked in by massive metal gates...it will take me an extra 5-10 minutes to get to work now, meaning 40-50 minutes each way...especially with all the phone and document checks, temp checks, etc.

Everything overall was about 30-40% back to normal...for the first day of May holidays (kind of like Memorial Day feeling), normally there would be tens of thousands outside instead of hundreds.

Restaurants at about 10-20% capacity.   Keep in mind, this is three full weeks after the city started opening, and one week after pretty much everyone came back this past Sunday.

Your wife shaved her head to go out?

[caulfield12]

1 hour ago, bmags said:

Your wife shaved her head to go out?

Yes, I am married to Sinead O’Connor.   Shirley Manson, Dolores O’Riordan, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and Amanda Bynes were all unavailable.  

Flights to KCI, Topeka and Wichita unavailable.

Edited May 1, 2020 by caulfield12

[pcq]

5 hours ago, Texsox said:

But he doesn't need a majority. He figured that out. And he fires them up to go vote. It's bunker mentality at it's finest. And anyone against him is against his supporters. The media,  courts, even fellow Republicans. He just needs to be attacked from somebody. Brilliant. 

To me Donald is all about shortcuts, not brilliance. It's easy to campaign by stoking people's fears about minorities taking over. Donald was born on 3B and made his way back to 2B. He routinely gives three different versions of events and seems to get away with it. Presently he wants to claim he was on top of CV early but that China somehow deceived us. That sigh of relief from his cult is for the black guy being gone. 

[StrangeSox]

1 hour ago, default said:

Fear-based motivation is LAZY and psychologically damaging.  

It can be, sure. Think of society using shame to keep LGBT in the closet, and the damage that does. I'm not making a universal statement on whether shame is good or bad, but it can be effective in shaping external behaviors (vs internal behaviors like say fat shaming someone into losing weight). Shame (and guilt) has always shaped behaviors in different cultures and always will.

 

I'm not sure how it's "lazy" or what you mean by that, though. 

 

Edit: keep in mind here that the context is Greg whining about his long hair giving him headaches (??) 

Edited May 1, 2020 by StrangeSox

[caulfield12]

Now Trump is claiming he’s seen evidence the virus originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Of course, he won’t dare provide it.

 

President Trump on Thursday claimed he’d seen evidence linking the coronavirus to a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan — but didn’t offer up any details.

“Yes, I have,” Trump told White House reporters when asked whether he’s seen proof that would suggest the virus originated in the lab.

When pressed on what gave him that confidence, he said: “I can’t tell you that. I am not allowed to tell you that.”

Earlier Thursday, the US intelligence community said it agreed with the scientific consensus that the novel coronavirus was not “manmade or genetically modified.”

The P4 laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of VirologyAFP via Getty Images

But it confirmed that it was looking into “whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.”

https://nypost.com/2020/04/30/trump-claims-he-has-seen-evidence-linking-coronavirus-to-chinese-lab/

 

Edited May 1, 2020 by caulfield12

[NWINFan]

13 hours ago, turnin' two said:

Ok, you convinced me.  This is way worse than the Civil War, in which over 600,000 soldiers died.  Additionally at least another 50K civilians died.  By most estimates, over 50K died in 3 days at Gettysburg. 

It is also worse than WWII, in which over 400,000 servicemen lost their lives, and ushered in the nuclear age.  No big deal.  This is way worse.  

It is a more dire moment for the nation than when the British invaded Washington DC and burned the White house and the Capitol.  

We can just ignore the entire revolution as well, it wasn't that serious.  

Try to have a little perspective.  

I do have perspective. I realize we have lost more in other wars. Although we haven't stopped losing during this crisis. 

Over the years, major American institutions have had their credibility problems. The media, the FBI, the CIA, Congress and other organizations. But while they had their failures, they have served the country well in other cases.

While running for president, Trump assailed all these institutions as totally worthless. Fake news. Believing Putin over his own intelligence community, and claiming the FBI as totally corrupt. He fed into the paranoids and convinced others we could have faith in almost nothing except him. Now when we are facing a real crisis, some don't believe it. They say its fake. Meanwhile, they don't act in a safe manner and they can infect themselves and others. I think that is serious.

I come from the Vietnam generation. The effects of that tragic war hung over the country for decades and still does. Hopefully, we will be able to get this crisis under control soon. But the effects will last for a long time. It is not just a matter of statistics, important as they are.

I am not ignoring history. During the Sixties, two places burned. Vietnam and American cities. I strongly remember those images as smoke billowed in the sky.

When this crisis is over, it will not be over. That is my perspective.

 

[he gone.]

Haven't been on this board in a while. But decided to check in as a temperature check. Like getting a balanced perspective from different groups of people - co workers, friends, small town friends, finance friends, etc. 

 

Reduced down - people are starting to get real antsy. We're in the "are we there yet?" phase. This is a cross country trip from Chicago to LA and we're in Kansas. There's about to be a blown tire, an engine blowout and many more issues along the way. By all accounts - buckle up. 

[StrangeSox]

 

[Jose Abreu]

34 minutes ago, StrangeSox said:

 

The KKK was even framed as an "innocent, fun social club" much like these groups often are. The similarities between the rhetoric and (early) purpose of the KKK and these militia groups are quite striking, and this is coming from someone who has studied/is studying the late-19th century rise of the KKK. 

 

Of course, this doesn't mean that these militia groups will turn into it, but I can't say it doesn't scare me.

[Texsox]

It's their 15 minutes of fame. 

[Heads22]

740 new cases today in Iowa, 8 deaths. The 740 is a high for Iowa, on the day 77% of the state relaxes limitations.

 

No clue what percentage of total tests were positive, though its claimed they were at places they expected high numbers.

 

This state's leadership continues to show to be unprepared, but, hey, at least we partnered with some testing system the governor heard about from Ashton Kutcher. Today's press conference featured a speaker from a conservative, religious PAC in the state as well. Reynolds had the sixth lowest approval of covid handling of any governor (still at 54%), and a lot of people are confused as to what exactly we are doing here.

[Jose Abreu]