I am curious about how things are in your corner of the internet. This is a sincere request. I do not trust the media and I genuinely want to know how people are doing. What is the current situation like where you are?
To clarify, when I say I do not trust the media I am not a conspiracy type. I do not believe what is being reported is accurate. Everyday life seems a lot different from what the media says.
Except for the doom and gloom and shutdowns, things in my neck of the woods are relatively normal. The run on groceries I think hit its peak on the weekend. I say this for a few reasons. For those that went out and bought a few months worth of groceries they will not be doing that again right away. If you buy a bunch of groceries you have to have someplace to put them. You would likely run out of freezer space and storage space quickly after a repeat visit to the store. Also I think the scare factor will wear off soon.
Stores here were close to stripped. Toilet paper is making a comeback with restrictions on the amount you can purchase. A Canadian internet buy/sell site is banning any ads for those posting sales for toilet paper and disinfectant wipes. I think it is reprehensible for people to profit off situations like this. I stopped at a local grocery store yesterday to pick up a few things and the store was reasonably well stocked. Meat was in short supply, no coffee cream, and no toilet paper. There was enough of everything else. I might lose weight during this time.
A lot of schools are closed. Gas prices took a sharp drop which might be a good thing.
I am doing okay for now. I go to work, like most people. I just go home after work simply because I that is what I regularly do. I refuse to listen to news on television or the radio while this is going on. I would go somewhere on the weekend however a lot of hotels are shutting down.
Most people I talk to do not see anything in day to day life that warrants a crisis of this magnitude. So far there are four deaths in British Columbia and one in Ontario. Anyway, I would like to know how things are where you are.
Haven't you seen the coverage about the necessity of "flattening the curve" so that the healthcare system doesn't get overwhelmed? That's why extreme measures are needed right at the beginning. Talk to anybody who works in healthcare, they'll confirm it. To me, it seems a small price to pay to prevent an out-of-control situation.
ReplyDeleteYes I have heard about flattening the curve. I have read multiple sites with all kinds of analysis with lots of math. I do get what flattening the curve is. All I am saying is that I see it differently.
DeleteI'm retired & closer the 70 than I am to 60, that puts me a bit up the way on the risk lists. I will admit to a bit of apprehension about this flu. I'm in western Washington & away from the large population centers on the I-5 corridor. We stocked up on food before the rush.
ReplyDeleteThe schools are closed in the state for 6 weeks, the restaurants, bars & such are closed too. Drive up & delivery are allowed.
I went into town yesterday, long lines at the 3 fast food places (drive up window) and more beggars at the corners where there is traffic. Lot's of cars in the grocery store parking lot's, gas prices about how they have been for awhile (About $3 USD a gallon)
No toilet paper left, no eggs or flour in the stores we checked, bread was in short supply, I expect these this to be resupplied.
There are no reported cases of the Chinese flu in this county yet, but from what I've read when the first infected show up it's already too late if you've been out and about.
The plan is to hunker down and wait... I found a list of free downloadable books,
https://www.reddit.com/r/FreeEBOOKS/comments/fip0m1/here_are_2780_free_ebooks_and_100_free_audiobooks/
I'm a science fiction fan and scored with an old Harry Harrison book "Deathworld", a great story! I have the internet and plenty to read.
I’m in the Dallas Fort Worth area. Most school districts are closed indefinitely, Dallas county (the most heavily populated), along with the city of Dallas have blocked sit-down service in restaurants, and closed gyms, bars, clubs, and other gathering places. Drive up and delivery food service is still allowed. One notable thing is that many churches have stopped services in person, and are streaming them instead.
ReplyDeleteStores are still open for the most part, and after an initial run on some staples, supplies are returning with purchase limits. Enough folks are staying home that traffic is noticeably lighter in rush hour for those of us that still must commute for work. Gas prices have dropped significantly as well, unleaded at around $1.70, and diesel at about $2.05.
My daughter’s university (Texas A&M) has gone to a 100% online model for the rest of the semester. My wife works in home medical care. She is still seeing patients, but some have asked her to stop coming over fear of spread. There are <50 cases in DFW currently.
Just outside Cleveland, Ohio. We have been well stocked for many years. Did some serious topping off of the supplies about a month ago. Both online and in stores.
ReplyDeleteI am 60, wife is 55, she won't let me leave the house, so she went to grocery to get milk etccc.
Shelves empty of paper products and disinfectant stuff. No alcohol, hand sanitizer, etc....
Thanks for commenting. Like I said, I am curious about things elsewhere and I appreciate the reply.
DeleteMilford Delaware. Grocery store that I go to has a lot of nothing. No hamburger, frozen pizza, milk, eggs, bread, canned soup. Driving through town was very easy as there was little traffic.
ReplyDeleteWow.
DeleteWe here in Alberta are just at the beginning of the curve; it will get worse yet. How much worse depends on our response now. A big problem here is a lack of care units - it's extra important that Alberta keep the curve flat.
ReplyDeleteI'm in Phoenix Metro Area, as Rob said I'm closer to 70 than 60. I don't get the hysteria, the advice the health organizations are giving is the same advice they give anybody who has a compromised immune system or has family and friends in that boat. Wash your hands, stay away from people if you or them are sick.
ReplyDeleteI've had to revise my grocery order to compensate for items, mostly meats, that the store was out of. Other than that, things appear about normal here but I'm a recluse so there is that to consider.
I am 73.5 and in Del Rio Tx. Our location is a bit different since Del Rio is about 45000 and the town across the Rio Grande in Mexico is about 200,000 and they do a lot of shopping on our side. So our stores are swamped with folks. Lots of stuff is not available this morning but Walmart and HEB are getting replacement items reasonably quickly. Gas is $1.03 a gallon in town. Temporary shutting of the Whataburger inside dining room is my biggest hindrance. 80+ temps with sunshine.
ReplyDeleteMake that $1.93 a gallon.
DeleteIn Alberta our cases of the virus are increasing at the same rate as in originally in China, Italy etc. We have to take these measures now, I think the borders should be closed to the US and only the supply chain should keep operating. I am on rotating work schedule and am working from home most of the time now. Our office is down to 2 people at a time as long as we are all healthy.
ReplyDeleteOrange County CA: School districts closing, my senior is supposed to be on Distance Learning until April 3rd (beginning of Spring Break), concerts cancelled, stores out of stock of many things. We are in Earthquake Territory so people should have supplies for 30 days, but many evidently do not. One local hospital has banned patient visits. Lots of companies are working from home, remote meetings only, no business travel for now.
ReplyDeleteIn Northern Arizona there are no COVID-19 cases reported. My daughter, who works as a waitress at Olive Garden was sent home last night because nobody was out, having dinner. Stores are stocked, people are calm.
ReplyDeleteMy consulting business has dropped to zero, but I'm still working on things. The loss of income won't break me even if this insanity runs through summer.
Everything is good at the White Wolf Mine. I trust that you are also well.
Well enough for now. Thanks for replying.
DeleteParkersburg, WV was almost normal until this past Saturday, then people seemed to go nuts. Or maybe it was just buckeyes coming over here after stripping their own stores.
ReplyDeleteHere in central Florida we’re okay, mild panic but no shooting or anything like that. Traffic is light in town and routine on I-75 (we’re between Orlando and Gainesville)
ReplyDeleteThere doesn’t seem to be any panic buying but Publix stays pretty busy. They have cut their hours to ensure cleaning crews have enough time to do their job due to heavier store traffic than normal. Other stores seem to be following suit. Schools are closed until April 15 with school busses delivering packaged meals to students at their regular bus stops so not student misses any meals. They have ended standardized testing for students for the year.
Our big news around here is the theme parks are empty; kind of eerie to see empty parking lots. Bars and restaurants have been ordered to cut seating to half with no tables next to other diners.
Thank you for allowing this in-put. If anyone has friends or family here, we’re maintaining. God Bless, everyone
Thanks for the post. I really appreciate the reply. God bless.
DeleteEaton Rapids, Michigan...a small town about fifteen miles south of Lansing.
ReplyDeleteVery light traffic. Popped into Menards to pick up supplies for a project. Hardly anybody in the store.
Don't know about state of the grocery stores. They were packed on Friday, the last day I was in one.
Adelaide, South Australia. We are in the 70 plus age group with medical conditions so we are self isolating. The supermarkets in my local area are not as well stocked as before all this started, but most items are available still. Our PM is advising for no overseas travel. Some people are buying excess amounts of food which makes it difficult for others who are trying to be sensible. I think there is a lot of media hype as also happened with our bushfires too. I try not to get too worried about what I hear but to use a common sense approach.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear things are okay with you.
DeleteEl Hoyo, Argentina. age 73 and 68 that is northern Patagonia. tourist town on the main north south highway Routa 40. traffic light. gas prices remain stable. Supermarkets fully stocked, no crowds. municipality trying to close down most small businesses. closest larger town closed down. 10 miles away, but across the Provence line. have to have a good reason to enter. nearest coronavirus case 110 miles north. 8 cases in Buenos Aires (800 miles away) both have airports. flights from United States or Europe not allowed.
ReplyDeleteno panic buying. at the local hardware stores, was able to stockpile masks, N95, just in case it was necessary.
have enough food for a couple of months. been and continue to just hunker down and wait it out. expanding garden. building pantry shelves. no TV or cable. following news on WIFI. favorite pod cast is "the dan bongino show). been here 3 years. follow the Jewish adage "better a year to early than a day to late".
thanks, bye.
I am surprised someone found and read my blog from someplace so far away.
DeleteMontana - along the Continental Divide. Restaurants, bars, gyms, etc closed down across the state because of an executive order from the governor of the state. Local grocery stores were hit hard over the weekend, from anecdotal reports that I received from friends & employees. I cancelled our volunteer fire department's training sessions, meetings, & social gatherings - but we continue to operate at nearly full strength for all emergency responses. I know a couple of people who have been ordered by their physician to self-quarantine because they have underlying medical conditions that place them in "high-risk" categories. Still going in to work, but have asked my employees to work from home if they can - although I have a couple of folks whose jobs entail installing fiber optic cables and network wiring - they continue to be out and about, for the time being. Taking standard health precautions. Should be able to "weather the storm" if mass quarantine order is issued.
ReplyDeleteI'm in Spain- We're in lockdown, our terrestrial borders have been closed, the European Union has closed its borders off to non-EU residents and there are lines to get into supermarkets. Schools are closed and people are losing their jobs, and we have 14 thousand cases so far, with 700 deaths. Now you can't leave your house unless it's to work, buy groceries or medicine... The police will stop you in the street and ask where you're going. It's scary to be honest, but I'm also glad that the government took it seriously, and hope that we can flatten the curve, because our health system is already overwhelmed. Stay safe everyone!
ReplyDeleteThings here (Ontario Canada) are closing up. We're more than encouraged to stay inside and isolate and if you must go out practice social distancing (something that only happens if the people surrounding you are willing to actually DO it). There's been a run on the usual things at the stores and we're seeing more and more stores (including restaurants) closing down. The coffee shops are going to drive through only with some I think still doing take-out but you can't stay in the shop to have your coffee. Hospital is closed with the exception of acute cases - no elective surgeries although emergencies are being dealt with. All snowbirds coming home are being told to self-isolate but of course they're all trotting off to the stores to stock up because they have nothing at home....sort of defeating the entire purpose of self isolation. Some grocery stores and drug stores are shutting their doors for the first hour of every day in order to allow only seniors and health-challenged to shop. Tonight the latest thing is to not shop using actual physical currency - it is a harbinger of germs at the best of times so I guess stands to reason. Stay safe - stay well.
ReplyDeleteArdrossan, Alberta. Not very interesting! Learning a lot about my immediate surroundings. I'm starting to be able to guess what decade an acreage subdivision was put up in.
ReplyDeleteGrandparents were unlucky and tested positive, but are both recovered after a lousy two weeks. Would love to be driving around the province, but many rural areas with small hospitals have requested no visitors, and they have more to lose than me. Hoping that our good national record and the sudden appearance of spring brings some relaxation in the rules. With remote work, I'd like to spend all summer sleeping in the car and taking photos on the prairie.