Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Ornclown]

Sooooooo... I know that there are other fellow teachers on these forums, and I was curious if the coronavirus scare has altered your school schedules.

Among the many school closings across the country, the NBA and NHL have postponed their seasons, Disneyland parks have shut down for the time being, many international flights have been cancelled, Cruise lines have ceased for now and a bevy of big shows/concerts have been postponed as well...

Most state governors have called off any public gatherings that include 200 or more people.

It's crazy!

Any thoughts?


MOD NOTE: AVOID ALL POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS DISCUSSION! Save it for the Tar Swamp.

[Krueger]

Power-Con may have to be cancelled. It’s in August, so we'll see. More than likely it would have peaked by then in the US, and just about everywhere else (maybe?). Supposedly over here in the UK they're predicting it to peak in about two months, so things could get pretty bad before they get better. I'm not so much concerned about myself (34 and relatively fit, hardly ever ill and so on), but for my parents. Particularly my father, who's recently been diagnosed with kidney failure and will have to start dialysis soon. He also has a weak heart, so could be very deadly for him if he got it. My mum is fit as a fiddle and seems to have impeccable genes. But yeah, nervous times.

[Iluvart]

The schools over here in Australia have not yet closed, unless a confirmed case occurs, and then it closes for a few days while the government tries to contact trace. I personally think unless more action is taken, it will spread much more in Australia.

I am hoping work will allow for work from home soon, so that way if the schools are closed, I can keep my kid at home as it will hard to find day care in this current situation.

[MJOLNIR]

Sooooooo... I know that there are other fellow teachers on these forums, and I was curious if the coronavirus scare has altered your school schedules.

Among the many school closings across the country, the NBA and NHL have postponed their seasons, Disneyland parks have shut down for the time being, many international flights have been cancelled, Cruise lines have ceased for now and a bevy of big shows/concerts have been postponed as well...

Most state governors have called off any public gatherings that include 200 or more people.

It's crazy!

Any thoughts?

I believe all of the NY SUNY and CUNY colleges are resorting to online classes only. I know my daughter’s school in upstate NY is and a few other guys at work said their kids’ SUNY colleges were doing the same. I’d wager all unionized private colleges will follow suit but do not have any official word on private schools. Dorms will remain open so they can justify taking your money but my daughter is coming home tomorrow and will do her courses online from home until classes resume. Not sure what’s going on with grade school NY schools though.

I’m not concerned myself but have resorted to commuter busses rather than the subway, not because of fear but fights are breaking out on the subways. All these fake tough guys showing their true self having emotional break downs in public. I’ll end up in jail knocking someone out if I stick to the subways.

As far as thoughts, I’ll keep them to myself. My opinions seem to be in the minority around here. I hope everyone stays safe, healthy, and well. All the best to all of you and your families and loved ones.

- - - Updated - - -

The schools over here in Australia have not yet closed, unless a confirmed case occurs, and then it closes for a few days while the government tries to contact trace. I personally think unless more action is taken, it will spread much more in Australia.

I am hoping work will allow for work from home soon, so that way if the schools are closed, I can keep my kid at home as it will hard to find day care in this current situation.

Wow yeah I’d imagine childcare is already out of control, and prices will probably be escalating. Tough situation for those with kids.

[ZootyCutie]

My brother's college is on hold, with an eventual shift for online courses.

Meanwhile, my job at the movie theater has been ridiculous. It's normally always slow on weekdays, but it's been more and more empty lately. The recent movie date changes have also been clearing the schedule a lot, so we'll have a lot of movies remaining that have stayed longer than they probably should have.

[manowar]

It may seem like it's far removed from you, and if you try to "be careful" and do your best to avoid getting it, you'll be surprised how the whole 6 degrees of separation can play out.

Personally, I much rather have things canceled or put on hold than to jeopardize people's health.

I just attended a convention a few weeks ago. It was more local than a national convention. I'd be concerned with large groups coming together from all over the US and other countries, simply because of the chance of spreading it on a much larger scale.

A lot of what's happening as far as things being closed, canceled, put on hold etc, seem to be temporary and for only a few weeks to help reduce the chance of a spike in the number of cases.

With my job, I have to deal with the public on a regular basis. They told us to wash our hands and try not to touch our face. On one hand, I can understand if employers want to maintain a level of normalcy, but obviously, if things start to spike, and cases drastically increase, I really think employers should consider the health of their employees and close.

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[wyldman11]

New Mexico just cancelled all public schools.

The problem I have is people are already over panicking and this isn't going to help.

Our school district someone put up enough money that all school ages kids could have a free breakfast and lunch for the entire year, because like many areas we have a significant number of children who that is the only meal the get a day. Cancelling school means those kids now get to ride around with their parents drug induced high and starve this out .

[JoeyCruel]

I had a really busy schedules so I haven't checked the forum from ages, I'm here just to give you some advices on Corona.
I'm writin' from Italy so it's like talkin' from the future.

Be prepared for a self-quarantine, stock food and water for 30 days, but do not overstock, think about other people.
The incubation time is 10-15 days so anybody who seems ok it can be a carrier and as always there can be also healthy carriers.
The only safe place is your home so if you're a pensioner, a student or out of work, stay safe, stay at home.
Self quarantine is the only solution for you and all the people that you can infect, so don't help the spreading of the disease, if you can, stay at home.

There is no vaccine so the only way out is the prevention, never understimate the risk. Wash your hands and stay away from people.

Stay safe

[Dinobot]

Most schools in Oklahoma are closed Friday (next week is Spring Break). We had the probable inciting incident at the Thunder/Wizards game that shut down the NBA. My sister-in-law was working a booth there (she wasn't exposed.) Had tickets for the Friday night game, but obviously that's not happening. Stay safe, everyone.

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

Laporte County in Northwest Indiana has canceled all elementary and high school classes. Students will work on-line. We have one single verified case of Coronavirus in Northwest Indiana.

I'd be lying if I said I'm not happy my children will be home with me for the nest month, so I guess there's a silver lining to every dark cloud.

In the meantime it's Kim's birthday Saturday and you can bet we're going out partying.

[Dcr4]

Was at the supermarket yesterday and it was intensely packed with people.

[Iluvart]

I feel this is what Australia needs to do because our cases are going to jump by a lot if it isn't done.

Right now we are only banning gatherings of more than 500 people. However, universities, schools, and public transport (all scenarios where the virus can spread) are still open / on.

I had a really busy schedules so I haven't checked the forum from ages, I'm here just to give you some advices on Corona.
I'm writin' from Italy so it's like talkin' from the future.

Be prepared for a self-quarantine, stock food and water for 30 days, but do not overstock, think about other people.
The incubation time is 10-15 days so anybody who seems ok it can be a carrier and as always there can be also healthy carriers.
The only safe place is your home so if you're a pensioner, a student or out of work, stay safe, stay at home.
Self quarantine is the only solution for you and all the people that you can infect, so don't help the spreading of the disease, if you can, stay at home.

There is no vaccine so the only way out is the prevention, never understimate the risk. Wash your hands and stay away from people.

Stay safe

[Stratos*Major]

PA closed ALL schools today.
That said, what is the deal with toilet paper!? I mean, how many times a day are people duecing.
I go to the store, plenty of water, canned goods and bleach...but toliet paper...

[Asher Tye]

PA closed ALL schools today.
That said, what is the deal with toilet paper!? I mean, how many times a day are people duecing.
I go to the store, plenty of water, canned goods and bleach...but toliet paper...

Have no idea why they're so keen on TP, other than maybe they're just panic buying. I know at my store we've put a small limit on how many cases people can buy per day, and it's made them livid they can't get their hands in full pallets.

[Krueger]

The toilet paper situation is a travesty. People don't realise how ridiculous they look with ten six-packs of toilet paper in their shopping trollies. It’s not needed, and it’s selfish. I went to buy toilet paper today because I, you know, ran out. I couldn't find any in three shops. Ludicrous. I ended up having to ring up my mother and ask her if I could come round and get a roll from her!

We shouldn't really be shocked by all this, TBH. History has proven one thing time and time again: people are stupid.

[dreamerinivy]

I understand being worried. But with you on the hoarding. I don’t get it.

It also makes me wonder ....what were you doing to wash your hands and go to the bathroom before this? ��

[wyldman11]

toilet paper is mostly a panic buying thing.

Other things that stores are running out make sense, water, pasta, potatoes, and other things that will stay for awhile in the cupboard are cheap and easy to make something with .

[zodak74]

History has proven one thing time and time again: people are stupid.

That's why we're in this current Coronavirus mess to begin with.
On the daily, I'm still witnessing grown adults stick their fingers in their nose, eat food on the bus after touching the handrail, cough into their hand and then fish out their credit card to hand to a cashier in order to pay for an item, riding around on electric scooters that tons of other people have touched. My husband said just two days ago in his office building he witnessed a dude come into the restroom wearing a face mask, use the bathroom and leave without washing his hands. At least he had a mask on for those pesky germs though, right? Basic hygiene, common sense and a little bit of self control is not something a majority of the population seem to possess these days and here we all are now with this fun new virus to drive it all home.
Folks are gross. Worldwide.

[grenadaspice]

Will the Power be delayed because of Covid-19? Netflix has halted production on a bunch of TV shows and movies, but does that include animated shows and movies? Will the CGI He-Man reboot and Kevin Smith's MOTU Revelations be on hold indefinitely???

[Stratos*Major]

lol I mean, trust me, I left the store having spent $140 on one person and I was like...did I just panic buy!?
It was like a case of water, canned goods, freezer stuff.oatmeal, dry cereals, extra bread and milk to freeze. But toliet paper...
AND...let's talk about poor hygiene...
Even BEFORE the virus people are straight up nasty.
Licking their fingers in the mall after touching god knows what and touching god knows what cause they gotta have their cinnamoroll pretzels.
Like...nasty.

[moltak]

In the meantime it's Kim's birthday Saturday and you can bet we're going out partying.

I hope there will be an open venue for you to go to. I posted a couple pics of San Antonio downtown bar district in the Tar Swamp covid thread from last night. Ghost town.

I can’t imagine restaurant and bar owners are going to have employees show up and run a place for no customers, and to keep touching other people’s food, etc.

[ZootyCutie]

I can’t imagine restaurant and bar owners are going to have employees show up and run a place for no customers, and to keep touching other people’s food, etc.

Yeah, from what I'm hearing, restaurants are pretty dead right now. My brother works at CPK, was meant to work a double yesterday, and he was the one that was chosen to be called off early because of how empty the restaurant was.

Meanwhile, my theater job recently announced some cracking down. We clean seats and handrails between movies, and we're actually cutting hours, so the "early bird" and late night movies won't even be playing for a while. Who knows if they'll shutter it all down for a while in the end, too.

[JVS3]

I went to the store last night to buy regular necessities. Just food and the like. The place was wrecked. I had seen photos on social media of stores all over, but I had no idea it was this bad. I didn't realize how badly the president declaring a national emergency would make things. I should have known better, though.

I chatted with one of the stock guys, and we joked back and forth about the insanity of it. He told me I should have been there earlier in the day because people were acting crazy.

So I asked him what I should do, because the basics I needed weren't there. He said to come back near close at 1am, or at 6am when they opened, as they would be re-stocking through the night.

I came back at 6am. There was already a lot of people waiting to get in. When I got inside, there wasn't a lot re-stocked. I saw the same guy on the floor and asked him how it went? He said people shopped all the way until 1am and were grabbing stuff as soon as they put it out. He looked exhausted.

I was able to get most of what I wanted, but things like frozen vegetables (which I needed the most) were depleted at 6am. It's weird to see the store like this.

Just like with influenza, the elderly and people with respiratory conditions need to be careful. And we should all check in on people we know who might be at more risk. And for ourselves, we should exercise the same precautions we would to protect ourselves from the flu. Night Stalker here on the forums has COVID-19 and has been posting about it over in the Power-Con discussion thread. He's doing fine.

Personally, I'd like to get COVID-19 now just to get it over with. I realize it's not exactly like influenza, but it doesn't seem to be that far off based on everything I'm reading and watching. Some people didn't even realize they had it because their symptoms were so mild. In 4 (wishful) to 8 (likely) weeks, I am fairly confident things will all be back to the regular daily grind.

[Firefly]

Things aren't quite a mad house here yet. There aren't any known cases around my area. I was at Target 10 minutes before it opened and got toilet paper and disinfect wipes. It was a limit of 1 per person for each. There wasn't a ton, but probably enough for anybody that went the first hour they were open. Some schools have been closed until the end of March. People are being encouraged to work from home if they can. I don't think things are going to magically get better by the beginning of April, but hopefully things die down by the summer.

[moltak]

Apple reopens all stores in China as coronavirus wanes

The disease has sickened more than 80,000 people in China, but the number of new reported cases fell to just 26 on Wednesday from the peak of 15,200 on Feb. 12, according to World Health Organization data.

I'm not one of these people blowing off the precautionary measures, trying to say it's "just the flu." It's definitely a bigger threat.

But, 80K symptomatic cases in China's population of over 1.3B is an infection rate of 0.006% (i.e. 0.00006). Stores were closed for less than six weeks.

Yes things could end up worse here than China, but I don't think that is likely. Not with all this awareness and closures of big events. Italy (in much worse shape) has an elderly, smoking-prone population, and the north section had a Chinese worker program, complete with regular flights back and forth from what I understand.

Wash up, minimize physical contact, and cough/sneeze into elbow. But no panicking. Hoarding food/supplies unnecessary. Stressing out into a mess of anxiety also unnecessary and unproductive.