Coronavirus, how are you preparing for it and how it is affecting you so far?

[msmob]

When I read of certain posters mentioning antibiotics in the same breath as a virus, I have to SERIOUSLY wonder....even if 'quoting'...

[msmob]

I was wondering how SC was doing. Why 7 months? I have only glanced at this thread.

She is in Thailand and HOPES to leave on the 25th. She had an flight cancelled with Etihad as Russia closed it's borders from middle east nations..( She was transiting)

Now, on an Aeroflot flight, direct to Russia.

[BillyB]

When I read of certain posters mentioning antibiotics in the same breath as a virus, I have to SERIOUSLY wonder....even if 'quoting'...

Antibiotics alone can't beat a virus but doctors in France and China think mixing an antibiotic with hydroxychloroquine works better than hydroxychloroquine alone. There's a lot of temptation for labs and big pharma to announce they have a treatment or cure. Big money and fame is involved.

http://techcrunch.com/2020/03/19/french-study-finds-anti-malarial-and-antibiotic-combo-could-reduce-covid-19-duration/

[msmob]

There are SO many armchair experts out there posting 'revalations', too.

[BillyB]

Moby, you failed to evaluate the situation as it unfolded and now you and your wife will probably be separated for over a year. She doesn't want to come to the UK to be with you and Russia doesn't want you. This should be a humbling experience but you choose to remain a smart ass. Keep it up and people will remind you of your failures.

[msmob]

Then there's the 'experts' on immigration / quarantine laws of every nation..

[Gator]

All of this partisan crap needs to stop and everyone need to work to getting this country back on it's feet.

Amen brother. 

It never happened to me when I was in Vietnam, yet there were several episodes of  VC/NVA sappers infiltrating the wire around a base camp.  When it happened, everyone grabbed their weapon to defend the critical positions,  killing the sappers as contacted, and soon sweeping the camp to kill all of them.     There were no analysis about whose fault it was,  or prolonged debate about what to do, or screams "we're going to die."   The next day was spent rebuilding, with everyone doing their job.

 

[Boethius]

A friend in the UK sent this to me.  It's from a forum she reads.  This is why China was able to contain the virus -

I've now been in isolation for two months in China.  It may surprise you to learn that I am not in Wuhaan or even Hubei Province, but Wuxi, a city in Jiangsu, over 700 Km away from the epicenter of the virus.

The impression created in the Western media is that by asking the residents of one city to self-isolate, China managed to bring the outbreak under control. It’s a dangerous misconception leading to a cavalier attitude and the false assumption that putting London in lockdown would somehow make things right. The truth is that China’s measures went far beyond anything imaginable in Western cultures and extended, at the worst of the epidemic, from Guangdong Province in the South to beyond Beijing in the North. 

News of the virus made little impact outside of Hubei until shortly before Chinese New Year. The holiday is a time of mass migration when workers in the cities generally return to their hometowns to visit family. Faced with the prospect of millions of people moving around the country and potentially spreading the virus further, on January 23rd we went into official lockdown.

Initially we were told that the week-long New Year Holiday would be extended by a few days but as time passed and schools were closed indefinitely, we realized that we were in for the long haul. Today, two months later, some of the stricter controls here are starting to be relaxed but we are still in lockdown mode. Our business, a restaurant is still closed by order and this will not be reviewed until April 1st at the earliest. There is no confirmed date for schools reopening and movement is still highly restricted.

Overnight, the security guards at the gate of our complex were equipped with thermometers and our temperatures were taken each time we passed. Registering an elevated temperature carried a constant fear of being reported to the authorities and quarantined. We were fortunate in being allowed relatively unrestricted access to and from our home but for many of our friends, only one person per apartment was allowed out to buy supplies every two or three days. No deliveries were allowed into the complex and a makeshift collection point was set up at the gates. No visitors were allowed and social gatherings prohibited. All cars were stopped on roads and highways as police conducted detailed questioning about recent movements and checked temperatures. Long distance travel between provinces was either suspended or reduced.

The Chinese mobilized technology to establish highly sophisticated movement and contact tracing. There is almost universal usage of WeChat (social media) and AliPay (payment system) here so everyone was required to register and give a detailed description of their current location and recent travel history. Based on this we received a QR code and our estimated risk-level. We needed to scan this to gain access to a supermarket or public building. As a result, I have friends who received a knock on their doors and were taken into official quarantine for two weeks because someone on their incoming flight or in the supermarket at the same time had tested positive for the virus. A friend has just returned from Europe (a day before mandatory quarantine for returning European travellers was imposed) and is now in compulsory lockdown in her apartment. Movement is monitored by app; the complex management has electronically sealed her windows and doors. Trapped with 4 children and with her husband who had not travelled moving into a hotel to avoid quarantine, this is unbelievably hard to navigate in good spirits but she understands, as do we all, that it’s necessary. If it all sounds very 1984, that’s because it is! But ultimately this testing, contact tracing, and shutting down chains of transmission, is what stopped the virus from spreading.

In spite of this use of technology, one hangover from the early days of the Mao era is the habit of physically pasting notices and public announcements onto the doors of homes. As such we learned within hours of the lockdown that all weddings and funerals (or at least attendance at funerals) were to be cancelled, the wearing of protective masks was compulsory and that financial incentives would be offered to those who reported undocumented travellers from Hubei province. There has been much discussion about the efficiency of using surgical masks but one thing is for certain, the physical act of having to put on a mask, wearing it and seeing others do so, focuses the mind! It is impossible to “forget” that there is an epidemic. It never feels ok to drop your guard and as such, remembering to wash your hands thoroughly and use sanitizer and wipes becomes second nature. That small strip of surgical mask becomes a constant reminder of potential danger and the need to protect yourself and those around you.

Pharmacies were immediately prohibited from selling any pain/fever/symptom relief medication; the logic being that self-medication was detrimental to the public good and that anyone displaying symptoms should be under the care of the medical profession, allowing cases to be documented and all contacts traced. This caused us endless problems as our daughter is currently staying with us. She is an AS sufferer who came from the UK for the holidays and has since been trapped! As she is on a schedule of TNF inhibitors she is immune-compromised and as such is in a high-risk category. Flying (on the one or two routes still open) was too risky. Now that the danger is subsiding at this end, flying back into an uncertain situation in the UK seems equally challenging. We found extraordinary generosity from friends who shared what medical supplies they had. In Wuhan, HIV patients, who are often vilified and ostracized in society, willingly donated their meds to trial therapies in an act of selfless compassion that was truly humbling.

Regardless of politics or social conditioning, what we have witnessed from the Chinese people in the past two months has really been the best of humanity. There was some anxiety regarding sourcing of masks (and price gouging until the government announced penalties for anyone attempting to) but this was quite simply a result of over a billion people suddenly needing them! Other than that, we have been limited to using three small shops within walking distance but have never experienced shortages or lack of availability of the basics – even toilet paper! There has always been fresh fruit and veg – maybe not what we would like but enough to keep us healthy! Yes admittedly, it helps that I am in lockdown with a Michelin starred chef who can turn a lentil, a chickpea and a bean into a feast, but basically this was down to the Chinese people who acted responsibly and were satisfied with “enough” rather than stock-piling or hoarding. My social media contacts have been uplifting and informative and there has generally been a phenomenal spirit of community and pulling together as a society in the fight against the virus. The cynical would call this propaganda, and much of it was certainly State driven or sanctioned but on a personal level, it’s far better for mental health than the venomous pit of Facebook conspiracy theories and rumours.

Without doubt, the past two months have been devastating; the business that we have run for 12 years is decimated and will never recover. We’ve been isolated, cut off from the medical care that two of we three desperately need and our daughter has faced the uncertainty of being isolated here and anxious about her friends and boyfriend in the UK. Our present has been put on indefinite hold and our future looks increasingly uncertain but that’s what it took to bring this virus under control and save lives.

We rightly value the freedoms that Western democracies afford us and so many of the measures adopted in China will be impossible to implement. But if we cherish that freedom we also have to accept that it is a social contract and only functions if we individually and as a society contribute positively and act responsibly.

This post was composed without the aid of google.

[Maxx2]

She is in Thailand and HOPES to leave on the 25th. She had an flight cancelled with Etihad as Russia closed it's borders from middle east nations..( She was transisting)

Now, on an Aeroflt flight, direct to Russia.

I hope all goes well for you.

[msmob]

I hope all goes well for you.

Didi madloba  Maxx !

[Trenchcoat]

The UK govt ( FINALLY) woke up and realised that we couldn't rely on the money working it's way from the top, downwards..

ANYONE employed on Feb 28th will get 80 percent of their salary - up to £2500 / month

A bit less unclear for the self employed and how this will all work in practice, but 'our' govt (UK) just became extreme socialists

I don't trust them, I wouldn't trust whatever party in power at the moment. Whoever is in power at times like this they act all the same, big words but little outcome. I wouldn't trust the, 'paying 80 percent of employees salaries'. When it comes to it, it's odds on that there will be lot of clauses & strings attached. Either the business will have to repay the government by way of a government loan (they may say 'grant') or it won't apply to many employees, i.e not to those on zero hours contracts.

End of the day the more likely outcome is that the businesses won't want to take on the debt for employees sat around producing no revenue for the business. They will still be laid off to the dole queue or will end up in another job most likely a high risk of infection Supermarket job.


With last night's closure of pub, bar, nightclubs etc supermarket shelves were being cleared of booze today. I got a nice bottle of Bacardi today in my local Sainsbury's supermarket 70cl on special offer at £14, if you hurry Mobers you may still be able to get one to drown your sorrows in

[Trenchcoat]

There is NO WAY she'd have been coming to the UK to be quarantined, then locked up with Ma and I for 12 weeks.

Well I guess now at least you know what it is like to be locked up for a while. Thought you had been quiet on this board for a while, now we know why, lol.

Could be a learning experience for readers of this board to see whether SC sticks with you or cuts you loose. Being so far apart and for an potentially unknown length of time one or either of you might decide it's better to move on with your now very separate lives.

[msmob]

I'm not a big drinker, Trench... I ( normally ) cannot cope with spirits..

More of a social red wine drinker and 'social' is out the window..

You voted for the very 'lot' you don't trust, now ..

That IS funny ..

[Trenchcoat]

Took Ma to a local Asda, currently owned my Walmart - as they offered a 'Vulnerable' shopper's time - before 0900 ..

No-one checked to see anyone's status, but most folk seemed to be it the right category ( Carer with vulnerable person)

No pasta, little toilet paper, hand sanitiser or bread /  pasta making ingredients available ...


I guess Trench had been in with his G.Grandmother, already ! ...

Lol, yeah it was the same way when I visited a couple of supermarket's at opening time in the morning last week. Same stuff out off stock, same stuff out today and more so, alcohol, also low on a lot of confectionery, savoury snacks, etc.

A lot of the shelf stackers in the Sainsbury's supermarket I visited today were stacking from a shopping trolley, that is how low on stock they now are! No roll cages.

Personally I think these supermarkets actually have a bigger supply problem than they are letting on. I think with the emptyness of shelves in the supermarkets that there is actually now a very real shortage.

[msmob]

Trench, these people you belittle are working hard and when coming off shift expect to be able to eat ... but SELFISH gits, like you, have stocked up and gathered with family ... the EXACT opposite of recommendations

You don't think

[Trenchcoat]

Well anyway spent a bit of time away from today. With yesterday's announcement on the shutting of gym's I referred to the local gym I go to. I pay up front for a number of months and only just renewed a month or so ago. I had hoped that this Coronavirus would not spread quite this rapidly and I needed to get down the gym just a bit more as I think I am on the verge of a personal break through in getting this athletic thing licked.

Well I hadn't been for the last few weeks as things came up then I decided that it had just gotten too risky to go as coughs and germs are rife to be shared in a communal gym environment. So I was losing out on membership I had paid for so as I had not intended to go again till this thing is over it was kind of better for me that they closed all gyms. My gym has put out a notice that they are going to put all membership on hold. I may still try and get a refund as I can't put my workouts on hold for long before I start to lose the small amount of progress I have made to date.

With that I have decided to go down the home gym route. I've got some stuff over the years already and so just have to get a couple of cheap exercise equipment of Amazon & eBay. In the past I have been short of suitable space but I think I have the answer to that now and will be able to do a small home gym area that will work and be used without being too makeshift and/or awkward. I know a lot of home gym attempts don't work out but I think I can master this one When lockdown comes around hopefully I will have it all set up and it will be nice to do in the spring/summer and have some leisure time to enjoy even if we all end up being confined to our houses, etc.

[Trenchcoat]

Trench, these people you belittle are working hard and when coming off shift expect to be able to eat ... but SELFISH gits, like you, have stocked up and gathered with family ... the EXACT opposite of recommendations

You don't think

Mobe, they are gullible and have been hoodwinked by the media/government. Those that believed that tosh will be queing up in line shortly with long waits ahead off them outside supermarkets. I told you who the smart money was and wasn't on Mobers

[msmob]

Mobe, they are gullible and have been hoodwinked by the media/government. Those that believed that tosh will be queing up in line shortly with long waits ahead off them outside supermarkets. I told you who the smart money was and wasn't on Mobers

No Trench,

They are the sort of people that think of others

Then you wonder why you can't find a woman ... ?

[BC]

A friend in the UK sent this to me.  It's from a forum she reads.  This is why China was able to contain the virus -
This post was composed without the aid of google.

Thanks for passing that on Boethius.

Does help to put things into perspective.  Also supports views expressed by the Chinese medical team that was sent here to help out, who stated that the 'lockdown' in Italy is not enough and that all activity should stop. Numbers here still continue to rise and testing is up to over 26,000 per day. Restrictions and especially controls/enforcement jumped up a notch in some northern areas and many more being caught outside with excuses like 'I was going to get a pack of cigs two towns away from their residence.

 

[GenMish]

A friend in the UK sent this to me.  It's from a forum she reads.  This is why China was able to contain the virus -
This post was composed without the aid of google.

Ive spent quite a bit of time in China, and will say that's a PR piece

[BillyB]

Thanks for passing that on Boethius.

Does help to put things into perspective.  Also supports views expressed by the Chinese medical team that was sent here to help out, who stated that the 'lockdown' in Italy is not enough and that all activity should stop. Numbers here still continue to rise and testing is up to over 26,000 per day. Restrictions and especially controls/enforcement jumped up a notch in some northern areas and many more being caught outside with excuses like 'I was going to get a pack of cigs two towns away from their residence.

It could be political suicide for western politicians to try a China style lockdown. I believe their strategy is to flatten the curve during the first outbreak. The next step would be to try to identify every infected individual in society and remove them from society using mass produced test kits that is available to all. If that doesn’t work and no cure is found, eventually we will have to try a Chinese style lockdown. China may be successful with their lockdown but they would still have to ban entry into their nation from those who reside in nations that have infections. They didn’t like the travel bans applied on them but they wouldn’t hesitate to do it to everybody else to protect their nation.

China’s economy was hit hard and still taking a hit but they will recover before we do. They can in turn buy up our property , businesses and stocks at rock bottom prices. Better learn to speak Chinese.

[msmob]

Silly BillyB doesn't 'get' economics ..

China wants and needs it's clients to recover ...   

[krimster2]

OMG!!!  Un-Freaking Believable!!!!

so in my neighborhood, there are a whole bunch of sex orgies going on at this very moment, a BUNCH!!!!
not only is it unparalleled HOW MANY orgies are happening SIMULTANEOUSLY.....
but the size of each individual orgy has reached some new stratospheric, never before even dreamed of height, and the next one doubles in size compared to the previous one!!!

my daughter told me they’re “IYP” partys, that means “Infect Your Parents”
yup....

rich kids hoping to infect mom and dad and collect an early inheritance
by doing so, not only do they not ever have to work a day in their life,
hell they can even drop out of college...
and do “whatever”
no more, "keep your room clean BS either"
every wealthy parent will be dead in 6 months....

my daughter waved hello to some as we drove past....
when she and her sister helped me bury the gold
I saw them looking at each other strangely out of the corner of their eyes...
but then they quickly changed their facial expressions...
I think I am beginning to understand what that look meant...

[calmissile]

Krimster, you are one sick puppy!!!   I have no idea why the moderators allow you to continue to post.

[krimster2]

yo Rocket Man
you got kids, don't turn your back on them
they WILL... ALL OF THEM, turn on you and TRY TO INFECT YOU!!!
even your OWN KIDS!!!
it's happening EVERYWHERE!!!

not only are YOUR KIDS trying to infect you, other people's kids are deliberately trying to infect you as well!!!!!
DELIBERATELY!!!

this hasn't happened to you yet?????
you haven't witnessed it when you've been in a store for example?
younger person approaching older person from behind and coughing then quickly running away
and then the same person, you see them a couple of minutes doing it to some other older person?
then as they walk away, they have a malicious smirk on their face
seriously?
next time you're out in a store, step back and watch for a couple of minutes....
you'll see it!!!!

one infected young person can kill more people than 10 suicide vests can
and THEY KNOW IT and THEY"RE ALREADY USING IT!!!!
I'm telling you, I saw it with my own eyes today!!!
YOUNG PEOPLE ARE DELIBERATELY SPREADING THE VIRUS - BECAUSE THEY THINK IT WILL ONLY KILL OLD PEOPLE!!!!
none of them are in the least bit worried about this virus!!!
in fact, just the opposite!!!!!