The Virus - Are You Affected?

[Keith&Co.]

So you are saying the employees at supermarkets and 711's are expendable?

I know someone who still works at 711 and he said he had to go in with a fever because the manager screamed at him "We can't close! You need to come in!" He told him not to tell the customers he was sick though.

Not expendable but necessary.

What do you think would happen if grocery stores shut down?

What can you get at a 711 that you can't get at a grocery store?

What are you even trying to argue, now?

 

[Half-Life]

What can you get at a 711 that you can't get at a grocery store?

What are you even trying to argue, now?

Why are 711's and other convenience stores not being forced to close if you can just buy the same stuff at a grocery store, Keith?

 

[ZiprHead]

So you are saying the employees at supermarkets and 711's are expendable?

I know someone who still works at 711 and he said he had to go in with a fever because the manager screamed at him "We can't close! You need to come in!" He told him not to tell the customers he was sick though.

Not expendable but necessary.

What do you think would happen if grocery stores shut down?

What can you buy at a 711 that you can't buy at a grocery store?

Other than size, what's the difference?

 

[Half-Life]

What can you buy at a 711 that you can't buy at a grocery store?

Other than size, what's the difference?

So you are OK with someone being forced to work there with a fever because they can't close down if he doesn't show up to work?

 

[ZiprHead]

What can you buy at a 711 that you can't buy at a grocery store?

Other than size, what's the difference?

So you are OK with someone being forced to work there with a fever because they can't close down if he doesn't show up to work?

I didn't say any such thing.

Personally, I think your story is the Trump equivalent of "people are saying...".

Frankly, if someone said they were being forced to work with COVID-19 symptoms, I'd be on the phone to the county health department. Which also makes me wonder WTF is wrong with you that you didn't do that too.

 

[Copernicus]

I thought that this thread was supposed to be about how the virus is affecting us personally, but now I see that it is also a discussion about Half-Life. So I guess he is just another side effect of this depressing situation.

Back on the original topic: My wife had successful cataract surgery on one eye last week, and the second eye was to be done on this coming Monday. We visited the ophthalmologist today for a follow-up, and she told us that the Seattle Surgery Center is now closed and her surgery cancelled until further notice. They are apparently trying to conserve supplies in case they are needed.

Lately, my wife has suffered from a mild head cold--no fever or shortness of breath, but an occasional cough. So the ophthalmologist said we should see a doctor to check it out. She didn't think the symptoms sounded like COVID-19, but we thought it best to get a professional opinion. The doctor thought it didn't sound like COVID, but, because of our age and other factors, he decided to do a swab. So an assistant came in the room in a protective wrap and stuck this wire way up both her nostrils--not a pleasant experience at all. Then the doctor told us that they would first test for influenza, because that was what they expected, and then COVID if it came back negative. Then we were told to consider ourselves to have the virus until the results came back. We were escorted down a corridor and out the back door of the building. They didn't even want us to walk through the lobby. Behind the building in a deserted parking lot, we contemplated our fate.

An hour later, we got a call that the influenza test was negative. So now we have to self-quarantine 2-3 days to see whether we've caught the plague. If we have, then it is a very mild case. More than two weeks ago, we were on a cruise ship in Asia and never got sick. We get back to Seattle, and this is what greets us.

 

[Keith&Co.]

What can you get at a 711 that you can't get at a grocery store?

What are you even trying to argue, now?

Why are 711's and other convenience stores not being forced to close if you can just buy the same stuff at a grocery store, Keith?

you were saying that the supermarket and convenience stores being open was a sign this will blow over. Now you're differentiating between the two? Why?

And the big and little store chains have discrete supply chains. So that improves the availability of food. And not all neighborhoods have a supermarket, but many have conveniece stores in walking distance.
Seems like the 711 is as important as the Publix. But maybe you know something different?
Or are you just arguing to argue?

 

[Keith&Co.]

So now we have to self-quarantine 2-3 days to see whether we've caught the plague. If we have, then it is a very mild case. More than two weeks ago, we were on a cruise ship in Asia and never got sick. We get back to Seattle, and this is what greets us.

Well, good luck with the epicazeutic.

 

[blastula]

I haven't been able to buy TP for a couple of weeks now while repeatedly trying at supermarkets and big box stores. Today, I was able to get some rolls at a 7/11.

 

[Copernicus]

I haven't been able to buy TP for a couple of weeks now while repeatedly trying at supermarkets and big box stores. Today, I was able to get some rolls at a 7/11.

We were able to pick some up at a local drugstore (Bartells chain). Thankfully, they were limiting purchases to no more than 2 packs, so they still had some left when we entered the store. At first, stores did not limit purchases, so their entire stock was quickly obliterated by the super-hoarders. Then they started limiting people to 5 packages, and that just slightly slowed down the hoarders. (They can bring family members to buy multiples of the quota amounts.) I think that a 2-pack limitation is about right. Bottled water is still being bought up like crazy, and I'm glad of that. There is almost no chance that tap water will be restricted during this crisis, and it is perfectly drinkable. In fact, bottled water is often of the same or worse quality as tap water.

 

[bilby]

I deliver chicken to supermarkets and fast food outlets. KFC are one of our biggest customers, and they have just directed us that from tomorrow, we are no longer permitted to enter the stores, or to approach the staff.

We have to stack the crates of chicken at the back door of the store, and alert the manager that it is there (while keeping a separation of at least 1.5m). He then checks it against the order, and gets his staff to move it into their cold room (formerly we delivered to the cold rooms); If the delivery is as ordered, we write his/her name on the paperwork, in lieu of him/her signing for it.

This is a lot more work for them, and slightly less work for us; But it's their company that's introducing these rules, so their managers and staff will just have to put up with the extra workload. I can see this being a big deal if we make a delivery during the lunchtime rush, because they can no longer leave it sitting where we drop it until they have time to check and book it in - they will have to detail someone to check and put away the delivery immediately, no matter how busy they are.

It should prevent our drivers from picking up COVID-19 at one store and then spreading it to all the others though. Although as we already sanitise our hands after each delivery (which we were doing long before this outbreak), we shouldn't be spreading any infections around anyway.

 

[Politesse]

A cousin of mine - technically my godmother's daughter, but we were close growing up - and her husband have both been diagnosed with COVID-19. Both are symptomatic, but we are especially worried about Mary, who suffers from an unidentified but serious immune dosorder to begin with.

A student at the school where I work has also been diagnosed. I try to keep a rational attitude toward things and not let my emotions get the better of me, but I must admit it feels like the noose is tightening. Am I ready to lose people to this thing? I suppose it doesn't matter. Whether or not I am, a coronavirus asks no permission and brooks little delay. My friends were just 3 of 7,000 new cases identified today.

 

[DrZoidberg]

Denmark is in complete lockdown. You need special permission to go to work. If you can work from home it's illegal if you don't. I'm now stuck at home. It's been like this since Friday. It's a bit depressing. I don't feel so good about this isolation.

 

[rousseau]

Now discovering that because I work for a hospital that needs on-site support I may need to come in to work, even though I can work from home. In a normal situation I wouldn't mind, but given my wife's pregnancy I need to start balancing risks against each other. To complicate the situation further I had a bad cold about a week ago that I'm still getting over. Likely nothing, but it does cause concern about spread because who knows.

My parents had a travel agent trying to get them home yesterday, and I gave her an extremely polite boot up the ass on Sunday, and I saw that they didn't check Facebook this morning so that may be a good sign.

 

[DrZoidberg]

Here's an explanation to why Italy was so hard hit. They have loads of illegal factories making or pirating designer goods. These are primarily staffed by Chinese workers. They live in Italy illegally. So can't get medical aid in hospitals. Their entire existance is secret. These are apparently the source and it spread within that community very fast. The lower class Italians in contact with these then went home to their villages around the country and it was their parents and grandparents who were the first major group to need emergency care which. Which is why to the epidemiologists it looked like a bunch of isolated old people spread out over northern Italy magically got Covid-19 all at once.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/...workers-who-assemble-designer-bags-in-tuscany

 

[Keith&Co.]

Pro-Tip.

My wife and i are going to blame our grand-daughter. She's four months old, so you can't really blame her for leaving trash out, or not doing her own dishes. Plus, instead of, "who the fuck left the milk out?" it's "Sierra, honey? Gotta put the milk back, or we all die horribly." So much cuter.

 

[ruby sparks]

Here's an explanation to why Italy was so hard hit. They have loads of illegal factories making or pirating designer goods. These are primarily staffed by Chinese workers. They live in Italy illegally. So can't get medical aid in hospitals. Their entire existance is secret. These are apparently the source and it spread within that community very fast. The lower class Italians in contact with these then went home to their villages around the country and it was their parents and grandparents who were the first major group to need emergency care which. Which is why to the epidemiologists it looked like a bunch of isolated old people spread out over northern Italy magically got Covid-19 all at once.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/...workers-who-assemble-designer-bags-in-tuscany

Citation?

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

 

[Keith&Co.]

Our supermarket reduced hours so they could stock shelves without customers in the way. Now they've added two hours in the morning for over-60 shoppers. From 0600 to 0800, so the shelves are full, and the rest of us haven't touched anything.
Cool.

 

[Politesse]

Our supermarket reduced hours so they could stock shelves without customers in the way. Now they've added two hours in the morning for over-60 shoppers. From 0600 to 0800, so the shelves are full, and the rest of us haven't touched anything.
Cool.

I always wished they would delay store opening another two hours, when I was a stocker. It is not a pleasant or even always safe job to do at the same time as serving customers. Funny how in some weirdly specific ways this virus keeps turning us into the society we should have been all along.