Mostly Apolitical Thread for Discussing/Venting our Rational/Irrational COVID-19 Fears and Experiences in 2020

If you’re using reusable cloth tote bags, you should probably be washing them even without a pandemic.

AFAIK there's minimal evidence of the virus being transferred via food packaging, and it's killed by cooking anyway. Obviously wash fruit and fresh vegetables before you eat them but do that anyway.

I've stopped drinking beer out of cans though.

Mostly because I found myself cleaning the cans with Flash before opening them and realised this was what a deranged person would do.

AFAIK there's minimal evidence of the virus being transferred via food packaging

Indeed, but go tell that to my terrified 65 year-old mother.

I'm sure I'm not the only one ruminating basically non-stop now about what the cost of this will be in human lives and what it's going to do to the rest of our mental health for the remainder of our own lives.

And how that doesn't really add much of value to the conversations we're having on Zoom with our friends on the day-to-day so, hey, let's talk about what we cooked today!

there's evidence of a link between the virus and allergic overreaction in some: https://www.newscientist.com/term/cytokine-storm/

i took notice of this bcz i've been having unexpected and very mild allergic reactions a couple of times in the last few days (i think almost certainly a result of changed diet) (too many lentils lol), including slight strange tastes and such, and sensitive lips that feels a tiny swollen -- i sometimes also get a sore throat as a mild reaction against some foods (M&S french coffee!) so maybe the change of additives betwen the UK and quebec?

(obv i am not a nutritionist still less a virologist)

stay well everyone!!

Thanks, mark, and likewise!

The easiest thing to do if you have a porch or vestibule (or garage lol America) is just to leave everything that doesn't have to be refrigerated outside for a few days. That cuts way down on the things you would have to clean. Or like he said just take the bags out of boxed goods--the inside hasn't been touched since the factory and tbh was probably bagged and boxed by machine anyway.

Also I've put our fabric grocery bags through the washer 2x already.

Can't keep up with everyone being affected by this one way or another (condolences to Fred, though, at the very least), but I continue to wish everyone here and their loved ones well and have some low-level fretting perpetually simmering on the backburner for u.

I'm such a complete luddite when it comes to newfangled social media technology platforms, but is there some kind of thing out there where we could maintain an ongoing group video chat? Where people could just dip in and out and say 'hey' to whoever happens to be hanging around at that particular moment? Is that a thing? Just thinking that an ILX-centric place to see a friendly face wouldn't be the worst idea for those who might be having a rough go of it.

chaturbate iirc

I don't know if this is a symptom, or if so a symptom of what, but ever since this started I have been unable to wake up to an alarm. and by "an alarm" I mean about ten alarms across three separate devices, plus two spaced-out wake-up calls. which of course is terrifying for work-related reasons

xpost Heading there now, thanks for the tip!

OH DEAR GOD NO

You got a little more than the tip?

AFAIK there's minimal evidence of the virus being transferred via food packaging, and it's killed by cooking anyway. Obviously wash fruit and fresh vegetables before you eat them but do that anyway.

True! But what about, say, lunch meat? Handled, but not cooked. I guess as always you are putting your trust in the person preparing it.

is this the thread to post possibly interesting things to stream/watch while on lockdown?

https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/5948?

This region is the worst affected outside of London and from what I've heard, an awful lot of the critically ill patients are under 50 with no underlying condtions. Stay safe everyone

Please see the latest #Coronavirus video update from Dr Tim Rogerson @Drtmr, Clinical Director of the Royal Gwent Hospital's Emergency Department...

Please stay home, protect the NHS, and save lives!#NHSWales pic.twitter.com/PK9u4J7pSE

— Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (@AneurinBevanUHB) March 27, 2020

wondering how well žižek is managing not to touch his face

xpost hadrian. I had posted this but I put in a procedure at home that when grocery shopping, all non-refrigerated things go in separate bags so I can leave them in my utility room for several days (hopefully if you won't need them right away). I left last saturday's groceries until yesterday. all veggies are either big pot blanched or washed thoroughly with soapy water (my nurse friend is doing very diluted water/bleach and then rinse). All handles, keys, credit cards, everything taken to the store are wiped down, face mask in a bag. Shower taken, clothes in washer.

my friend's parents were recently on a cruise that wasn't canceled and GUESS WHAT

our indian food last friday, we totally treated it like that doctor does in the video.

omg mh...
what?

Oh god

uhh yeah

her mom has tested positive, her dad's test isn't back yet

*slams head into desk*

cruise lines were left out of the stimulus bill right?

my mom has decided that it is all a hoax and is back to going out shopping. my sister has to tell her today that she can no longer visit her grandkids. my niece, especially, is immunocompromised.

xp - sure hope so -- they go to great lengths to avoid paying taxes in the US, they should not receive taxpayer money

this will be fun because my mom will interpret this as "the devil is trying to separate me from my grandkids and he has my children convinced of his lies too"

That really sucks, Karl

My parents periodically text me to say "Stay inside! Be safe!" I have not yet texted back "You know I'm the one who's always on the computer, right?"

cruise lines were left out of the stimulus bill right?

yes, because they aren't based in the US/don't pay taxes

Seems odd that a bottom-feeding huckster like trump has never gone into the cruise ship business, guess he's just never had enough money to do so.

There's always an excuse not to pay taxes when you're an American business, it's on the nose.

I know, but it was unclear if they were actually going to do the decent thing and leave them out.

xp

thanks, DJP

has anyone else here run into a situation like this, where one family member wants to see another, but they're not allowed to? any family social distancing drama related to someone thinking it's a hoax? as always, i'm flying blind here. jesus take the wheel!

got into a minor fight with my mother the other day about how, no, I can't fucking just stay with her, that it is not me being stubborn or ungrateful or refusing to consider options but that the city is under a literal shelter-in-place order, and also she is immunocompromised on about three counts so even if it were possible (which it isn't) I would be directly endangering her

(after the news broke that new york was the lombardy of the united states it subsided somewhat)

:(

is she a hoaxer too?

thank god my mom never had any doubts about the virus. One of her brothers lost the use of his lower legs because of polio.

that doesn't really add much of value to the conversations we're having on Zoom with our friends on the day-to-day

so not happening here

is she a hoaxer too?

if she was she isn't anymore

that's good

my mom is on a mission to be the very last person in the united states to think that it's real

do you think she is actually believes that or is this her way of protecting herself from stress/anxiety/need of action.

Re: cruise industry and relief bill https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/26/cruise-line-bailout/

yeah, it may have been silly to worry about something trump said but he kept bringing up cruises (such a vital industry!)

many xps thank you Yerac, I'm adopting this protocol today...have set up our porch for grocery triage

who is the hoaxer in their view?

is there some kind of thing out there where we could maintain an ongoing group video chat? Where people could just dip in and out and say 'hey' to whoever happens to be hanging around at that particular moment? Is that a thing? Just thinking that an ILX-centric place to see a friendly face wouldn't be the worst idea for those who might be having a rough go of it.

xpost to yerac

she believes it. she is in a state of extreme cognitive dissonance, pulled in at least 3 directions:

1) first and foremost, she believes the apocalypse is nigh, and that all of this is leading to imminent one world government. everything that is happening now is a conspiracy to get people to submit, use a single currency, lock down those that dissent, etc.
2) trump. she told me this week that trump's reaction to all of this is the "very first time" that she has doubted him. "he's acting strangely", she says. she said that in response to him, on occasion, treating coronavirus like a real thing. this is proof that 1) is taking place, to her. trump is being used by god to pave the way for the events of the apocalypse. i told her just to wait a week, and trump would call it a hoax again and put her at peace, but she didn't listen
3) some segments of the evangelical community (liberty university for example) are onboard with the "this is overblown/a hoax" argument. rush limbaugh, other radio hosts, hannity, etc etc. there's plenty of support she can find