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

That sounds like the answer to the Jeopardy question: How can we appear to respond vigorously to this potential health threat to our employees while in fact doing nothing that will effectively protect them or disrupt work flow beyond the minimum necessary?

I understand the privacy issues, but yeah, having been on a contact list and quarantined it's kind of maddening sometimes when they won't give you those details.

Re testing: My wife and I were able to schedule an appointment for a PCR test the same day with results expected in 2 days.

map, I've lived in the mountain west and some other places, so I know that the land has been fucked in places like Wyoming, etc.

But I mean, I live in Philadelphia. I'd rather have a disused overgrown logging road and second growth ponderosa than the bullshit I live in, but up until recently, I couldn't make a living in the former environment.

Goddammit an old friend of mine just posted on FB that his wife (also an old friend of mine) is in the hospital with COVID, which has caused pneumonia and other complications. He says she is "having a difficult time." He's tested positive too, with minor symptoms. Their 8th-grade son is fine. But I am just furious all over again at all the selfish assholes in our idiot deep-red county who have spent the last 8 months screaming and yelling about FREEDOM and have helped propel us to total out-of-control community spread. We're at our highest hospitalization rate yet, 86 people — and now I know who one of them is.

I'm sorry to hear that tipsy, sending good thoughts your way.

If it helps at all, our very blue state and area is an absolute shitshow now and the scenes from the airport are not inspiring any hope at all.

Many thanks. Yeah, I know it's bad pretty much everywhere. Just so infuriating to have people STILL peppering local social media about how it's all a hoax etc.

Yeah, sorry, no intention of dismissing your concerns. I'm just kinda surprised at the rate with which the "hoax, hoax" and "masks don't work" talk has been ramping up even here.

I know the fatigue is getting to everyone. I just don't understand how people can't read the math.

Vietnam War: approx. 57,000 American dead across more than ten years. Visiting the memorial in DC and viewing all their names is considered a powerful and sobering experience, reflecting a national tragedy.

Covid-19: approx. 250,000 American dead across less than ten months. Seeing the numbers continue to mount by more than 1,000 a day is considered "a hoax" and "no worse than the flu".

I mean, the US killed 100,000+ Iraqis and destroyed a country over a terrorist attack with 3500 or so casualties that was perpetrated by an unassociated group of radical sectarian Islamists.

The lack of care for the lives of those elsewhere has been inverted, probably for the foreseeable future. Lauren Berlant said in a talk yesterday, "'why should you be spared?' is the new national anthem."

I think there's something about numbers that big that just breaks people's brains, and they can't wrap their heads around the idea that so many people exist in the first place.

Note that I don't think people deserve Covid. Far from it. But the lack of care and empathy has become much more pronounced in the US. There's been a wholesale rejection of the notion of Christian Love that used to guide some element of a national meta-morality.

Lily Dale, you're certainly correct. But it doesn't remain disappointing, frustrating, and demoralizing.

Sorry, obviously I meant that you're correct, but that doesn't make it any less....etc.

Oh yes, definitely. Even if we struggle to internalize numbers that big, we should still be able to understand intellectually that we're talking about actual human beings, and the fact that people can't bring themselves to think about it for a moment is terribly depressing.

It's getting harder and harder for me to frame it as "can't bring themselves to think about it" to cover all of the denialism. While that is undoubtedly a sizable percentage of it, I can't help but look at the last five to ten years (probably even longer) of American history and think that it isn't as much not thinking about it as absolutely thinking about it and coming to the conclusion, "fuck 'em, it's not me, I got mine and I'm gonna get to do exactly what I want".

I mean, I think that's always been a strain of WASP American exceptionalism — it was always understood that the benefits of America were not for everyone. They didn't used to have to defend it quite so brazenly because their dominance wasn't seriously challenged by those they were excluding.

One of the many anti-mask COVID deniers I've been forced to listen to while covering public meetings in the last few months put it pretty nakedly. She said, "They keep telling us we're all in this together. NO WE'RE NOT!" A lot of Americans just fundamentally don't see themselves as belonging to something larger than themselves and their immediate circles.

I blame homeownership

That's a really weird take.

I have a reputation to keep up

i blame ownership

That's a really weird take.

nah

the very concept of owning shelter, and it being a personal asset that increases massively in value, inherently bends people's brains away from the idea of a collective society.

this would be a significant but not drastic condition in a world where everyone is assured of personal accomodation* but have the option to own a house instead; under a system that does not include home ownership as a richy-rich add-on option, it's the entire collective brain that gets bent, and more sharply.

* imi, publicly-owned housing would provide everyone with one spare bedroom, so they have the at-will ability to provide shelter to travelling family members, overseas internet friends, or acquaintances escaping abusive domestic situations.

the other thing to blame, as always, is the nuclear family

and disney

it’s all agriculture’s fault

Not unlikely.

I kinda trace the Housing Act 1980 aka the "right to buy act" as Thatcher's biggest victory over socialism/society/unions/collectivism so I agree that property ownership has bent the world out of shape.

The UK has half of its TV schedule devoted to buying fixing selling renting repossessing protecting decorating renovating etc etc our little castles with a side order of social housing asbo schemie poverty porn.

nb that my system which allows for personal home ownership as an add-on will ensure a permanent surplus of housing in every residential centre, thus allowing for anyone to move to any city or moderate-sized town at any time. this further enrichens and strengthens a collective society and undermines most base-level xenophobia.

I blame blame.

xps

That's a really weird take.

― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, November 20, 2020 6:43 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

I have a reputation to keep up

― is right unfortunately (silby), Friday, November 20, 2020 6:44 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

I'm always here for the sic & silby show, and I mean that in utter, utter seriousness.

Hello. I'm trying to work out the "right" responses in the following scenario but "right" might mean different things, including safe or legal or decent.

Scenario: 80-something bloke. Lives by himself. Has just been in hospital and probably needs some support in the home. He has four adult age children, all with partners, some with children of various ages.

Person 1: has partner, probably not up for staying any length of time.
Person 2: lives nearby, has partner and children (who are plausibly in risky jobs) but could move him in (to their home).
Person 3: lives over an hour away, has partner, but could work from his property.
Person 4: lives nearby but works in healthcare - probably not keen to be involved.

Assuming no-one wants to do permanent care, is there a safe way of managing this? (Eg. stay for two weeks/get tested between switches of households).

without knowing any of these people it seems like person 3 should suck it up

person 4 is obviously out, person 2 is most likely out. person 1 would be the ideal choice but being begrudging about it may make things worse. hence, 3

Could all the people chip in to have a professional home health aide do the needful?

That might (imo) be better than an emotionally charged debate over who has it worse vs. who has it better, whose risk is greatest, whose loved ones are more expendable etc.

Neighbours are back after two weeks away somewhere and I think they've brought people back with them because there's loud conversation going on and it's 3am. This during a time of house visits being banned.

Also, the bloke who does the yearly gas check phoned on Friday and insisted on coming around on Monday (he wanted Saturday but...). I would be surprised if he wears a mask when he does. I'll wipe all the surfaces and open the windows before he comes (although part of the test needs the windows closed, to make sure there's adequate ventilation), but short of shutting myself in the bathroom he'll be hard to avoid because it's all one room.

(More concerned about him catching something off me than me catching it off him tbh, he looks like he's retirement age)

I was in the supermarket shopping just now and another customer just pulled the classic "are you the manager?" line with the manager who happened to be aisle-walking at the time. Customer complained that they were refused service at the cigarette counter because they weren't wearing a mask. The manager very reasonably asked why they weren't wearing a mask and the customer started off on a "I will not be judged!" tirade. Fuck people. This whole pandemic has meant that I've had less contact with people, but still - fuck people.

Thanks for the answers! I wasn't really looking for a "That person should do it!" ... More, trying to work out in my head the complexities of staying within the law/advice (though this wouldn't necessarily be my first concern) and keeping everyone involved safe ...

Not happy that the cretin next door neighbour who i have never seen in a mask is standing at her door smoking into the stairwell I have to go up and down on when she has a balcony that at least doesn't feed straight onto the communal stairwell.

Despairing at things in Houston. Took kids to a park to get them out of the house and there were too many people, most unmasked. Sweaty runners huffing and puffing by us.

I worked in a new building that was in the final stages of construction and the vast majority of the workers didn’t mask properly or at all.

People suuuuuuuuuck.

not really happy that I'm having to pass within inches of someone who isn't wearing a mask and I've never seen in one either.
I've had this person not cop on that to get to my flat I've got to go right past their front door for like 3 or 4 years so probably not surprising but having my path obstructed by various forms of rubbish for the last few years hasn't been great.

both my parents were in another covid exposure (coworker lives with her family, their parents tested positive), and so far are negative but I really do not like this being a regular occurrence

btw thanks to everyone for the kind wishes, my sister had a mild case. she still sometimes randomly feels like she has smoker's lung, but hopefully that will fade.

great news lukas! in my case the aches and weirdness lasted a few weeks but eventually went away. i exercised as much as my body would tolerate (which wasn't much for awhile).

Do people wind up being shoved into supposed bubbles with people they can't stand or trust just because of geographical or architectural happenstance. was just wondering.

Well shit, my friend who I posted about a few days ago was moved into the ICU yesterday. Her husband wrote that she "now requires constant monitoring." Goddam I hope she gets better.

Oh man, sorry to hear that tipsy. Best wishes.

My uncle died this morning.

Sending strength and hope for recovery to you and your family Dan.