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

Good man.

Slack ain’t that busy either. I think people are resting or maybe even working

Don’t worry both places will be jumping when Johnson spaffs off to the great wall in the sky

You don't need keys, just a slack account, the URL has been posted on various threads.

Of course, understand not wanting to divert people away from here, but also appreciating the decidedly lower stakes chatter.

I'm cool w/ slack. Just not that cool w/ having no time for it myself because of work.

Still in office four days a week (albeit a locked down one), still have a daily commute (it's nice to go out every day by car tbf). Am I missing out on the ~real lockdown experience~ or am I lucky to be able to get away? Undecided.

I'm cool w/ slack. Just not that cool w/ having no time for it myself because of work.

Same here, except it's more like 'having no time for work because of it'.

I hear you. I desperately need to avoid that scenario though so I'm steering clear. Which is not, with everyone having cool avatars and all!

not easy, that is

I'm cool w/ slack. Just not that cool w/ having no time for it myself because of work.

same. i have been checking in a bit on evenings and weekends, though

I'm sorry to hear about your father, Stevolende. It's a hard thing to handle under normal circumstances, I can't even imagine the difficulty of going through that now. Be well.

stevolende, i'm sorry. :(

My condolences, Stevo, and I sincerely apologize for the snark, re: Europe. I hadn't read your previous posts yet.

Major changes at our independent grocer today (nothing the rest of the world isn't already doing): caution tape outside designating a pathway to the door, someone at the door to get your cart and give instructions (she was also monitoring how many people were inside), no personal gloves allowed. They've removed a couple of aisle displays, too, and moved the stuff to shelves. Not sure what triggered this today specifically, but I'm fine with all of it.

can i just say how (though completely necessary) COMPLETELY FUCKED this all is?? it’s..... it’s crazy!

and how there appears to be no endgame? what is the next step? Who knows??

my dear monsieur, perhaps you have already observed that in coronavirus, human life is cheap

Coooooool. Just found out that someone smashed the front door of our building in the middle of the night last night and (thankfully only) stole all of the packages out of our lobby. So nice to see that these trying times aren't keeping the scumfucks from fully embracing their scumfuckery.

there's totally an endgame and it's the vaccine, the how long it takes to get there and what happens before we get there are the cool things we have no knowledge about

Coooooool. Just found out that someone smashed the front door of our building in the middle of the night last night and (thankfully only) stole all of the packages out of our lobby. So nice to see that these trying times aren't keeping the scumfucks from fully embracing their scumfuckery.

― Unparalleled Elegance (Old Lunch), Tuesday, April 7, 2020 11:26 AM (one minute ago) bookmarkflaglink

my friends had their mail stolen last week, mail thieves on are a tear

Remember how you used to go away on vacation and, like it was a whole thing that you had to make your house look occupied?

Lights on timers. Mail and papers stopped. Etc.

So, it follows from that that there was a whole sector of crime devoted to breaking into unoccupied houses and taking their stuff (presumably Precious Moments figurines and doilies and costume jewelry from Claire's Boutique).

And it follows from THAT that there is a whole class of criminal that is now out of options because everybody's home all the time. I guess they could go break into offices and steal, like, coffee and toner.

Or, I guess, they could steal mail.

pathetic! there are like a million cool heists you could be doing right now

we're being encouraged to wear masks in public ffs

People who decamped to their second house in the Hamptons can still be robbed

There was a pharmacy robbery near me recently where a guy broke in through the roof and stole 3,000 oxys. I'm not saying that stealing oxys is "cool", but it did cross my mind that burglars could take advantage of all these closed businesses for some pretty impressive heists.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/92243896_10158507035013395_7687976242770870272_o.jpg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=03wdx42JK5QAX_kh3HJ&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=85b0b93135b510b66401e2fa0d7e3c40&oe=5EB37976

I get that there probably not a lot of brain geniuses making a living from petty theft but stealing mail is just profoundly stupid. Congrats, I hope those random articles of clothing and diapers and whatever else were worth the federal crime you just committed, friend!

Iirc a lot of thieves just sell the stuff online, either directly or through someone else.

In good news, my wife's company implemented work from home pretty early, and out of I think well over 3000 employees has had only one report of someone testing positive.

rob otm. That's the spirit!

There is a recent very-not-good movie about a heist that takes place during a hurricane (on the assumption that security will be lax during a national disaster.

I'm sure you're all on tenterhooks so I will reveal that the name of this movie that is about a hurricane with a heist in it is...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hurricane_Heist

the bus that couldnt slow down

burglars could take advantage of all these closed businesses for some pretty impressive heists.

High-end retailers in DC (and probably other cities) have been boarding up their storefronts, for fear of vandalism and/or looting.

supposedly Desantis said the FL unemployment system is now up to speed. people are still reporting the same issues today. it's now been three weeks with people not able to get through, and FLs rules don't allow backdating claim start dates.

my mom had to quit the new temp job she took due to fear of getting coronavirus today as she was being forced to work alongside people in close quarters. it's not her main job which is furloughed atm but now my bro is freaking out at me 'what about her unemployment, will she get it?' and i'm like dude y'all aren't working, I am, could you MAYBE WORK THIS OUT WHILE I'M AT WORK while bothering me while I'M AT WORK

I just wish people would like, not rely on me to do everything for them.

FLs rules don't allow backdating claim start dates.

wut

So if you were unemployed for three weeks (and unable to get through to the website) you cannot collect for those three weeks?

I've occasionally been eating popcorn and peanuts, which inevitably involves glancing touches of the lips.

there are limits

xpost as written yes. presumably Ron will pull his head out of his ass and let them be backdated.

I get that there probably not a lot of brain geniuses making a living from petty theft but stealing mail is just profoundly stupid. Congrats, I hope those random articles of clothing and diapers and whatever else were worth the federal crime you just committed, friend!

― Unparalleled Elegance (Old Lunch)

did you just call jello biafra "profoundly stupid"

well, fair enough i guess

We had the windows open today because it was really effing nice out and I was like 'ooh, what is that weird sensation across my scalp?!' and the I realized it was the wind tousling a month's-worth of hair (after pretty regularly shaving my head for most of the last 2+ COVID-free decades).

i have had to shit so much today jesus christ. fucking losing my precious time

How does time spent shitting not count as 'precious'

feel like ima be spending a lot of my overtime to help friends/family. i'm glad to do that cos waiting on the government = lol but a selfish side of me was hoping I coulda used at least some of it to knock a debt out or to build my savings up higher to where i can stress less about losing job in future.

sadly idk if the chunk I even gave my friend's cafe is gonna keep it alive but i had to try. dude's like family to me at this point.

*overtime PAY

seems like mass testing is going to be important

well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHoRTapEOTk

JUst seen that the Gards are potentially giving people custodial sentences of up to 6 months for breaking restrictions over here. I thought several countries were talking about releasing people who didn't need to be confined from prisons to escape the effects of the pandemic. So is this not going to create a potential virus spread in an attempt to prevent one?

yeah but they arent going to do anything like that

I said potentially, was wondering how much of a threat it would be seen as. Cos I thought it might just have the immediate response of we they won't really will they?
The fines might be more real though.

Lockdown having legal teeth is welcome, perhaps inevitable, and complicated. The mechanics of enforcing lockdowns seem to necessitate close physical contact. Are police going stop, people and interact with them to determine if they're flouting lockdown orders - then detain, arrest, and bring someplace for processing? Would they then have a trial in a courtroom? Even a citation or ticket or fine would involve getting close. And then what if you ignore the ticket, fine? Presumably you would, like, have to go to court or something. I can't imagine all of that happening without getting close to people... when avoiding that was kinda the whole point in the first place.

One has to assume that part of the intent is to deter, or to use enforcement/prosecutorial discretion only for egregious violations (like a frat party or church service or - ahem - political rally). They're not frisking grannies to see if they're really on the way to/from the grocery store - it's more for jerks on a beach. One hopes. But "trust the police to not be assholes" does not inspire optimism.

The Queen should never have worn green pic.twitter.com/A71vse3Uvq

— Olaf Falafel (@OFalafel) April 7, 2020

Does anyone know if there is data available on daily UK deaths once they have been attributed to the day of death? The death toll reported daily isn't reflective of deaths that day, and data gets backdated weekly from care homes etc. So there should be accurate data by now for up to a couple of weeks or so ago...?

A good friend's mother just succumbed to cancer today. My friend got to say goodbye, but it's doubtful they'll be able to have a memorial service before summer.

Different but equally heartbreaking was my wife's co-worker, who, if I heard correctly, had to have his 20-year old cat put down during a curbside visit from a vet whose rules kept him at a distance as it happened.

is anyone else just compulsively taking their temperature every few hours?

don't have a thermometer.

I seem to always know when I'm febrile, even low grade, but wouldn't mind actually having one.

haha I realized a month ago I don't have one