COVID-19 Thread

[PeaveyFury]

Even if one parent is able to take off work way too many people live pay check to pay check. They don’t have any type of emergency fund.

 

 

“What time does Starbucks open tomorrow? Need my $6 macchiato.”

 

Perhaps in some cases, but in a lot more this serves as a harsh generalization that trivializes the hardships that many families will face in the coming weeks.

[adambr2]

There's going to be a lot of 10 year olds asked to grow up real quick to babysit their younger siblings.

[superfly]

Even if one parent is able to take off work way too many people live pay check to pay check. They don’t have any type of emergency fund.

 

 

“What time does Starbucks open tomorrow? Need my $6 macchiato.”

 

Perhaps in some cases, but in a lot more this serves as a harsh generalization that trivializes the hardships that many families will face in the coming weeks.

 

And unfortunately it is the hard reality coming home to roost for many who disregard an emergency fund in favor of trivial items. [insert here NOT everyone struggling does this]. They will get through it with the support of the community, and we will all come out of it on the other side better than ever before.

[nodakfan17]

Our daycare is staying open. My kids won't go, but this is still kind of disappointing.

Same here. I was hoping day care would close to make our decision easier. My wife and I are pretty fortunate in that we could both work remote and watch our 3-year-old for a few weeks. I’m planning on working 4am - Noon while she watches our son. Then we’ll switch and I’ll take care of the boy while she works Noon - 8 pm.

[MrTPlush]

Okay I don’t mean to fit into the current joke of millennials thinking about cheap travel....but it is $285 to fly to Hawaii right now.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

My kids' school has their scheduled spring break scheduled to start April 6. Assuming state schools will be back in session that week, I would imagine that the district would cancel that week off. But of course there are parents in the district already complaining because canceling spring break would cut into their "concrete" vacation plans.

 

I mean, really? Everyone is extremely inconvenienced by this mess, and you're worried about a monkey wrench being thrown into your trip to Florida to drink White Claw on the beach while you ignore your kids?

[PeaveyFury]

And unfortunately it is the hard reality coming home to roost for many who disregard an emergency fund in favor of trivial items.

 

Oh don't get me wrong, this point is undoubtedly true as well.

[NeedMoreFans]

My kids are closed through the 6th, but I have to still go Monday and Tuesday. I don't get it.

[TURBO]

My kids are closed through the 6th, but I have to still go Monday and Tuesday. I don't get it.

 

We are going until Wednesday (kids and teachers)...

 

Teachers have not yet been told if we have to report Thursday and Friday, or anytime after, but my guess is that we will be going in every day, regardless of schools closing.

 

It's absurd.

[superfly]

I don’t feel closing schools is a good idea but....

 

Now we’re taking the germ spreaders and putting them in the care of grandparents during the day. Seems very bright and intelligent to me. I would have made it an optional decision with no penalty for staying home.

[PeaveyFury]

I don’t feel closing schools is a good idea but....

 

Now we’re taking the germ spreaders and putting them in the care of grandparents during the day. Seems very bright and intelligent to me. I would have made it an optional decision with no penalty for staying home.

 

Other than the penalty of having the other kids vault ahead of them in instruction.

 

It's not ideal, but the new 'paid time off' bill should help allow more parents to stay home with their kids, I'd think.

[nodakfan17]

Disney+ released Frozen 2 a few months early.

 

Kudos to them for throwing parents a bone.

[burnzy24]

I don’t feel closing schools is a good idea but....

 

Now we’re taking the germ spreaders and putting them in the care of grandparents during the day. Seems very bright and intelligent to me. I would have made it an optional decision with no penalty for staying home.

 

I know you are being sarcastic but it is very intelligent to close schools at this point. This is all about spreading people out to minimize transmission. Schools spread germs very easily. Currently the disease doesn't seem to have infiltrated the schools yet so right now the risk l level is low to take kids out of school and have them stay home with adults, even adults at high risk levels. This may not be the case in a week or two and by then it would be too late to stop. Plus there are many kids and adult teachers in schools who are at high risk levels so keeping hundreds of "germ spreaders" continuously congregated in one building is very unwise until this gets more under control.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Almost nobody would keep their kids home if it were optional. School is a free daycare for 90% of the population. The CDC has unfortunately already said that the 4 week breaks will probably not do much. They are recommending 8, which, my lord, what a mess.

[Jaylyn]

Went to Wally World yesterday, items out of stock. Toilet paper, paper towels, and baby wipes. Looking at the food items, while there was some left of each, people were buying ramen, corn dogs (really?) and Jack's pizzas. Actually, the saving grace in this entire situation is, available electricity, water, and internet. If those three were lost, we are looking at the beginnings of a new Mad Max movie!

[stoutdude04]

My kids are closed through the 6th, but I have to still go Monday and Tuesday. I don't get it.

 

We are going until Wednesday (kids and teachers)...

 

Teachers have not yet been told if we have to report Thursday and Friday, or anytime after, but my guess is that we will be going in every day, regardless of schools closing.

 

It's absurd.

 

Same with us.

[burnzy24]

Most Dane County schools just closed effectively immediately instead of beginning Wednesday.

[TURBO]

My kids are closed through the 6th, but I have to still go Monday and Tuesday. I don't get it.

 

We are going until Wednesday (kids and teachers)...

 

Teachers have not yet been told if we have to report Thursday and Friday, or anytime after, but my guess is that we will be going in every day, regardless of schools closing.

 

It's absurd.

 

Same with us.

 

Update, teachers will be reporting THURSDAY and FRIDAY, and it is still up in the air if we have to go after that. I think we'll be required to go every day until this is over, which is pretty counterproductive to the point of shutting down...

[DuWayne Steurer]

Went to Menards this morning because we (legitimately) needed dog food and a few other things. While there, we looked for TP, just to see if they had any. THere was none. Went to the RV section, and there's pack after pack of RV toilet paper. Well huh. I have no idea if RV toilet paper goes down a normal toilet, but it's there if needed.

[LouisEly]

I think it's kind of ironic that they are advising to avoid large gatherings, but people are flocking to the grocery stores/Target/Costco/Walmart/etc. to get toilet paper, sanitary wipes, etc. Like there aren't 250 people in those stores at any one time.

 

My plan this morning - to go to the grocery store first thing in the morning - worked. I legitimately needed toilet paper - left for vacation with about a roll and a half, figured I'd just get some when I went grocery shopping after coming home. But then I had to turn right around after coming back and leave for a funeral for three days. So as of this morning I was sitting on about a roll (3/4 of a roll in the guest bathroom, 1/4 roll in the master bathroom) and got to the grocery store early. They had put a bunch of Angel Soft 4-packs out, so I was able to grab one. That will hold me over for 6 weeks, long enough for the Charmin Ultra Strong to get back in stock.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Some of the going out is not really avoidable. If your fridge is empty and you worked all week somebody is going out.

 

I think this is about to get even worse though. I fully expect restaurant/shopping closures to be mandated very soon.

 

American Airlines refunded and redeposited all my flyer miles, I was to fly out on 3/23. Mother in Law was standing strong but we finally convinced her to bite the bullet on this.

[LouisEly]

Some of the going out is not really avoidable. If your fridge is empty and you worked all week somebody is going out.

And that makes me wonder if we are doing this all backwards.

 

If for most people this is not deadly/serious, then should we instead be quarantining those at high risk (elderly, immunocompromised) and let everything else go on? Put into place plans to disinfect everything that comes into contact with high risk people, physically distance from high risk people (while not isolating them - use the phone, webcams, don't go in their homes but talk to them from outside, deliver things to their doorstep, etc.), keep them in their homes. Would that be better overall instead of stopping everything?

 

We absolutely need to flatten the curve on how fast this spreads to high risk people, and I get that it can take two weeks for the virus to manifest into physical symptoms. Maybe a travel ban is a good thing, so that what is out there stays local. But my understanding is that for most people it won't cause hospitalization, for most people the effect is mild, so then why not let life go on for them and focus preventative efforts on the high risk people? Keep high-risk people quarantined for a couple of months?

 

Legitimate question - I don't know the answer. I'm sure there's a good reason.

[PeaveyFury]

All the simulations I've seen suggest that the 'walled' quarantine (blocking off a group of people or geographic area) as you suggest fail to flatten the curve as well as social distancing does. I'm assuming they're using those simulations to enact what is projected to work best as a result.

[stoutdude04]

Update, teachers will be reporting THURSDAY and FRIDAY, and it is still up in the air if we have to go after that. I think we'll be required to go every day until this is over, which is pretty counterproductive to the point of shutting down...

 

 

We are having kids Monday and Tuesday with teachers going wed and thursday to prep for the week after spring break without kids. But the SI said that the teacher dates may change.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Ohio and Illinois have closed restaurants to all but drivethrough, carryout, and delivery. I suspect this will be nationwide soon.