Coronavirus

[spork]

USPS mailman is now wearing a mask.

[mythbuster]

I had to go drop a package off at UPS today. Only 2 customers allowed inside at a time. The rest wait outside on the designated x marks on the ground. All employees wearing masks and gloves. Although one had an N95 mask he was wearing improperly, without the bottom strap engaged.

This is in a state that only got a stay at home order on April 1.

[Cheerful]

Boris Johnson now in Intensive Care.

[spork]

Boris Johnson now in Intensive Care.

Probably under the care of a medical team that is substantially not of native British origin.

[mamselle]

Boris Johnson now in Intensive Care.

I can't stand his political grandstanding but I would not wish this on anyone.

I'm so sorry to hear this.

M.

[onthefringe]

Today in the grocery store, I was wearing a home made mask, but few other people were. I was excessively annoyed by the woman wearing an N95 mask around her neck. And I called the store central number to suggest that maybe at least the employees packing up groceries for delivery (potentially to elderly or immune compromised customers) should be wearing gloves and masks.

[bacardiandlime]

People riding horses outside as usual. Haven't seen any delivery people or trash collectors wearing masks.

[Caracal]

Today in the grocery store, I was wearing a home made mask, but few other people were. I was excessively annoyed by the woman wearing an N95 mask around her neck. And I called the store central number to suggest that maybe at least the employees packing up groceries for delivery (potentially to elderly or immune compromised customers) should be wearing gloves and masks.

I actually don't think either of those is particularly necessary or useful for delivery. The only way gloves would be effective is if the person took them off in the proper way after every thing they touched and then put on a whole different pair of gloves, which is obviously impractical if you want these people to actually get their deliveries. It would probably be better for those people to just go wash their hands every fifteen minutes or something, which perhaps they are doing. The masks might be a better idea, but even there it has pretty limited benefits. The article I read about packages said that really you have to have an almost perfect chain of transmission to get something that way. A person has to sneeze on something, you have to touch it and then you have to put your hand on your face. A person can totally eliminate that very small risk, just by taking stuff out of the bags, washing down the counter surface, and then just washing your hands after you handle any food packaging.

[secundem_artem]

I'm not close to any of our neighbors, but last night there was a knock on the door and a neighborhood couple were going around distributing face masks they had made.  They gave us 2 masks and moved on.  No idea which house they were from.

How am I supposed to maintain my façade of misanthropic cynicism if people do things like this for complete strangers? 

[onthefringe]

Boris Johnson now in Intensive Care.

I can't stand his political grandstanding but I would not wish this on anyone.

I'm so sorry to hear this.

M.

My frontal lobes agree with you. My lizard brain is cackling in inappropriate glee that no doubt means I am a horrifying person at heart...

[ciao_yall]

I made a new friend in line at Safeway. She offered to make me and hubby some masks when she saw my sad napkin + headband contraption. I am going to hook her up with our transfer center to get her fixed up with a plan to transfer to State and get her Bachelor's degree.

[spork]

State authorities announced that six people from my neighborhood are dead from Covid-19.

[writingprof]

Here's a question for everyone: Is there any reason a university should decide now to move fall classes online? I can't think of one, and yet I hear rumblings.

[marshwiggle]

Here's a question for everyone: Is there any reason a university should decide now to move fall classes online? I can't think of one, and yet I hear rumblings.

I'm a lab instructor. For summer, I have one lab to "virtualize". If I have to virtualize labs for several courses in September, I can't wait until mid-August to figure it out.

I would guess any courses with labs or other hands-on stuff are in a similar boat.

[dismalist]

I find it difficult to understand how at least some labs can be virtualized. Sure, the instructor can demonstrate. But what are students to do? I'm thinking of a chem lab. I'm seriously interested intellectually, not practically, for I don't run a lab.