New coronavirus in/from China

Vortex2 · Post by **Vortex2** » 12 Mar 2020, 22:47

URGENT : I need the words of Happy Birthday ... without them I will die because I won't be able to wash my hands safely!

(I do realise that most other countries have closed borders, closed shops, closed schools & colleges but I'm a Brit so Happy Birthday and a bar of soap will save me!)

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 12 Mar 2020, 22:52

Right. So we've just had Jeremy Hunt on Newsnight basically saying he is shocked at the government's policy, and we need to act fast. The government were asked to send a spokesman, but "nobody was available".

What the F--k? Please somebody tell me they cannot keep this up.

Vortex2 · Post by **Vortex2** » 12 Mar 2020, 22:56

UndercoverElephant wrote:Right. So we've just had Jeremy Hunt on Newsnight basically saying he is shocked at the government's policy, and we need to act fast. The government were asked to send a spokesman, but "nobody was available".

What the F--k? Please somebody tell me they cannot keep this up.

We can't be the only ones with some idea of The Truth ... and some of the other people will have a good media presence ... I hope!

Little John · Post by **Little John** » 12 Mar 2020, 23:04

Vortex2 wrote:What will the under 40s be doing during all this?

The economy will be tanking, the oldies will be hiding, sick or dying for a couple of months.

How will these 'protected' young people react to all this?

Will they come after the oldies who survive this mess?

ADDENDUM : In years to come I wonder if older(40+) people will find it harder to get work, insurance etc ... in view of the risk of a repeat visit wiping (some of) them out.

That's the wonderful way of it in an every-man-for-himself, free-market, no-such-thing-as-society society

good innit

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 12 Mar 2020, 23:16

Scientific expert on Newsnight: "Don't change your behaviour to not get this virus. Change your behaviour to not transmit it to somebody else."

He actually said those words.

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 12 Mar 2020, 23:17

Vortex2 wrote:
UndercoverElephant wrote:Right. So we've just had Jeremy Hunt on Newsnight basically saying he is shocked at the government's policy, and we need to act fast. The government were asked to send a spokesman, but "nobody was available".

What the F--k? Please somebody tell me they cannot keep this up.
We can't be the only ones with some idea of The Truth ... and some of the other people will have a good media presence ... I hope!

The only ones?

Us on Powerswitch, and the ex-foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt MP?

This is what I cannot comprehend. Does Boris Johnson think people don't watch Newsnight?

Post by **adam2** » 12 Mar 2020, 23:19

Reaction among friends and neighbours has been very mixed.

1) An agricultural contractor. Not unduly worried about catching the virus as is in good health and works largely outdoors. Two young children and two teenagers.
Very worried about indirect effects and shortages. Has spent a lot of money on reserve supplies for home and business.
Makes bad taste jokes about "nice well paid government work, digging plague pits"

2) A free range beef farmer, again little worry about catching the virus as works outdoors and with limited numbers of other people. Good health.
Has been stocking up on farm and household equipment.
Worried about looting and civil disorder.

3) An elderly friend of my late mother, thinks it is all some sort of scam to extract money from her (in some way not clearly defined)
Poor health, no preps of any sort AFAIK.
Continuing to attend social events.

4) Owners of a large shop, selling outdoor equipment, garden equipment, camping supplies and so on. Welcomes the extra trade as people stock up, worried about catching disease from customers.

5) Affluent friends who own a small country estate. Worried, but very well prepared. Several family members have just returned from Italy and are quarantined "in a spare cottage" !

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 12 Mar 2020, 23:23

Little John wrote:
vtsnowedin wrote:I thought I and my wife were in the free and clear for now having just a bad set of chest colds but today a young lady we sat next to and chatted with at the local pub last Thursday night posted that her University has quarantined her because she flew through Seattle last week. Still figuring out how that applies to us but it certainly adds a level of uncertainty to our future plans.
Full width of the country in one flight? Yup the miracle of modern jet travel .
How long have you had symptoms V? I ask because you seem to have had them for some time now. Which either means you aint got it. Or, it may mean you do have it, but are not getting it too severely. Which would be great if true because it would mean you'll have got it over and done with and can carry on with normal life while all around you is turning to shit.

Ok I'll try to keep this as compact as possible. Last Tuesday march 3rd was Town meeting day in Vermont and also the primary election day. 280 voters came though the polls which my wife as town clerk is the official of and about 130 sat with me on the town hall floor (in chairs) for the town meeting. After the meeting was over around 1:00 P.M. I filled in as a ballot box clerk watching people place their completed ballots in the box and occasionally taking ballots handed to me and putting them into the box for them in their presence. After the polls were closed by the official (my wife) at 7:00 P.M I and the other members of the board of civil authority (selectmen and jurist of the peace) opened the ballot box and sorted and counted the ballots which involves every team of two board members counting a stack of fifty ballots at least two times and usually three to be sure they have it right down to one ballot or the "official will not let it go" until about ten o'clock when we declared it good enough and went home.
On Thursday night which is the first night of the week when the only local pub is open we went in and had a burger and a pint and sat and chatted with neighbors and the bar staff.
On Saturday morning I rode with a friend over the width of Vermont and worked my way all around a gun show with perhaps 300 people in the room. On that ride I began to cough (first system). By Sunday morning I felt quite Ill and stopped leaving home and contacting people. Fever went to 100.4F which is low grade and not past a trigger point for panic. I treated it with Aspirin and got it back down but spent two days mostly asleep on the couch without appetite. Just As I was getting better with fever broke and just cough to deal with my wife began to cough yesterday the 11th and now is as miserable as I was a week ago. Just to add to the uncertainty a young lady that sat beside us at the pub Thursday has been quarantined at her university because she flew through Seattle last week.
There that is all of it in one post and as far as I can tell all we have is a rather nasty chest cold but can't be for" sure for sure" for now another two weeks.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 12 Mar 2020, 23:35

adam2 wrote: Several family members have just returned from Italy and are quarantined "in a spare cottage" !

Always nice to have that "Spare" cottage.

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 13 Mar 2020, 00:23

adam2 wrote: 3) An elderly friend of my late mother, thinks it is all some sort of scam to extract money from her (in some way not clearly defined)
Poor health, no preps of any sort AFAIK.
Continuing to attend social events.

She's not long for this world then.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 13 Mar 2020, 02:35

It would not surprise me if in spite of the heroic efforts of our respective governments a full twenty-five percent of our elderly over the age of seventy passed away this year from Covid-19 as well as the usual causes. This will make quite a business boost for the lawyers handling their estates and the realtors and undertakers.
As most of these people are fully retired it should not make a bit of difference on any industries production, just change where the money flows to.

Little John · Post by **Little John** » 13 Mar 2020, 06:19

vtsnowedin wrote:Ok I'll try to keep this as compact as possible....

Okay, thanks for that V.

Good luck and good health to you and yours man.

Vortex2 · Post by **Vortex2** » 13 Mar 2020, 07:31

UndercoverElephant wrote:
adam2 wrote: 3) An elderly friend of my late mother, thinks it is all some sort of scam to extract money from her (in some way not clearly defined)
Poor health, no preps of any sort AFAIK.
Continuing to attend social events.
She's not long for this world then.

Hmmm .. lot's of us have old relatives such as this.

Vortex2 · Post by **Vortex2** » 13 Mar 2020, 07:32

vtsnowedin wrote:It would not surprise me if in spite of the heroic efforts of our respective governments a full twenty-five percent of our elderly over the age of seventy passed away this year from Covid-19 as well as the usual causes. This will make quite a business boost for the lawyers handling their estates and the realtors and undertakers.
As most of these people are fully retired it should not make a bit of difference on any industries production, just change where the money flows to.

Median age of those very ill in Italy is 65.

Vortex2 · Post by **Vortex2** » 13 Mar 2020, 07:43

Did Boris kick off any panic buying? Anyone been to a supermarket since?