What is your State / Country doing? How do you feel about it?

[deecoily]

I'm currently in Australia where we are in a country-wide shut down. Most businesses have closed and we are under stay-at-home instructions. No gatherings outside of over 2 people. On the spot fines for people who don't follow the social distancing rules. Only things open outside essential services are supermarkets. Schools are closed because parents kept kids at home.

The country has basically shut its borders and if you arrive here now you are placed into forced quarantine for 2 weeks.

Millions have lost their jobs but today the government announced that if companies keep people on their payroll during the pandemic instead of firing them, the government will pay every employee $1500 per fortnight. The unemployment benefits have been raised to $1200 per fortnight for those who have no job to get back to.

People in small towns are ganging up on non-local people coming to their towns to escape. Some supermarkets in smaller towns have instituted "locals only" policies and won't allow people outside the area to shop there so supplies aren't hoarded.

The curve is flattening here but not fast enough. My family is in Rhode Island and Massachusetts so I'm keeping close tabs on what's going on there. Our family new normal is talking on ZOOM every other day. We've got elderly parents locked up at home so we need to keep an eye on them and make sure they have everything they need. We are in contact with them every day, sometimes multiple times a day. I'm still searching for a good game to play with my Mom over the internet. Any ideas?



~Dee~

[ksaunte33]

Hi Dee!

I am in Washington, DC and we have been given a stay at home order with the exception of essential errands. A lot of restaurants and retails stores have temporarily closed. Many restaurants are still open with delivery and/or take out options. Supermarkets are open with limited hours. All tourist attractions are closed in addition to street closures. I have been teleworking since March 13. I was able to stock up on food and household items. Target allows you to buy only 1 pack each of toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products and soap. Things seem to be going smoothly. The hoarding and crowded supermarkets have decreased. Schools are scrambling to set up online learning for students. All universities have cancelled all events including graduations. Public transportation is running on a limited schedule. Residents cannot congregate with more than two people. They are issuing citations for residents who don't comply.

Although this is a challenging situation, I try to maintain my gratitude. I have a warm and comfortable place to stay with adequate food and other essentials. I still have my job - I am teleworking. I pray constantly for the well-being of others. I believe we have yet to reach our peak although our numbers are small compared to most major cities in the US. I'm hoping the stay at home order will help flatten our curve.

I'm playing Words With Friends with many of my friends in other parts of the world. Perhaps that is a game you can play with you Mom. I talk to my parents every day to check on them. They live in Chicago and are doing fine.

Thank you for starting the thread. Really appreciate it.

[uzuri]

I live in Denmark. I work night shifts as an LPN at a Nursing Home, every other week. We have not had any residents with Covid-19. I think the tough restrictions have really helped. In all of Denmark, no visitors or deliveries allowed inside the Nursing Homes. If you have anything to deliver, you put it outside, and when you´re gone, the personnel takes it in. The students are all at home and get assignments from home. Most people are at home, unless they have a job that does not allow close contact with people. The Government is going to help self-employed people and others. Some supermarkets have a lines on the floor to make sure everyone keeps their distance. Some have a plastic kind of wall for the cashiers.
Keeping in touch with family via WhatsApp messages or video chat.
Keep safe everyone!

[KnottyAuthor]

Florida-stupid is as stupid does.

[luvbear]

Southern New Jersey Here!!!! Stay at home order in effect and wearing mask when going for essential items. I work in Healthcare and I am an essential worker so its hard for me to stay in when I have to be at work. I just pray everyone think about others and protect not only you but them and we will get thru this.

[OHR]

I'm in Ohio, where Governor Dewine has said on May 1, we're slowly opening things up. Bars, restaurants and gyms. I'm very interested in exactly how this is gonna look like.

[Napia Mia]

Nebraska sucks on all levels related to the pandemic response. We’re a republican state with a wanna be Trump governor. Omaha has a republican mayor. No one is doing the cooking sense thing when it comes to the pandemic.

[Napia Mia]

Right now I wish I lived in Colorado.

[KnottyAuthor]

Florida is stupid. #that'sall

[Scribetastic]

I hope everyone is safe and sound.

California is doing well, but, even here, we've got lots of stupid happening.

I was terrified because I keep up with news coming out of Asia and was in South Korea during SARS and left when MERS was starting up. It was easy to see that the rate of infection was something we've not seen in our lifetimes, so I figured this would going to be closer to the 1918 flu than SARS or MERS. Layer on having a chronic disease, type 1 diabetes, and looking for a new job at the time, and I was absolutely terrified.

I literally cried when we sheltered in place. Then I just watched it all go down from the idiot president that was leading the US at the time to all of the mask protests and vaccine misinformation. It's been a year and a half of a whole lot of "wow". I was hoping we'd learn from history and science and do better.

Since people can move about freely now, it's going to circulate. A silver lining to the fires we've had over the last few years is I came into the pandemic with N95 respirators. I always wear an N95 or KN95 mask along with a washable cloth mask. I'm vaccinated and just ended a vaccine immunity study, so I'm clear to get a third shot. I know I'll travel both for work and for pleasure probably at the end of the year and into early next, so I'm going to wait a bit on the third shot. I still mostly go out for errands and medical appointments only. I've done some social stuff mostly with co-workers as we're a 100% remote team, but I'm being very careful.

Last I looked, California's rate of infection was bad, but it wasn't as bad as the rest of the country. It's definitely going to become endemic because people just don't have the discipline or the will to modify their behavior. FWIW, I also heard sexually transmitted diseases are up too. Go figure.

I'm just glad that Gov. Newsome defeated a recall election. All politicians have their issues, but he's been handling this pandemic pretty well.