Spreads so easily......

[W2R]

On the other hand, I don't read every post here.

Apparently that is absolutely true!

I have the same question. I have really tried to avoid any risk because of our ages and DH's autoimmune disease. I guess the riskiest things I have done are a root canal (an emergency) and a colonoscopy (delayed from spring and I felt it was worth the risk). I have not been to a restaurant or inside a grocery since the first of March. I stay inside my car at Church and listen to the service on the radio.

We discussed this before, and you know exactly what I mean. So do others who have PM'd me since I wrote that post and gave me "thumbs up" for calling you on it. I will not be baited into a fight. Just calm down.

 

[Sunset]

Yesterday our little mom'n'pop restaurant where we eat lunch every day, was closed and a remediation truck was there.

Today we asked about it and found out that one of their employees tested positive for COVID ....

I must be confusing you with the person who didn't even go to grocery stores back in Feb,March,April due to Covid carefulness.

While I'll do carryout, eating inside a restaurant is too risky for me. Since I feel Covid is aerosol spread and it's an enclosed space.

I do miss going to restaurants, and traveling.
Our State has banned (in places) eating in restaurants again.

 

[Aerides]

*mod note*

Everyone is free to determine their own comfort level with activities to manage their personal risk against Covid.

Thinly-veiled expressions of judgment of another member's behaviors is not appropriate for this, or any thread.

Since it appears that's all we're left talking about this last couple of pages, it's apparent we have yet another Covid thread that has out-lasted its utility.

 

[littleb]

Are we the Only Ones?

We are both in our mid 60's and in fairly good health. We have been very diligent this entire year of not being around any family or friends due to covid. We are not paranoid just conscientious of social distancing. Exercising outside in more isolated areas, staying in AIRBNB's etc.

We live near a tourist area and have turned down so many family and friends this year who want to stop by.

Many people we know have contracted the virus and had mild cases to almost dying. My cousin has been in the ICU for almost two months and I suspect he is on a ventilator.

It seems like everyone I know is ignoring this virus. It's business as usual with vacations and wanting to hang out. We even passed on meeting at Christmas which includes a 90 year old family member who is frail and has many health problems.

I received a text from a good friend who I speak to 2-3 times a week. She of all people knows how we have been distancing from everyone this year. So they will be in town in a few weeks and wanted to meet for dinner.
She and her family who have many serious health problems have ignored the virus since day one. I replied that we were not meeting anyone for meals (which she already knows).

So I guess we are killjoys that take this virus seriously. If I knew we would get a mild case of the virus we would be first in line to hang out with everyone. But we also want to distance to take care of other people.

So 2020 has been a pretty crappy year. I am tired of explaining our mindset on the virus. It seems like nobody understands and thinks we are extreme. I'm sure we have offended a few people.

 

[Gumby]

No, you are not the only ones. We have not spent time indoors with anyone, including family, since last Christmas. We don't eat in restaurants. We cancelled a big road trip vacation. We ate Thanksgiving at home, just the young wife and me - first time in over 30 years we haven't gathered with the family. I go to the grocery every two weeks. We occasionally talk to the neighbors when we are out in the yard and more than 6 feet apart. The young wife goes to her weekly medical appointment. That's it.

I think if everyone exercised some self control, things would be a lot better now and we could return to normal that much quicker.

 

[Alan]

Threads merged.

We've re-opened this thread as folks really want to discuss how easily the virus spreads. Let's try and keep the discussion on topic and most of all let's be kind to one another.

 

[audreyh1]

Thank you so much!

 

[audreyh1]

We are both in our mid 60's and in fairly good health. We have been very diligent this entire year of not being around any family or friends due to covid. We are not paranoid just conscientious of social distancing. Exercising outside in more isolated areas, staying in AIRBNB's etc.

We live near a tourist area and have turned down so many family and friends this year who want to stop by.

Many people we know have contracted the virus and had mild cases to almost dying. My cousin has been in the ICU for almost two months and I suspect he is on a ventilator.

It seems like everyone I know is ignoring this virus. It's business as usual with vacations and wanting to hang out. We even passed on meeting at Christmas which includes a 90 year old family member who is frail and has many health problems.

I received a text from a good friend who I speak to 2-3 times a week. She of all people knows how we have been distancing from everyone this year. So they will be in town in a few weeks and wanted to meet for dinner.
She and her family who have many serious health problems have ignored the virus since day one. I replied that we were not meeting anyone for meals (which she already knows).

So I guess we are killjoys that take this virus seriously. If I knew we would get a mild case of the virus we would be first in line to hang out with everyone. But we also want to distance to take care of other people.

So 2020 has been a pretty crappy year. I am tired of explaining our mindset on the virus. It seems like nobody understands and thinks we are extreme. I'm sure we have offended a few people.

Wow! That’s really tough when so many around you, even in the face of many personally known cases and health problems, still keep pushing to get together socially. Making you feel like killjoys. Especially since this should be a temporary situation.

I continue to be super impressed by guideline compliance in my city. People are super well behaved in stores, etc. Mandates have been in effect since a very bad summer, and they are observed at least in public.

But in my immediate 55+ neighborhood compliance is awful. People stop and are talking very close to each other with no masks all the time. These are mostly snowbirds. I think they think we have a magic bubble covering the entire neighborhood and they can blow off precautions, but it doesn’t work that way! People are going out for errands, medical visits, restaurant get togethers all the time!

So we are avoiding most of our neighbors.

 

[Alan]

Over here the 4 countries that make up the UK agreed a few weeks ago on a 5 day relaxation over Christmas where up to 3 households could mix indoors and you could travel anywhere you want including between tiers. (Various counties all over the UK are in various levels of restrictions, 3 tiers in England, 4 in Wales, 5 tiers in Scotland etc)

The scientific advisors have been screaming "Don't do it!" all week as the infections started to soar back up in London, Wales and the SE, so this week the PM and First Ministers of the other UK countries announced that the Christmas relaxation of the rules is still going ahead but they advise against doing it, particularly travel to and from areas in the highest tiers of infections.

We had already scrapped our plans to go visit my wife's sister in Edinburgh as she is going to be alone this year.

It might be a Merry Christmas but we will probably be facing a 3rd lockdown in January caused by family super-spreader events.

In fact Wales has already announced they will be locking down starting at 6pm on Christmas Day.

https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2020...into-lockdown-restrictions-from-christmas-day

Wales will start moving into stricter level 4 restrictions - the equivalent of a lockdown - from 6pm on Christmas Day, the First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced.

Mr Drakeford announced that all non-essential retail and gyms would close at the end of trading on Christmas Eve with hospitality having to close from 6pm on Christmas Day.

On December 28, stricter restrictions for household mixing, staying-at-home, holiday accommodation and travel will be enforced.

 

[audreyh1]

That’s interesting, I guess it’s more a suspension of fines or other enforcement repercussions than anything? I know there have been strict rules about traveling between regions.

But that’s a problem with relaxing things. People take it as a green light (“it must be safe”) to immediately rush out and do things that weren’t allowed and - everybody get together!

 

[JoeWras]

For the most part, the people we know are understanding and also doing their best to not spread. Even my sister who is very skeptical is fine with us not visiting. No guilt. She's only going to have 4 people over for Christmas instead of the usual 20 or so. So, progress. This is very hard for her since she is extremely social, which I am not.

I think our next challenge will be in the dead of winter when a certain number of folks are vaccinated, while others are not. There's a good chance the vaccinated may start expecting things of others because they "forgot" everyone isn't protected yet. We'll see.

 

[Alan]

That’s interesting, I guess it’s more a suspension of fines or other enforcement repercussions than anything? I know there have been strict rules about traveling between regions.

But that’s a problem with relaxing things. People take it as a green light (“it must be safe”) to immediately rush out and do things that weren’t allowed and - everybody get together!

Exactly.

Police forces can, and do, use number plate recognition software to determine if cars are registered in one area but are in another. In recent weeks N. Yorkshire police have handed out 17 fines to folks who have been visiting tourist spots such as Whitby which is in Tier 2 from neighboring counties such as Durham and Teesside which are in Tier 3.

These rules will be relaxed between the 23rd and 27th of December to allow folks to travel anywhere they want to.

 

[Alan]

The following ditty is a little difficult to appreciate while wearing masks but I love the idea of super spreader events like this.

Smiling is infectious
You catch it like the Flu

When someone smiled at me today
I started smiling too

I walked around the corner
and someone saw me grin

When he smiled I realized
that I had passed it onto him

I thought about the smile
and then realized its worth

A single smile like mine
could travel round the earth

So if you feel a smile begin
don't leave it undetected

Start an epidemic
and get the world infected

 

[Alan]

Once Christmas is over the majority of the country will be going back to the "Rule of 6"

 

[Aerides]

It seems like everyone I know is ignoring this virus. It's business as usual with vacations and wanting to hang out. We even passed on meeting at Christmas which includes a 90 year old family member who is frail and has many health problems.

I'm of the opinion that the person with the lowest risk tolerance in the household/pod sets the bar. If I were a 6 on taking risks, but DH was a 3, we'd go by DH's comfort level, no questions asked. Doesn't matter what everyone else is or isn't doing.

I wouldn't bother trying to explain it to someone because there's no way (at this point) anyone is changing their mind. Just "sorry, pass, maybe in the Spring, hope you understand" and then end the convo or change the subject.

 

[iloveyoga]

Thank you, I came to the forum for financial info, but I have learned a lot about the virus from these posts, so I do appreciate it.

 

[Montecfo]

To me it is not so much people ignoring the virus or not knowing about it. At this point everyone knows the risks. Some are more diligent than others that's for sure. But a lot of people are just tired of being locked down and tired of not being able to do their normal activities, and tired of seeing businesses and so many lives affected so severely.

This is not to excuse anyone's behavior. Far from it.

Personally, I have a healthy fear of the virus. But I am unwilling to completely stop living. I have travelled some, and plan to do more, all the while respecting and adhering to key guidelines, mainly social distancing.

 

[MichaelB]

We are both in our mid 60's and in fairly good health. We have been very diligent this entire year of not being around any family or friends due to covid. We are not paranoid just conscientious of social distancing. Exercising outside in more isolated areas, staying in AIRBNB's etc.

We live near a tourist area and have turned down so many family and friends this year who want to stop by.

Many people we know have contracted the virus and had mild cases to almost dying. My cousin has been in the ICU for almost two months and I suspect he is on a ventilator.

It seems like everyone I know is ignoring this virus. It's business as usual with vacations and wanting to hang out. We even passed on meeting at Christmas which includes a 90 year old family member who is frail and has many health problems.

I received a text from a good friend who I speak to 2-3 times a week. She of all people knows how we have been distancing from everyone this year. So they will be in town in a few weeks and wanted to meet for dinner.
She and her family who have many serious health problems have ignored the virus since day one. I replied that we were not meeting anyone for meals (which she already knows).

So I guess we are killjoys that take this virus seriously. If I knew we would get a mild case of the virus we would be first in line to hang out with everyone. But we also want to distance to take care of other people.

So 2020 has been a pretty crappy year. I am tired of explaining our mindset on the virus. It seems like nobody understands and thinks we are extreme. I'm sure we have offended a few people.

Non compliance and misbehavior are visible, while compliance is not. Everyone you see is defying the rules, because those in compliance are home like you, mostly unseen. You hear from people asking you to join them in breaking them rules, because the friends that comply, like you, aren’t asking others to join them.

You can’t explain behavior to others. Those like you, in compliance, need no explanation. Those in defiance aren’t listening. The best one can do is focus on one’s own actions and follow public health guidance to stay healthy.

 

[harllee]

We have good friends who have told us they are just like us--strictly complying with all the Covid rules. They recently invited us to their house for an outdoor "get together" which we declined. Today I get their annual "Christmas letter" in the mail (2 pages single spaced!) in which they detail all the traveling they have done over the last few months, all the family they have visited, all the restaurants they have eaten in --boy am I glad we did not visit them at their house.

On a separate topic there is "no more room at the inn" at our local hospital. A friend with stroke symptoms was taken to the local hospital Emergency Room by ambulance yesterday and had to wait for 14 hours to be seen. The hospital is now calling around to all the other local hospitals to find him a bed while they figure out what is wrong with him. He currently is in a bed in the hallway.

 

[ivinsfan]

For the most part, the people we know are understanding and also doing their best to not spread. Even my sister who is very skeptical is fine with us not visiting. No guilt. She's only going to have 4 people over for Christmas instead of the usual 20 or so. So, progress. This is very hard for her since she is extremely social, which I am not.

I think our next challenge will be in the dead of winter when a certain number of folks are vaccinated, while others are not. There's a good chance the vaccinated may start expecting things of others because they "forgot" everyone isn't protected yet. We'll see.

No is a complete answer.....I think you are perhaps borrowing trouble here as the first ones vaccinated are in high risk groups so aren't going to be demanding people start partying with them..

Having said that I know a teacher that got infected at a Halloween party and a nurse that does chemo for cancer patients who is in Florida with her entire family as we speak..

 

[REWahoo]

Our County Judge, which is the top administrative government official in the county, has the virus, along with his spouse and all the employees in his office. This is the official who appears on Facebook Live every week to give an update on the number of cases in the county, and to encourage people to follow all the state and CDC guidelines on mask wearing, social distancing, etc.

 

[Alan]

EU leaders are now worried about a super-spreader event after President Macron tested positive for Covid following a meeting with leaders at an EU summit.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55347406

A host of European leaders are self-isolating after the French President, Emmanuel Macron, tested positive for Covid-19.

Mr Macron, 42, will self-isolate for seven days while working remotely, the Elysée Palace said in a statement.

The French president attended a number of high-profile events in recent days, including an EU summit.

Following his diagnosis several other European leaders, including the Spanish PM, said they would self-isolate.

"The President of the Republic has been diagnosed positive for Covid-19 today," the Elysée said on Thursday morning. The diagnosis was made following a "test performed at the onset of the first symptoms", the statement added.

 

[audreyh1]

On a separate topic there is "no more room at the inn" at our local hospital. A friend with stroke symptoms was taken to the local hospital Emergency Room by ambulance yesterday and had to wait for 14 hours to be seen. The hospital is now calling around to all the other local hospitals to find him a bed while they figure out what is wrong with him. He currently is in a bed in the hallway.

Wow, that’s really bad, and a real fear of mine. And timing on treating strokes is so critical! I’m so sorry he can’t get the timely care he needs and has to sleep in the hall!!

 

[audreyh1]

Our County Judge, which is the top administrative government official in the county, has the virus, along with his spouse and all the employees in his office. This is the official who appears on Facebook Live every week to give an update on the number of cases in the county, and to encourage people to follow all the state and CDC guidelines on mask wearing, social distancing, etc.

ALL the employees in his office? Dang!

Certainly can be caught at work. Working in an office with other people is risky even with all the precautions. And a mistake is so easy.

 

[ivinsfan]

Our County Judge, which is the top administrative government official in the county, has the virus, along with his spouse and all the employees in his office. This is the official who appears on Facebook Live every week to give an update on the number of cases in the county, and to encourage people to follow all the state and CDC guidelines on mask wearing, social distancing, etc.

Do they actually have it or are they under quarantine? I've noticed more privacy about disclosing this kind of info publicly. I notice the NFL just has a COVID list and doesn't actually disclose any more then that. Players can announce more info if they choose to.