The past three evenings have been lovely, in my little Georgia town - cool, breezy, beautiful sunsets. It’s weird to do my evening run through a ghost town; shops and restaurants closed, very few cars on the street (and an awful lot of those driving very slowly, as if part of a funeral procession).
On the other hand, I’ve seen an unusually high number of people out walking with kids or dogs, or standing in the street chatting with neighbors, enjoying the mild spring weather. Tonight I was dodging people - maintaining a six-foot distance* - on a street where I almost never see a car, much less a pedestrian. I like seeing people when I run, so I’m enjoying all the extra faces I encounter.
*The pandemic is causing some unexpected social changes. I was on a sidewalk that was less than six feet wide, when I spotted a woman walking a dog toward me. Following the rule that fast yields to slow, I stepped aside into some bushes until she passed. Only after we’d exchanged smiles and moved on did it occur to me that having a man step into bushes and wait for a woman to pass would normally be rather creepy behavior.
Home testing is coming!. People can avoid having to search for a testing site or go to a doctor’s office, urgent care or ER where they will infect others. Reassuring the worried well ( and finding the asymptomatic carriers) will help dramatically.
[quote]
…the company says it will send the $135 test kit in two days (customers can pay $30 more to receive the kit overnight). The kit comes with a special swab that is long enough to take samples from the back of the nose and throat area, along with instructions for how to seal the swab sample to send it back to the company. People can also provide both spit and sputum samples as backups. "
The grocery store just up the street here had a sign asking for temp workers to help with restocking, so there’s definitely a need. I was there today and they had done a pretty decent job of restocking. Even liquid hand soap was plentiful again. No TP and no hand sanitizer, of course.
I’m beginning to believe that may not change for months. I read somewhere that TP manufacturers were already routinely running 24x7 shifts, so there’s not much they can do to increase production. I’d like to know where it’s all going if no store has any.
A local restaurant chain is converting their dining room, which had been closed to diners, into a supermarket. All the proceeds will be used to fund their free meals program. A good idea, to use their space constructively and to help others to help others in the midst of all this disruption.
The good news in my 50,000-population Upper Midwestern city is that a lot of people are now getting tested (we bask in the penumbra of a world-famous diagnostic clinic), and most of them are negative. Only 5 positives so far. So, here at least, there are almost certainly NOT a lot of undetected carriers. (I don’t know to what degree this information might apply to other, similar cities).
That means the major sacrifices we’re all making — for many here, much deeper losses than I’ve faced — will probably have the desired effect, in weeks rather than in months…
…if other factors don’t mess things up, starting with foolishly selfish returning spring breakers.
I wish we could tell the Spring Break Idiots that they can’t come home. They have to stay in Daytona or wherever for two months, but with the beaches, clubs and bars closed.
The symptoms may have been mild, but considering what’s going on right now and their age, getting tested was prudent and the fact that there were tests available for them was not at all suspicious because Australia had test kits early and, at least at the time, aplenty.
The Hanks’ may not even have had a choice.
I’m confident some wealthy people have gotten unnecessary tests where more deserving, but less wealthy candidates should have gotten it, and I feel a little silly because it seems like I’m personally over-defending Tom Hanks, like he’s my hero, or something, but Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were appropriately tested and there is no evidence it was because of their stature.
Local hospital has developed a test and can get results in hours instead of days.
No confirmed cases in my county, but that’s probably due to not a lot of tests.
Viruses can’t cross running water (no wait, that is Vampires)
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