Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Zanza]

Just read an anecdote that there is one hotel in Bavaria still allowed to operate despite the lockdown. It houses the Thai king, who more or less lives there, and his harem as well as servants. As it is a single group in social isolation, they got a special permit to remain open. I always find it bizarre that the Thai king lives in Bavaria, apparently most of the year.

[Syt]

Just read an anecdote that there is one hotel in Bavaria still allowed to operate despite the lockdown. It houses the Thai king, who more or less lives there, and his harem as well as servants. As it is a single group in social isolation, they got a special permit to remain open. I always find it bizarre that the Thai king lives in Bavaria, apparently most of the year.

Well, he's not the most traditional monarch, I'd say. Or very traditional, if you like your royalty a bit weird.

[crazy canuck]

Very interesting explanation by our Provincial Health Officer of why our restrictions were ramped up last Saturday.  They found that the spike in new cases were mainly attributable to infections connected with Washington State.  Thanks Trump.

Maybe you guys should start calling it the "Washingtonian Virus".

We try not to follow the worst of what you have become.

[Tamas]

Managed to get myself a click and collect slot by what I think was a glitch. For noon tomorrow none the less. Tried to call the store to confirm (although email confirmed it) but a recording said all their colleagues are busy at the stores so no phone helpdesk.

I guess I'll see what happens tomorrow.

[mongers]

My plans over the weekend were to go climbing in rural Tennessee with 3 others: a white woman, an Asian woman, and a black man. Unfortunately the plans fell apart, but I was quite looking forward to posting a picture of the four of us with the obvious white-boy privilege. Your view of the world is so colored by race and gender that you bring it into discussions of quarantine policy. It may be socially acceptable to ascribe negative traits to white men, but I wonder what traits you ascribe to other groups?

AR, sympathies with your situation and needs, buts we're all in uncharted territory and need all pull together, especially here, so I don't approve of the sniping aimed at each other, so am asking for a languish wide truce. :gasp:

So lets all go and play football in snow between the trenches.

[Sheilbh]

Local supermarket and pharmacy have introduced a capacity limit and basically have security with clickers acting like bouncers. It's more or less one in one out.

People trying to maintain social distance in the queue outside and stickers on the floor, when queueing to pay plus big plastic barriers in front of the checkout staff. All seems very sensible and the shop was well stocked.

The only continuing issues: hand soap and sanitisers, toilet roll and eggs :hmmm:

On the streets people seem to be following the new rules and (almost) everyone is trying to keep their distance, far fewer groups around which is good.

[celedhring]

Local supermarket and pharmacy have introduced a capacity limit and basically have security with clickers acting like bouncers. It's more or less one in one out.

People trying to maintain social distance in the queue outside and stickers on the floor, when queueing to pay plus big plastic barriers in front of the checkout staff. All seems very sensible and the shop was well stocked.

Yeah, that's how it's been done here since the quarantine began. Also you're given plastic gloves at the entrance or, if unavailable, you have to wash your hands with sanitizer.

Larger supermarkets have also cordoned off non-essential stuff (houseware, etc...)

[Josquius]

Local supermarket and pharmacy have introduced a capacity limit and basically have security with clickers acting like bouncers. It's more or less one in one out.

People trying to maintain social distance in the queue outside and stickers on the floor, when queueing to pay plus big plastic barriers in front of the checkout staff. All seems very sensible and the shop was well stocked.

The only continuing issues: hand soap and sanitisers, toilet roll and eggs :hmmm:

On the streets people seem to be following the new rules and (almost) everyone is trying to keep their distance, far fewer groups around which is good.

Sounds like what they've had in Switzerland for a while.
Over there the supermarkets have also cordoned off the stationary, clothing, and other unessential aisles to send the message to hurry along.

[mongers]

All of India now on lock-down:

Indians react to Modi's 21-day lockdown

The lockdown of a country of 1.3 billion people for 21 days is difficult to fathom in ordinary times.

These are not ordinary times, though, and most Indians appear to recognise that reality as coronavirus cases continue to increase in the country, hitting 482 with nine deaths so far.

On social media, Indians seem to be broadly accepting of the new restrictions on their life, with many welcoming the measures or seeing them as a necessary step to prevent the spread of the disease.

1,300,000,000 people 

[Maladict]

All of India now on lock-down:

Indians react to Modi's 21-day lockdown

The lockdown of a country of 1.3 billion people for 21 days is difficult to fathom in ordinary times.

These are not ordinary times, though, and most Indians appear to recognise that reality as coronavirus cases continue to increase in the country, hitting 482 with nine deaths so far.

On social media, Indians seem to be broadly accepting of the new restrictions on their life, with many welcoming the measures or seeing them as a necessary step to prevent the spread of the disease.

1,300,000,000 people 

Good luck enforcing that 

[mongers]

Local supermarket and pharmacy have introduced a capacity limit and basically have security with clickers acting like bouncers. It's more or less one in one out.

People trying to maintain social distance in the queue outside and stickers on the floor, when queueing to pay plus big plastic barriers in front of the checkout staff. All seems very sensible and the shop was well stocked.

The only continuing issues: hand soap and sanitisers, toilet roll and eggs :hmmm:

On the streets people seem to be following the new rules and (almost) everyone is trying to keep their distance, far fewer groups around which is good.

Thanks for the update, useful info, sensible measures, though Im still not going to risk shopping this week.

[Tamas]

A colleague of mine told us earlier today that she saw somebody use these distance keeping measures at a store to basically jump the queue, just stepping in to the middle of the empty space between two people. But I guess you can't just stop asshats from being asshats. Unless you are the police.

[Syt]

A colleague of mine told us earlier today that she saw somebody use these distance keeping measures at a store to basically jump the queue, just stepping in to the middle of the empty space between two people. But I guess you can't just stop asshats from being asshats. Unless you are the police.

You would think the queue would be sacrosanct in the UK.

[Sheilbh]

A colleague of mine told us earlier today that she saw somebody use these distance keeping measures at a store to basically jump the queue, just stepping in to the middle of the empty space between two people. But I guess you can't just stop asshats from being asshats. Unless you are the police.

Horrifying that people are committing treason in a stressful time like this.

Incidentally an Oxford epidemiology centre has done research and an initial model and estimate that 50% of the UK could already have had covid 19. So the estimated range is somewhere between 60k and 30 million. Which is helpful. They're launching serological tests this week and hoping to publish initial findings soon.

[Sheilbh]

The chief constable of one of England's busiest police forces has been talking about the pressures on police during the crisis.

Ian Hopkins, who heads up Greater Manchester police (GMP), said officers did not have sufficient personal protection equipment (PPE) and that he had raised the issue with Priti Patel, the home secretary.

Around a tenth of the force are currently off sick or self-isolating (1,066 police officers and staff ), he said, leaving the rest stretched but still able to respond to true emergency calls. But he expressed despair after the force received 180 calls between 7am and 10am today to ask questions such as "'can I take my car for its MOT?" and "'can I pick my daughter up at Manchester airport?" He said:
Please don't ring us with those calls. Use common sense. There's a lot of information on www.gov.uk. By ringing us with that sort of stuff you are stopping us dealing with the things that we should be.

This is simultaneously heartening because people are trying to do the right thing and exasperating because people are trying