You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
Off Topic Chat
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Corona Chat
Rusalka wrote: "Quarenteenies.That's what I'm calling this generation of chickens."
I'm still volunteering as a covid-monitor at my kids' school and I am so worried at how normal this has become to kids! I mean, it is great because they are respecting rules and making our job easier each day, but it is upsetting how normal has become to use masks, play keeping distance, have lunch all by yourself (this is specially true for little ones for whom 2 mts/6fts is a LOT). I hate that this is their life now. Before the pandemic social media had an important place in socializing, but now it is all they have. So sad...
We had 184 new cases yesterday. University still acting like they don't have nothing to do with it.
Esther wrote: "Here we have to wear a mask inside if you are standing up and moving around. Not a bad idea, IMO. You could do this..."I got an email from the main organizer about a door prize this morning. All I'm doing is collecting the money for the retreat, but she insists that I'm one of the organizers. I replied about the door prize and added a whole section about Covid. She wants to allow people to bring stuff they want to sell, and that they can do that at their table. I suggested that if we do that there should be a dedicated table for that because people won't be social distancing if they are visiting each other's tables for shopping items. I added that I think we need to have a hand sanitization station just inside the door with a bottle of sanitizer and a poster with rules and etiquette. She replied about the door prize and didn't even address the other.
We are having a craft sale. But it is a socially distanced craft sale. We will control the number of people let in. Everyone must wear a maskAll items must be brought to the hall a week before the sale to be quarantined. It is the same amount of time library books are quarantined.
Rusalka wrote: "Shirley wrote: "There is a political sh**storm happening here in Australia at the moment over border restrictions between states, with our PM taking sides. This is what we hear: “they’ve closed the..."Agree about the disconnect, but I think it goes deeper than that. I believe this crisis has highlighted deficiencies in our system of government- always the grey areas of who is in charge, and who pays for what, and the doubling up of resources and jurisdictions like roads. There always seems to be as stoush over the proportion of funds state/federal pay for major roadworks. It has been suggested that we do away with State government, and expand local government. Depoliticising the head of Federal government also - how about making Aus a republic? A President with no political affiliation. Ok that’s enough fantasising. Re Anastasia- she’s one tough cookie, but I sensed she is feeling the pressure. Everyone dealing with this crisis must be exhausted.
Esther wrote: "Janice wrote: "I figure if we get tables against the wall at the back, we reduce the number of people walking back and forth. And we're bringing our own sanitation, etc, to have at our tables.."H..."What a lovely idea - knitting in the park. And so relaxing. I love how people are adapting to the circumstances
Janice wrote: "When my son went on his bike tour this summer, he found that he couldn't camp in any of the federal campsites. Those were restricted to trailers (caravans for our British folk) who were self suffic..."So much inconsistency. I’ve often thought about the items on shelves being touched so I am consciously trying not to pick things up to look at them.
Janice wrote: "I would never have gone to Edmonton this summer if I hadn't needed to go. They have far more cases than here. I'm always amazed when I hear of people travelling around. There seems to be a lot of i..."So jealous of your trip to Jasper. I’ve been there once and have great memories. Any snow there at the moment?
For the school holidays in a few weeks’ time, we’re heading out to Quilpie - outback Queensland - in our caravan. It’ll be interesting to see what restrictions are enforced.
Shirley wrote: "So jealous of your trip to Jasper. I’ve been there once and have great memories. Any snow there at the moment?"No snow at the moment. But it's supposed to get cold. Of course, it may be different in the mountains. We usually go the first week of October and always get snow, so we're hoping to avoid that by going a little few weeks earlier.
@Esther.. do you have mandatory mask ruling in Quebec? Our city just passed a mandatory mask ruling IF the city and the county combined reach 100 active cases. Personally, I think that was a cowardly vote. The most we've had was a combined 35 cases. By setting it high like that, they are appeasing both sides of the debate. Without a mask mandate, the retreat can be mask free. Unfortunately.
Janice wrote: "Shirley wrote: "So jealous of your trip to Jasper. I’ve been there once and have great memories. Any snow there at the moment?"No snow at the moment. But it's supposed to get cold. Of course, it ..."Have a wonderful time.
Janice wrote: "@Esther.. do you have mandatory mask ruling in Quebec? Our city just passed a mandatory mask ruling IF the city and the county combined reach 100 active cases. Personally, I think that was a coward..."We have it since July. This ruling is provincial. We need one anywhere inside or in public transport. The exception being when sitting at a table as you cannot eat/drink with a mask. But restaurant/cafe have less tables than usual so social disassociation is observed.
Janice wrote: "Without a mask mandate, the retreat can be mask free. Unfortunately."Do you have some you can wear at the retreat? I've been doing that. No mask mandate here yet but encouraged, and we are encouraged to on campus. I don't in our office, and at the tiny corner shops down the road, but anything else I've been masking up.
I have one with chooks on it.
Shirley wrote: "Rusalka wrote: "Shirley wrote: "There is a political sh**storm happening here in Australia at the moment over border restrictions between states, with our PM taking sides. This is what we hear: “th..."Oh Federation vs the States has always been an issue. Look at the buck passing between them both with education and health over the years. This time I am fully on the side of the States though.
As someone in a place with only two levels of government, I don't think you want that in the States. Our Legislative Assembly spends so much time on things like bin collection days, and then debates legalising euthanasia an hour later. There just needs to be clarity and accountability for who (Feds vs State) is responsible for what, which I think has blurred over the past 100 years.
Hear you on the republic though.
I think Anastasia, along with Andrew, Gladys, Daniel, etc all deserve a very long holiday. Fires then pandemic means 2020 has been insane. Andrew Barr here has dealt with smoke starting in Dec 2019, then fires Jan 2020, hail destroying the suburbs where 60% of our workers and government buildings are in Jan 2020, then more fires, and then pandemic hitting Feb 2020. I really don't think any of them have had a day off, and it must be absolutely exhausting, whether I agree with their politics or not. Good on Anastasia for calling out the PM yesterday though. She is completely right and they are entirely a bunch of bullies trying to discredit the States, conveniently ignoring every time they have disallowed anyone wanting to attend a funeral or see a loved one or whatever when they are recognised refugees over the past 10 years
*kicks that bucket of worms over and runs off into the distance*
Rusalka wrote: "Janice wrote: "Without a mask mandate, the retreat can be mask free. Unfortunately."Do you have some you can wear at the retreat? I've been doing that. No mask mandate here yet but encouraged, an..."
My friend and I had a strategy session the other night. We've decided to not wear masks. We are going to sit at the very back of the hall against the wall so that traffic by our stations will be reduced. We're taking hand sanitizer and wipes that we will keep at our station and use frequently.
We have 22 people registered and paid. The one I defriended on Facebook (who was going to Walmart and be an ignorant piece of work) has not registered yet. I'm hoping she doesn't come.
I love that you have a mask with chooks on it. I have owl fabric that I should make into one for myself. I have two cloth masks. One is a pale blue and the other is a multi-coloured batik. I also have a box of disposables.
Esther wrote: "Janice wrote: "We have it since July. This ruling is provincial. ..."Here the ruling is municipal. The municipality has to change their by-laws in order to implement a mandatory mask requirement. I'm not sure if the province can supersede that.
Janice wrote: "Esther wrote: "Here we have to wear a mask inside if you are standing up and moving around. Not a bad idea, IMO. You could do this..."I got an email from the main organizer about a door prize thi..."Oh dear. Sounds like she’s a COVID-doubter. Head in sand won’t save lives. I hope you can enjoy your quilt retreat without too much stress. Your strategy should help.
Rusalka wrote: "Shirley wrote: "Rusalka wrote: "Shirley wrote: "There is a political sh**storm happening here in Australia at the moment over border restrictions between states, with our PM taking sides. This is w..."Thanks for your insight re levels of government. Sure needs to be some tightening up of responsibilities etc. Is anyone game to pick up that bucket of worms?
We have to wear masks here in shops and many otherr places by law. There are exemptions. I am exempt due to having asthma but i still wear one. I made some for us. Mine have black and red rabbits on and Rob's has skul and crossbones on. I struggl with them tthough if i have to wear them for too long so, although i hate to use disposables, i might have to as they are definitely better for me breath with.
God of sick of coronavirus now. Yesterday we had the most cases recorded in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. That's more than when we were at our peak. Sure we have more testing now than we did back then, but still. Things are not looking good. Hospital admissions and deaths have started to go back up again but gradually. We've had token restrictions put in place this week so the government look like they are doing something but it really isn't enough. What is closing the pubs at 10pm really going to do? I suspect we are heading for heavier restrictions soon. The Chancellor announced about support for employees yesterday but it is really pretty rubbish. So many people are going to be made redundant as companies cannot afford to keep them on. Self employed will only get 20% of their average profit which is kind of pointless for me. I feel like we're in groundhog day. We're right back at the start, like we were in March. You'd have thought the government would have learnt from the first time round.
Oh, that is very disappointing, Sarah.
Sarah wrote: "God of sick of coronavirus now. Yesterday we had the most cases recorded in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. That's more than when we were at our peak. Sure we have more testing no..."The ups and downs are crazy. But closing pubs at 10:00 actually will do good. We had a huge spike in cases in my town and the towns surrounding us after July 4th. (I live in a summer tourist town). Our governor had all restaurants and bars stop serving alcohol at 10pm in my section of the state. Our cases dramatically decreased. Our state is one of the few that is not seeing an increase in cases. They just lifted the 10 pm alcohol curfew I think because college students have headed back, so we'll see if we increase again. But it worked for us.
Sarah wrote: "God of sick of coronavirus now. Yesterday we had the most cases recorded in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. That's more than when we were at our peak. Sure we have more testing no..."I hear you Sarah! We have similar issues here. We knew opening the school would bring the numbers up. The karaoke thing, no one saw it coming. But it is mostly people being people.
Quebec has a color code from green to red. We are now in Orange in the QC area. They shorten the pub/bar hours as well. it is is believed that parties have moved to private location. We have a bunch of people (covidiot is the term used now) that are just not taking it seriously. They will wear a mask (it`s a ruling) but will visit each other and not social distance.
It just makes me mad. I wish I could send the ones that are screaming "Liberty! Quebec is now a dictatorship (yes, because we need to wear a mask) in some other country to broaden their experience. Give them a crash course on how awesome Quebec actually is.
I really don't see how closing pubs at 10pm can help. I know over here people would go out earlier. Here the rates are rising rapidly and our "wet" pubs, those that don't serve food, have rust reopened. Logic be damned!!!
Here, people will just go round their mates when thee pub closes or go out earlier so it doesn't reduce the amount of time spent with other people. With all pubs and restaurants closing aat the same time instead of staggered like they used to be caused a massive rush hour in London on the tubes. There were people everywhere. Yes we have the covidiot term here too Esther. And people comparing the UK to nazi germany because of all the rules and having to wear face masks. It's so ridiculous. Seems like we're all having similar experiences.
Sarah wrote: "Here, people will just go round their mates when thee pub closes or go out earlier so it doesn't reduce the amount of time spent with other people. With all pubs and restaurants closing aat the sam..."Yes. People are people. That is universal, The good and the bad...
Oh Sarah, it really sucks. I am so sorry you are having to go through this again. I've been watching from afar and just been aghast at the UK, mainly as I know how it impacts people I care about on the ground. Not some academic notion of the state or the economy.Here Melbourne's beginning to edge out of it's hard lockdown of 8 weeks. They need less that an average of 30 cases over two weeks to get out. They have achieved it, and about to maintain it for a couple of weeks. But it's a slow releasing of restrictions to ensure it doesn't happen again. I really appreciate what they have down as I know how mobile Australians are how quickly it would spread. But i am very glad to be here in Canberra watching what they are going through.
I'm glad to hear Melbourne is getting a handle on it Rusalka. Australia has been threw so much in the past 12 months. I think the 14 day, rolling average is the international standard for measurement now. It is scary how fast things can change though. Over here Donigan was the county that got away the lightest and yesterday it has the the highest rate in Ireland or the UK. I think they'd started to feel immune. As this is the one county bisected by the border, it actually was the cause of cross-border co-operation - sad to think it takes a suber bug to do that!
I don't know how it goes in other countries right now as I try not to follow all the news about it, but it's getting worse here again. I try not to, but I feel so anxious about it. The rules and measures are constantly changing. We have a new governement and they say that there won't be another lockdown, but the day after the new governement there were already stricter measurements and now they're talking about a second lockdown.
It hass gott really bbadd here again too Saar. We're up to 20000 new cases each day and just over 100 deaths per day. We have a new local lockdown three tier system come in this week. People are calling for a circuit break lockdown. Scotland and Northern Ireland are going ahead with them. I suspect we'll follow suit. A week or so back, I was all up for another lockdown but after the weekend when i went to bournemouth for work and had such a lovely time playing normal, I don't eant it to happen. But the cases are getting ridiculous, so I think it prrobably needs to happen. God I hope a vaccine comes through soon.
Yes, it's getting bad in the UK too, and in the Netherlands and Germany. I just don't want to look at the numbers, I need some normality...Now there are regional lockdowns for a month in the country, but not sure on how everything will evolve after that. The governement is talking about not coming together as a family for Christmas. I mean, this is just bad...
It's getting worse here too Saar. Our chief medical officer is advising a "circuit breaker", a complete lockdown for 2 - 4 weeks. Our government has refused. I think if it was up to me we would have taken medical advise rather than commercial. I think we will regret this!
Here is it the scientists who are in the advising board against the governement.
It is bad here too. I have been having a tough time with my depression again. Everyone please stay safe
It is up here as well. We re on partial lockdown for the month of October.
I think the colder weather is making the transmission easier, with people sharing closed spaces. And still many people can't follow the basic measures...
We had 29 active cases which was the highest number ever. Then Walmart had an outbreak with 12 employees testing position. We learned yesterday that our numbers rose to 41. Today, 2 more were added. So we now have 43 active cases.
It's up in my state again too. I think it's a combination of things. Kids are back in school, cooler weather, and people are just over it and letting their guard down. I'm taking a gardening course and half of the classes are outside (which is great), but the other half are inside a big classroom. Everyone is socially distanced and are supposed to wear masks, but there are some that won't and the director doesn't say anything. After witnessing this on the first day of class I went to the director and told her I will do the zoom option. It's not as fun as being there in person, but it isn't worth getting sick.
I'm watching over here at everyone through fingers over my eyes, horrified at what is potentially about to happen if not already.Again, stay safe everyone. Love to you all. Wear your masks, wash even thought your hands are raw (mine still are), and stay away from groups of people.
Melbourne was supposed to be out of lockdown this week, but 1 guy has caused over 400 people all over Victoria (the state of which Melbourne is the capital) to go into 14 days quarantine. 1 guy.
Renee, look after youself and try to stay positive. I know that's easier said than done but it's not forever - this time next year we will have a vaccine.Jayme, good call on the gardening class. I am feeling very sad that my live book club has decided not to meet on zoom because "it's not as much fun". It's social contact at least!
Today our government announced on house and garden visits. I feel a bit isolated. We can still meet outside in small groups for outdoor dining. I think I smell a plot to boost pubs and restaurants!
Janice wrote: "We had 29 active cases which was the highest number ever. Then Walmart had an outbreak with 12 employees testing position. We learned yesterday that our numbers rose to 41. Today, 2 more were added..."Sandra, I think you're right this virus thrives in the cold or in the confined conditions that the cold creates.
Janice, that is a bit rise even though the numbers are still low.
Be safe all!
Rusalka wrote: "I'm watching over here at everyone through fingers over my eyes, horrified at what is potentially about to happen if not already.Again, stay safe everyone. Love to you all. Wear your masks, wash ..."
Wow, that really is a super transmitter. 1 to 400! I'm assuming he was in a high contact job?
Loads of regions have just moved up a tier bringing further restrictions. I'm still in a 'medium' area but cases are rising fast all over the country. A customer at the pub just 1 mile away from me (also a boater) tested positive a couple days ago, so it is about. I had hoped the government would have learnt from the first wave. But no. They are still being dragged kicking and screaming and leaving everything too late. I had started to be optimistic about things but it's all looking very bleak right now.
Margo wrote: "Wow, that really is a super transmitter. 1 to 400! I'm assuming he was in a high contact job?"He was a truck driver I believe. And the worst was he didn't disclose where he had been when asked. So there has been a 12 day lag from when he had been in the towns to now. And here anyone who has come in contact with a case has to quarantine, so exponentially that's blown out.
CoronaVirus
Ireland has begun a 6 week lockdown today. Hope it does the trick.
Margo wrote: "Ireland has begun a 6 week lockdown today. Hope it does the trick."Hopefully is does better that our "almost lock down" month.
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
Catch-22 (other topics)The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories (other topics)
I thought it was super sweet. I have wondered so many times since March how bad it is for senior's mental health to be isolated. They are at high risk so it is necessary and out of discussion, but we know how important it is to keep them active and socializing. It 's been so many months now... Isolation is bad for everyone, but I can't even imagine the consequences it is having for seniors.
My grandma passed last October so she didn't get to see this mess, but she was so chatty, every one in the neighborhood loved her and socializing with her neighbors was a big part of his day and life. I don't know what we would have done to keep her isolated. I mean, I'm sure she would have respected the rules and stayed inside, but it would also have killed her. It was what kept her connected to this world.