April 2, 2020
-Gas price was $1.35 at Costco. See pic.
-School cancelled until at least May 1st in KY. We expect it will be closed for the remainder of the school year.
-Parents are holding classes at their kitchen tables while kids do their NTI work (non-traditional instruction)
-Teachers are parading through neighborhoods to wave at their students from a safe distance. Morale boost.
-Self-distancing measures are the rule of the land.
-Jails and prisons are releasing non-violent and non-sexual offenders.
-Nation Guardsmen and women are stationed at all of our hospitals.
-Tape is on the floors at grocery stores and other stores to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other while they wait to check out.
-Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors. Looks like Black Friday but everyone is at 6 ft distance. Herded like cattle.
-Special store hours for the elderly and immune/health compromised people.
-Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed. Many large stores can only sell necessary items since many are going shopping just to get out of the house.
-Only restaurants who can deliver their food curb-side or pick up window are open for take out. Even alcohol can be sold for take out.
-Barber shops and salons are all mandated closed.
-Parks, trails, campgrounds, entire cities locked up.
-Entire sports seasons cancelled indefinitely.
-Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.
-Weddings, family celebrations, birthday parties, Sunday dinners at Mom's, holiday gatherings, proms, graduations- cancelled.
-All religious gatherings, churches are closed and are holding services online.
-No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, then 10 or more. Including funerals for those who’ve passed.
-Children are visiting Mom and Dad via their nursing home windows since nursing homes, rehab centers are closed to visitors.
-Virtual doctors visits are offered to limit exposure.
-Retired drs and medical staff are being called back to duty.
-Medical professionals are rushing to the hardest hit cities to relieve sick and exhausted.
-Only emergency surgeries and procedures are allowed.
-Field Hospitals are being built. Motels/hotels/conference centers/dormatories are being prepared as field hospitals, overflow and quarantine facilities. Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients and for patients who need medical care that do not have the virus. Sick are told to not go to the hospitals. Stay home unless near death, breathing issues. Otherwise call your Dr for advice.
-Cruise ships are being rescued with ill and dead on board. The US has stopped further cruises from sailing. Vacations cancelled.
-Healthcare professionals video conferencing families of patients on their death beds to say final goodbyes since visitation is not possible.
-Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home. Neighbors wave from the opposite side of the street as they take their walks.
-Children's outdoor play parks are closed. Basketball hoops have 2x4 boards screwed on them so they cannot be used.
-Shortage of PPE (personal protective equipment), masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.
-Crafters are sewing masks for medical workers. 3D printers make face shields and respirators.
-Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill. States must bid against one another and against FEMA.
-Dentist offices are closed.
-People are panic buying toilet paper, disinfecting supplies, paper towels, hand sanitizer, and limited options in meat dept, frozen section, canned food, cereal, and eggs.
-Shelves are often bare because of hoarders. Though we are being told we have plenty in food supplies. Stores are limiting items per person.
-Many of us buy our groceries for delivery (left at the door) or for pick-up.
-Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make clear visors, surgical masks, hand sanitizer, ventilators and PPE.
-Government closes the borders to all non-essential travel. Few air travel, train or buses.
-Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear closes borders of state to anyone but truckers and those traveling for essential work. Many states around us have not issued stay at home orders and have very high numbers of cases compared to us.
-Fines are established for breaking the rules.
-Before going to the ER you are told to call your primary care Dr to determine if you should ride it out or go get tested for the virus.
-Press conferences daily from the President. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths. Gov. Beshear holds one at 5pm.
-Government now begs us to stay home and flatten the curve. Though this week was the first week President Trump has taken this seriously and listened to the leading drs. This has put making state stay at home orders up to the governor's. Republicans have all held off making orders and numbers are surging in those states.
-Barely anyone on the roads.
-Those that can, work from home. Video conferencing software becomes in demand more than most others.
-Theaters are closed, so movies that would be going to theaters are offered to rent and stream online.
-Amazon warehouse workers have walked off on strike asking for more protective measures be done by their owner, Jeff Bezos.
-Delivery drivers,mail carriers and clerks are becoming ill from the virus. Packages delayed.
-Everyone is taking their temps because we know people are most contagious before they have symptoms and fevers often happen first. Employees still going to work are met with a temperature taker at the doors. Airlines test people at airport security, etc.
-Cities like NYC are so overwhelmed with cases, they have run out of body bags and are packing dead bodies in "temporary morgues" aka refrigerated semi trailers.
-People wearing masks and gloves in public.
-Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.
-Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.
-Unemployment numbers are larger than ever before. Even during the great depression.
-Nearly everyone knows someone who has the virus. Though getting a test is rare and only for those in contact with a person already diagnosed. More tests come online each day and nearly every community in KY has a diagnosed case.
-My favorite quote from the media today, in regards of some states moving early to close things down and keep folks home, like Kentucky, others have chosen not to (like Florida, they even allowed spring breakers to flood their beaches and now their numbers are scary), "Having some states shelter in place and others not [to slow the spread], is like making peeing zones in a swimming pool."
This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.
KY today has 680 total cases and 20 deaths.
US total cases 243,134 and total deaths 5,864
Silver lining is that our pool is open. Will be nice to have an activity outside of the house.
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