quote:

Originally posted by esdunbar:
I’m supposed to get on a plane Friday for a two week trip to Hawaii. I don’t think I’m going to go. I’m not at all worried about the virus. I’m worried about the over reaction and how fast things are moving right now.

I don’t want to be out of the building at a time like this. The response is what worries me.

That's a wise decision because SIGFORUM reports that the entire Island chain is out of toilet paper...….what's a vacation without toilet paper????

quote:

Originally posted by Russ59:
Funny thing. Yesterday we booked SFO to Oslo returning through Dublin for late June.

Norwegian Air?
You'll have a good time, that time of year the weather is very favorable and pleasant.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
...what's a vacation without toilet paper????

Sticky

So we fly home from Poland via UK on Wednesday, after seeing to headlines this morning we almost thought we would have to work remote from the Tatry mountains.

That would be terrible

As it is this may mean that either the flight will be fairly empty or an absolute madhouse.

We are scheduled to send our newly married son and wife to London for their honeymoon mid May.
Everything is bought and paid for...should be interesting to see what the status is in two months as I’m sure things will change by then...

quote:

Originally posted by RAMIUS:

I'll check back on this guy in two weeks.

Meanwhile we're set to break the 2,000 mark of cases today over here. I expect that to rise sharply as testing capabilities are being ramped up. Only three deaths so far, all over 70 with pre-existing conditions. We've been lucky in that the initial waves were mostly youngish, healthy folks; first that Bavarian auto parts company with a direct link to China which was contained, then a lot of people returning from trips to Italy - school classes, skiers etc. As somebody said on another board, if (or when) this hits a nursing home or two, the fatality rate won't look so good anymore.

Various mass events cancelled, sports events without audiences. Measures like outright bans on events, closing of schools etc. still under debate. Currently working in advertizing, and we are beginning to feel the impact with customers cancelling due to this. The caterer I mentioned before as getting hit by the cancellation of the International Tourism Fair told me that he cannot see beyond one or two months right now. Our office has made provisions for everyone to work from home, but this job usually involves a lot of personal customer interactions for most, so it won't do much good overall.

I'm not worried for myself; as I keep saying, chances are I won't even notice if I get the bug since I have a chronically runny nose anyway, and my neck tends towards slight spinal stenosis, with effects that can feel like a bit of the flu sometimes, just without the fever. But I see also somewhat of a problem therein. As noted earlier, both my parents are at high risk, not just from being mid-70s; my mother narrowly survived a lung edema in December, and my father is a stroke patient with an appointment in two weeks to remove a kidney stone which is the likely culprit for repeated recent bouts of urosepsis.

Their area is so far clean, and I'm seriously considering not to travel home for Easter next month as usual, lest I unwittingly bring something with me from metropolitan Berlin. Would suck for them and me, but them catching the bug might suck a lot more.

I’ve received about a dozen store emails saying how they clean their stores and you can buy online. Credit cards and banks sending another message that they will work with you and to use online tools.

They almost copy each other in language.

We're scheduled to get on a Viking boat in St Petersburg on May 4 for a river cruise to Moscow. It may not happen.

https://www.usatoday.com/story...il-may-1/5030006002/

Viking Cruises cancels all cruises until May 1 due to coronavirus pandemic

Hannah Yasharoff
USA TODAY
March 12, 2020

Viking Cruises announced it is cancelling cruises through April 30, becoming the first major cruise line to take such drastic measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Viking chairman Torstein Hagen wrote in a letter to passengers Wednesday that the company had made the "difficult decision to temporarily suspend operations" for river and ocean cruises beginning Thursday through April 30.

"I am writing today because the situation has now become such that operating as a travel company involves significant risks of quarantines or medical detentions, which could diminish the travel experiences for which our guests have been planning," Hagen wrote. "As a private company with strong finances, we do not have to worry about quarterly profit expectations – and that flexibility allows us the ability to do what is best for our guests and our employees, as we have always done."

A female traveler on a 29-passenger Southeast Asia river cruise was exposed "in recent days" to coronavirus "while in transit on an international airline," Hagen told passengers, adding that she was not exhibiting symptoms but had been quarantined. "Separately, the remaining 28 guests will also be quarantined."

Hagen also cited other travel restrictions caused by coronavirus for the company's decision: Major ports, "including Venice, Monte Carlo and Bergen" have closed for the time being, big tourist attractions have been closed, and an increasing number of travel restrictions and lockdowns abroad and in the U.S. have squashed usual public gatherings.

"This is a decision we made with a heavy heart, but with present circumstances what they are, we are unable to deliver the high-quality Viking experience for which we are known," Hagen added. "We will stand by our guests, employees

This coronavirus chart shows why social distancing is necessary



s coronavirus has spread, Americans have become more familiar with the term "social distancing" -- a reference to the cancellation of events, closure of schools, and migration to working at home -- meant to minimize human contacts that can more rapidly spread the virus

As the list of cancellations and closures has piled up, I've sensed a growing skepticism among some people who see this as an over overreaction. So I thought it would be worth taking a moment to explain why experts say these strategies are absolutely essential if we are to avoid a catastrophe that will overwhelm our medical system and cause a massive death toll.

There are three skeptical questions that seem to come up a lot.

1) The virus has only affected about 1,300 in a country of 330 million. Isn't it an over-reaction to cancel all these events?

The answer to this is no, it isn't an overreaction at all, because that number can grow very quickly. Just over 2 weeks ago, President Trump was talking about how there were only 15 cases in the country -- and now we're at 1,312 -- or 87 times that amount. Italy, which currently has over 12,000 cases and has now had to be completely shut down, was about where we are just 12 days ago.

The important thing to keep in mind is that it isn't just the overall number of cases over time that's important, but making sure that as few people as possible are sick at the peak of the outbreak. The reason is that the medical system can handle a steady flow of patients. But once the system exceeds capacity -- running out of beds and life-saving medical equipment -- those with severe symptoms are at much higher risk because they cannot get the care they need. That's when the fatality rate spiked in China and Italy.

Taking dramatic steps early pays off by slowing down the growth of the virus and reducing the number of cases at the peak, helping to avoid a system-wide collapse.

2) If the virus is relatively harmless to children, why would we shut down schools?

The problem is that even if children get a mild form of it, they could then interact with somebody older or more vulnerable.

3) Why can't people just go to large events if they want to take the risk?

This isn't a case of just the risk to an individual, as in when a person decides to do an extreme sport such as base jumping. If somebody goes to a large event and gets sick, he or she could then transmit that disease to somebody else. Because of the long 14 day incubation period, mild symptoms in a lot of people, those with coronavirus may walk around infecting other people without even knowing they have it.

Now, I promised there would be a chart, and here it is, courtesy of the Institute for Disease Modeling. In a working paper, researchers estimated the potential growth of coronovirus in the coming weeks in two Washington counties that have been hardest hit by the virus. What they found was that if business continued on as usual, there would be 25,000 cases and 400 deaths by April 7th. With a 25% reduction in contacts among people, those numbers drop to 9,700 infections and 160 deaths. If contacts are cut in half, infections drop to 4,800 and deaths to 100. And if there were a more dramatic 75% reduction, there would be 1,700 infections and 30 deaths.

https://www.washingtonexaminer...tancing-is-necessary

Wife and I are supposed to go to Germany to visit family in the Stuttgart are next month....

Cant figure out if we will be allowed back if we do go. Also, likely airlines aren't going to be running one way trips...

quote:

Originally posted by BansheeOne:

quote:

Originally posted by RAMIUS:

I'll check back on this guy in two weeks.

Meanwhile we're set to break the 2,000 mark of cases today over here. I expect that to rise sharply as testing capabilities are being ramped up. Only three deaths so far, all over 70 with pre-existing conditions. We've been lucky in that the initial waves were mostly youngish, healthy folks; first that Bavarian auto parts company with a direct link to China which was contained, then a lot of people returning from trips to Italy - school classes, skiers etc. As somebody said on another board, if (or when) this hits a nursing home or two, the fatality rate won't look so good anymore.

Various mass events cancelled, sports events without audiences. Measures like outright bans on events, closing of schools etc. still under debate. Currently working in advertizing, and we are beginning to feel the impact with customers cancelling due to this. The caterer I mentioned before as getting hit by the cancellation of the International Tourism Fair told me that he cannot see beyond one or two months right now. Our office has made provisions for everyone to work from home, but this job usually involves a lot of personal customer interactions for most, so it won't do much good overall.

I'm not worried for myself; as I keep saying, chances are I won't even notice if I get the bug since I have a chronically runny nose anyway, and my neck tends towards slight spinal stenosis, with effects that can feel like a bit of the flu sometimes, just without the fever. But I see also somewhat of a problem therein. As noted earlier, both my parents are at high risk, not just from being mid-70s; my mother narrowly survived a lung edema in December, and my father is a stroke patient with an appointment in two weeks to remove a kidney stone which is the likely culprit for repeated recent bouts of urosepsis.

Their area is so far clean, and I'm seriously considering not to travel home for Easter next month as usual, lest I unwittingly bring something with me from metropolitan Berlin. Would suck for them and me, but them catching the bug might suck a lot more.

Loudoun County Public Schools have cancelled classes through March 20, 2020.

Talk about disrupting lives.

quote:

Originally posted by Ken226:

quote:

Originally posted by RAMIUS:
Is there a “Face Palm” meme extreme enough in regard to that NBA player’s actions?

Perhaps not, but:

https://i.postimg.cc/0QqH4Ts4/giphy.gif

Those are woman's hands. Hmmmm ...

quote:

The answer to this is no, it isn't an overreaction at all, because that number can grow very quickly. Just over 2 weeks ago, President Trump was talking about how there were only 15 cases in the country -- and now we're at 1,312 -- or 87 times that amount. Italy, which currently has over 12,000 cases and has now had to be completely shut down, was about where we are just 12 days ago

China covered this up for 2 months, then we're slow to respond. Based on this, 80% of China should be infected by now.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
<snip>
That's a wise decision because SIGFORUM reports that the entire Island chain is out of toilet paper...….what's a vacation without toilet paper????

To paraphrase Marie Antoinette:

Let them use Wet Wipes.

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:

quote:

The answer to this is no, it isn't an overreaction at all, because that number can grow very quickly. Just over 2 weeks ago, President Trump was talking about how there were only 15 cases in the country -- and now we're at 1,312 -- or 87 times that amount. Italy, which currently has over 12,000 cases and has now had to be completely shut down, was about where we are just 12 days ago

China covered this up for 2 months, then we're slow to respond. Based on this, 80% of China should be infected by now.

You are 34 times more likely to panic if you stop using logic and reason.

Wow, you finally are able to test for new cases, and you find new cases. Crazy I know.

Johns Hopkins released a study indicating a 5.1 day median incubation period. 97.5% show symptoms in 11.5 days. Not a huge change but a shorter period would help better identify and isolate.

Of course that's based off some Chinese cases so, who know how to filter that.

Linky

Highly recommend Tuesday's Joe Rogan podcast featuring Michael Osterholm. He's local to us here in MInnesota (U of M) and is 'the' go-to-guy when it comes to infectious disease.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
Loudoun County Public Schools have cancelled classes through March 20, 2020.

Talk about disrupting lives.

Pandemic pushes area colleges to move classes online

My daughter is attending BOTH University of Mary Washington and Germanna (dual enrollment nursing program) so now all of her classes are online. Problem is, we have Hughes Net satellite internet and it's good for surfing SigForum and nothing else. Can't stream anything and don't try to watch a youtube video over 3 minutes because it'll take all day to load. So now, we are left trying to figure out how she's supposed to do her classes. This is just ridiculous.

quote:

Originally posted by mutedblade:

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
Loudoun County Public Schools have cancelled classes through March 20, 2020.

Talk about disrupting lives.

Pandemic pushes area colleges to move classes online

My daughter is attending BOTH University of Mary Washington and Germanna (dual enrollment nursing program) so now all of her classes are online. Problem is, we have Hughes Net satellite internet and it's good for surfing SigForum and nothing else. Can't stream anything and don't try to watch a youtube video over 3 minutes because it'll take all day to load. So now, we are left trying to figure out how she's supposed to do her classes. This is just ridiculous.

How is cell service around you? Maybe get a Verizon hotspot if service is available. Or use your existing cell service, again, if available.

We have Verizon hotspots dedicated for my salesmen when they go on the road. That way their phones are not tied up when they need to be online. Hope it is an option for you, but not always viable due to coverage.

quote:

Originally posted by Ken226:

quote:

Originally posted by RAMIUS:
Is there a “Face Palm” meme extreme enough in regard to that NBA player’s actions?

Perhaps not, but:

Don’t touch your face!!