Life in quarantine

[Kossu]

Seeing how many people CoVID-19 has affected, I thought I'd make a new thread, where we can discuss our situations, frustrations etc.

After the outbreak that started in December in China, I was alarmed, but I didn't expect it to affect so many.

Here in the Netherlands, they didn't take serious measures until a few weeks ago. And people are still pretty laid back in my opinion (the great weather the last days isn't helping). People are still allowed to go out in groups of 3 people max. Most stores have closed, including cafes, restaurants etc. There will be restrictions here until the 1st of June.

We are spending our time with my partner indoors most of the time and usually go out for walks in the evening, as it gets tiring to be stuck in a 20m² apartment. In April we will move to a new place and somehow we hope it will all go smoothly. We had plans to get married in May and my parents were going to visit as well, but none of that can happen now. I am a bit sad about it all, but on the other hand it's most important that everyone stays safe. Everything else can wait and happen another time, so I can live with it. I just hope the situation can be contained soon. :(

[nathalie]

I'm happy Bindi Irwin got her wedding day yesterday, but unlike her, we all don't own a huge piece of (private) land, or a zoo like they do to still have the wedding.
I thought it was a bit ... thoughtless towards everyone else who's not able to get their wedding in these next few months. They aren't the only ones that were planning a wedding for about a year now.

It's hard for us.
Even though, in May we'll be together for 4 years, we've not been together like this.
We are in a double bedroom (shared house), and do have a separate bathroom, but there's no where to go.
We share the kitchen with 2 others, of who we don't know where they go, who they meet, so can they bring the virus back with them, you just don't know.
The woman who recently moved in downstairs, the day that Boris announced we have to stay in, she was still having visitors.
She'd better not bring anyone in the house for the next 3 weeks, because we will be knocking on her door to tell her to keep people out!

Adam's home from work for at least 8 weeks.
And we've never been together for so long, in this room.
We were either at my apartment (oh, how I miss it :( ) which had 6 rooms, so plenty of room, or we'd just be out, doing things, go to the city, a zoo, things like that.

So, I may end up killing him before these 8 weeks are up ... :lol:
No time like now, to really get to know your spouse! :lol:

For me, it's not much new I'm afraid.
Been in this room for the past 1,5 years since I moved, since this loser can't find a job *sigh*.
So I guess I'm kind of used to just sitting here, doing very little.

We were supposed to go to the beach this Sunday, as his mom has her own holiday home in Yorkshire.
With Adam now being home from work, we thought we'd go up there a week earlier, which would have been last Tuesday.
The holiday park said it would stay open for owners, and people who have a card to get in, which we have.
What better place to isolate yourself for 2 weeks, then a holiday home, at the beach, our own kitchen, 2 bedrooms.
But then they made the decision to close, so whe're here in this house with a bunch of idiots.

It is what it is.

I've been going to the supermarket every day for the past 2 weeks, because we have only 1 shelf in the fridge, and not much freezer space either, so we can't stock up like some people do.
And if people just wouldn't, there wouldn't be an issue -_-
I felt fine doing it, but then last Monday, I got such a huge scare, because people were even more close then they ever were, breathing down your neck.
Coughing and sneezing with no protection, mouth wide open into the air, like, SERIOUSLY ???

And on Adam's day off last week, we had to go to 4 different supermarkets, to actually get some food for 5-6 days, it's insane.

My panic disorder is causing me to feel pain that may not be real either.
It's really hard to tell now. As I'm so stressed out now, of maybe getting it, that my brain is starting to make the symptoms while I'm perfectly fine. But it's getting harder and harder to convince myself that I'm fine.
So I'm on meds almost every evening now for the past few days to stay calm.

THANK GOD PIZZAHUT STILL DELIVERS! :lol:

So we've had some things planned, and none of them will be happening.
Yes, I'm upset, but I do realize it's for the best now off course.
As long as we get refunds on all the things. Which then, isn't all too bad, it's a huge chunck of money we'll get back.

We were supposed to go to London today, to see the Prince of Egypt musical.
We had booked it in January, was my Christmas present from Adam.
We've gotten a refund on the train tickets last night, now just waiting for the musical tickets to be refunded.

Then Disneyland in June. I'm not having good eyes on that either.
As long as they keep the park officially closed, so should the hotels (the partner hotels), and we should get refunded on that too, aswell as Eurostar.
Our annual passes expire end of June, and, The Festival of The Lion King was returning, so great timing.
But even if it would be safe again by June, the festival wouldn't be happening (no time for rehearsels and such me thinks).

A nice thing is though, the amount of days the park is closed, will get added to our passes, so who knows, maybe August/September.

Then we were going to the beach again after coming back from Disney.

And at the end of August, we wanted to take the bike to Belgium and surprise my parents.
And then stay there for a few days.
(I need my dose of Belgian food ...)
I'm more upset about that, because I really miss the food, and just the country in general, and speaking my own language.

[KanuTGL]

I feel so sorry for everyone who had weddings, parties, travels and such planned for this spring :( Me and my partner were talking in October how we wanted to go to Paris/Disneyland in May or June this year, because we've never been on a bigger trip together, but since I'm still unemployed we ended up not booking anything. I'm kind of relieved about that now...

Otherwise, like I said in the other thread, Sweden is still handling this very differently from a lot of other places. There have been no lockdowns, restaurants and cafés are still generally open (with certain restrictions) and the maximum amount of people allowed in one venue is still 500(!). Feels a little crazy considering a lot of other countries are now going with the 2-people-limit 8O

But spread has been kind of slow here until now and our government is following our experts' advice... The more I listen to their daily press briefings, the more I'm becoming a fan of our no-nonsense super well-read state epidemiologists, haha. Things have started to take a turn for the worse since last night though. And, like I said yesterday, now I wish they'd put the capital in quarantine, because the self-entitled Stockholmian brats are the ones who are gonna bring the virus to the rest of us significantly quicker with their ski trips and Easter travels -_- So many of them seem to have no regard for anyone other than themselves and they will go travelling unless we force them to remain in their homes. Almost 50% of Swedish cases are in the Stockholm area and the rest of the country is furious with their rotten attitudes, hah.

I'm still doing okay myself... I live alone in my flat and I've two supermarkets literally across the street, so I don't need to go far for shopping. I took stock of what I actually have in my pantry and freezer last week and realised I'm pretty well-prepared for a 14-day lockdown if it was to come to that. The main uncomfortable thing is that I still need to use the shared laundry room because I don't have my own washing machine, which seems like a pretty small problem compared to what others are going through...

Yeah, I hear a lot about how quarantine will be a big test for a lot of relationships and families. I'm sooo glad I don't have any kids right now xP And my partner and I still live apart, so we can escape each other, haha...

It feels like this week will decisive for the spread in Sweden and what actions the government will take. One professor predicted that we're 1/3 of the way up the "curve" now, but who can know. We just have to take it one day at a time...

[nathalie]

I'd much rather be at home. My old room. Just a better feeling of being comfortable and feeling safe.

I also don't get people saying "UK should go on lockdown" but it's mainly them people who are still out in groups.
You really don't need the prime minister to tell you, to wash your damn hands, to stay away from people, just use your own common sense. All the deaths in the world due to this wasn't obvious enough already?

My parents & sister have been inside for 2 weeks now.
My mom gets 30 minutes inside the supermarket, and the one she goes to, has 2 by 2 meter squares on the ground, and only 20 people inside at a time.
And not allowed to stand in the same square as someone else.
I'm sure most of the country is doing it like this, I don't really know anyone anymore back home who lives elsewhere then my parents do.

I've been having like, a cough, like once per hour, so naturally, I'm already starting to think I'll be dead within 2 weeks. As that's just what my brain does.
But, I've just had a bit of a nasty cold over a week ago, and usually, it ends with having a bad cough, so it's probably just that lingering.
Thankfully, I have about 90 chill-pills left, haha!


Kanu, I'd wait until next year then to go to Disneyland Paris. Pretty sure it'll be back next year summer! (somewhere between June & September).
As the festival prooved to be very popular last year. That's why they were doing it again this year.

[cleargreenwater]

I've been having like, a cough, like once per hour, so naturally, I'm already starting to think I'll be dead within 2 weeks. As that's just what my brain does.
But, I've just had a bit of a nasty cold over a week ago, and usually, it ends with having a bad cough, so it's probably just that lingering.
Thankfully, I have about 90 chill-pills left, haha!

Meh, same. I've had a cough for about 3 weeks, then this week my ears are clogging up and post-nasal drip, it's probably allergies since it's that time of year. Of course I'm convinced my chest feels tight, but it's probably the constant anxiety causing it. Then my throat tastes funny, from the tooth infection. So all in all I'm convinced I'm dying. Plus I live with my mother who'se immune compromised, so naturally I feel like I'm going to kill her, too. It's rough. I don't have any chill pills, only these herbal chewy anti-stress things that don't do a damn thing for this level of anxiety.


Other than that, not much has changed, I'm still working 5 days a week just from the laptop at home. It's nice to be able to pet my dog Wally while things are printing, he's very elderly and the silver lining to all this is that I've been able to spend this time with him. I've felt bad leaving for work the last few months seeing how old he's getting. So now I get to smush him up on the couch whenever I can squeeze in a break. I'll be sad to go back to the office when this is over.

So I'm mostly just sitting around being sad and anxious, yikes. o_O Disney+, garden planning/preparing, and online genealogy is the only things saving me, lol.

[nathalie]

Meh, same. I've had a cough for about 3 weeks, then this week my ears are clogging up and post-nasal drip, it's probably allergies since it's that time of year. Of course I'm convinced my chest feels tight, but it's probably the constant anxiety causing it. Then my throat tastes funny, from the tooth infection. So all in all I'm convinced I'm dying. Plus I live with my mother who'se immune compromised, so naturally I feel like I'm going to kill her, too. It's rough. I don't have any chill pills, only these herbal chewy anti-stress things that don't do a damn thing for this level of anxiety.


It's terrible isn't it :(

I've been thinking for the past 6 days, every single time I swallow "did that hurt?", "did that feel like a sore throat?".
I've always had "bad ears". When it's very windy and I'm outside, the wind just goes through my ears, and it will bother me after a while.
I think that's mainly what's also been going on. Due to wearing the bike helmet, since it's too big, a lot of wind goes through it, so my ears are very sensitive now.
And it's all connected isn't it, ears/nose/throat.
My right ear does hurt a little bit, and my throat all the way up, to the right going to my ear.
Knowing all these things, 2 days ago I woke up in panic mode, feeling so sick, felt like I was going to throw up.

Your chest feeling tight, is a symptom for anxiety, I have it too. Knowing this, I still think I'm going to end up dead because of the virus, lol.
The mind works in a very strange way.
I've got my Xanax and some other meds that luckily work very well when I'm feeling too much panic.
2 days ago, I even had to call my doctor in Belgium, to ask how many I could take in 1 day.
He's like: are you feeling very distressed today?
I'm like: given the current situation, hell yeah ?!?

And I've been outside today, so untill next week Sunday, I'm going to be stressing again a lot more.

We went to the supermarket yesterday, and with all these new measurements, it felt even worse to be in there.
Some parts were blocked off, arrows on the ground, and even though only a certain amount of people allowed in (security guy outside with a clicker), people are still RIGHT UP IN YOUR FACE!
Whenever I was looking at something to get, an arm from a person next to me was sliding down my coat, like: dude, get away from me!

Without realizing, I smelled a bag of pot-pourri today in the store, came home, put anti-bacterial handgel on my nose, haha!

I'm very scared as to what this is going to do to my depression.
I'm normally not one to stay inside and live in my bunker, but I feel that when this is over (if it ever will be), I may not even want to go places anymore.
Untill there's a vaccin. I'd happily take a needle in my butt for this! (lol)

Yeah, sorry, I'm not very positive. Not afraid to say, that this is scaring me a lot :(
Not to mention life-wise, when looking at never finding a job, at least definately not this year, so my moral is just going down, down ... down.

[KanuTGL]

I'm sorry you're both feeling the stress so much from this :( It's a mad world right now, and we can't do more than our best :hugs:

Sweden is still staying relatively stable, and today during their daily press briefing they even said that the number of people in intensive care has gone down by a few cases in the past few days, so, that's... good!? Still too early to draw any conclusions and we still don't know when all hell breaks loose, but every day that stays on this level feels like a win... I'm seeing some international reports on the weird Swedish strategy too, which is amusing :')

R (the engineer-solider-"logic and science above all" boyfriend xP) is really good at staying calm and rational so far which helps me a lot too, but as cases build in our region I'm sure I'll be growing more skittish because I'm just like that, hah. Our region is second on the list of fastest-growing number of cases in the country at the moment :| We're not going to visit R's parents for a while now, since they're both in their 70s and his dad has pretty severe asthma. I won't see my family until this is over either probably, since I can only get to them by train and I don't want to use public transport right now... I was still hoping until the last couple of days that we might see the end of the worst of this by late April/early May, but that's definitely not happening. Oof.

But, yeah, on symptoms, I'm... starting to wonder if I might have had the virus? o_o After I came back from visiting my family three weeks ago (who had just returned from a northern Italy skiing holiday oh my gaaawd) I felt a bit off for a couple of days and felt like I might have had a fever, but when I checked my temperature I didn't. I had a somewhat stuffy nose and very slightly sore throat on and off for... two... weeks... that felt like a cold that was about to "break out" but never did. I didn't think much of it, because I only really noticed in the mornings and was fine during the day, but the other day I woke up feeling really good, like I do when I've recovered from an illness even though I haven't felt sick at all except for those two days. And... breathing is suddenly much easier? From one day to another there's been a definite difference. I've felt out of breath on walks lately and I've just put it down to me being so very out of shape and having no stamina, but now I'm like "waaait a minute...!?" No one in my family or their company have been sick since coming back from Italy (and there were 13 of them) and three weeks ago documented cases here were very few still - so where would I have got it from - and no one around me that I've met with since then has fallen ill, but the breathing thing feels pretty significant :nalawet: I wish the tests that can show if you've had the disease were available already because, not gonna lie, I'd be quite relieved if it showed that that's what this strange unidentified thing that I've had was :')

[Kossu]

Well, they do say that a lot of people experience just mild flu symptoms, or in some cases none at all. I hope you did have it Kanu, that way you'll have some immune protection at least.

We are wondering about the same thing with my partner, as we live in one of the provinces in the Netherlands with the most cases. While he was still at work a few weeks ago (now he works from home), he got a cold and we both had it for about 10 days with some mild symptoms. We both hope it was the virus, but it could have been just a simple cold as well. Who knows...We do want to get tested, if there is an opportunity in the future.

That aside, I can relate to Nathalie and CGW on the stress issue.:hugs:I feel a bit choked from stress these days, seeing how this affects the whole world. Also, knowing that my family is 2800km away doesn't help(both parents over 60 with serious chronic illnesses). There won't be any flights to Greece for a few weeks, which also contributes to extra stress. At least there's a lockdown there and they took measures relatively early. The cases are few for now and I hope it will stay that way...Even though they fear for the worst in areas with immigrant camps, on the islands.

Only good thing is that we can still go out, so a daily walk around the park and some fresh air does wonders. As long as the weather is ok, which was the case last week. It's almost April and I can't wait for summer to come. Warm weather and more sun, I need that so badly.:emo:

[cleargreenwater]

I've reached stage of not knowing what day it is. o_O

[Guntur]

Same,

Am I the only folks who is definitely okay but getting reclusive on this lockdown? I had like a month day off with pay leave but I'm glad I have a ton of gaming backlog on PC. My boss called me on monday over stuff but it wasn't bad because they all asked me about my cloud access to work at home.

[KanuTGL]

Yeah, me too. I've felt really confused about what day it is all this week and have to really think to remember 8O Otherwise things are still chugging along here, I guess... The number of cases is still going up, but it's at a fairly steady pace and I don't feel like the storm has hit us head on yet. I've been out and about in town for errands both today and yesterday, and the amount of people moving around town seems to be about the same? There are signs about social distancing and max amount of customers allowed in shops everywhere though. What's really sad is the amount of deaths we've had here =/ There's been a lot of cases in retirement homes, which is probably why, and it's really tragic that the sickness managed to get in there... I still wonder what the "judgement" on Sweden's strategy will be after all this is over...

[Aphelion]

Not much has changed for me since everything got locked down. I'm considered a key worker, so I'm still going to work every day, though we did decide to split our team up and start working shifts, to reduce the risk of the whole lab having to be shut if someone gets ill (thankfully, I'm still being paid full despite only working half hours, so that's a win)

So, I'm still managing to leave the house, and thankfully the food situation has gotten a lot better. A couple of weeks back I was starting to worry that I wouldn't be able to feed myself properly because all the super markets were empty, but that's not so much of an issue now.

I have been using some of my free time to catch up with some gaming. In recent weeks I've played through Doom Eternal, the Resident Evil 3 remake and I've just started the Final Fantasy VII remake, which I'm about 10 hours into now. Something that has got me a little concerned, though, I have a trip to Florida to visit Disney World planned for the first week in September. It would have been my first trip there, and while it's not yet been cancelled, I am worrying that things will still be locked down then and I'll have to cancel it. Obviously, if that's the case it'll be for the best and I'll hopefully be able to re-book my trip, but it's still a little disappointing.

[King Simba]

I’ve been incredibly productive during lockdown so far. I’m usually working but decided to take time off to not only protect myself, but since I’m still living at home, I want to protect my parents too (I work in a supermarket so have to work with the public, plus before lockdown when we went through the phase of panic buying, I was attacked by a man wanting to buy more than his share of toilet rolls :rolleyes:) So far I’ve cleaned the drive, painted the garden gates, done the garden several times, painted the hallway, cleaned the windows, and cars... maybe I should stop now before I run out of things to do. :lol:

I also second that I’m losing track of what day it is. I’m getting tired of watching the news and listening to all the negativity coming out of it. I think we could all do with some good news, but I hope you’re all staying safe and well. :hugs:

[Kossu]

Something that has got me a little concerned, though, I have a trip to Florida to visit Disney World planned for the first week in September. It would have been my first trip there, and while it's not yet been cancelled, I am worrying that things will still be locked down then and I'll have to cancel it. Obviously, if that's the case it'll be for the best and I'll hopefully be able to re-book my trip, but it's still a little disappointing.

September is still a long way from now though, so here's to hoping that the situation will have improved to an extent until then...

But yeah, on cancelled trips...I am concerned as well, as I want to try and visit my family in Greece sometime in June-July, but still don't know how things will be. It's just waiting and hoping for the best.

[King Simba]

But yeah, on cancelled trips...I am concerned as well, as I want to try and visit my family in Greece sometime in June-July, but still don't know how things will be. It's just waiting and hoping for the best.
I had a trip planned to the Greek Islands in June with my family, but we had word from the tour operator last week that it was going to be cancelled, so we’re now waiting for a refund, although I bet they will try to get us to accept vouchers or move it to a later date. It’s disappointing (we were all looking forward to our holiday) but it was to be expected.

I’m sure when all this is over with, we’ll all be able to enjoy travelling again. :)

[Guntur]

For my personal update? the Oil and Gas business is running but we haven't got any important document to go to the office atm.

[KanuTGL]

I feel even less quarantined now than before :curious: Probably because I've had so many errands to run in town this week, and by the amount of people I've seen while out and about, I'm guessing others feel the same... It's still not "carry on as normal" by any means, like I've seen some international reports say. Signs and warnings everywhere, stickers on the shop floors, plexiglass shields by every till. A big fashion chain just filed for bankruptcy today too, because of the business lost by the crisis. No one travels.

The Public Health Agency have been reporting that the spread seems to have reached a "plateau" in the capital and we're seeing pretty much the same amount of new cases from day to day though. Half of the deaths are from retirement homes, which is really tragic... But considering the conditions the carers have to work in I can't say I'm surprised, sadly... Hopefully we'll get a massive overhaul of the system once this is over :grrr:

It also turns out that Sweden records deaths from Covid-19 differently from some other countries, so our numbers look really high compared to our neighbours, which is interesting :thinks: Oof, numbers... I think fixating on graphs and data visualisations has been my way of coping with it all.

I really, really look forward to when this is over. I'm never going to take seeing my family and friends for granted ever again :emo:

[Sharifu]

I feel like so much has been changing over the past month for me and Petteri. I believe San Francisco was the first city in the U.S. to mandate a "shelter in place" order which started on March 17. At first it was to last until April 7, but it has now been extended to May 3. Basically it just means to stay home as much as possible. You can go out for walks to get exercise, and shop for only essentials like food and medication. And of course, make sure to social distance, keeping a six feet distance from people that you don't live with. Restaurants are only open for take out, if they are open at all. (Some are just closed during this time) We did order some take out a few days ago, for the first time since this happened. I thought it would be good to try to support some local businesses at this time. We ordered some Chinese food. :munch:

Petteri and I are mostly homebodies, we like spending time at home, we like to play video games, go online, watch YouTube, TV shows and movies. Of course we like to travel and go places too, but we can enjoy our time at home, so we don't really have a problem with it right now. Petteri also likes to play games on his computer, and I like to draw... (And I really should be working on my animated short so I can finally finish it!) So we don't really have that hard of a time staying home like some people do. Sometimes I do get a little bit of cabin fever, and I want to go for a walk outside, to get a little bit of exercise and fresh air, so I usually do that about once a week or so. If I feel like I want exercise but don't necessarily feel like I need to go outside, I will play Ring Fit Adventure on my Nintendo Switch. That game is fun and it really makes me work up a sweat when I play it! Petteri and I have also been playing a ton of Animal Crossing too. :lol:

When it comes to our jobs, I work at Whole Foods, which is a grocery store. My job is essential, so I was never worried about losing my job. People are always going to need food. Things started changing rapidly at my job just over the last month. There is no more coffee bar, or salad or hot bar. (Which was sort of buffet style food, and the food was priced per pound). People would normally help themselves to putting the food in the food container and then a cashier would weigh it when ringing them up. There is temporary no more seating to eat at our location. Plastic "sneeze" guards have been installed at every register. Each cashier is at every other register to maintain social distance between the registers. There is markers on the floor to remind people to keep a distance of six feet between each other. We spray and wipe down the registers between every customer with disinfect spray. We now have always have an employee at the cart return area to spray and disinfect the carts and hand baskets. We have to wear gloves, (which I change often) and just recently, we always have to wear a mask. Customers are not allowed to bring in their own reusable bags in the store, and if they do, we ask them not to put their bag on the counter. For the first hour of the morning, is for shoppers age 60 and over only. We normally close at 10:00 pm. But then it was changed to 8:00 pm. Then just last week, our hours are now that we close at 1:00 pm. They are doing this so our store can focus on doing online orders only, since so many people are doing online grocery orders through Amazon Prime. We are the only Whole Foods store in San Francisco that is closing at 1:00 pm currently. So customers have the option of shopping at a different Whole Foods store after 1:00 pm if they need to. Honestly I kind of like this. I like working in the store with no customers, it limits our exposure to so many people. I don't mind doing Amazon Prime Shopping.

Petteri worked at Car Rental place. I was a bit worried about Petteri's job, I don't know if rental cars were considered essential? But there are people in San Francisco who don't own a car, but they rent cars every once in a while. I guess because it's considered transportation, it is considered essential.

So I thought his job was safe. His hours weren't being cut either. But when he went to work last Tuesday, after working for a couple of hours, they sent him home. His job was terminated. :( I was mostly worried about this because we get our health insurance through his job. We will get health insurance for one more month, but that is it. I wish his job was furloughed, where we would continue to get health insurance through his job. So now I am trying to get health insurance for us through my job. I only work part time right now, and I have to work full time in order to qualify for health insurance. If I start working full time soon, I can get health insurance by May 1. If not, it will have to be June 1, as they can only start it the first of the month. I did talk to my HR and my boss. He is going to try to see if he can get me to start working full time soon, but he is not sure yet if there is enough in the team's labor budget to do that for me, he said the manager will look into that for me next week. But if that is not available for me, I might have to transfer to a different department that has a full time position available, or transfer to a different Whole Foods store... I honestly hate the idea of working full time, my shoulders and back hurt quite often after working a shift, but we have to do what we have to do. I am grateful I have a job still. And Petteri told me he will handle the cooking and cleaning. I guess for now he will be a house husband. :lol:

This is all a little stressful for me, worrying about health insurance. That is something I hate about this country, that health insurance is so dependent on your job... I think everyone should have the right to affordable health care no matter if they have a job or not... But anyways, I know we will get through this. If it's not until June 1 we get health insurance, we will only be without health insurance for about two weeks.

Petteri still got paid for a full day's shift that last day he was there, and he will be getting severance pay for seven weeks. He also applied for unemployment, so he will get getting that soon. He is going to use this time to try to work on coding and programming, so he can try to eventually get a job in his field. (He graduated the end of last year with a computer science degree)

All things considered, it's not the worst. Gotta stay positive and support each other. We are healthy, well at least I hope so! I know some people feel fine and don't show any symptoms even if they have COVID-19.

Hang in their guys, we will get through this. :hugs:

[King Simba]

Hey Audra, good to see you again! :) Hope you and Petteri are well. :hugs: You too Kanu!

Yeah, I work in a supermarket too. I’m currently not working for reasons mentioned before, but I heard they closed the in-store cafe and salad bar. They have installed perspex screens to the checkouts and are limiting the amount of people coming in at any time, they also provide PPE like face masks, visors etc. But I heard today that at the store I work at they were letting in far too many people at once, and therefore no social distancing was happening. :cs_angry_2: So I’m glad I’m not there at this point in time.

I do try and go out for a walk, whether it’s walking my dog or just going for a walk on my own. I live in a nice village now near the countryside, where there is a canal and river nearby, so it’s not so bad. I also have a garden, so when the weather is nice I can sit outside for some fresh air. I really feel for those who live in tower blocks or flats with no garden. And I feel for those who live alone. Hang in there. :hugs:

We have a good health service here in England. We show our gratitude by dedicating a time (8pm on a Thursday to be exact) to applaud our health service which is the NHS. Last night everyone was out in our street clapping, sounding car horns and cheering. We even had fireworks last week. I hope it helps the heroes working in our health service feel valued and get the recognition they deserve. :)

Yes, hang in there everyone. Stay safe, stay well. We’re all in this together. <3

[nathalie]

Yeah... Some idiots gather round on bridges in London to clap, thus, defeating the purpose to clap for key workers.

Our Tesco yesterday was a disgrace.
Just a normal day, letting EVERYONE in.
I've never felt more scared being in a supermarket since this whole thing started.

Good and well outside, everyone is over 2 meter apart.
Once inside?
One BIG joke!
No one cares, no one gives a damn.
People continue to rub against you, breath down your neck.

And certainly no stores clean the self check out tills after every customer.
Not the Tesco, Asda, Poundland, Aldi's, Morrisons we've been at.

Sorry to hear about STM :(

As for me, yeah, not doing good.
Not good at all.
Just another thing to mess me around and make my life worse then it already was.

Story of my life really.

[Sharifu]

San Francisco is now requiring everyone who goes out in public to wear a mask... Not medical masks like the N95, as those should be for medical staff, but just something to cover to your mouth and nose. I don't know how I feel about this. You hear so many conflicting things about whether wearing a mask helps. I do get a mask when I go to work, but it's a disposable one, and I throw it away after my shift is over. We are only allowed one mask per person too.

You can't really buy any masks online, they seem to back ordered and you can't get any until months from now. I could try to get crafty and make something for us, but I don't have any bandanas, or old or extra clothes that I just want to destroy to make masks. But starting April 22, it is going to be required that you wear one when in public, that police might start fining you if you are not wearing one. I guess it's to help when you are in places that make social distancing difficult, like grocery stores and pharmacies.

Nathalie, I'm sorry this is so stressful for you. :( Maybe Adam should handle all the shopping? I know that shouldn't be the answer, but maybe you two can just call each other while he is at the store, so you can talk to each other about what food you want to buy?

[nathalie]

I don't know about the masks. Your eyes and forehead are still exposed.

But while wearing it, you shouldn't be able to transfer the virus?
I think that's what I read.

[cleargreenwater]

Yeah I read something that it's more for in case you're carrying it and don't know it, that the mask will keep it off of other people a little more.

The closest food store/supermarket around here is terrible with uncontrolled crowds, too. It's a Shoprite. Supposedly Wegmans is controlling how many people can go in the store at a time, but it's also farther away and I don't know where anything is there, so I would be wandering around for longer looking for everything if I went. I'm not sure what I"m going to do for my next shopping trip.

I'm on the edge of a breakdown for an unexpected reason--my entire living space smells like pee, and while working from home in front of the window 2 weeks ago, I saw a rat walk across the front porch deck. There's an empty lot across the street and the neighbors throw food out for animals all the time, and it's attracting rodents and I think they've moved in under the front porch and it stinks in my apartment too I think they're in the wall and I'm about to loose it at the smell. I bought this mouse and rat stuff that supposedly only effects rodents and won't make other animals sick if they eat the rats, supposedly it dehydrates them too so they don't rot in the walls. I've found mice in here every once in a while, those don't bother me. I even caught one in a coffee can once and released it into the empty lot. I feel terrible about the poison because I kept mice as pets for years, and have friends who've kept pet rats, but I'm just so freaked out. And this urine smell? I want to cry. I've been constantly cleaning and you can't even tell there's this lingering smell of pee and everything feels filthy and I'm loosing my mind. :-(

Anyway...that's my update. >_<

Audra, that's terrible that Petteri lost his job and you guys are adrift on insurance, the health system in this country is absolute s--- and that should not happen. I get so mad when I think about how much this country forces people to be wage-slaves or literally die in some cases. That is really smart what your store is doing though, because then you guys can gather the online orders without having to dodge customers. It must make it a lot less stressful too, that's worth it right there if it means you don't get as run down and exhausted. I have to say, California as a whole has been really on top of this thing, I give your state a ton of credit.

I'm just crabby today, lol.

[King Simba]

Wearing a mask is a personal choice here. The government doesn’t advise on wearing a mask as apparently there is “no evidence” to support wearing one. We have masks here at my house, my mum found some fabric ones on Amazon. I don’t think they help much (unless you have the virus and to try and prevent passing it onto others) but they make me feel more comfortable (well they’re not so comfortable to wear, but it helps me feel less anxious when out). So I say if it helps you feel more comfortable wearing one, then why not?

Today has been pretty boring to be honest. At least the weather is nice so I’ve been sitting outside a lot today. Might even go for a walk soon before dinner. :thinks: We’ll see.

Highlight of the week tomorrow will be going to pick up the weekly shop (Yay!) We’ve been lucky enough to get a click and collect slot for the last few weeks (constant checking for one is needed mind you) so we do our shopping online and it’s waiting for us to collect. Less contact with others then, and no need to join a queue to get in store. We’ll just be ready with the antibacterial wipes once we get home.

It would be nice to get home delivery but even those are difficult to get. Some stores are prioritising elderly and vulnerable people, so chances of getting a home delivery slot are pretty much zero. But that’s fine because we’re not unable to go out and pick up our shopping so it’s better to leave the home delivery slots to those who really need them.

I’m sorry to hear some of you guys are finding it tough. I am too, getting really fed up with it now. :( And I’m sorry to hear about Petteri losing his job. Hugs for you all. :hugs:

[Kossu]

Sharifu, Nathalie, CGW; I hope you guys will be ok.:(

I have to say, I've been very shocked with the things I hear about healthcare in US the last years and especially the last months with Covid-19...Healthcare is free for everyone in Greece, especially if you are unemployed. The system there is far from perfect, but still, I've never had to worry about being without healthcare...Similarly for the Netherlands, if you are unemployed or otherwise unable, you can get support from the government. The stories I hear about US though, it's surreal. I just wish healthcare wasn't treated like a product and was more widely available to everyone in need.

Hugs for everyone as well. Hold on to anything that makes you relaxed and happy. Things have been better and they will be better again.:hugs:

[Aphelion]

September is still a long way from now though, so here's to hoping that the situation will have improved to an extent until then...
Yeah, there's still quite a bit of time until then for things to sort themselves out, and I've got my fingers crossed that things get back to some sort of normality by then, but I'm not holding my breath.

I spent quite a few years working in a supermarket, so I know how hard you guys work. I worked through some fairly busy periods but nothing compared to what's going on at the moment, I can't imagine what's it's like now (and especially when everything kicked off) so you definitely have my sympathies.

[Vidan]

Since I moved to another state (from California to Colorado) and took my job full time remote less than 2 months before all the shelter-in-place orders started, not a ton has changed for me. I was already not going many places because I still barely know anyone here, and I was working from home anyway. So not a ton has changed for me -- it is just a lonelier version of what would have been the case otherwise. I'll consider myself lucky.



You can't really buy any masks online, they seem to back ordered and you can't get any until months from now. I could try to get crafty and make something for us, but I don't have any bandanas, or old or extra clothes that I just want to destroy to make masks. But starting April 22, it is going to be required that you wear one when in public, that police might start fining you if you are not wearing one. I guess it's to help when you are in places that make social distancing difficult, like grocery stores and pharmacies.

All of Colorado has that same mask requirement now. I think it's supposed to be a general rule anywhere you go outside the home but I've been to the park several times and seen plenty of people walking around without them.

Audra, you might find some bandanas in one of the bags in the closet of my old room. I was looking for some when I was considering make my own mask, and realized they were probably in a bag I left behind. I managed to order some masks on Etsy just last week and they arrived in 2-3 days (from vendors located in the US, mind you), so that might be another option for the long term.

[Guntur]

Since I moved to another state (from California to Colorado) and took my job full time remote less than 2 months before all the shelter-in-place orders started, not a ton has changed for me. I was already not going many places because I still barely know anyone here, and I was working from home anyway. So not a ton has changed for me -- it is just a lonelier version of what would have been the case otherwise. I'll consider myself lucky.


I'm glad that we on the same situation, just waiting for any on call work at the moment.

Our situation on the lockdown and virus are on positive, less than 10 confirmed cases daily and someone we would go through with no death more than 3 days, for the past 3 days? Today was the "worst" due for 2 confirmed death. I'm really sure the lockdown going to be lifted in 28 according to plan.

[KanuTGL]

Hugs for everyone :hugs: I think about you guys a lot right now and I'm so glad we can talk here. Aye, things will get better again and we'll get through this :rafikilove:

[nathalie]

My dad's been tested positive :tears:

My mom said he's been sick for 2 weeks now.
So hopefully that means he's not having it that bad.
He's going to the hospital today, to have an xray of his lungs. That should show how bad it really is apparently.

He's a heart patient and 60+.
And I'm living in another country.
I am near crashing.

[Kossu]

Nathalie, I'm sorry to hear about your dad... I hope for the very best. Don't lose hope.:hugs:

[King Simba]

Aww, Nathalie. :( I’m sorry to hear about your dad. Here’s hoping he makes a full recovery and he’ll be ok. Stay strong. :hugs:

[nathalie]

Well, he's been sick for 2 weeks, and apart from 1 day of real fever, and being exhausted by just moving an arm, he's 'fine'. So hopefully that means, he won't get it any worse.

My mom and sister now need to take their own temperature 3 times a day.

It just kind of hit me, my whole family could get sick.

[Kossu]

I hope they will all be fine...hope your father recovers soon.:hugs:

[nathalie]

He's in the ICU tonight.

His long xray wasn't good at all, so the doctor send him to the ER.

All corona patients are put in the ICU.

Things were very unclear.
My sister called me with updates, but not any news really of what really was happening.

The hospital said we could call 24/7, so I did, as I just needed to hear for myself.

His nurse sounded positive.
That he had been going strong with this for 2 weeks already.
He told me what they did to him, giving him oxygen, fluids.
He doesn't have pneumonia.
But, they can't say he may not get that at all. So he might still develop that.

His lungs are damaged due to, to little oxygen in his blood.

He was wide awake, and completely clear minded.
So I got to talk to him.

Please, take this advice, the first thing he said to me: STAY THE .... INSIDE!
(If you can)
As it was heartbreaking hearing him gasp for air after every word he said.
You really don't want to hear your family members be in a state like this.

If he manages the night fine, he could be moved to a normal room for the rest of his recovery.

So yeah, hoping it won't get worse, that he already had that the past 2 weeks.

His symptoms were some of the ones you hear less about: nausea and diarrhea.
No cough, only a slight fever.
He had an actual test, which was positive (through the nose).

So be very careful when feeling sick, as people do get the symptoms that are lowest on the list.

[cleargreenwater]

Oh no Nathalie, that's so scary. I hope they can get him out of the ICU very soon. It must mean something that he's been holding up for 2 weeks, it must.

[King Simba]

Best wishes for you and your family Nathalie. I'll keep my fingers crossed for your dad. :hugs:

[KanuTGL]

Oh no, hope he'll recover smoothly, Nathalie. It must be distressing to be so far away as well. Make sure Adam gives you lots of hugs while you wait for news :rafikilove:

[nathalie]

I tried calling about half an hour ago, but he was asleep.

His nurse said he's doing good, and for now, he's definitely not worse since he was brought in, so that's good.

It's also the other things once he's better.
His lungs are damaged, and will probably never recover fully.
But we won't know that until a lot further along the line.

I've been even more carful now whatever I touch, and when we do go for a walk.

[Sharifu]

So not a ton has changed for me -- it is just a lonelier version of what would have been the case otherwise.

Lonelier version? :( Do you at times miss going to a place to work, and seeing your co-workers? I do hope you are enjoying your new life in Colorado. :hugs:


Audra, you might find some bandanas in one of the bags in the closet of my old room. I was looking for some when I was considering make my own mask, and realized they were probably in a bag I left behind. I managed to order some masks on Etsy just last week and they arrived in 2-3 days (from vendors located in the US, mind you), so that might be another option for the long term.

Thanks for letting me know. But I actually already made some masks with cutting up a pillow case. (I didn't think about using pillow cases before) But it felt so thick... But the last day I was at work, I found out we were selling masks. So I was able to buy some cotton masks, and they came in a pack of two. Perfect for us, since Petteri will need one too. They are a bit easier to breath out of then the ones I made with a pillow case. Too bad I destroyed a pillow case now. :lol: (But honestly, we have a lot of pillow cases)

Nathalie, I'm glad to hear your dad seems to be doing well. That is too bad about his lungs though. But other than that, he sounds like he is strong and a fighter. :hugs:

I forgot to mention this, but my job makes us take our temperature (using an infrared forehead thermometer) when we arrive to work. We have been doing that for about a week and a half now. Another new thing going on at my job is that there is going to be only a few registers that will be able to accept cash, but most wont. I also have some good news, I got the full time position at my job. It will be effective this Monday. Although HR couldn't tell me if I would get health insurance by May 1st. She said I might be lucky enough for that to happen, but I would have to wait until I can see my first May paycheck. But at least I feel relived I got the full time position, and I didn't have to change departments or store locations.

[KanuTGL]

I woke up with a sore throat yesterday, which is... fun :hehe: It's almost gone now but I don't quiite feel 100% right, so quarantine it is. Hooray.

Congrats on the full-time position, Audra ^^ Hope that sorts out the health insurance for you both :\

[Kossu]

^
I hope you're feeling better now Kanu. And Sharifu, also congratulations on the promotion. Hope it's fine with the insurance for both of you now.

Nathalie, I hope your father is doing better. At least he's in the environment that can offer him the most support right now...:hugs:

I haven't had much time to be around online lately. The last week I have been super busy with moving to our new place. Lots of cleaning, wall painting, fixing things, moving our stuff. It has been a few exhausting days, but it slowly starts to feel more like our place now, which makes me happy. There's still a ton of things that has to happen, but we have a fundamental living room, toilet and bedroom arrangement for now. And an office room, where I can use my laptop and draw again.:D

[KanuTGL]

Thanks, Kossu, I feel fine again now :) It - whatever it was - faded out pretty quickly without really turning into anything, so I'm relieved, hehe.

So great to hear you've managed the move! Hopefully that can give you something more fun to think about for a while =D

Hope everyone is doing okay :hugs:

[King Simba]

Good to hear the move is shaping up nicely, Kossu! :D


I woke up with a sore throat yesterday, which is... fun :hehe: It's almost gone now but I don't quiite feel 100% right, so quarantine it is. Hooray.
Could it have been down to anxiety? I’ve been suffering with sore throat and a tight chest, but I’ve put it down to anxiety because it only comes when I’ve been anxious. Doesn’t exactly help that it’s hayfever season either with my sneezes and sniffles. :eww:

Speaking of which, I’ve just returned from food shopping and although it was relatively quiet, there are still people who just aren’t getting the social distancing rules. -_- So yeah, I’ve been feeling quite anxious but I’m feeling calmer now I’m back home.

Hope you’re all doing fine. :hugs:

[nathalie]

Anxiety doesn't cause a sore throat.
It's the sore throat that causes the anxiety.

Because you start thinking "could it be ??" and that makes you anxious.
It is a bit of a circle though, hard to get out of once you're in it.

A sore throat can be caused by many things.
Cold air your breath in at night, heart burn / reflux during the night which causes irritation to the throat, etc ...

I've been in it since all this started, and, I have hypochondria.
Life is such fun right now :D

An update on my dad:
So, he was on a ventilator since Tuesday until Saturday.
Which was pomping air/oxygen into his lungs, to make him breath. (the next step up would have been a coma where the machine breaths for you)
Since Saturday evening he's of the ventilator, and now getting oxygen from an oxygen tank, to help him breath (just to make it easy on him).
He's doing great, he looks good, he can speak in sentences again.
And when I called on Monday he said he was having a really good day, until he had to go to the toilet, and that was about a 2 meter walk, and he was completely exhausted by just taking a few steps.
Even moving an arm is just too much trouble.

So, apart from that he's going great.
His lungs are much better, they take xrays every day.
He may have permantent damage? They won't know until he really is better. But right now, the doctor said he can't see why he shouldn't fully recover!

Even though every country seems to be having less deaths, less people going into hospitals, please stay away from each other as much as you can.
I'll say it again: hearing my dad over the phone on the day he went to the hospital, not being able to say 1 word without gasping for air, is heartbreaking.
You don't want it for yourself or anyone you know.
This is not just a flu, where after a week in bed you're OK again.
He may not have had the very serious version of this, he will still need months to recover, for his lungs to be recovered.
So, spare your lungs from dreadful scenario, and be wise.

[Leorgathar]

I’m so sorry to read how much this virus has affected everyone here, and how much stress it has caused :( I really hope you all can recover from it all, especially Nathalie’s dad. You are all in my best wishes, and anything I can do to help you guys feel better, I’m still around :hugs: I’m glad to also see some good news happening as well.

As for here... well, Mexico has a lot of cases, but compared to other countries it’s still among the less affected, I’m thankful for that. However, they’re still rising, so we can’t let our guard down. It can still (and pretty much will) get worse before it gets better. And everything from the bad health system to the people still going out in groups and ignoring the social distancing norms... yeah, I don’t see the curve lowering anytime soon xP

In my personal life, I’m doing ok. My job is pretty much paralyzed right now (dentists are at huge risk, for obvious reasons), I only see urgent cases, and even those I avoid as much as I can. Other than that, the place is dead. But I’m living with my family, and we support each other however we can, like doing chores and fixing things. So I keep myself occupied with house work, and I might use the chance to give the office a full makeover for when this madness ends.

My brother had been living in the US for years because of work, but they were laying off staff at the company he works at, and they ended up sending him back here to work for the Mexican branch temporarily. His trip back home was quick, but very calculated. We immediately put him in quarantine (he didn’t get infected, but it was better to make sure he didn’t bring anything with him, thankfully there were never symptoms). My sister kept working at the hospital for a while, but since a few cases of covid-19 began showing up there, they sent her home too.

I too had a couple of trips planned for this year that sadly had to be cancelled :cs_sorry: I really miss my girlfriend, we were supposed to be together around this week, and again in May for our first anniversary. At least I know she’s doing well where she lives (she’s from a southern state, but we usually visit each other often), and we help keep up the good spirits in each other <3

I can’t wait for all of this to be over.

[Sharifu]

I have some good news, when I applied for benefits on Monday, it said that it would be effective starting May 1st! So that is a relief. :)

As for travel plans for us this year, we didn't really have any. Our cat Miss Kitty needs medication given to her every twelve hours for high blood pressure, and she needs to be given subcutaneous fluids three days out of the week. (She is in the early stages of kidney failure) So making any kind of plans for a trip or vacation in the immediate future seemed impossible anyways. We don't really know anyone nearby who can give her those medications if we went anywhere. Plus, giving her fluids is a two person job, someone needs to hold her while someone else pokes her... It sounds kind of scary I know, but we have to do it, or she probably wouldn't live as long or feel very good. (Our vet showed us how to do it, and we have been doing it for a few weeks now at least) She is also now on a prescription renal diet to help her kidneys. These are things she needs for the rest of her life. She does seem happy though as she cuddles with us quite often, and loves to eat her new food. :lol: We just want to make sure she is comfortable and happy during her golden years. :)

But I was planning on having our 10 year old nephew coming and visit us this summer. I had tickets bought for me, Petteri and my nephew to go see the Jurassic World Live Tour (https://www.jurassicworldlivetour.com/?country=US&language=en-US,en;q=0.9) in July. But it's been canceled now. That's kind of disappointing. But oh well, at least we are saving some money by getting a refund for those tickets. The Lion King on Broadway is going to be near us in July. I thought of maybe taking my nephew to that instead. But I'm so sure that will be canceled as well, even though it hasn't yet. By the way things are looking, I'm sure it will be. I'm more than ok with my nephew visiting us anyways, but nothing will be open for us to take him to. As long as it considered safe to visit relatives at some point in the summer.

But one possible trip we were thinking of was going to Oregon to visit my family this summer. (Originally thinking of taking my nephew back to Oregon that way after he visited us) That is the only trip we can do because we can take our cat to my Mom's house where we would be staying. But as of right now, I have no idea when it is alright for travel, even if it is by car... The stay at home order just keeps getting extended. It has now been extended through the whole month of May. Oh well, it is like this for everyone, just have to wait to make any kind of plans. But I want my family to be safe, of course.

[Kossu]

Glad to hear your dad is slowly recovering Nathalie. I hope for the very best.:hugs:

Also glad it worked out with the benefits Sharifu.:) And I hope Miss Kitty will do well thanks to your care. It can be emotionally distressing to take care of your animal companion like this everyday, especially a cat.:hugs:

So sorry to hear about all the cancelled plans. And for everyone whose loved ones or family are far away...I feel you. We are in this together and I think it's worth channeling positive energy thinking of the good times we'll all have when this is finally over.:hugs:

[nathalie]

As for me, I am not fine. And that's very much of an understatement.

I also don't understand how people, that are basically scum, think of themselves being so special, they are more then others, and rules don't apply to them.
Talking about the scum person living downstairs, having people over during lockdown, and now sleepovers even.
We wanted to call the cops, but we both feel she's someone who can make our lives quite miserable. She's already not the nicest (and smartest) really, so we don't really know what to do.
If we talk to her ourselves, we feel she won't care, as she keeps inviting people in, so she's clearly quite dumb, so what's the point?
If you were smart, you'd tell those people "please go home, now's not the time".


On a good note: my dad is home!

[Sadiki]

Hey everyone!Haven't posted in a while so I thought it would be probably throw my two cents into the mix. Audra pretty much already updated our situation, me getting laid off and all, but I guess it's worth noting that it haven't effected me in anyway. As I did get my AS in CS last December, having full-time job made it hard for me to work on personal projects which now I have time and energy to concentrate on. I have been exploring Unity a bit, solved some common interview problems in Java and have been making a project with C#. So all in all the COVID-19 hasn't really done much to harm me. I also just had a trip to Europe to my brother's wedding so it wont be too hard to not plan any vacations for me. Interestingly enough, I watch news in Finland with my mom and she made a comment that this will be bad in global scale which I pretty much shrugged off... I guess she was right :lol:My personal feelings on COVID-19 hasn't really changed through out the pandemic either. I been saying the whole time it's worse than a flu, but with approximately 2% death rate which only 0.2% death rate on those below 50 and even majority of those who have died being under 65 have had underlying health condition, I do not personally feel scared the slightest. I don't think it's over kill to shelter in place or take other preemptive precautions though there is probably more effective ways on accomplishing herd immunity without destroying world economy and still not to sentence elderly to death by the masses. Much of it is because of how it was down played by authorities in the beginning though so now for a while it will be quite different world than we knew.Yet I do urge people who are not chronically ill, don't have compromised immune system and are not over 65 to take a deep breath and calm down, there is not much else we can do than wait it out. We will get through this. :hugs:Also, Nathalie, I'm sorry your dad did get the virus, but I'm glad he pushed through it. I hope he wont have too many long lasting effects from it.

[nathalie]

I would normally think like you STM, but the amount of people that have died within 3 months, is what the normal flu does in a year.
So it different.

And I kept thinking 'it won't be that bad, surely??'
Until I heard my dad.
It's very much real, and the normal flu doesn't do what this thing does.
My dad has months of recovering ahead, his lungs took such a big hit.
And, in the end, he didn't even have it 'that bad'.
So how he was already, think about the ones who had it worse then him, and need recovering.

[Sadiki]

I would normally think like you STM, but the amount of people that have died within 3 months, is what the normal flu does in a year.So it different.As I said it's worse than flu, typical season flu kills anywhere from 290 000 - 650 000 people in the world wide annually. It's rough estimate as there is not as well maintained data off it as there is for COVID-19. However my statement is based on statics with mortality rates of 40-49 being 0.4% and all other groups up to 10 years of age to 0.2% and no deaths recorder in below 10 year old in April 16th. Now I know these stats have change some and I know there has been children dying from it as well since then, but in general that is the trend. and even the people dying from it have underlying condition above 75% of the time. These are all statistics which everyone should think when considering their own well being. When considering the well being of the others it's entirely different story. I lost a friend when I was 13 to Influenza type A or more so an infection to his heart caused by secondary diseases from Flu type A and he had no underlying conditions, so dying from an illness is always a chance.Now I definitely do not try to make it sound less dangerous than it is, but I have ran into some situations where people go way beyond the limit of expressing how dire the situation is. In some situation I see people behaving like you have a bubonic plague.

[nathalie]

Downstairs neighbour has sleepovers, next door neighbour a housewarming party?
We live in the worst neigbhourhood, full of stupidity.

Since that housewarming wasn't in "our house" I couldn't care less who they infect and what they touch.
But 15-20 people in a 2 person bedroom room, that seems like a good place to pass around a virus, lol.

It's that they were loud at 1am still, and we wanted to go to bed.
So the cops came.

They told everyone why a housewarming party is not allowed.
The cop is like "I'd like to see my family, but I can't either".
The woman who rents, is then very sympathetic being all like "oh, I know" --> STUPID MUCH? :lol:

Cops were even like: come on, let's go, don't talk to each other, as you're not keeping distance.

So, 10 minutes later, most of the people returned into the room, but now shushing each other to stay quit.

Seriously? I hope they all get it.

[nathalie]

Lockdown is basically over mostly everwhere?
Adam's been back at work, this is week 4 now I believe (week 3 of 4).
Most stores have opened up again in the UK since last week Monday. Only thing still closed are pubs, food places, card/magazine stores.
Some restaurants have started doing take out since 2 weeks ago.

McDonalds has most drive-thru's open (we went yesterday, McFlurry never tasted better, haha!), and most other McDonalds will open here this week/next week.

Went to Primark yesterday.
Normally it is quite busy on a Sunday, but it was nice yesterday. Guy with a counter outside. And knowing most people are still shielding/not wanting to go outside, I feel this is mainly the time to actually go somehwere.
I was in desperate need of some new t-shirts and jeans, so wanted to give it a go.
It was nicer in Primark then it has been at the supermarket.

I was going to do a coloring contest a while ago, but was trying to figure out what I could do as a little prize, but that was the same day (or the next, don't remember), I got the news from my dad, so I just put that idea to the side, and then I completely forgot about it.
I can still upload some of the pictures though, people might still want to do some coloring.
(we got it from an adult coloring book, I got loads of TLK ones)

[Taneli]

Hello!

So quarantine for me effectively started on 17th March when my whole team was sent to work from home, and a week later on the 23rd the rest of the UK locked down too. It's been somewhat hard to stay motivated from a work perspective, though I'm fortunate to have a proper desk setup at home with a chair and a monitor. I know my manager is currently hunched over his dining room table with only his laptop screen :wtf:

I am also feeling grateful to still actually have a job that's relatively safe in the current climate, one of my friends has already been made redundant and my brother is also looking at redundancy so it's all a bit "weeeeh" :\ But the department I work in (property services) is one of the few departments that's actually making the company money at the moment, so our jobs are fairly safe...for now haha.

As for lockdown itself, I've coped mostly okayish I think! I live alone so I don't have to worry about anyone else which from a potential spreading aspect is a good thing. That said, it was getting quite boring and lonely on my own for 3 months. Thankfully the government introduced a "bubble" arrangement for people living on their own where they could go visit one other household, so naturally I took the opportunity to go leech off of my parents for a weekend :lol: I think the lockdown measures are being eased further still on 4th July so that bars/restaurants etc can reopen and more people can meet up in public. Whilst I think that it's possibly too soon to do that in my opinion, especially given how people acted this week when the weather was nice :kionrollseyes: I'm half expecting the UK to have a second spike of cases in about 2-3 weeks time, but we'll see.

And yes like Nathalie, I had McDonalds for the first time in 3 months last week. I got a box of 20 nuggets and I regret nothing :lol: it was so good! Might give KFC a whirl this coming week, thankfully both my local McDonald's and KFC are both Drive-Thrus so they're both open again already. I've also started food shopping at Sainsbury's as opposed to Morrisons, partly because the clientele at Sainsbury's tend to be better behaved, but also because they do SmartShop where you can scan stuff with your phone as you go round and just bag it there and then so you don't have to wait in line at the end.

But yeah, that's basically been me during lockdown. A bit dull and boring but overall could be a lot worse! =D Hope everyone is keeping safe!

[nathalie]

I have a well planned system for groceries, lol.
We know which ones to avoid, and which ones to actually go to.

Morrisons Lutterworth is the nicest, I really don't want to sound mean, but the people shopping there are just nicer and more wel behaved, then when we went to the ones in Coventry.
But, Lutterworth doesn't have a toilet, and the one in Coventry does, which is important for me also at times, so it's give and take sometimes.

In the meantime we've had Pizzahut, Chinese and McDonalds, and I must say, McDonalds was the best! :lol:
I only like thin crust at Pizzahut which they don't do at the moment, so I really wasn't like "oh my God, I've missed this" haha. Chinese didn't taste like anything special anymore either.
Which is all good, because I don't feel like having a pizza or Chinese like before, where I would have these cravings for it.

But the nuggets and the mcflurry, yummmmmmmmmm haha


Weird how some countries can contain the people in it, and the UK seems to just not be able to.
In Belgium, there's actually police at exits on the highways to the beach, if you ain't got any business there, they make you turn around.
It doesn't stop people who live in those exact area's, but it does stop people who come from further away, spreading it potentionally all over the country again.

[Sadiki]

I also been back at my old job since June 16th so just over a month now. As I work in travel industry and also Hertz went bankrupt I was surprised when I got offered my old position back. At first I wasn't sure if I should just go back as the 600$ unemployment boost in states was basically making me earn about twice my weekly wages, but at the same time job security is nice. I do feel like the trend in my current job is more like it is in spring time, as we're very busy in Friday - Monday and pretty dead Tue-Thur. which is quite understandable. I do feel like people for the most part have learned to live in the current situation pretty well, though sometimes I run into situation where people either over shoot or little the situation. In personal level the whole COVID situation hasn't effected me in any way, heck financially it's been more of a blessing for our household, but the situation is far from over and much can still go wrong as the longer the situation carries out the more edge people will get. My personal prediction is that we will have to live rather cautious lives for at least a year longer and thereafter if we have vaccine that can be applied to at least 90% in global scale and has high efficiency rate, we can start going back to what used to be. If however the virus will mutate enough in that time frame, it may just have to be accepted as another periodic diseases.

[Kossu]

Good to hear you got your job back Sadiki! :) It's usually the other way around these days, with companies going bankrupt etc., so that's great news!

I've been feeling pretty terrible for the most part of June and July so far. A lot of stress and depressive thoughts, one of the reasons why I didn't post anything here. Things have been quiet for the most part. I've been plagued with trying to decide whether I'll pay a visit to my folks back in Greece or not. I did book tickets for next week, but I still sit around doubting, wondering whether I should cancel or not. I haven't been home since January, which isn't a very long time, but still...feels weird. I plan to start studying in September and I kind of won't have another chance for a while after that. And yet I dread the idea of travelling and getting my parents sick somehow...I really don't know what to do.:simbasad:

[Guntur]

Congratulations to hear about your job, STM.

I believe there will be a long term effects over the pandemic. I swear to god it will bite us all in 5 or 6 years after the last active infection.

[nathalie]

I ran into someone I know earlier today when I was going to the store.
In February I sat next to her on the train home from London, and now, we were having a chat with 2 meters between us.
Just like ... How is this 2020?

We were at the beach for a week, and twice, we arrived somewhere, and left within 5 minutes.
I get it, people want to go outside, and so did we, didn't want to just sit at a holiday home for 7 days straight, but the people in those 2 places were a complete shambles.
We then also went to another 2 places, and those towns were such a big difference. The majority of people were trying to get out of your way, were in those other places, the majority were walking towards you on purpose.

I got cornered at Aldi, I say it out loud that I am, and no one moves. 3 people were all in my face really.
I squeeze my way out, and I say "an excuse me would come a long way you know!" instead of rubbing against me, but I'm the idiot aparently.

Masks will be mandatory as of Friday in the UK.
Bit too late, but then again, UK's been late with everything.

@Kossu, I'm the same, I really want to go home, but it just seems such a hassle now too, and even though we'd just be at my parents for a week, I'm feeling scared to travel. Even though we'd be on the bike, so not interacting with anyone.
We were supposed to go end of August, but Adam's days off have been changed majorly, and he's just been given a week of in September, as they are kind of just giving people a week, rather then seeing if that's actually a week they would want off.

At least there's 2021 to look forward too.

[Sharifu]

I feel like quite a few things have happened lately for us since I last posted. As Petteri already mentioned, he got his job back, which is good of course.

Sad news is our cat Miss Kitty passed away around the end of May. :( (I posted more info about it in the "Pictures of Your Pets!" thread).

And I recently announced this news on Facebook, but I am pregnant! So when Petteri lost his job, I said to him, "Oh my god, what if I'm pregnant?!" which we found out I was just a week later. :lol: So that was one of the reasons I was pretty worried about what was going to happen to our health insurance, and of course you just need health insurance. Last September I found out I have diabetes, so I have been going to quite a few doctor's appointments. But it all worked out in the end. I know I am probably in the minority here as it seems most people here do not want children. When I was younger, I wasn't sure if I wanted kids either. But after my nephew being born over 10 years ago, it made me desire to have my own child. :)

I know people have asked us since Miss Kitty passed away, if we want to get a new pet. And we would like to, but at the same time, since we have a baby on the way (due in December) I wonder if we should wait until after the baby is born and we are a little more settled. It might be hard to take care of both a baby and a new cat or dog. (I love both cats and dogs, but I would really like to get a dog this time). But it is strange to be without a pet. Both Petteri and I have always lived with a pet pretty much all of our lives.

When it comes to travel, we did end up driving to Oregon in the beginning of this month. I didn't want to wait anymore. I was worried about travel at first, but my parents didn't know about my pregnancy yet, and I wanted to tell my mom in person before I started showing. :lol: I was also a little worried as my mom is older and has health problems. But she was ok with us visiting, so we just did it. I think the choice was easier for us since we drove in our own car instead of flying. I also brought my nephew back to California with us so he can spend more time with us and also my dad who lives in California. I know we can't take my nephew to a whole lot of places, (since everything is closed and staying at home is safer for everyone) but I think he has just as much fun spending time with us, watching movies and playing games. We are planning on making our own pizzas for dinner tomorrow. I know he has fun doing that. My dad took him fishing too. We might go for some walks in parks, or maybe walk across the Golden Gate Bridge if it's not too cold. (But my dad forgot to bring his jacket, and my dad lives a 44 minute drive away). :rolleyes: This is our last weekend with him before he goes back to Oregon too. Oh well. Either way I know we will have fun.

Kossu, I'm sorry you have been feeling down. :( Honestly, I would just go visit family. I know the risk is there, but this is really your only chance this year. But I know some people would disagree with my opinion. I am not as worried about it I guess. I know that sounds strange as I am actually in a higher risk group myself, having diabetes and being pregnant. I work with the public too. But I take precautions. I wear a mask outside of home, wash my hands a lot, and wear gloves at work. So glad my store still closes at 1:00 pm too.

When it comes to traveling, I guess it's a personal decision. Only you know what will feel right to you. We are not planning any other trips this year, but going to Oregon was important for me. I had big news to share with my family, and doing it in person was the way I wanted to do it. (Although I would of wanted to go even if I wasn't pregnant. I like to spend some time with my nephew while he is on summer break, and my mom needed some help with some things she can't do by herself).

[KanuTGL]

Again, massive congrats to you and Petteri, Audra :hugs: It must be so exciting. Hmm, is this the first Lea baby? :p

Life over here goes on... The spread has really gone down a lot this summer, like they said it would, so at the moment things are starting to feel more optimistic. Sort of. Being out and about feels less scary and even though we've ramped up testing, confirmed cases are dropping. And people from certain regions of the country can now visit Denmark and Norway, woo :idiot: I still think our neighbours' reasoning on travel restrictions are weird. For a while now, Norwegians and Danes have been allowed to come into Sweden, but Swedes haven't been allowed to Norway or Denmark. As if Swedes inherently carry the virus and returning travellers can't have it or anything... :blah: (It was Danes who brought covid to Scania in the first place~)

I'm still sort of wary of going on trains, or planes, but as it turns out I have to take the bus every day for my new job(!!), which is a one hour commute each way. Of course I landed something that can't be done from home, haha. It doesn't feel great to be on public transport because my default assumption is that the general public are awful people, hah - and the other day there was a woman on board who was sneezing and blowing her nose half of the way there -_- - but I can't turn down a job opportunity in this time either... Unemployment here is higher than the government first thought and it does feel good to not be part of that statistic o.-

I agree that travel now is a personal decision. Europe is doing better and people have started going on holidays abroad to certain places again, so I suppose you have to weigh the risks yourself. Precautions like masks and hand sanitizers are good! I hope you feel better soon either way, Kossu :hugs:

[Kossu]

Congratulations, Sharifu and Sadiki!=D Such wonderful news!:lalala: I hope all of it will go as smoothly as possible.:hugs:


Also I hope everyone else here is doing fine.:hugs:

Things are more or less stable in the Netherlands, though there was a sudden rise about 2 weeks ago (if I remember correctly), mostly at places near the sea(especially because of a certain cafe/restaurant). Like Nathalie and Kanu said, there are enough of cases where you see people doing dumb things or not sticking to the measures...People being irresponsible and going out despite having symptoms, or just not sticking to the distances in supermarkets and stores.:rolleyes: We are still being careful and wary, doing shopping once or twice per week and just going out for cycling or walking. There's a large nature area nearby, so we go there for walks almost daily.


As for my travelling plans...in the end, I cancelled my tickets.:cs_sad_3: It was a very difficult decision, but I believe it was the right one. Both my parents have serious chronic illnesses and I felt that despite all the precautions I'd take, the risk of infecting them would still be there and it's not one I am willing to take. It wouldn't be like other times. I'd be stuck at home most of the time. I wouldn't be able to meet with my friends either(next to seeing my family, meeting my friends was also very important to me), and if I did, I could not do in good conscience anyway. My parents live in the suburbs of Athens and my friends all over the province, so our usual meeting point is the center of the city. Which is a tourist attraction and always packed, with or without tourists. I'd have to travel with public transport to get there, about one hour retour. And trains are still packed these days, as they've always been. There are just too many ifs and I don't feel comfortable with that.:simbasad:

I discussed it with my partner(who would have to stay behind, because of Kiara) and my parents extensively and in the end we all agreed it was for the best to delay the trip. I feel depressed about it all, but I still feel it was the right thing to do. Now I don't know when the next time will be, but we'll have to wait and hope for the best. In the end, safety is all that matters right now. Even if things do seem to be getting better in a lot of places in Europe right now, I feel like it's too early to rejoice. Especially once it's winter, in the northern hemisphere...

[nathalie]

Sorry you had to cancel your plans :(

Belgium was so hands on when it started, but ever since lockdown was eased, for the past 2 weeks, cases seem to be rising badly again.
I think visiting my parents this year is also a no-no.
My mom will have to send me a care package with Belgium food, as I'm running out of most things (and am out of most things) :lol: I already looked up prices with DPD to send me a 20 kg package, haha!

[ThiagoPE]

In my case, since 20 of march my work asked for everyone work from home, in that moment i havent realized the gravity of situation and thought it was unecessary measure, as at that time we had less than 10 people killed by this virus. as the days passed the death toll increased to hundreds by day and people started to freak out, my family was avoiding even to go to supermarket buy food and all food asked by delivery needed to be desinfected before being consumed, after then started people we knew being hospitalized and even being killed by the virus. my family spent literally 4 months without going anywhere except supermaket once in 15 days (and i wasnt alowed to go with them, because as i already had cancer, im considered a person with high risk of being affected by this virus). I think that i only didn´t became crazy of being locked by so much time because i was working from home and trying to do things i liked from home, but even with that, after sometime, you became full of being locked by so much time and have a desperate need to leave home. today the death tooll here are being about one thousand by day, lot of places still not working and myself still working from home today with no estimate day of returning to my work place.

2020 is a year to be scraped from history....

[Kossu]

I genuinely start wondering, whether things would have been better with a stricter lockdown for a longer period when all of this started. And I don't know, also more holiday restrictions perhaps.:simbasad: It feels like even a functional vaccine won't be panacea, at this rate we will have to keep living with this for the years to come.

I've been feeling lots of stress about the situation again, with numbers rapidly rising. My father and a close friend also got operated recently, which also added to all of this. Just...so much stress about so many different things lately, even a creepy earthquake yesterday... so little contact with family and friends...Realising there propably won't be a chance of seeing them this Christmas either...It's all taking a toll on my sanity.:\

[nathalie]

I hope the ones who haven't cared so far are happy.

When we reported our neighbour, she should have been fined. That would teach them!
I'm sure loads didn't get fined, so they just do it again since no action has been taken.

Disneyland Anaheim still closed.
Disneyland Paris closed again until February.
France in lockdown.
Belgium until December 12.
UK from Thursday until December 2.

Thank you to anyone who doesn't care.

[cleargreenwater]

There's just an incredible level of insanity in the US around this all, and I just keep my fingers crossed that no one I know ends up dieing from it all.

My mom got sick in mid October, the Covid test said negative but a month later se was still having trouble breathing and the found ground glass opacity in the bottom of her lungs. So now the lung doctor wonders if it might've been a false negative. Other types of viral pneumonia can cause the same damage though, and she's immune compromised, so who knows. If it wasn't Covid though I dont want to see the real thing, viral pneumonia is bad enough and did permanently damage. She is one of those that's very high risk. The vaccine isn't here yet people!

[nathalie]

How's your mom now ??

My dad is doing great, heart patient, +60, so he's been very lucky that his life is completely normal now.
He's been back at work for a while now, and the tiredness is basically gone too. Where before, he'd feel 100 % until he had to go up the stairs, and then was 0 %.

Some people are also confusing the vaccin with a cure :/
But I cannot be bothered to go into discussion about that with the people who think it's a cure.

[cleargreenwater]

She's feeling better, but yeah, she gets deeply out of breath and wiped out walking up stairs or hills and things. That's interesting that your dad had that for months. My mom is not interested in getting the antibody test so I'll never know for sure if she had it (which is fine with me so she doesn't start going out thinking she's invincible since she had it already!), but something caused damage in her lungs and it seems like too much of a coincidence. I mean she was really sick for like a week before the fever passed and she was able to stay awake for a few hours. That's REALLY good that your dad is a heart patient and is not getting any lingering side effects, it really messes with cardiovascular health and that is SUCH a good thing to hear that he's doing well. That was scary that he had to go in to the hospital for it.

[nathalie]

The aftermath of people who really had Covid, will have issues for months, even for those who didn't have it extreme.
The damage it does to your lungs is insane aparantly :/

He's on appointments for his heart anyways, since his heart attack 10 years ago, so if anything is wrong they'll see it anyways.

Yeah, he was on a ventilator, but not in a coma. But he did need one to pump extra oxygen into his lungs, after that, he had like a tube that goes into his nose for just small extra additions (that's the best way I can explain in English, lol).
Once oxygen levels were normal, he was allowed to leave the hospital.

He told the doctor when he wanted to do a test "DON'T TOUCH ME!!" My dad is scared of a lot of things (I'm sure that's where my panic comes from).
Eventually he needed 4 tests, lol, and then he was like: yeah, it was nothing, pfff

[Kossu]

Glad to hear your father has recovered well Nathalie, considering how hard recovery seems for people of that age and above. And especially since other illnesses were also involved.

CGW, your story sounds scary. I hope your mother's situation will only improve, as much as possible. I really hope things will be better next year around this time, after vaccination has taken place.:(

[KanuTGL]

I'm glad to hear your parents are doing okay now, Nathalie and CGW. It must have been very scary to go through :(

Yeah, I hope that enough people will actually take the vaccine to build herd immunity so that by this time next year we'll be in a much better place.

I'm considering staying away from my family for Christmas, since they live in another region and the town in particular is the worst hit place in Sweden at the moment. It'd be the first time in my life I haven't spent Christmas at home and I'm... conflicted. It would feel wrong to go as things are now and I would get to spend the holidays with my boyfriend instead, which I wouldn't mind, but... Christmas-time at home ;__; I would go by car and not see anyone but my family, so it could be plausible, but I'm going to wait and see how things go and probably decide what to do in the last days before Christmas Eve...

[Kossu]

Sorry to hear you are struggling with such decisions Kanu.:hugs:It all feels so weird.:(

We might go visit my inlaws for Christmas, as they invited us over for a few days, though we are not certain yet. There's a lockdown here right now until the 18th of January. It's not certain if there will be more limitations for Christmas and New Years yet. And my father in law is a cancer patient so we have to be very careful.

Also, I am clueless as to when I'll see my parents and family in Greece again...Going there for Christmas is out of the question sadly. It's been almost a whole year since I've last been home, the longest I've ever been away. Feels depressing and unreal, despite our often videocalls. I'm hoping I could perhaps visit around Easter if things improve.

Otherwise we'll just try and go for a long holiday this summer with my husband, we were considering perhaps to go by car and stay there for over a month, or longer. That would be nice, I've missed home so much.:(

[ThiagoPE]

IT´s so sad see how the quarentine changed our lives ... As i still live with my parents, probabily i didn´t suffer "being alone" but by what i can see at least here in Brazil is that people are getting tired of this quarentine. my christmas for example, lot´s of parents came to here celebrate with us, all wearing maks, but i dont know if this is enough... some of them live alone at their homes, and their need to be outside, hugging people, is quite noticeable....

I confess that Im also tired of so much rules (like : always use mask when leaving home or you can´t sit at side of someone in the public transport) because you do this for a few days, wekks, even some months, ok, but you do that for almost a year... also people are getting in panic with that desease: my parents are wearing masks even inside home, my mom keeps cleaning the doorknobs with alchool even when no one touched it!

How I would love to have our normal lives back....

[nathalie]

Lockdown #3 in the UK, for 6 weeks.

Our region got put into tier 4 on new years eve, which already meant lockdown for us.
But it's national now, and more strict.

I won't lie, I'm definitely scared working in a supermarket now, especially with all my mental issues.
Doing an extra shift tomorrow, and already major freaking out, as I said 9-3, so store will be open during my entire shift.
(Don't know what I was thinking when I said those hours, I just thought I'd be a nice change, not having to get up at 3.40 in the morning).
Normally I do 5-11, so I'm usually gone when the crowds starts coming.

Chances of getting to Belgium in May now even look really slim.

*sigh*

[nathalie]

This messed up b*tch downstairs still didn't get the memo! National lockdown, and her friends just waltzt into the house -again-!

I don't know what we can do about it. Tell the landlord? Talk to her? I'm scared she could make our lives very difficult, as we are above her, and she could start playing loud music, or whatever.
Landlord still doesn't know I'm actually living here, I'm sure she does, and she could tell him. Which means we would have to start paying loads more rent, and we don't have the money for that.

It's messed up retards like her, who don't care about anyone else but themselves, that this thing keeps on going.
God knows where she hangs out, God knows where those friends hang out, all touching the front door, that 5 other people in this house touch. (well, 4, I only touch it with tissues).

*sigh* :(

[Kossu]

Sounds like a very stressful situation Nathalie.:( Sharing space with other people seems hard enough without the covid-19, situation, let alone with something like that going on.

[KanuTGL]

Oof, that sounds really rough, Nathalie. Indeed, if people weren't so damned stupid we wouldn't be in the situation we're in any more... I'm sorry you have such an awful neighbour.

I had to go back to work this week and I've really realised the toll this is taking on my sanity too :cs_sad_3: Those almost two weeks that I had off I've felt so good, considering, well, everything. Being able to stay home and not have to worry about it all on a daily basis has done such good for my mental health. I've even felt quite calm at times. Buuut now it's right back in the pit again since I can't work from home and I really don't feel like risking my health doing a non-essential job :blah: I wish we'd be put on lockdown now, haha :') The Swedish government actually can't go down that route though, by law, so we have to rely on the public to take responsibility. Aaand, yeah, so that is why we're in the really bad situation we're in right now.

For me it's such a shame because I do really like my job, but I'm considering my options now. There's no end in sight for the pandemic anytime soon, so I feel like I need to find a way out of this... Ugh.

[Kossu]

Similar feelings here.

Winter break passed so quickly! Looking back it feels like months ago when we were celebrating New Year's. It’s a very odd feeling. Time seems to have little meaning when you do most things at home and there’s no place to go other than walk around in nature or do shopping for the basics.

In general I struggle with keeping a sense of time and doing the things I have to do every day. Even the very basics feel so very hard some days. Most days I have little motivation for doing more than what is absolutely necessary.:simbasad: