Fuck this fucking virus with a fucking farm implement.

jbohnjbohn Shipmate
Fuck.

I went to church yesterday - playing guitar for this Lent worship cycle. I had a deeply disturbing thought as I looked out over the (much smaller than usual) congregation of largely older folks and listened to Pastor Bonnie tell us we are suspending services indefinitely -there is every possibility, nay probability, I will never see some of those folks again.

Fuck this fucking virus.
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Comments

  • Quite.

    As has been said elsewhere, whatever the virus may, or may not, do in respect of the individuals presently in a congregation, the complete closure of churches will be very difficult to reverse when the crisis is over.

    Meanwhile, to prayers...all's not lost yet.
  • Anyone remember closures from before? There was one I definitely recall in the mid-1960s for Rubella (German measles). It happened I think in April and extended throughout the summer into the fall. Everything was closed. School, swimming pools, all city parks, we didn't go anywhere the entire summer. My sister got the disease, if I had it I didn't have much symptoms. My family eventually went camping, and found that public beaches and the campgrounds were also closed. In Canada, thankfully, there are some car camping spots with no facilities and you just set up and camp. Which is what we did for a month or 6 weeks. Life went on after.
  • Not in the UK, though there may have been some (I was born in 1951).

    I do recall one of our neighbours (the chap would have been his 20s at the time) dying of influenza somewhere around 1960...
  • RooKRooK Shipmate
    I'm more angry about the exposed gaps in healthcare that have been conveniently ignored because they have mostly impacted People That Don't Matter™.

    We're all on this planet together, assholes.
  • jbohnjbohn Shipmate
    RooK wrote: »
    I'm more angry about the exposed gaps in healthcare that have been conveniently ignored because they have mostly impacted People That Don't Matter™.

    We're all on this planet together, assholes.

    All of this.
  • As I noted on the other virus thread in purg, COVID spelled backwards is "divoc".

    Rook would suggest we know what 'divoc' is going on.
  • Golden KeyGolden Key Shipmate, Glory
    Breaking news: San Francisco and surrounding areas will pretty much shut down from midnight tonight to April 7th. Basic city services will still be going, restaurants can do take out and delivery, grocery stores will be open, and gas stations.

    Yikes.

    Definitely agree with thread title.
  • I can't help thinking that, with a little effort, at least another couple of fucks could be squeezed into the title.
  • RuthRuth Shipmate
    jbohn wrote: »
    RooK wrote: »
    I'm more angry about the exposed gaps in healthcare that have been conveniently ignored because they have mostly impacted People That Don't Matter™.

    We're all on this planet together, assholes.

    All of this.

    So much this. The gaps in healthcare and the social safety net are unconscionable.
  • CameronCameron Shipmate
    I can't help thinking that, with a little effort, at least another couple of fucks could be squeezed into the title.

    Now for the latest news from our Covid-19 desk:
    I’m fucked.
    You’re fucked.
    It’s a complete fucking disaster and we’re all absolutely fucked.

  • I never thought I would agree with Rook on ANYthing, but this time, I am in 100% agreement.

    Even now, after Washington state's governor, Jay Inslee announced some huge amount of money to help feed the homeless, the selfish and nasty shitheads are oozing out from the slime to complain that "homeless people ALREADY get free food and healthcare! I work hard to feed my family, why am I not entitled to the big Socialist hand-out?!" Boo hoo. If the poorest people in Washington state are FINALLY getting some (long overdue) help with basic necessities, why do people who have homes, have money saved up, have healthcare have to bitch and moan?! God, these jerks piss me off no end.
  • That's a good argument for not means testing welfare.

    At my workplace, we rely on home delivery for our groceries. Our order, placed a week ago, got cancelled yesterday, so I did a couple of runs to the supermarket to get a few things we really needed. No chicken or minced meat was available, but there was steak and also fish. Steak is no good for two of our clients,and fish can be dicey if not heavily processed. Anyway, I got some Frankfurters and the butchers had some mince left. The chicken shop had sold out and was closed.

    Fortunately, the Supermarkets in Melbourne are going to open between 7am and 8am for elderly folks and people with disabilities. They will get first bite at the re-stocked shelves without having to negotiate crowds.
  • Simon Toad wrote: »
    Fortunately, the Supermarkets in Melbourne are going to open between 7am and 8am for elderly folks and people with disabilities. They will get first bite at the re-stocked shelves without having to negotiate crowds.

    Though from reports I've seen elsewhere, the elderly are perfectly capable of stripping the shelves and starting fist fights all by themselves.
  • Golden KeyGolden Key Shipmate, Glory
    The special time is a nice gesture. But they're expecting elderly and/or disabled folks to be there at 7 am??? I know some older folks wake up very early; but they and many disable folks may have difficulties in getting up, out, and to the store.
  • EutychusEutychus Shipmate
    There is no place other than Hell for this news: German Big Brother cast to be told about pandemic live on TV.
  • Doc TorDoc Tor Admin Emeritus
    Back in the distant past (first week in February), I was noodling plot ideas with my editors.

    One of them was a Big Brother scenario where the contestants were deliberately not told of the pandemic outside. They then spend the remaining time inside not realising that no one was watching them.
  • Alan Cresswell Alan Cresswell Admin, 8th Day Host
    Or, having been at home, alone, for a couple of days that lots of people had gone so doo-lally that even Big Brother starts to seem interesting telly.
  • Robert ArminRobert Armin Shipmate, Glory
    OK, I'm really fed up and want to rant.

    1) An old friend, who I see very rarely, is in the area. I was going to see him, with his wife and kids this afternoon, but I cancelled due to Corona. I didn't want to do this, but at least it would have given me a day completely indoors.

    2) I'm down to half a loaf of bread to eat, but that didn't matter as I had a Sainsbury's delivery booked to arrive between 11 and 12. It's now 1.30, and nothing has come. I've checked and no delivery is recorded - I must have ordered all the stuff but forgotten to press the final button to complete.

    3) I've tried to reorder. but there are no delivery slots for days. So I will need to go out this afternoon, and there won't be much stuff to buy anyway.

    4) Today I heard that Probate is complete and the money from my mother's estate has come through. However, all the things I wanted to do (theatre visits, cruises) are ruled out due to Corona.

    5) I'm playing a computer game to cheer myself up, but there's no sound. The computer says "no audio device is installed" - well there was yesterday!

    There is nothing anyone can do, and the most frustrating thing (2) is my own fault. However, if I can make everyone else miserable as well I'll feel a little bit better. No advice is needed, but if you weep into your keyboards I will feel a bit better.
  • Robert -- I do indeed weep with you in an authorized social distance sort of way. And I pray this does resolve, if not quickly then at least fully, so you can enjoy those theater visits. And while quoting scripture in Hell may be odd, I think of Ps. 27 (as used by John Rutter)-- Be strong, and he will comfort thy heart.
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    edited March 2020
    @Robert Armin - I do sympathise re the lack of bread, and hope that, if and when you do get to the shop, there will be some there for you. My local Co-Op corner shop was sensibly rationing bread to 2 loaves per customer, so there was a reasonable amount still available mid-morning...

    Are you able to eat biscuits, such as digestives, cream crackers, water biscuits, bread sticks, and so on? Useful alternatives, especially if there is CHEESE.
    :wink:
  • Bread and potatoes are a blasted nuisance, as here they seem to run out quickly. 8am shopping trips are needed, I suppose.
  • Doc TorDoc Tor Admin Emeritus
    @Robert Armin - have you tried turning it off and on again? ;)
  • Golden Key wrote: »
    The special time is a nice gesture. But they're expecting elderly and/or disabled folks to be there at 7 am??? I know some older folks wake up very early; but they and many disable folks may have difficulties in getting up, out, and to the store.

    True. I think the goal was to give them first access to the newly stocked shelves, as well as get them in during a time with the least possible germ accumulation (presumably places are cleaned at night).
  • Sorry to hear about the low-bread situation! Can you maybe, er, make some? There may be yeast left on the shelves...

    Us, we just moved over to rice for the duration.
  • Robert ArminRobert Armin Shipmate, Glory
    Doc Tor wrote: »
    @Robert Armin - have you tried turning it off and on again? ;)

    The virus?

    Currently trying to restore my PC to a point where it worked. In addition I made a supermarket run (that is my local store, sadly) and was amazed how easy it was to pay. When I commented on this, the chap at the till said, "That's because there's nothing left to buy," and he wasn't far wrong. Certainly there was no bread, but I'm not too worried as I don't eat much of it. My earlier comment was meant to show that was all the food I had left. Now I'm well stocked with chocolate, so I should be all right.
  • Miss Amanda has been sulking in her stateroom for the longest time, but she's back out on deck now. I've posted in All Saints about my current stress level. This virus situation is almost too much to bear.
  • Miss Amanda has been sulking in her stateroom for the longest time, but she's back out on deck now. I've posted in All Saints about my current stress level. This virus situation is almost too much to bear.

    Good to see you back!
  • the boudoir has been placed out of bounds? ('boudoir' literally meaning 'sulking room', I believe)
  • bassobasso Shipmate
    True. I think the goal was to give them first access to the newly stocked shelves, as well as get them in during a time with the least possible germ accumulation (presumably places are cleaned at night).

    Also, it gives customers using a walker a bit of space to navigate safely. The other day there were about 50 in line when we opened the doors. In less than half an hour there were lines to the back of the store in every aisle.

    We've started limiting the number of customers we admit to relieve the crowding.

  • BroJamesBroJames Purgatory Host
    Sorry to hear about the low-bread situation! Can you maybe, er, make some? There may be yeast left on the shelves...

    Us, we just moved over to rice for the duration.
    I find making scones very therapeutic, both cheese and the normal kind. They only need self-raising flour or baking powder.
  • As an aside, I hear that vegan CHEESE is ideal for scones, as it is very strong.
  • Doc TorDoc Tor Admin Emeritus
    Vegan cheese is the very issue of Satan's loins. Use a decent cheddar, add some parmesan, and a touch of powdered mustard. Sorted.

    Of course, if there's no fucking flour left on the fucking shelves, what kind of cheese you use is moot.
  • O crikey. I meant parmesan, not vegan...
    :bawling:

    Senior moment. I blame Trump.
  • RuthRuth Shipmate
    Eutychus wrote: »
    There is no place other than Hell for this news: German Big Brother cast to be told about pandemic live on TV.

    I read an article in the New Yorker about a group of folks who have been rafting on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon for a few weeks. The world is completely different now, and some of them at first thought the person who told them was putting them on.
  • I have pretty bad work-related anxiety. It has kept me off work for months because of panic attacks and my boss being an intransigent tosser. And yet a global health crisis the like of which the world hasn't seen in 100 years? My 3 year old having a fever and needing to self-isolate? Nope, not a smidgen of a spike in my anxiety levels. Not sure whether my brain is just weird or my boss is really that much of a wanker.
  • Alan Cresswell Alan Cresswell Admin, 8th Day Host
    Boss being a wanker is a real possibility.

    I've got a bit of lab work that can be done (though, very little that needs to be done in the next few weeks). I've been prioritising that at the end of last week building up a stack of data to be processed and written up on my OneDrive in the expectation of home working. There's also a backlog of papers that need to be finished off. Current instructions are that we don't need to go home, our director has passed that buck downwards and told individual line managers to manage their groups including identifying work that can be done at home. As my boss doesn't want to change how he does things, we've been told that we can't work at home and should come in. I might say I've got a cough just to give me a week at home.
  • I think you'll find that's 2 weeks now.
  • Pendragon wrote: »
    I think you'll find that's 2 weeks now.

    One week for the symptomatic person, 2 weeks for anyone sharing a house with them.
  • Alan Cresswell Alan Cresswell Admin, 8th Day Host
    Yes, as I'm on my own it's only a week
  • TwilightTwilight Shipmate
    I just read that the average length of the fever with Caronavirus is 12 days. Twelve days!

    Last night's news said the virus can live on surfaces for two days. Then the Surgeon General stepped out to give us some advice -- wash your hands and clean your counter tops. Duh. When do we get something else?

    What good does it do to bring in your groceries and spread all that stuff out on your clean counters and leave it there? Why not tell people to wipe all the cans and containers with a Clorox wipe as you take it out of the bag? It's what I do, it's what everyone should do. Clean hands are not enough to keep us safe.
  • Alan Cresswell Alan Cresswell Admin, 8th Day Host
    First you need to be able to get suitable wipes ...
  • TwilightTwilight Shipmate
    Yes, Alan.

    Of course you can always use a dishrag dipped in a solution of bleach and water and wrung out well. I usually fix a mug of water and bleach (a sinkful is too much and wasteful) and use it to clean the whole kitchen, light switches, phones, remotes and anything else around the house that wont be harmed by the bleach. I've used this on the outside of library books, DVD's, just about everything that enters the house. Then I walk around behind my husband and go over the phones and things he touches.

    I realize that if you don't have bleach or alcohol or hydrogen peroxide (which I use on my ceramic floors which can't handle bleach) then you can't make any of those solutions.

    Don't forget your throw pillows and afghans. We all three nap on those things along with the dog.
  • Alan Cresswell Alan Cresswell Admin, 8th Day Host
    Note to self: get to the store before someone decides they need 50 gallons of bleach ...
  • Doc TorDoc Tor Admin Emeritus
    Twilight wrote: »
    I realize that if you don't have bleach or alcohol or hydrogen peroxide (which I use on my ceramic floors which can't handle bleach) then you can't make any of those solutions.

    I knew the ten years I spent in Pentonville would come in handy one day.
  • LydaLyda Shipmate
    As a Californian in earthquake country I sort of habitually keep the larder full of non-perishables. But then I don't inventory for years. I just threw out about a third of my stockpile. On the other hand I find I have quantities of canned chicken breast, mac and cheese (the florescent orange kind), corn bread mixes (?!), chili, several boxes of crackers, lots of pasta but little to make sauces. And on the bright side there is a little truck farm near us that is open air where I can make fresh produce runs while keeping good social distance.

    And if you can't find bleach, you might be able to go under the radar and score some distilled vinegar. While the bleach and disinfectants aisle was bare, I scored a gallon of vinegar in the salad dressing section.
  • LydaLyda Shipmate
    ETA: Oooops! No vinegar doesn't seem to help against viruses according to some sources on line.

    (Plus the Ship's programming won't let me edit! Grrr! Something about "You need the Vanilla.Comments.Edit permission to do that" Yet it still said I had six minutes. I'll have to check it out in the Styx later.
  • RooKRooK Shipmate
    As a general reminder: an online discussion board is not a good place to be relying on for health information.

    That being said - alcohol also works well.
  • EutychusEutychus Shipmate
    Doc Tor wrote: »
    I knew the ten years I spent in Pentonville would come in handy one day.
    I always fancied myself an expert on what life inside was like, but I can already relate infinitely more.

  • The situation is dire. I shall soon have no excuse to put off the pile of two and a half years' worth of filing in the Rector's study. And in her most recent phone call to me my mother - rather too triumphantly I thought - reminded me of all the wardrobes full of clothes I had been promising to clear out, for the past couple of years. As well as muttering something about finally becoming acquainted with the house-cleaning materials required for bathrooms and kitchens.

    On a slightly less light-hearted level, I'm wondering what alternative arrangements I should set up for who could take care of my rather large dog, should I be stricken. And should I pack a little hospital bag and put it somewhere obvious in the house, to be picked up if I'm detained on medical reasons! I've always looked after myself, come good or ill, but suddenly I feel a bit vulnerable.
  • Anselmina wrote: »
    On a slightly less light-hearted level, I'm wondering what alternative arrangements I should set up for who could take care of my rather large dog, should I be stricken.

    This has been a concern of mine as well, except I have a rather small dog. She's elderly with some health problems. Luckily my Vet is a friend from church, so I know I could call on her if needed. I pray it doesn't come to that.
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