Covid 19

[Koolkat]

A little surprised no one has started a thread on this, or perhaps you prefer a small corner of the world to be virus free? I will take it down, if so. We went hiking yesterday to escape for a few hours.

I also live on the outskirts of Seattle (small farm), so it is hard to ignore. Layered into the equation, DH has mild asthma, and we're in the "young at heart" demographic (LOL). I also have to go into town today for groceries, meds, etc. It will test how long I can hold my breath! Stay healthy everyone!

[texsuze]

Did my personal training at the Wellness Center in our town of +/- 11,000 folks. Only a few folks in the building, which is highly unusual. I guess folks are staying away from each other. Schools are adding an extra week to spring break, so some parents are now tasked with feeding voracious appetites of college-age kids for at least an extra week! Ha!

DH had to do a big grocery shopping yesterday (that is his job ). We needed t. paper because, we just needed t. paper. Of course, shelves were empty, but we can scrounge around the place for a bog roll here and there for the time being! DH is convinced that this entire situation will be resolved by mid-April and pooh-poohs the mounting hysteria. We shall see.

Me, I don't engage in any social media, so I've missed most of the apparent drama. Just going along, but with my antennae up in case decisions need to be made. I do think I'll undertake some shopping for my 88 y.o. mom so she can stick close to home.

[Moutaineer]

DH and I both count as "high risk", with his heart and my lungs, so we are being pretty cautious without being hysterical. I've pretty much washed the skin off my hands... I have 15 rolls of toilet paper in stock. so I think the two of us are good for a bit

I did a big shop at the start of the week, which will get us mostly through for 10 days or so, but the rather amazing general store store in our new home town seems to be well stocked and pretty quiet, so good for milk and perishables for now.

Everything we had planned socially has been cancelled--opera on Monday, choir festival next weekend, our respective book clubs.

At least I can still go to the barn, but we are all being very careful there, too.

[Flight]

Is the toilet paper frenzy happening over there too?? i thought it was just the Aussies
It's just starting to kick off over here. I think we are slow to act to be honest, very interesting to hear what is happening in Italy.

[StraightForward]

Some "soft" travel restrictions are starting at my work. I'm supposed to teach 4 weeks of training in different locations during April and May, so my schedule is pretty up in the air right now.

At home, we're stocked up on TP, wine and dog food, so a 2-week quarantine would be NBD and I'd probably get some extra barn time.

Flight, the TP thing is ridiculous. We went to Costco Wednesday night and I heard an employee telling a group of customers that they'd been fully restocked when they opened at 10 AM, and were totally sold out by 11 AM.

[goldhorse]

I took this as an opportunity to restock my earthquake/power outage supplies. I've been very very lax since the kids grew up. Everything that I bought is stuff that will be cycled into general use and hopefully I'll replace it in the future. Yes, I bought TP. We were out of TP. Target was depleted of TP and I got it at our local grocery store. But I was disgusted with the run on soap and especially anti-bacterial soap. Doesn't anyone wash their hands anymore? Don't they have soap in their houses? Bar soap will work too. And anti-bacterial agents in soap don't kill coronavirus or any viruses as a rule.
But being a scientist that has worked for over 30 years in Biosafety Level 2 labs, I feel confident knowing what I need to do to mitigate our risks. Plus DD#1 is a public health epidemiologist and has worked on Ebola and Legionnaire's. Her 2 words right now are DON'T PANIC. DH just took a Big Honcho job cross country in Maryland at NIH and he just got grounded. Luckily he was on the left coast. However, we may end up killing each other as we accuse each other of lapses in biosafety. So..., I spend a lot of my time on FB and groups correcting mistakes about hand sanitizer recipes. Ask away on that and that subject only. I won't answer anything about whether you should go out or not, etc.
P.S. If you want to know how many times you touch your face, wear a pair of gloves. Or better yet, chop up a super hot pepper and don't wash your hands.

[KathyK]

So..., I spend a lot of my time on FB and groups correcting mistakes about hand sanitizer recipes. Ask away on that and that subject only.

I've heard that 2/3 cup 91% alcohol, 1/3 cup aloe vera gel is a good recipe. Your thoughts?

[Tanga]

Around here, SF bay area, over the last week, almost every single school district has cancelled school for at least three weeks. I think any still not officially cancelled will be by Monday. I have been going into a bunch of different schools and classes and am not worried. I shopped as I regularly do on Tuesday and it was OK. I'll hit the 99 cent store later to see how that is.

I just got this from USEF, as well as a notice the show I entered at the end of the month is cancelled, with refunds.


March 13, 2020



Dear USEF Members,



Your health, safety and well-being and that of your horses is paramount to USEF. We are continuing to closely monitor communications on the COVID-19 Pandemic from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI).



Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, all USEF owned events, selection trials, training camps, clinics, and activities will be suspended for the next 30 days. Additionally, USEF strongly recommends that competition organizers suspend all USEF licensed competitions across the country for the next 30 days and that equestrians do not compete for the next 30 days. For those competitions that do run, there will be no accumulation of points, scores, money won, qualifications, or rankings toward any USEF awards programs, USEF owned event, or selection to a US team during this 30-day time period. This includes USEF National Championships.



If you choose to compete, USEF recommends that you take immediate steps to limit your exposure and create social distancing. Based on information and guidance, in particular, from the CDC, the USEF provides the following recommendations to our membership. Participate in events that:


• Are venues within close proximity (driving distance) to your residence;
• Limit out of state competitors (and for currently operating winter circuits limit new out of state competitors);
• Restrict free access in stabling areas to only essential personnel (ie; riders, grooms, farriers, vets, officials);
• Provide alcohol-based hand sanitizer at in-gates, competition offices, vendors and convenient places throughout the competition grounds;
• Ensure restroom facilities are regularly cleaned;
• Operate without spectators;
• Limit social gatherings to less than 250 people as recommended by the CDC; and
• Ensure that food services are of the type that limit contamination, buffets are strongly discouraged.


We are providing these same recommendations to Competition Organizers and asking them to comply within the next few days. Some may choose not to cancel their event but, all are expected to take steps to limit exposure and create social distancing. Some may impose additional restrictions and safety measures in line with guidance from local public health authorities. Therefore, we are requiring organizers to post all relevant information to their website and provide it to the USEF Competitions Department.



We are counting on you to make responsible decisions based on the information available, the conditions in your geographic area and the recommendations from your local public health authorities. USEF will continue to assess the situation on a daily basis and will update our position as circumstances warrant.



Resources from the CDC, WHO, USOPC, and the FEI are available on the USEF website (click here). Links found on this webpage provide you with direct access to valuable information on each organization’s website which is updated regularly.



If you have any questions, please contact us using this email: CustomerCare@usef.org and your inquiry will be addressed by the appropriate department.

[goldhorse]

So..., I spend a lot of my time on FB and groups correcting mistakes about hand sanitizer recipes. Ask away on that and that subject only.

I've heard that 2/3 cup 91% alcohol, 1/3 cup aloe vera gel is a good recipe. Your thoughts?

Yep, or substitute glycerin or even water for the aloe vera gel. That's just to keep your skin from drying out. Important thing is to be generous with it and let it dry naturally. The evaporation is key to destroying the coating that keeps the virus intact. Don't forget under your fingernails.
The tough part will be finding the alcohol. Make sure you read the label. Also as a reminder, proof is twice the alcohol contents. So 80 proof is 40% alcohol. Not good for hand sanitizer.

Best thing overall is to wash your hands

[heddylamar]

However, we may end up killing each other as we accuse each other of lapses in biosafety.

#Dying

Not sure about the TP shortage (I buy in bulk ... and may have squirreled away a surplus after snowmageddon ), but I am kinda shocked by the hand lotion surplus (are we the only ones whose skin is flaking off from extra applications of sanitizer?!) and the freaking stupidity

My PCP's office apparently ground to a halt to decontaminate between hubby's visit yesterday afternoon (sinus infection) and mine this morning (ear infection) because some dickwad who'd been in contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 decided to be coy and claim "no contact" until they were in front of their physician

[Chisamba]

Plain soap is very effective against COVID19. Coronavirus are encapsulated in a lipid layer, soap is very effective in dissolving the lipid layer and basically disintegrates the virus.

It's not about stopping the virus, about 75noercent if us need to get sick and recover so we develop a kind if herd immunity. It's about making the progress of numbers if I'll distribute over the longest possible time so that the healthcare professionals can cope with the numbers and give everyone the best possible care. Ir as they are saying, flattening the curve.

[Chisamba]

This Document below are notes from a panel discussions with experts from UCSF regarding Covid-19. It is informative and sobering.

From: ​Cook, Scott​ <​Scott_Cook@intuit.com​>
Date: Wed, Mar 11, 2020 at 3:29 PM
Subject: Deep insight on COVID-19 from UCSF's top infectious disease researchers To:
With Brook Byer’s help I was able to arrange a discussion yesterday with USCF’s top researchers in infectious disease. Here are the notes. I bolded some of the more notable comments from the researchers.
UC San Francisco is either the #1 or #2 hospital in California depending on which survey you read. It is the 4th largest medical research center in the US, based on research grants.
scott
University of California, San Francisco BioHub Panel on COVID-19
March 10, 2020
● Panelists
○ Joe DeRisi: UCSF’s top infectious disease researcher. Co-president of
ChanZuckerberg BioHub (a JV involving UCSF / Berkeley / Stanford).
Co-inventor of the chip used in SARS epidemic.
○ Emily Crawford: COVID task force director. Focused on diagnostics
○ Cristina Tato: Rapid Response Director. Immunologist.
○ Patrick Ayescue: Leading outbreak response and surveillance.
Epidemiologist.
○ Chaz Langelier: UCSF Infectious Disease doc
What’s below are essentially direct quotes from the panelists. I bracketed the few things that are not quotes.
● Top takeaways
○ At this point, we are past containment. Containment is basically futile.
Our containment efforts won’t reduce the number who get infected in the
US.
○ Now we’re just trying to slow the spread, to help healthcare providers
deal with the demand peak. In other words, the goal of containment is to "flatten the curve", to lower the peak of the surge of demand that will hit
healthcare providers. And to buy time, in hopes a drug can be
developed.
○ How many in the community already have the virus? No one knows.
○ We are moving from containment to care.
○ We in the US are currently where at where Italy was a week ago. We see
nothing to say we will be substantially different.
○ 40-70% of the US population will be infected over the next 12-18 months.
After that level you can start to get herd immunity. Unlike flu this is entirely novel to humans, so there is no latent immunity in the global population.
○ [We used their numbers to work out a guesstimate of deaths— indicating about 1.5 million Americans may die. The panelists did not disagree with our estimate. This compares to seasonal flu’s average of 50K Americans per year. ​Assume 50% of US population, that’s 160M people infected. With 1% mortality rate that's 1.6M Americans die over the next 12-18 months.​]
■ The fatality rate is in the range of 10X flu.
■ This assumes no drug is found effective and made available.
○ The death rate varies hugely by age. Over age 80 the mortality rate could
be 10-15%. [​See chart by age Signe found online, attached at bottom.]
○ Don’t know whether COVID-19 is seasonal but if is and subsides over the
summer, it is likely to roar back in fall as the 1918 flu did
○ I can only tell you two things definitively. Definitively it’s going to get worse before it gets better. And we'll be dealing with this for the next
year at least. Our lives are going to look different for the next year.
● What should we do now? What are you doing for your family?
○ Appears one can be infectious before being symptomatic. We don’t
know how infectious before symptomatic, but know that highest level of virus prevalence coincides with symptoms. We currently think folks are infectious 2 days before through 14 days after onset of symptoms (T-2 to T+14 onset).
○ How long does the virus last?
■ On surfaces, best guess is 4-20 hours depending on surface type
(maybe a few days) but still no consensus on this
■ The virus is very susceptible to common anti-bacterial cleaning agents:
bleach, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol-based.
○ Avoid concerts, movies, crowded places.
○ We have cancelled business travel.
○ Do the basic hygiene, eg hand washing and avoiding touching face.

○ Stockpile your critical prescription medications​. Many pharma supply chains run through China. Pharma companies usually hold 2-3 months of raw materials, so may run out given the disruption in China’s manufacturing.
○ Pneumonia shot might be helpful. Not preventative of COVID-19, but reduces your chance of being weakened, which makes COVID-19 more dangerous.
○ Get a flu shot next fall. Not preventative of COVID-19, but reduces your chance of being weakened, which makes COVID-19 more dangerous.
○ We would say “Anyone over 60 stay at home unless it’s critical”. ​CDC toyed with idea of saying anyone over 60 not travel on commercial airlines.
○ We at UCSF are moving our “at-risk” parents back from nursing homes, etc. to their own homes​. Then are not letting them out of the house. The other members of the family are washing hands the moment they come in.
○ Three routes of infection
■ Hand to mouth / face
■ Aerosol transmission
■ Fecal oral route
● What if someone is sick?
○ If someone gets sick, have them stay home and socially isolate. There is
very little you can do at a hospital that you couldn’t do at home. Most cases are mild. But if they are old or have lung or cardio-vascular problems, read on.
○ If someone gets quite sick who is old (70+) or with lung or cardio-vascular problems, take them to the ER.
○ There is no accepted treatment for COVID-19. The hospital will give supportive care (eg IV fluids, oxygen) to help you stay alive while your body fights the disease. ie to prevent sepsis.
○ If someone gets sick who is high risk (eg is both old and has lung/cardio-vascular problems), you can try to get them enrolled for “compassionate use" of Remdesivir, a drug that is in clinical trial at San Francisco General and UCSF, and in China. Need to find a doc there in order to ask to enroll. Remdesivir is an anti-viral from Gilead that showed effectiveness against MERS in primates and is being tried against COVID-19. If the trials succeed it might be available for next winter as production scales up far faster for drugs than for vaccines. [​More​ I found online.]
○ Why is the fatality rate much higher for older adults?
■ Your immune system declines past age 50
■ Fatality rate tracks closely with “co-morbidity”, ie the presence of other
conditions that compromise the patient’s hearth, especially respiratory or cardio-vascular illness. These conditions are higher in older adults.

■ Risk of pneumonia is higher in older adults.
● What about testing to know if someone has COVID-19?
○ Bottom line, there is not enough testing capacity to be broadly useful. Here’s
why.
○ Currently, there is no way to determine what a person has other than a PCR
test. No other test can yet distinguish "COVID-19 from flu or from the other
dozen respiratory bugs that are circulating”.
○ A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test can detect COVID-19’s RNA.
However they still don’t have confidence in the test’s specificity, ie they don’t
know the rate of false negatives.
○ The PCR test requires kits with reagents and requires clinical labs to process
the kits.
○ While the kits are becoming available, the lab capacity is not growing.
○ The leading clinical lab firms, Quest and Labcore have capacity to process
1000 kits per day. For the nation.
○ Expanding processing capacity takes “time, space, and equipment.” And
certification. ie it won’t happen soon.
○ UCSF and UCBerkeley have donated their research labs to process kits. But
each has capacity to process only 20-40 kits per day. And are not clinically
certified.
○ Novel test methods are on the horizon, but not here now and won’t be at any
scale to be useful for the present danger.
● How well is society preparing for the impact?
○ Local hospitals are adding capacity as we speak. UCSF’s Parnassus campus
has erected “triage tents” in a parking lot. They have converted a ward to “negative pressure” which is needed to contain the virus. They are considering re-opening the shuttered Mt Zion facility.
○ If COVID-19 affected children then we would be seeing mass departures of families from cities. But thankfully now we know that kids are not affected.
○ School closures are one the biggest societal impacts. We need to be thoughtful before we close schools, especially elementary schools because of the knock-on effects. If elementary kids are not in school then some hospital staff can’t come to work, which decreases hospital capacity at a time of surging demand for hospital services.
○ Public Health systems are prepared to deal with short-term outbreaks that last for weeks, like an outbreak of meningitis. They do not have the capacity to sustain for outbreaks that last for months. Other solutions will have to be found.

○ What will we do to handle behavior changes that can last for months?
■ Many employees will need to make accommodations for elderly parents
and those with underlying conditions and immune-suppressed.
■ Kids home due to school closures
○ [Dr. DeRisi had to leave the meeting for a call with the governor’s office. When he returned we asked what the call covered.] The epidemiological models the state is using to track and trigger action. The state is planning at what point they will take certain actions. ie what will trigger an order to cease any gatherings of over 1000 people.
● Where do you find reliable news?
○ The John Hopkins Center for Health Security ​site​. Which posts daily updates.
The site says you can sign up to receive a daily newsletter on COVID-19 by email. [I tried and the page times out due to high demand. After three more tries I was successful in registering for the newsletter.]
○ The New York Times is good on scientific accuracy.
● Observations on China
○ Unlike during SARS, China’s scientists are publishing openly and accurately
on COVID-19.
○ While China’s early reports on incidence were clearly low, that seems to trace
to their data management systems being overwhelmed, not to any bad intent.
○ Wuhan has 4.3 beds per thousand while US has 2.8 beds per thousand.
Wuhan built 2 additional hospitals in 2 weeks. Even so, most patients were
sent to gymnasiums to sleep on cots.
○ Early on no one had info on COVID-19. So China reacted in a way unique
modern history, except in wartime.
● Every few years there seems another: SARS, Ebola, MERS, H1N1, COVID-19. Growing strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Are we in the twilight of a century of medicine’s great triumph over infectious disease?
○ "We’ve been in a back and forth battle against viruses for a million years."
○ But it would sure help if every country would shut down their wet markets.
○ As with many things, the worst impact of COVID-19 will likely be in the
countries with the least resources, eg Africa. See article on Wired magazine on sequencing of virus from Cambodia.

[PaulaO]

I’m about 40 miles west of Chicago and can only speak to what I see in the burbs. Wednesday night the grocery store was normal. Friday night the store was insane (I shop at different stores throughout the week). There is a shortage of toilet paper, milk, bread, eggs. Shortage as in the aisles are empty. All schools K-12 in the state are closed until March 30. The public libraries are closed. Events such as concerts, plays, etc have been canceled or postponed. I work in a hospital, nonclinical, and we had the first COVID patient in the county. She was discharged because she didn’t need to stay in the hospital.

People around here are nuking futz. They are panicking and hoarding food and water. I talked with the president of Aldi Foods today (her daughter takes lessons at the barn) who has spent the last 2 weeks in full crisis mode. A few stores, not just Aldi, have been closing because they have no inventory. The supply chain throughout the country is wearing thin and can’t keep up with demand. Her advice is go the store first thing in the morning before everything sells out. Freeze what you can or buy canned fruits, etc. Eat out as much as you can now to save using your food.

The healthcare system is running low on PPE and I don’t mean prepurchase exam. I’m talking masks, gloves, vents.

Remember the curve and how to flatten it.

I have become a card carrying humanitarian as the result of seeing a individualist society instead of a community society. I hope all the toilet paper hoarders get massive diarrhea and use their stock in 2 days.

Take care of each other. Share what you have. Be kind. Don’t be an asshole. Hug your horse.

Miss A.and I cantered today for the first time in months. My instructor has been working on her canter, and now it is soft, she’s balanced, doesn’t pull like a freight train. Made me happy.

[Moutaineer]

Ski resorts, bars, restaurants, schools, city offices, libraries, basically everything shut down here now.

Our first community transmission case popped up yesterday. Worked in a very busy bar on Main Street and had been to work symptomatic, so I wouldnt be suprised if the city gets quarantined next week.

[Chancellor]

Plain soap is very effective against COVID19. Coronavirus are encapsulated in a lipid layer, soap is very effective in dissolving the lipid layer and basically disintegrates the virus.

It's not about stopping the virus, about 75noercent if us need to get sick and recover so we develop a kind if herd immunity. It's about making the progress of numbers if I'll distribute over the longest possible time so that the healthcare professionals can cope with the numbers and give everyone the best possible care. Ir as they are saying, flattening the curve.

Plain soap and water is MORE effective than hand sanitizer!

[Koolkat]

Here's a good link for that, you can also work the other tabs for more information.

https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me ... tizer.html

We're going hiking on this brilliantly sunny early spring day in the Pac NW. Here's to healthy lungs, distancing, too!!!!

Chisamba - Thanks for that transcript above, it puts a lot of good info in one place.

On a totally different note, does anyone have casserole type recipes that freeze well? I have one cauliflower/cheese casserole, but otherwise it's not something we cook very often. I can't eat too much tomato stuff (lasagna, etc) due to GERD, but I thought I'd open a thread in the What's for Dinner thread to post some. It would be great to freeze some casseroles to minimize store trips, we don't each much canned food.

[PaulaO]

Drove to the local small grocery store this morning, about 10 miles away. The road was empty. The store was busy but people were buying normal amounts and were friendly and laughing in line. Plenty of produce and the butchers were grinding beef. No chicken. The store owners just posted on FB that they are driving to Wisconsin for more goods to stock the store. Governor just announced that he is closing in restaurant dining until the end of the month. Take away is unaffected. A local deli is offering free sack lunches for school kids who may otherwise go hungry.

[piedmontfields]

Well, I suspect we haven't posted because we've been a bit busy ;-0

My work is finally embracing a reduction of on-site workers to reduce social spreading; those who can will work remotely full-time. Of my two closest friends, one is now getting over a Corona-like virus (she is in the bay area of CA but couldn't get tested through her insurance); the other is en route back to the US from Europe---here's hoping she makes it out of O'hare with "just" COVID-19 from the mega processing time.

I have an autoimmune disease, so I am a bit more cautious than some, probably. I already ordered and received some helpful drugs for mitigation should I get pneumonia. Some of the younger folks at my barn are the most hazardous with their cavalier attitudes---I try to avoid their timing and clean everything that we all touch when I get there and obsess about hand washing before, during and after. My goal is to stay out of the hospital.

Many people in E TN (conservative, Trump friendly voting area) seem to think this is all a hoax and much to do about nothing. Pretty disturbing.

[Amado]

We are on day 3 of a 14 day quarantine. My husband tested positive (test on thursday, results on Friday), he has been sick since last Monday (so this is day 8 of symptoms). I tested negative, but have had a cough since tuesday, and this morning it feels a touch worse. No fever for me yet, he’s had a fever (that has been fluctuating) since monday. It spiked again last night. Other symptoms are flu-like - aches, headache, and bad chills, the chills are usually later in the day. NO cough. we are in Montana, but he had travelled for work the 2 weeks prior to symptoms - 3 airplanes, and 4 days in the Seattle/kirkland area - including crowded mass transit to the airport. (being in kirkland is one of tne of the reasons we were able to get him tested, and it took several days, plus having a negative flu test.). At any rate, its all a little scary.

[KathyK]

So..., I spend a lot of my time on FB and groups correcting mistakes about hand sanitizer recipes. Ask away on that and that subject only.

I've heard that 2/3 cup 91% alcohol, 1/3 cup aloe vera gel is a good recipe. Your thoughts?

Yep, or substitute glycerin or even water for the aloe vera gel. That's just to keep your skin from drying out. Important thing is to be generous with it and let it dry naturally. The evaporation is key to destroying the coating that keeps the virus intact. Don't forget under your fingernails.
The tough part will be finding the alcohol. Make sure you read the label. Also as a reminder, proof is twice the alcohol contents. So 80 proof is 40% alcohol. Not good for hand sanitizer.

Best thing overall is to wash your hands

Score!

alcohol and aloe .jpg (31.43 KiB) Viewed 28856 times

[goldhorse]

Still use hand washing as your primary defense.
DH and I are in lockdown. No symptoms but his university is completely shut down. No students. No research labs open. Nothing but what's needed to keep the power running, research animals taken care of, etc.
A useful blog for understanding why we ALL need to self-isolate. And pay attention to Dr. Anthony Fauci. You can trust him.
https://blogs.berkeley.edu/2020/03/15/b ... nzMfVxWuK4

Take care Amado and let us know how you and your DH are coping.

[PaulaO]

Thoughts, prayers, and speedy healing to Amado and hubby.

[heddylamar]

We are on day 3 of a 14 day quarantine. My husband tested positive (test on thursday, results on Friday), he has been sick since last Monday (so this is day 8 of symptoms).

Oh my goodness. All the love and virtual hugs headed your way. Keep yourself healthy <3

[PhoenixRising]

Here in Kansas/Missouri things are amping up quickly. The virus is here and starting to spread. A lot of schools are cancelled, gatherings of more than 50 people not permitted, and a lot of businesses transitioning to working from home-including mine.
My office isn’t at all set up for this, the company has long resisted the idea of remote work, so it’s an all hands on deck scramble to get every employee working from home by the end of this week. The tension in the office is palpable. Add to that, we have attorneys who frequently travel. One is self-quarantined at home, because of a highly affected travel destination in the last 2 weeks.

I’ve ordered extra cleaning supplies for my home massage business, but probably won’t be seeing any massage clients for at least a few weeks, maybe longer. I won’t be the one to expose someone.

We accidentally stocked up on toilet paper, we thought we were out and bought a package, only to get home and realize we still had a whole package my husband didn’t see

From what I hear, things like grocery stores won’t close so I’m not too worried there but we did buy a tiny bit extra. Maybe a week or so worth.
I’m planting a garden this year, part of me is really glad we had already chosen to do it this year and even already have some things in the ground. I’m not very worried, but knowing that does provide some comfort anyway.

Amado, tons of prayers and best wishes headed your way. Take care and please keep us updated! That’s truly so scary.

[Chancellor]

Things are getting crazy here. Governor Baker is closing things left and right. And I am happy he is doing that. I see far too many people talking about the governor going too far. But if we have learned anything from China, we really need to flatten the curve of the sick so we don't overwhelm the hospitals.
I am SO glad I no longer work in the health care industry.
I started working from home last Friday and won't go to work for at least two weeks. And that is just fine with me. I like working remotely with just my dogs, cats and husband as co-workers.
We did our first "Hannaford to go" order this past weekend. Lots of stuff unavailable like paper towels but that was okay. I rather liked not having to go into the grocery store!

Amado, best wishes for you guys. I hope you all get through okay. Check in and let us know.

[goldhorse]

San Francisco just ordered mandatory shelter in place. Neighboring counties expected to follow suit.

[PaulaO]

Chicago has closed its schools. This is unprecedented. Chicago never closes its schools. This is getting serious.

[StraightForward]

Chicago has closed its schools. This is unprecedented. Chicago never closes its schools. This is getting serious.

Most schools here are closed as of today. Apparently some said they weren't closing, and then texted all the parents at 10:00 last night reversing that decision

I happen to be acting this week while my boss is out, so I'm supposed to come to the office, but I'll be transitioning over to telework pretty soon. Meanwhile, DH was asked to referee an adult league football game this weekend. I mean, the show must go on for something that important, right?

The Jillian Kreinbring workshop I was signed up for at the end of the month was cancelled. AirBnB very easily gave me a full refund on my reservation.

Our grocery stores aren't stripped, though some things are sold out. I keep wondering why people are buying up bananas and bagged salad; 2 of the most perishable things you can get. Meanwhile there are plenty of apples and cabbages.

[heddylamar]

I bought a ton of bagged romaine hearts. Either 1) I'll feed it all, at once, to the hungry hoard at the end of the week or 2) the guinea pigs will have 2 weeks of lettuce ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Also picked up carrots, celery, brussels sprouts, cabbage, onions, canned tomatoes, and frozen greens to supplement my insane collection of pulses, and spices. We'll be eating a lot of Indian dishes!

MD is pretty much shuttered. And — fortunately — my equine bodywork specialist cancelled her trip out here.

[Tanga]

Things are changing quickly here--SF bay area. I think all schools were closed as of last week. They just announced a shelter in home for all seven bay area counties for three weeks. Let's see how this goes. We all just need to relax and go with it.

On a vent, I have been sharing any free online learning resources with all local groups where I think parents might need them. Instead of sharing them one by one, I thought I would create a webpage where anyone can bookmark it and I can add to it as I find things. I put it up on a site I was sharing the links on and it was immediately marked as spam by Facebook, taken down, and I was put on a three day ban! I am SO pissed. (*)()^**&^%^$% Really? Anyway, if you know anyone who needs this, here is the webpage. I will keep adding. https://sites.google.com/view/onlinelea ... sfree/home

[Chancellor]

Now the Landrover Kentucky three day event is cancelled (formerly Rolex) and the Kentucky Derby is rescheduled! This IS unprecedented.

[Tarlo Farm]

Best wishes to you and your DH Amado!!

Mostly the same as all the above, but less - very rural area in NW Michigan. First cases north of here just popped up last night in the Traverse City area. Most have been around Detroit. I did make a crack on FB last week about not being sure if I locked my car to protect my computer, or the hand sanitizer I keep in the car in the winter.

[KathyK]

Things are changing quickly here--SF bay area. I think all schools were closed as of last week. They just announced a shelter in home for all seven bay area counties for three weeks. Let's see how this goes. We all just need to relax and go with it.

On a vent, I have been sharing any free online learning resources with all local groups where I think parents might need them. Instead of sharing them one by one, I thought I would create a webpage where anyone can bookmark it and I can add to it as I find things. I put it up on a site I was sharing the links on and it was immediately marked as spam by Facebook, taken down, and I was put on a three day ban! I am SO pissed. (*)()^**&^%^$% Really? Anyway, if you know anyone who needs this, here is the webpage. I will keep adding. https://sites.google.com/view/onlinelea ... sfree/home

As soon as you write "share with anyone and everyone" it will be flagged as SPAM. Can you possibly edit your page to take that out?

[Rosie B]

We have 3 confirmed cases in my province. All schools are closed, all daycares closed. Many workplaces have told employees to work from home, have been shut down, or are down to a skeleton crew. I have been working from home with my two kiddos (3 & 6) since yesterday. Pretty much every event here has been cancelled.

We're taking earlier and more aggressive action than many places in the US, and I think it's totally warranted given how infectious this thing is. Hopefully because most everyone here is doing this now, the risk will be over for us within a couple weeks. I doubt that will be the case however.

[Rockabilly]

Next somebody is going to say you can catch it over the Internet.

[KathyK]

Next somebody is going to say you can catch it over the Internet.

You mean you can't?

[Tanga]

Things are changing quickly here--SF bay area. I think all schools were closed as of last week. They just announced a shelter in home for all seven bay area counties for three weeks. Let's see how this goes. We all just need to relax and go with it.

On a vent, I have been sharing any free online learning resources with all local groups where I think parents might need them. Instead of sharing them one by one, I thought I would create a webpage where anyone can bookmark it and I can add to it as I find things. I put it up on a site I was sharing the links on and it was immediately marked as spam by Facebook, taken down, and I was put on a three day ban! I am SO pissed. (*)()^**&^%^$% Really? Anyway, if you know anyone who needs this, here is the webpage. I will keep adding. https://sites.google.com/view/onlinelea ... sfree/home

As soon as you write "share with anyone and everyone" it will be flagged as SPAM. Can you possibly edit your page to take that out?

Hmm. I did not know that. I had other people post it with those words and no issue. Of course there is no one there to respond to their insanity, and I'm still on a three day ban.

On a less fun note, I might be sick. Luckily we are on lockdown. A little coughy last night, throat a little swollen. The weird thing is I have had vertigo when laying down the last few days. It may be a weird reaction to allergies as things have been blooming insanely here, but I will just assume I have something and stay far away from people.

[texsuze]

Take, care Amado family, and keep us posted if you're able so we can keep sending jingles.

[KathyK]

Things are changing quickly here--SF bay area. I think all schools were closed as of last week. They just announced a shelter in home for all seven bay area counties for three weeks. Let's see how this goes. We all just need to relax and go with it.

On a vent, I have been sharing any free online learning resources with all local groups where I think parents might need them. Instead of sharing them one by one, I thought I would create a webpage where anyone can bookmark it and I can add to it as I find things. I put it up on a site I was sharing the links on and it was immediately marked as spam by Facebook, taken down, and I was put on a three day ban! I am SO pissed. (*)()^**&^%^$% Really? Anyway, if you know anyone who needs this, here is the webpage. I will keep adding. https://sites.google.com/view/onlinelea ... sfree/home

As soon as you write "share with anyone and everyone" it will be flagged as SPAM. Can you possibly edit your page to take that out?

Hmm. I did not know that. I had other people post it with those words and no issue. Of course there is no one there to respond to their insanity, and I'm still on a three day ban.

On a less fun note, I might be sick. Luckily we are on lockdown. A little coughy last night, throat a little swollen. The weird thing is I have had vertigo when laying down the last few days. It may be a weird reaction to allergies as things have been blooming insanely here, but I will just assume I have something and stay far away from people.

What I wrote is true, but might not be what's preventing your link from being posted. Evidently, a FB glitch has been rejecting all kinds of innocuous posts in the last day or two. Try again -- it's important information! I just successfully posted it to my page.

[Tanga]

What I wrote is true, but might not be what's preventing your link from being posted. Evidently, a FB glitch has been rejecting all kinds of innocuous posts in the last day or two. Try again -- it's important information! I just successfully posted it to my page.

Not doubting you. It got weirder today. I was able to post and share the link on my page, but when I tried on a community page I was banned again. I was able to post on WSJ that tRump is a racist and link a BBC video showing him admit to cutting the CDC, but when I tried to post a link about echinacea, I was banned again.

Apparently I am glitch central.

Thank you for posting it! I have been adding about ten new links a day from little butty kid stuff all the way to college and adult. And let mw know if you find any new links!

[goldhorse]

On a less fun note, I might be sick. Luckily we are on lockdown. A little coughy last night, throat a little swollen. The weird thing is I have had vertigo when laying down the last few days. It may be a weird reaction to allergies as things have been blooming insanely here, but I will just assume I have something and stay far away from people.

DH and I in Berkeley both have what we think are cold symptoms. Lots of snot. Some coughing. No fever. So fingers crossed that there was a cold bug going around the Bay Area too. And yes, allergies are confusing the whole issue.

[Koolkat]

Healthy jingles for Amado's and Goldhorse's homes!!

I've had what seems to be a low level cold for 4 days. I may have gotten it from the nightly (make that ALL DAY) news.

[acheyarcher]

San Francisco just ordered mandatory shelter in place. Neighboring counties expected to follow suit.

goldhorse what are you hearing about vivariums in biotech facilities and university

[acheyarcher]

What I wrote is true, but might not be what's preventing your link from being posted. Evidently, a FB glitch has been rejecting all kinds of innocuous posts in the last day or two. Try again -- it's important information! I just successfully posted it to my page.

Not doubting you. It got weirder today. I was able to post and share the link on my page, but when I tried on a community page I was banned again. I was able to post on WSJ that tRump is a racist and link a BBC video showing him admit to cutting the CDC, but when I tried to post a link about echinacea, I was banned again.

Apparently I am glitch central.

Thank you for posting it! I have been adding about ten new links a day from little butty kid stuff all the way to college and adult. And let mw know if you find any new links!

facebook admits they had a "glitch" in their spam filtering program which caused a lot of posts to get rejected etc. It is supposed to be corrected, though what you were trying to post is probably old news now

[goldhorse]

San Francisco just ordered mandatory shelter in place. Neighboring counties expected to follow suit.

goldhorse what are you hearing about vivariums in biotech facilities and university

Can't speak about biotechs but I'm in the know about Cal since DH is a professor there. Animal facilities are restricted to staff and lab essential personnel only. Lab personnel have to be identified by the PI and get special permission from a committee to be on campus. All research labs are closed. Experiments have ceased. DH runs a core facility which is trying to convert to a clinical lab in order to process tests.

[acheyarcher]

that is good to hear. I work in vivarium and I have made strong argument to keep going on track

[Tanga]

DH and I in Berkeley both have what we think are cold symptoms. Lots of snot. Some coughing. No fever. So fingers crossed that there was a cold bug going around the Bay Area too. And yes, allergies are confusing the whole issue.

I'm in Hayward. Most of the cold/flu has gone away, but allergies have been insane with all of the warm weather. I'm assuming it's allergy related because my only real symptom is sinus headaches, and I'm guessing the vertigo is related to that. But, I'm being very careful and not getting close to anyone.

[Tanga]

]

DH and I in Berkeley both have what we think are cold symptoms. Lots of snot. Some coughing. No fever. So fingers crossed that there was a cold bug going around the Bay Area too. And yes, allergies are confusing the whole issue.

I'm in Hayward. Most of the cold/flu has gone away, but allergies have been insane with all of the warm weather. I'm assuming it's allergy related because my only real symptom is sinus headaches, and I'm guessing the vertigo is related to that. But, I'm being very careful and not getting close to anyone. Luckily riding keeps me away from everyone! And with the wet weather, I'm just hitting the trails and working out there because it's a small covered.

[goldhorse]

At the old Hayward Hills stables? I had my rideable horse in Briones until last October. When there was a small break in the fire/power outage nightmares, I took the opportunity to move him to Lodi where my retired horse is. I fully thought I would be retiring the guy too but the change in footing and being in a pasture has made him as sound as he's been in maybe 8 years. So I put him into full training. My routine has been to go out 3-4 days a week but I have to put that on hold. I can't risk his caretakers getting sick. Nor can I do anything, anything at all, that might fill a hospital bed. If he was still in Briones, I could sneak in and out without much issue. But not 75 miles away. Oh well. I'm currently putting together a list of online webcams or performances for people in my neighborhood to watch. One of my favorites last year was the Berkeley Falcon cam https://calfalcons.berkeley.edu/webcams/ Alice just laid her eggs so they won't be hatching for about a month. But it's always fun to check in and see if she moves so you can get a glimpse of an egg.

[Tanga]

At the old Hayward Hills stables? I had my rideable horse in Briones until last October. When there was a small break in the fire/power outage nightmares, I took the opportunity to move him to Lodi where my retired horse is. I fully thought I would be retiring the guy too but the change in footing and being in a pasture has made him as sound as he's been in maybe 8 years. So I put him into full training. My routine has been to go out 3-4 days a week but I have to put that on hold. I can't risk his caretakers getting sick. Nor can I do anything, anything at all, that might fill a hospital bed. If he was still in Briones, I could sneak in and out without much issue. But not 75 miles away. Oh well. I'm currently putting together a list of online webcams or performances for people in my neighborhood to watch. One of my favorites last year was the Berkeley Falcon cam https://calfalcons.berkeley.edu/webcams/ Alice just laid her eggs so they won't be hatching for about a month. But it's always fun to check in and see if she moves so you can get a glimpse of an egg.

Actually I live in Hayward. I used to board at the old Hayward Hills/Alta Vista. The nutjob who got it ran it into the ground and they had to drag her out. It's been closed for about two years. They were literally taking out ten semi truck loads of junk a day for months because she was letting people dump there and taking money. My horses are in Castro Valley now, five miles away.

Your horses aren't at Gateway now, are they? That IS a trek! That's a big commitment to go out 3/4 days a week. I would not go that far right now, either. It's easy to stay away from people at the barn, but driving that far to do it is going to require a lot of gas fill ups, and I would not touch those pumps without gloves.

I think I remember the falcon cam! If you have any cool webcams, let me know. I made a website for free online learning for all of the kids at home. I have a lot of virtual field trips on there.