Now for Some GOOD News

[The Unbeliever]

So, with all the latest apocalyptic levels of doom & gloom surrounding the current world-wide crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and our media being bombarded 24/7 with 'updates' and scary numbers of potential infection levels, (thanks Merkle!), I figured everyone could do with some genuinely positive, GOOD news:
ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/canadian-scientists-make-covid-19-research-breakthrough-isolating-virus-1.4851641

So while yes, we should still be taking this seriously, especially to help the most vulnerable stay safe, this is also a massively positive and very significant breakthrough.

In the mean time, let's all help each other out by;
- wash your hands with soap and water, especially when out in public.
(seriously, this can't be over stated enough - regular proper hand washing is like 95% of the battle at this point!)

- wear gloves when out in public to help avoid touching common surfaces with your bare skin. Otherwise, use for example, your elbow to push open a door so as to avoid direct contact with common surfaces.
If you *have* to touch a common surface, use a napkin to help act as a barrier between your bare skin and the horribly filthy common surface, such as door handles.

- if you decide to use hand sanitiser, it *must* have a minimum of 60% alcohol content in order to actually kill germs. (if it's under 60%, it's just garbage - don't waste your time or money with it.)

- if/when you cough or sneeze in public, do so into the crook of your elbow. (using your hands is disgusting, and just spreads ANY germs/virus you might have - not just COVID-19!!)

- if you blow your nose, immediately wash your hands with soap and water after disposing of your tissues in a proper garbage container.
(seriously, if I see anyone else just throwing that contaminated gak on the ground or leaving it on a table again, I'm a gonna lose it! )

- try to avoid touching your eyes/nose/mouth, since this is an easy way to infect yourself if your hands have come into contact with germs.

- STOP THE PANIC BUYING PEOPLE!!
You don't need to fill up 3 bomb shelters with 19 years of supplies to get through this!!
Not only does engaging in this simply help to fuel the panic buying shenanigans, but you're also ensuring that those most at risk from this virus such as seniors and those with limited income will NOT be able to acquire the items they need to keep themselves safe!
(ie: seniors and/or those with chronic underlying issues literally CANNOT afford to wait in hour-long lines to shop/check out as their risk of infection is stupidly-high in these kinds of crowded conditions...)

- if you have elderly parents/grandparents in a care home or similar facility, do not go and visit them in person for the time being - phone calls, web chat/face time if the facilities have it/can help will go a long way in keeping them safe.

- for those in regions where Spring Break is set to begin, don't travail out of country this year. The risk at this point is stupid-high, and some beach time/whatever is not worth potentially bringing home a possibly fatal-for-some 'souvenir'...


Stay safe and healthy everyone!

 

[shimmerfly]

All good tips @The Unbeliever and good news on the isolation!
And if I may add...
If you live with someone who has compromised health. Common sense and courtesy go a long way.
Think of all the things other people touch besides (door handles) such as anything you buy off a shelf, canned goods etc. Wash your fresh foods thoroughly and stop picking up magazines if your waiting somewhere. The last person who read it could have been a nose picker.
Leaning on counters is also a big germ spreader so wash up further than your hands. Be safe and be well.

 

[LilWolf De Lioncourt]

those are great tips. It's also been unreal how so many people have gone and bought out all the stores of their Toilet paper and bottled water as they don't even care that so many others need those as well. My cleaning Lady couldn't go and buy me those thing's as she said that she went to so many different places and all the shelves are empty. I pray no one here in the game has been hit with this virus. Be careful and safe everyone.

 

[Darielle]

those are great tips. It's also been unreal how so many people have gone and bought out all the stores of their Toilet paper and bottled water as they don't even care that so many others need those as well. My cleaning Lady couldn't go and buy me those thing's as she said that she went to so many different places and all the shelves are empty. I pray no one here in the game has been hit with this virus. Be careful and safe everyone.

Same thing in our area. I went to four stores and could not find toilet paper. Why toilet paper? Are people afraid of continual need to run to the bathroom for the next 6 months? I looked everywhere online too. The only thing I could find were the industrial-sized rolls at Office Depot, and there they put a limit of 2 on them. (Luckily they weren't gouging on the price.) I bought one, but it's going to be funny trying to use an industrial sized roll (those things are 1200 feet of TP). Oh well, the boys are in for an adventure, lol.

 

[The Unbeliever]

About the TP 'issue'...
This info comes from some Oz members of another forums I'm on, (DakkaDakka wargaming & hobby forum), and apparently it started out as;
- a 'rumor' circulating among Aussies about how apparently 90% of their TP production is dependent on China.
This rumor starting up just as the Chinese government put the entire country into lockdown and shuttered most factories, thus causing panic buying of all the bog paper down under.

- enter the 'Internet Wisdom', and suddenly the rumor that 90% of Oz loo roll depends on China morphs into, "OMG - China produces like ALL the TP?!!"


What's really hilarious for me personally, is that being in Canada, we're the world's no.1 pulp producer people - WE HAVE PLENTY OF TP PRODUCTION!!
Again, both Canada and the US manufacture almost all our TP locally, so please, there's no need to think the luxury poo swipes are flush out. (and yes, massive puns absolutely intended!)

So yeah, as a helpful PSA from DakkaDakka:
"Can we please stop panic buying all the TP people. I'd like to wipe my *** now, thanks."

 

[Darielle]

I have my own bit of good news. I am back in the 21st century after spending the past 4 days in the 18th century. A crazy freak late snowstorm occurred on Thursday. It dumped more than 2' of snow and knocked out power lines, cell towers, and left our driveway so full of snow that we couldn't even snow blow to get the car out. We're in a rural area, and we were trapped with no car, no phone, no internet, no electricity, no oil (the furnace has an electric starter) and no water (ditto on the well pump.) For the past 4 days, I've had a daily routine of first, getting out of bed with the temperature around 48-50 in my room, and running downstairs and cleaning out the ash from the wood stove, gathering kindling, starting the fire (luckily we had enough logs left over from winter), and then going out and gathering snow in buckets. One bucket went on the stove to heat for washing up and dishes. Two buckets went in the bathroom to flush the toilet. Another bucket went to wash ourselves up. Luckily we had bottled water for drinking. I put coffee pot on the wood stove for coffee and another pot to make oatmeal for breakfast, or to boil eggs. It's a small wood stove so we couldn't do more than that ... and it was the only source of heat for a 2 story old, huge (14 rooms) farmhouse. We created a "day fridge" out of a tub of snow and put it in the coldest room in the house. That way we only had to open our fridge once a day, to take out what we needed and to replace the bags of snow in it. We had bags of snow in the freezer, too. The worst part is not being able to take a bath for 4 days, lol. And having to go to bed at 6pm because it's too dark to read and you don't want to waste candles/flashlights. Anyway ... I'm back in the 21st century and happy to be here, so that's my good news.

 

[AtaguS]

I have my own bit of good news. I am back in the 21st century after spending the past 4 days in the 18th century. A crazy freak late snowstorm occurred on Thursday. It dumped more than 2' of snow and knocked out power lines, cell towers, and left our driveway so full of snow that we couldn't even snow blow to get the car out. We're in a rural area, and we were trapped with no car, no phone, no internet, no electricity, no oil (the furnace has an electric starter) and no water (ditto on the well pump.) For the past 4 days, I've had a daily routine of first, getting out of bed with the temperature around 48-50 in my room, and running downstairs and cleaning out the ash from the wood stove, gathering kindling, starting the fire (luckily we had enough logs left over from winter), and then going out and gathering snow in buckets. One bucket went on the stove to heat for washing up and dishes. Two buckets went in the bathroom to flush the toilet. Another bucket went to wash ourselves up. Luckily we had bottled water for drinking. I put coffee pot on the wood stove for coffee and another pot to make oatmeal for breakfast, or to boil eggs. It's a small wood stove so we couldn't do more than that ... and it was the only source of heat for a 2 story old, huge (14 rooms) farmhouse. We created a "day fridge" out of a tub of snow and put it in the coldest room in the house. That way we only had to open our fridge once a day, to take out what we needed and to replace the bags of snow in it. We had bags of snow in the freezer, too. The worst part is not being able to take a bath for 4 days, lol. And having to go to bed at 6pm because it's too dark to read and you don't want to waste candles/flashlights. Anyway ... I'm back in the 21st century and happy to be here, so that's my good news.

Oh my goodness! Glad you're back from all that. Sounds like you handled it well though.

 

[DeletedUser2768]

THIS ARTICLE is the happiest I've been all day. This morning, when I saw it, My state was the ONLY yellow state, and it was marked as "likely decreasing" now, when I looked at it, it is "confirmed decreasing". I'm in Washington Sate by the way.

 

[Darielle]

Oh my goodness! Glad you're back from all that. Sounds like you handled it well though.

Thank you so much! Me too.