YaelAldrich
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Everything posted by YaelAldrich
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Oh dear, we go to St Kilda every winter now for my DH to work. Planning our trip in August now. We have the son of a dear friend at that Yeshivah from the US
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I'm glad you made it and sorry that you can't see your friend yet. Seems like Israel will be kicking out all tourists in the near future unless they can find a location to self-quarantine. This is not good for Palestinian nor Israeli tourism and everyone is worried/freaking out. My Israeli friends who aren't in quarantine are saying Israelis should go and visit Israeli tourist places to help the economy.
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The rumor is that Israel will make any American who is from NYC, Wash State, and CA either not be allowed in the country or be made to quarantine (no hotels allowed). Native Israelis already have to quarantine and/or stay out of crowds larger than 100 people and all events with more than 5000 people are out for everyone, sick, quarantined or otherwise.
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Massachusetts Governor (R) Charlie Baker is recommending all high schools, colleges, and universities halt all international travel this summer. My husband's mid-summer just looks like it will be Boston-based (early summer is supposed to be guest teaching in Tokyo - not cancelled yet (and likely not to be) and late summer when he's supposed to lecture/consult in Australia). Official word from his university will come soon.
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My nephew's school.
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Israel has enlarged the number of countries that non-Israeli citizens cannot enter and Israelis have to self-quarantine. We have US friends whose family left Italy to avoid the issue in going to Israel. They went to France. Now they're looking for another country to safely ride it out for 14 days so they can eventually get to Israel. Jerusalem Post Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that going forward, any Israeli who returns to the country from France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Austria will now require isolation.This list is to be added to the already expanded list of people requiring isolation, including those coming from China, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand and Singapore.
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I agree mostly. I live there off and on and they tend to do a good job. But when they want to stick their heads in the sand, no one can do it better (although I bet we (the US_ are giving them a run for their money!).
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Update about my husband and his university's summer plans: He's back and we're monitoring his temps. No fever yet thank G-d. No other symptoms either. He has plans to take students to Japan this summer (July) to study disasters. Northeastern sent out an email today saying that summer 1 and 2 programs will be cancelled for any country with a State Dept/CDC level 3 or higher warning, so Iran, S Korea, Italy, and China so far. They want affected faculty to teach the same class (or something similar) onsite in Boston or change locations (although they agree that this is likely to be impossible). My husband can't see how that is feasible for him to do (they visit Hiroshima and more importantly Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant among other fun places) but he's thinking about it as it might come to be. The students will have issues as many of them use these summer intensive trips to finish their graduation requirements and the faculty can use the nice summer salary. We think that Japan has so far escaped the dreaded level 3 warning only because they are getting immense pressure because of the Olympics. There is no way the show can go on if they get that even if the advisory goes away this close to the Games.
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No one's commented on this yet. United airlines is shutting down some routes and going fewer times to various Asian cities for the next couple of months. https://mobile.twitter.com/krisvancleave/status/1233383167962296322?s=09
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Non-citizens who travel or even transit though Italy, China, S Korea, and Japan (as of know I believe, may be more countries by this point) cannot enter Israel if they have been in those countries up to 14 days before the travel to Israel.
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They have asked people in "safe" countries to take the students who would have gone to China (this was asked this week so why didn't they include N Italy, Korea, etc??) . I know my husband can't take any more students into his group as costs are insane usually but even moreso with the Olympics. But they asked him anyways.
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So the DH's university (Northeastern U) had an emergency meeting for each department. The general gist is that they are preparing for people to scatter during Spring Break this coming week and the possibility that at least the foreign students (and there are many) will not be able to come back. So every class/professor is to be prepared to teach online the rest of the semester. They will give help to those not used to the technology, but there will be no exceptions. NU does summer sessions abroad both summer school sessions (Mid May-Mid June, July). They've made no decisions about those sessions yet probably because each one has been in planning for the whole academic year, already have invested most of the money (18-20K per student per session!) into tickets, lodging, and the like, and students will be counting on these classes to make graduation requirements. My husband will be doing a second session class (July) in Japan and he thinks they are going to go ahead with it. He said the first session trip to Tokyo, Japan was strongly encouraged to change locations but Tokyo is literally the focus of the class, so it was a no-go.
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The Saudis are halting outside travel to Mecca and Medina.
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Any links please?
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All the reports I have read say AIRPORT screening temperature checks don't work. I totally believe that. I have taken ibuprofen an hour or two before I get off the plane to Japan (and SIngapore) if I don't feel well (well, before COVID-19 that is) and we come upon the infrared temperature screeners. What I'm doing is recommended by the CDC, WHO, and everyone else. I am taking my DH's temperature twice a day (not with a temp "gun") and if there is any hint of a fever, then I call our good friend in infectious diseases at Harvard Med School/BIDMC hospital and do what he says. Yes, the CDC has to balance public safety and public health (and politics - oops, did I say that?). It's not fair.
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That happened to me last April. I thought transition in labor was comparable pain with no squishy reward at the end. It is almost at its expiration date but I am sooo close (I hope) to menopause and don't want another BC device.
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I wish I knew what would work. My DH was on the Red Team for the US Govt during Ebola. There were scientists of all sorts, military, and governmental agencies heads there to work on how to stop Ebola from coming over and if/when it came over what to do to slow the spread. Obviously I don't know all he worked on while there. But when I ask him now, he says they haven't come to a consensus on his campus in terms of study abroad students and their summer dialogues (he take students to Japan in July). So if the university is dithering on what to do (I'm guessing because of the $$$$ they have invested/spent so far), the gov't must really be worse off. I'm monitoring my DH's temps since he got back. I'm prepping a bit more than I had before (which is kind of hard since Passover is in six weeks and that means a complete turnover in foods for the holiday). I bought additional filters for our Totobobo masks and more gloves. I live in a city and have high social capital (that's what my DH studies) in our little Jewish community. My DH can teach from home if need be. The kids who are in school-schools can be brought home if need be and I can HS them, and the one I homeschool for pay would have to fend for himself as his parents aren't up to it and I know he won't take to video learning. The elderly neighbors can eat with us. If it will be a harsh ride, I worry for my parents and in-laws more than us. I worry for all the people who can't or won't prep. We'll lose some summer salary if he doesn't go to Japan. My daughter was going to go to Japan to help with my friend's Passover meals/services, but we've held back on buying tickets. Their kids can't go home to Japan and return to Israel. I was in Japan during SARS and the only thing I remember was that we had no overseas guests for several months because no one came for business or leisure.
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Singapore is a highly regulated city-nation-state. They have cameras everywhere (public and private). People there are pretty highly educated and are high on the scale of communal identity. They have a tight leash on their citizens, which we do not have here. Sadly, I doubt we can use them as a model.
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I read that both the rubbing on of soap AND the rubbing of your hands on a towel (not air drying) are helpful in dislodging germs.
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Cancel for any reason travel insurance is expensive and you can only purchase it within 2-3 weeks of the trip purchases, so if you didn't/don't buy it when you get your other tickets you're out of luck. Epidemics may or may not be covered anyways with any type of travel insurance.
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An update: DH came home yesterday. I got him to change and shower as soon as he came home. All clothes went into hot water laundry/dryer. Unlike the flight going to Japan (1/3 full, usually full) the flight back was full, but full of foreigners (we called them fly-jin, a riff off of gai-jin (foreigner in Japanese) during the 3/11 disaster). I'm monitoring his temps twice a day. We're supposed to go to Bermuda next week. Their gov't is supposedly looking out for high risk entrants. They update on Thursdays so we'll see what they say then. Hope he doesn't get sick and we don't get turned away.
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I think you'd be ok getting these. People who travel use them as far as I know. I got them because they were advertised as being awesome for China's pollution. They just also happen to be good for this purpose as well.
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Since there are shortages of regular N95 masks, I want everyone here to know about the Totobobo Mask. This mask is reusable (you change out the filters) and you can get childrens/small/large sizes to fit all faces. We have them from a previous trip to China but I am especially glad that we have them now. I bought additional filter refills from their Canadian distributors. The filters last about 3-5 days depending on the air you are breathing.
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With my husband coming home from Japan in a couple of hours, I am looking for a new thermometer! Your favorites? I got an Exergen Temporal Artery one at Costco. Is it easy and accurate? -Hoping not to be the nexus of the next outbreak of coronavirus!
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DH just flew to Tokyo yesterday/today. His plane, usually full of people, was about 1/3 full - business class all but empty and no children on board. The FAs passed out surgical masks to everyone who wanted them. He is speaking at a conference about disasters (ironic) and bringing needed goods and food to our dear friends who run the Chabad of Tokyo. They have been bringing kosher food and support to the Israeli/Jewish passengers on the Diamond Princess since it's been quarantined with the Japanese govt and the Israeli embassy's blessings. The Israeli passengers (minus 4 who have been diagnosed with COVID-19) have been evacuated from the ship on a private jet to Israel. I've no idea if they'll be quarantined once they get there, but I assume so. Husband is not going out except to the Chabad House and the conference as no one is interested in social calls at this point. He's got ample n95 masks, gloves, elderberry syrup and Vit D, hand sanitizer and is meticulous on cleanliness He'll speak on Sunday and come home Monday night. Please pray for him.