wuhan - coronavirus

[JennyD]

Aaaaaaand we have our new rules in Israel.  No one can go further than 100 meters from their home unless for very narrow exceptions.  The few remaining open workplaces must check people for fever.  And synagogues are shut. 

Closing synagogues is a huge deal and is going to be wildly contentious.  Synagogues all over the world have been closing for the past 7-10 days but here in Israel they were allowed to remain open as long as there were no more than 10 people together and people were 2 meters apart.  However, yesterday there was a study released that showed that synagogues were the single biggest locus point of transmission for community spread.

Rules are in effect for 7 days.

 

 

 

[Pen]

https://www.mediterranee-infection.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hydroxychloroquine_final_DOI_IJAA.pdf

preliminary release of study re hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin

 

I probably already posted this, but it was in the reply box so I am

letting it post now in case I did not do so

before 

things seem wonky today with word spacing and so on

[DoraBora]

Texas:  All four major counties of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex have issued shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders.  We have a little over 7 million people here.

And, whomever asked what was up with our Lt. Governor: I have no idea.  I'm deeply embarrassed by his words.  ☹️

[Arcadia]

@daijobu@mathnerd

News link https://www.mercurynews.com/coronavirus-25-with-ties-to-stanford-infected-with-covid-19

Stanford health alert link https://healthalerts.stanford.edu/2020/03/24/reporting-and-self-reporting-covid-19-cases/

 “STANFORD UNIVERSITY – At least 25 people with ties to Stanford University have tested positive for COVID-19, a university official said Tuesday.

One student remains on-campus in quarantine, said Associate Vice Provost Russ Furr in an update. The others are off-campus and have been told to self-isolate and seek medical care if necessary.

“This figure includes both individuals tested at Stanford as well those who have been tested elsewhere and have self-reported their results to the university. It includes students who have left the Stanford area and returned to their homes. It also includes School of Medicine employees, including those working in clinical settings,” Furr wrote.”

 

[math teacher]

1 hour ago, Quill said:

Thank you for presenting that nicely. 

She does have a big trashcan, lined with a black plastic bag, in her room. However, if she is already downstairs or on the patio, I haven’t taken her disposables up to her room. That would probably be better, though. I think I’m just lazy. 

On your second point, I have wondered about this. If she’s carrying the virus, what difference does it make if her own belongings are sanitized often? I hope that doesn’t sound dense. Of course fewer germs are better. But I guess my thinking is that we’re trying to prevent spread through our family, so I focus on items that come out of her suite to the rest of the house. Hmm. I’m not sure about this. 

For her laundry, I have a hamper lined with a black trashbag so I can dump it directly in the washer. 

How much longer, Quill?

[Pen]

@Quill thank you for the descriptions of how you are doing your dd quarantine 

we only have one bathroom, so can’t do it exactly same. But it is giving me lots of ideas.  

My ds is sick — probably not CV19 — but he should be acting as if it might be.

unfortunately he has been being rather a jerk about it (he says now that he didn’t understand)

it helped some for me to be able to explain to him that there are people (thinking of your dd @lewelma s son etc) doing a quarantine even with no symptoms of anything. 

I told him that our local health department guidelines are that anyone with any symptoms of ***anything*** that could be contagious is supposed to isolate as much as possible.  Own room, bathroom, or outdoors weather permitting.   Then a friend he has contact with over social media got sick and is on bedroom isolation — and some positive peer influence kicked in. 

He is older than your ds15, but maybe being similarly boorish ☹️  

It is probably serving as a test run with “only common cold” and I want to start getting my ducks in a row better than they were. 

 

Edited March 25, 2020 by Pen

[73349]

.

Edited March 20 by 73349

[Arcadia]

18 hours ago, Paige said:

I've seen people in my area saying they are running out of latex free gloves. 

 

18 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

I haven't had trouble sourcing gloves. I also bought some cotton ones I could wash and reuse...

 

18 hours ago, DoraBora said:

Is there a glove shortage?

 

18 hours ago, maize said:

I saw a bunch at Lowe's last week. No masks, but lots of gloves.

 

Might not affect us in the states or it might so buy a box of spares if you need.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/covid-19-coronavirus-fight-at-risk-malaysia-medical-gloves-12575346

“KUALA LUMPUR: The rubber glove manufacturers association of Malaysia, the world's largest maker of medical gloves, on Wednesday (Mar 25) warned of a chronic shortage of gloves after a surge in demand from hospitals swamped with coronavirus patients.

The Malaysian Rubber Gloves Manufacturers Association (MARGMA) also said production would be cut because of a virtual one-month lockdown in the country, during which they are allowed to operate with only 50 per cent staff.

"Production costs will increase tremendously by at least 25 to 30 per cent ... Fortunately, buyers are aware of this cost factor and have come forward to assist and cooperate to bear the cost as well," it said in a statement.

Disposable rubber gloves are indispensable in the global fight against the coronavirus, yet a month's lockdownin stricken Malaysia where three of every five gloves are made has upended the supply chain and threatens to hamstring hospitals worldwide.”

[Matryoshka]

3 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

Might not affect us in the states or it might so buy a box of spares if you need.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/covid-19-coronavirus-fight-at-risk-malaysia-medical-gloves-12575346

“KUALA LUMPUR: The rubber glove manufacturers association of Malaysia, the world's largest maker of medical gloves, on Wednesday (Mar 25) warned of a chronic shortage of gloves after a surge in demand from hospitals swamped with coronavirus patients.

The Malaysian Rubber Gloves Manufacturers Association (MARGMA) also said production would be cut because of a virtual one-month lockdown in the country, during which they are allowed to operate with only 50 per cent staff.

"Production costs will increase tremendously by at least 25 to 30 per cent ... Fortunately, buyers are aware of this cost factor and have come forward to assist and cooperate to bear the cost as well," it said in a statement.

Disposable rubber gloves are indispensable in the global fight against the coronavirus, yet a month's lockdownin stricken Malaysia where three of every five gloves are made has upended the supply chain and threatens to hamstring hospitals worldwide.”

I'll recommend the cotton ones (they sell them for 'coin sorting', of all things).  I figure they are partly to remind you not to touch your face, and I always wash my hands thoroughly after taking them off and putting them in a ditty bag which will also be washed.  That way I use them more often rather than rationing the throw-away ones - and I'm not taking supplies from hospitals where cotton gloves wouldn't be tenable.  But for going shopping or bringing in the mail and such, I figure it's way better than just bare hands, and because they can be washed, the 15 or 20 pair I bought will last me indefinitely.

[DoraBora]

I thought this was interesting.

The national stockpile used to be somewhat more robust. In 2006, Congress provided supplemental funds to add 104 million N95 masks and 52 million surgical masks in an effort to prepare for a flu pandemic. But after the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 2009, which triggered a nationwide shortage of masks and caused a 2- to 3-year backlog orders for the N95 variety, the stockpile distributed about three-quarters of its inventory and didn’t build back the supply.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-18/hospital-makes-face-masks-covid-19-shields-from-office-supplies

[Arcadia]

1 minute ago, Matryoshka said:

I'll recommend the cotton ones (they sell them for 'coin sorting', of all things). 

I have cotton one for flute and band instruments 🙂 I also have dollar store disposable gloves for house cleaning. Long waterproof gloves are great.

Some people here might need nitrile gloves for at home care and if Indonesia becomes an epicenter, Malaysia might run short of gloves to export to outside Asia. 

[edelweiss]

4 hours ago, Pippen said:

I've been leaving all groceries and packages that don't need to go in the fridge or freezer out in the garage for a few days.

I've also been opening mail outside and dumping most of it in the recycle bin, and just bringing in the essential pieces.

I am doing the same thing. I had a grocery delivery on Sunday.  DH called out to the delivery person and told her to just put the packages on the floor of the garage and to take the tip I left for her (why wasn't there wasn't a place for me to leave a tip online? ugh!).  After she left, I went out and wiped down all perishable items with Chlorox wipes.  I left non-perishable items out there for several days.  Honestly, I feel a bit ridiculous doing it and it might be overkill, but there is nothing to lose by being careful, so that is what I'm doing.

We're dumping all mail and packages in the garage for a couple of days too.  Can't hurt.

We've had confirmed cases in my area for a week or so now, but we just found out that there is a confirmed case in our suburb of about 10,000 people.  Definitely getting closer to home now.  (I believe it has been here for a while, of course, but it is still somehow different when it is actually confirmed.)

 

ETA: I'm in Ohio.  I always appreciate when people put their general area in these posts, so we can compare what is happening in different areas.   Sorry that I forgot!

Edited March 25, 2020 by edelweiss

[Arcadia]

Alameda county, California 

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/east-bay/health-officials-more-covid-19-infections-among-young-adults-than-any-other-group/2261078/

“Alameda County health officer Dr. Erica Pan told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the largest group of people who've tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus so far is those 20 to 44 years old.

In her weekly briefing to the board, Pan said that among the first group of COVID-19 cases to be analyzed by county health officials, more than one-third are between 20 and 44 years old.

However, Pan said most of those people haven't developed serious symptoms and haven't had to be hospitalized.

Earlier on Tuesday county health officials said the county has now had two deaths attributed to COVID-19 and has had 135 cases so far.

Pan told the Board of Supervisors that there's been an "exponential increase" in coronavirus cases in the Bay Area and Alameda County since she gave her first briefing to the board two weeks ago, when only three cases had been reported in the county.

Pan said 64% of the county's cases at this point have been "community-acquired," as opposed to cases in which victims had been infected while traveling.

Referring to the virus, Pan said, "This is in our community now." Pan said, "We don't have as much testing capacity as we'd like now" but testing has ramped up in recent days, particularly at a facility at a Hayward fire station that has the capacity to test up to 350 people a day and get the results in six to nine hours.

However, Pan said that as the number of people tested increases the number of known coronavirus cases also will increase.”

[J-rap]

14 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

I'll recommend the cotton ones (they sell them for 'coin sorting', of all things).  I figure they are partly to remind you not to touch your face, and I always wash my hands thoroughly after taking them off and putting them in a ditty bag which will also be washed.  That way I use them more often rather than rationing the throw-away ones - and I'm not taking supplies from hospitals where cotton gloves wouldn't be tenable.  But for going shopping or bringing in the mail and such, I figure it's way better than just bare hands, and because they can be washed, the 15 or 20 pair I bought will last me indefinitely.

Interestingly, tightly woven cotton is showing to be pretty good protection.  Some scientists have found that material like tightly woven cotton dishcloths, folded over twice, can make a good face mask substitute.  (Even though a little hard to breathe through!)

I think your idea of wearing them partly as a reminder to not touch your face is great!

[Ali in OR]

Re: food washing. This is anecdotal. We had a zoom session with friends that included a couple who farm and process/can/freeze their crops for restaurants (that part of their business has tanked) and grocery stores. They have to follow government rules and regulations for food safety and are in contact with various experts as part of running their business. As we were discussing how long the virus lives on different surfaces, they said they were told that on food it was only minutes. They do not have to do anything different in their packing/processing routines. I'm not going to be too worried about picking up the virus from fresh produce--I'm much more likely to get it from grocery store crowds than from the apples.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Math teacher said:

How much longer, Quill?

She is back one week tonight. So, another week. 

[73349]

7 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

Re: food washing. This is anecdotal. We had a zoom session with friends that included a couple who farm and process/can/freeze their crops for restaurants (that part of their business has tanked) and grocery stores. They have to follow government rules and regulations for food safety and are in contact with various experts as part of running their business. As we were discussing how long the virus lives on different surfaces, they said they were told that on food it was only minutes. They do not have to do anything different in their packing/processing routines. I'm not going to be too worried about picking up the virus from fresh produce--I'm much more likely to get it from grocery store crowds than from the apples.

But the canning process itself kills germs, which is why we do it. And freezing will keep them from replicating until they thaw. So yeah, if you're even just boiling something, it will be fine, but I'm not sure sure about, say, an apple.

[prairiewindmomma]

Here's the FDA guidance on food: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-during-emergencies/food-safety-and-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

Don't read the next part while eating, or when about to eat: 

They  make a distinction between norovirus and HepA which can have transmission through food and covid-19.  If they are finding live viral particles in fecal material, though, how is it NOT transmissible by food.  The shortage of sanitizers is just worrisome to me. 

Harvard is offering differing advice, which makes more sense to me: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2020/03/25/food-safety-nutrition-and-wellness-during-covid-19/

[prairiewindmomma]

We are doing a wash and scrub on all produce that comes in.  The brush marks on banana show in the skin, but the underlying fruit seems to be fine.  If it can't hold up to a soak and scrub, we aren't eating it right now. I've been buying a lot more frozen produce, and I'm growing my own herbs. They've all woken up from winter, so hopefully they'll be in a position where I can harvest from them soon.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Happymomof1 said:

I have to laugh a little...  Quill, I'm glad no one criticized you.  When I posted what I was doing because I had 3 people with 2 mystery illnesses, people said I was nuts for doing all of that.  But I didn't know who had Covid and didn't want them passing stuff to each other.    Come on Quill, you are depriving your daughter of hugs????  Sigh. That was the criticism I got. Everyone is on the mend and now I am recovering from something that seems different from what they had...  Anyway, praying for health for you family!!!  

I’m feeling fragile and I knew I didn’t have the bandwidth for either: “you’re an idiot...she is allowed to sit in the kitchen??” OR “you’re paranoid...she probably doesn’t even have it!” 

I thought I had better put up fair warning. 😁

[Jean in Newcastle]

59 minutes ago, edelweiss said:

I am doing the same thing. I had a grocery delivery on Sunday.  DH called out to the delivery person and told her to just put the packages on the floor of the garage and to take the tip I left for her (why wasn't there wasn't a place for me to leave a tip online? ugh!).  After she left, I went out and wiped down all perishable items with Chlorox wipes.  I left non-perishable items out there for several days.  Honestly, I feel a bit ridiculous doing it and it might be overkill, but there is nothing to lose by being careful, so that is what I'm doing.

We're dumping all mail and packages in the garage for a couple of days too.  Can't hurt.

We've had confirmed cases in my area for a week or so now, but we just found out that there is a confirmed case in our suburb of about 10,000 people.  Definitely getting closer to home now.  (I believe it has been here for a while, of course, but it is still somehow different when it is actually confirmed.)

 

ETA: I'm in Ohio.  I always appreciate when people put their general area in these posts, so we can compare what is happening in different areas.   Sorry that I forgot!

Just a note that our grocery delivery drivers are not allowed to accept tips. (Might vary where you are)

[edelweiss]

12 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Just a note that our grocery delivery drivers are not allowed to accept tips. (Might vary where you are)

Interesting!  No, ours are allowed to accept tips.  They just expect them to be given in cash.  This is normally fine, but with the coronavirus, I would think that they would be concerned about receiving them in cash from a bunch of various people.  

[Arcadia]

🇮🇳 India https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/coronavirus-covid19-india-doctors-evicted-transmission-fears-12574964

“NEW DELHI: Some doctors combatting India's coronavirus outbreak have been evicted from their homes by force, a medical association said on Wednesday (Mar 25), due to fears that they may be infected and spread the disease to neighbours.

The country went into a 21-day lockdown on Wednesday, and experts have said it faces a tidal wave of infections if rigorous steps are not taken to keep the virus in check.

India's public health care infrastructure is poor and it suffers from an acute shortage of medical staff, who will generally see many patients over a short period.

Some doctors in temporary residences had been forcefully evicted by their landlords over infection fears, the Resident Doctor's Association of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi said.

"(They) are now stranded on the roads with all their luggage, nowhere to go, across the country," the association - which represents 2,500 doctors - said in a letter to the federal home minister on Tuesday, urging the government to intervene.

Late on Tuesday India's Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, himself a doctor, said on Twitter he was "deeply anguished" to see reports of doctors being ostracised in residential complexes, adding that precautions were being taken to ensure health care workers were not carriers of the infection.

A home ministry spokeswoman said the Delhi state administration had issued orders saying penal action would be taken against those evicting doctors. She did not comment on the situation in other states.

India, a country of 1.3 billion, has recorded 539 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nine deaths.

It has just one doctor for every 1,404 people, the government said in February, significantly below the World Health Organization's norm of one per 1,000.

The AIIMS association's president, Adarsh Pratap Singh, said three doctors in New Delhi and around 15 in the southern city of Hyderabad had already faced issues with their accommodation. He did not have estimates of how many have been impacted overall.

"People are not accepting them ... The morale of doctors is down because of this, a stigma is being created due to lack of awareness of coronavirus," he told Reuters on Wednesday.”

 

[Matryoshka]

33 minutes ago, whitehawk said:

But the canning process itself kills germs, which is why we do it. And freezing will keep them from replicating until they thaw. So yeah, if you're even just boiling something, it will be fine, but I'm not sure sure about, say, an apple.

Don't forget, unlike bacteria, viruses can't replicate at all outside a host cell - at any temperature.  The problem is how long a virus stays intact enough to be able to attack /infect a new host when transferred.  For whatever reason, the seem to become inactivated much more quickly on organic surfaces...

[Pen]

1 hour ago, Matryoshka said:

I'll recommend the cotton ones (they sell them for 'coin sorting', of all things).  I figure they are partly to remind you not to touch your face, and I always wash my hands thoroughly after taking them off and putting them in a ditty bag which will also be washed.  That way I use them more often rather than rationing the throw-away ones - and I'm not taking supplies from hospitals where cotton gloves wouldn't be tenable.  But for going shopping or bringing in the mail and such, I figure it's way better than just bare hands, and because they can be washed, the 15 or 20 pair I bought will last me indefinitely.

 

I have some like that too.

 

A relative of mine has rubber dishwashing gloves and is putting hand sanitizer on them to clean their outsides immediately after grocery shopping, and before taking them off,  then washing in soap and water once home, so just One pair of sturdy dish gloves should last a long time. 

[Pen]

3 hours ago, Plum said:

Remember that guy in CT that broke isolation to go to a party? 
 

CNN)About 40 people who attended a farewell party in Connecticut in early March were exposed to Covid-19 after a partygoer was confirmed to have the virus, three local Connecticut officials confirmed to CNN. 

The town of Westport now has 79 cases, the most of any Connecticut municipality, according to local officials. In Fairfield County, the surrounding county, there are 384 confirmed cases, more than half of Connecticut's total number of cases.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/03/25/us/connecticut-party-coronavirus-exposure/index.html

 

I still think the below is true—for situations that warrant it.  The one above having turned out to be an error.

But it would apply to someone getting on plane while awaiting results and people who did go to parties when should have been in quarantine, etc.

As well as college students congregating on beaches...

etc etc

Stiff penalties are needed for breaking the rules whether adults or teens are involved or this will keep happening. There need to be stiff penalties even if no one does get sick from it. And if anyone does get sick or dies from deliberately disregarding rules there need to be really serious criminal penalties. As in for murder or mayhem . It’s very much like active shooters in crowds  who may not intend to kill any particular person, but are intentionally doing something likely to kill or hurt someone . 

 

Edited March 25, 2020 by Pen

[Jean in Newcastle]

6 minutes ago, Plum said:

Remember that guy in CT that broke isolation to go to a party? 
 

CNN)About 40 people who attended a farewell party in Connecticut in early March were exposed to Covid-19 after a partygoer was confirmed to have the virus, three local Connecticut officials confirmed to CNN. 

The town of Westport now has 79 cases, the most of any Connecticut municipality, according to local officials. In Fairfield County, the surrounding county, there are 384 confirmed cases, more than half of Connecticut's total number of cases.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/03/25/us/connecticut-party-coronavirus-exposure/index.html

I wonder when this is all over, if there will be civil lawsuits against people like this? 

[RootAnn]

8 minutes ago, Pen said:

A relative of mine has rubber dishwashing gloves and is putting hand sanitizer on them to clean their outsides immediately after grocery shopping, and before taking them off,  then washing in soap and water once home, so just One pair of sturdy dish gloves should last a long time. 

I bought two pairs of these - one for each car for pumping gas. My DH refuses to use them, so the second pair is my "going to get the mail" pair. The kids think it is highly amusing to see me go out in the bright pink gloves. Our packages sit on the front porch or the garage depending on size. I toss junk mail before it gets in the house & the other items go in a mail quarantine area. I have soneone open the door for ne or remove one to open the door myself, then scrub them both with soap & water, then my hands with soap & water.

[Arcadia]

23 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

 

I have been dreading this sort of news from India. Such a vulnerable population. 

People on Facebook were commenting that other countries would welcome the doctors to come over and worked in their hospitals, and provide lodging too.

[Corraleno]

21 minutes ago, Plum said:

Remember that guy in CT that broke isolation to go to a party? 
 

CNN)About 40 people who attended a farewell party in Connecticut in early March were exposed to Covid-19 after a partygoer was confirmed to have the virus, three local Connecticut officials confirmed to CNN. 

The town of Westport now has 79 cases, the most of any Connecticut municipality, according to local officials. In Fairfield County, the surrounding county, there are 384 confirmed cases, more than half of Connecticut's total number of cases.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/03/25/us/connecticut-party-coronavirus-exposure/index.html

Do you have more information about this story? I can't find anything that says this involved someone who broke quarantine. The only story along those lines that I can find involve a party of about 100 people in New Hampshire where someone broke quarantine and spread it to others. The story linked here refers to a going away party in CT with 40 people, and the person who first tested positive was actually the person who left the country, and who was diagnosed after he left.

[JadeOrchidSong]

1 hour ago, Ali in OR said:

Re: food washing. This is anecdotal. We had a zoom session with friends that included a couple who farm and process/can/freeze their crops for restaurants (that part of their business has tanked) and grocery stores. They have to follow government rules and regulations for food safety and are in contact with various experts as part of running their business. As we were discussing how long the virus lives on different surfaces, they said they were told that on food it was only minutes. They do not have to do anything different in their packing/processing routines. I'm not going to be too worried about picking up the virus from fresh produce--I'm much more likely to get it from grocery store crowds than from the apples.

大家小心水果皮和生吃的菜。最好买包装好的，不买散装的。

From trusted source in Hong Kong today:
“In our laboratory, we found trace amount of the virus on the skin of fruits and vegetables after 12 hours of being touched by another customer who was infected.
We recommend our staff to avoid salads. Do not eat the fruits within 48 hours of purchase, or pour some boiling water over the fruit before cutting. Berries, apples, cucumbers and tomatoes are the worst because some people eat the skin.
Do not eat the skin of any fruit. 
We have to assume anything that comes from outside our home within 48 hours is infected. Shoes, clothes, our hair, all food.”

I add： I read that 17 days after cruise ship vacated, live coronavirus was found on surface of objects in rooms where symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients inhabitated.

[mellifera33]

2 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

I'll recommend the cotton ones (they sell them for 'coin sorting', of all things).  I figure they are partly to remind you not to touch your face, and I always wash my hands thoroughly after taking them off and putting them in a ditty bag which will also be washed.  That way I use them more often rather than rationing the throw-away ones - and I'm not taking supplies from hospitals where cotton gloves wouldn't be tenable.  But for going shopping or bringing in the mail and such, I figure it's way better than just bare hands, and because they can be washed, the 15 or 20 pair I bought will last me indefinitely.

Right now I'm wishing that I hadn't gotten rid of all of my handbell gloves, thinking I'd never use them again. 

[pitterpatter]

Our state is the similar...

20 minutes ago, Plum said:

My county finally updated. So much for an “old persons disease.”

 

[Arcadia]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china-students/chinese-students-fleeing-virus-hit-u-s-pay-20000-for-seats-on-private-jets-idUSKBN21C0SF

“U.S.-based Chinese students are scrambling to get home as U.S. infections top 50,000 while new cases in China - where the flu-like virus emerged in humans late last year - have fallen to zero. 

The sense of urgency is further heightened by the dramatic cutback in flight capacity. On Tuesday, 3,102 out of 3,800 planned commercial flights to and from China were canceled, according to aviation data provider VariFlight. 

“(Education) agents and schools are the ones making contact on behalf of the Chinese families looking to group together to arrange a private charter, given the lack of airline flights,” said Annelies Garcia, commercial director for Private Fly, a global booking service for charter flights. 

But even the window for chartered flights is closing fast, further elevating prices. Beijing has banned all chartered flights from overseas and Shanghai is expected to follow suit soon. Hong Kong and Macau have blocked transit flights. 

U.S-based Air Charter Service can fly passengers from Los Angeles to Shanghai on a 14-seat Bombardier 6000 for 2.3 million yuan ($325,300), or about $23,000 for a spot. 

“We have arranged a number of private jets traveling from the U.S. to China repatriating Chinese nationals with routes including New York and Boston to Shanghai, San Jose to Hong Kong and Los Angeles to Guangzhou,” said Glenn Phillips, a PR and advertising manager at Air Charter Service. 

“The prices range greatly depending on the positioning of the aircraft on the dates and time requested, and the exact route.” 

But even the well-heeled have to wrestle with logistics. 

Air charter providers have been notified informally that private jets registered in China are not allowed to land in the United States, and those registered in the United States cannot land in China, two sources at such firms told Reuters. 

“The Chinese government is reluctant to let people abroad to come back, though they cannot make it too obvious. We have received a lot of verbal guidance to restrict chartered flights these days and the door is closing rapidly,” one of them said. 

Jet operators circumvent the restrictions by either getting planes from other countries to run the U.S.-China routes or arranging transfers in Tokyo, they said. 

“Operators of U.S. or Chinese-registered aircraft are not permitted to land in each other’s countries at the moment, so for U.S.-China route inquiries, we are working with operators of long-range jets based elsewhere,” said Private Fly’s Garcia. 

The Civil Aviation Administration of China did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.”

[Katy]

If you have a costco membership they are allowing to order by delivery 1 pkg kirkland brand toilet paper & paper towels per membership, to the member's home address only. Not available in every zip code, but paper towels are there in mine. TP isn't yet.  Still, that's an improvement.

[SeaConquest]

1 hour ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Just a note that our grocery delivery drivers are not allowed to accept tips. (Might vary where you are)

 

In California, ours depend on tips for their livelihood. I feel horrible that so many people don't understand that here, especially since shopping is taking them so much longer than usual and they are risking so much more by being out there. I'm definitely tipping a lot more than usual to compensate them for the extra time and risk.

Edited March 25, 2020 by SeaConquest

[Jean in Newcastle]

6 minutes ago, SeaConquest said:

 

In California, ours depend on tips for their livelihood. I feel horrible that so many people don't understand that here, especially since shopping is taking them so much longer than usual and they are risking so much more by being out there. I'm definitely tipping a lot more than usual to compensate them for the extra time and risk.

I've only used Safeway but when you order from Safeway it says right there on the website about the tips.  So different states, different stores, different compensation rates . . . I appreciate that they tell you upfront so that you know what to do.  For me, the worst is when I don't know if I'm supposed to or not! 

[Garga]

3 hours ago, edelweiss said:

I am doing the same thing. I had a grocery delivery on Sunday.  DH called out to the delivery person and told her to just put the packages on the floor of the garage and to take the tip I left for her (why wasn't there wasn't a place for me to leave a tip online? ugh!).  After she left, I went out and wiped down all perishable items with Chlorox wipes.  I left non-perishable items out there for several days.  Honestly, I feel a bit ridiculous doing it and it might be overkill, but there is nothing to lose by being careful, so that is what I'm doing.

We're dumping all mail and packages in the garage for a couple of days too.  Can't hurt.

 

 

It’s not overkill.  See this video that I came on to share. It’s created by a medical person who teaches you how to bring groceries into the home and not spread germs all over your home, and also how to handle take-out food.  

The best thing with groceries is to leave them outside for a few days.  But if you can’t, he shows you how to wash/spray everything down.

 

1 hour ago, Seasider too said:

 

Thanks for this idea! I have been using kitchen tongs to pull mail out of the box, but found it hard to handle things. I have a pair of those gloves and yes, they are easy to wash/sanitize between uses and nice because they are non consumable. 

How long are you letting your mail sit?

 

I bring in the mail and set it aside for a full 24 hours.  We open it the next day.  I wash my hands after bringing in the mail, and I also spray the mailbox handle with bleach water every day.

[Garga]

One thing I learned from the video I posted in the previous post is that a virus can live for 2 years in a freezer.  I thought that as long as I didn’t use the freezer stuff for a few days, the virus would die, but that’s not the case for freezer food.  If you pull that box of frozen pizza out of the freezer a week after you bought it, any virus on it could still infect you.

[edelweiss]

2 minutes ago, Garga said:

One thing I learned from the video I posted in the previous post is that a virus can live for 2 years in a freezer.  I thought that as long as I didn’t use the freezer stuff for a few days, the virus would die, but that’s not the case for freezer food.  If you pull that box of frozen pizza out of the freezer a week after you bought it, any virus on it could still infect you.

Yikes!

[RootAnn]

1 hour ago, Seasider too said:

How long are you letting your mail sit?

In general, over 24 hours.

Thanks @Garga for the video. DH hasn't seen the lengths we go to when groceries come in. Yet. It is a process.

The grocery workers doing the picking, carry out & delivery have my gratitude. And, I noticed the other day that the Wal-Mart pickup folks were wearing food service gloves. Good for them.

Edited March 25, 2020 by RootAnn

[Matryoshka]

19 minutes ago, Garga said:

One thing I learned from the video I posted in the previous post is that a virus can live for 2 years in a freezer.  I thought that as long as I didn’t use the freezer stuff for a few days, the virus would die, but that’s not the case for freezer food.  If you pull that box of frozen pizza out of the freezer a week after you bought it, any virus on it could still infect you.

That was the most important takeaway for me - yikes!  Going to go lysol wipe the heck out of the last few frozen things I put away!!

[TracyP]

If you are worried about mail and groceries. by all means keep disenfecting. There is so much unknown about this virus. Especially for the high risk folks, it may very well be worth the trouble to eliminate even the tiniest chance.

However, the CDC says that the risk from contact transmission is low. CIDRAP agrees. And  here's a NY Times article with more information and links backing that. 

[Arcadia]

🇪🇸 Spain https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/spain-china-covid-19-overtake-death-toll-12575596

“MADRID: Spain's coronavirus death toll overtook that of China on Wednesday (Mar 25), rising to 3,434 after 738 people died over the past 24 hours, the government said.

The spiralling number of deaths came as Spain entered the 11th day of an unprecedented lockdown to try and rein in the COVID-19 epidemic that has now infected 47,610 people, the health ministry said.

Spain's armed forces on Tuesday asked NATO for humanitarian assistance to fight the novel coronavirus as both deaths and infections have continued to mount. 

Like many other countries, Spain has been struggling with a lack of medical supplies for testing, treatment and the protection of frontline workers.

In a statement, NATO said Spain's military had asked for "international assistance", seeking medical supplies to help curb the spread of the virus both in the military and in the civilian population.

The request specified 450,000 respirators, 500,000 rapid testing kits, 500 ventilators and 1.5 million surgical masks.

...

The surge in numbers has brought the medical system to the brink of collapse, with more than 5,000 healthcare workers testing positive for the virus, or around 12 per cent of the total.”

[Garga]

I just posted this on my FB page.  It’s about how I went grocery shopping today in PA.  It begins here:

 

Some of my friends will roll their eyes at this so hard that they’ll pull muscles. I’m posting anyway, for those who are interested.

I went grocery shopping today in 3 different stores.  Below is what I did to keep germs at bay.  

For this shopping trip I didn’t feel particularly threatened by germs, so this was a trial run for if we start getting lots of cases in this area.

FACEMASK

1. I wore a cloth face mask.  It’s actually a hair buff that I put around my nose and mouth.  See comments for a link to how to wear hair buffs.  

Why the mask?

I wore it because I don’t know if I’m infected or not, so I didn’t want to breathe on everything and infect someone else.  

I also didn’t like the idea that I might be walking through an infected person’s sneeze.  

I also wore it as practice.  There are only a few known cases in this area, but if it gets bad around here, I wanted to see how it held up during a couple of hours of shopping.  

At Aldi (the first stop), it kept slipping off my nose and I had to use a finger near my nose to push it back up.  That’s no good! I don’t want my hands near my face.

At Walmart (the second stop), I used a new hair buff, and this time I hooked it on my ears and it stayed in place throughout the whole store.

I didn’t remove the second buff between Walmart and Petco and just kept it on for both stores.  It stayed in place just fine, even through turning my head a lot while I was driving.  It didn’t slide down.

My tip: if you use some sort of scarf as a mask, it needs to somehow loop on your ears or it will slide off.  The first one began sliding off every time I had to look down, like if I was getting something off a low shelf or when I was bent over the cart putting stuff on the conveyor belt.  

One of the biggest reasons I wore the mask?  

My Chinese exchange students.  I’ve contacted them and asked them how they are through all this.  They both impressed upon me the importance of wearing a mask.  One sent me a picture of himself in the airport wearing the mask as encouragement (he was on his way home from an American college when I contacted him.) The other insisted that if I didn’t have masks he would send me some because it’s just that important.  

Also, my friend Shannon Hall sent me an article about the benefits of various cloth to use as a mask.  See comments for article about cloth masks.

I have to admit that I sat there in the car for a few minutes when I first got to the stores not wanting to get out of the car in my mask, feeling a little silly, but then I figured, “Eh, I’ve been teased for being different countless times in my life and I know how not to let it get to me, so why worry about it now?” And I got out and walked around the store with my masks on, even though I felt a little silly.

GLOVES

2. I did not wear gloves. I considered it, but the gloves would get just as dirty as my hands, so as long as I didn’t touch my face and then washed my hands, I wasn’t sure what the benefit of the gloves would be.

CLEAN HANDS/CLEAN CAR

3. I knew I’d be in 3 stores (Aldi, Walmart, Petco), so I brought 3 thermoses of water and my foaming soap dispenser and a roll of paper towels.  

After I loaded the car with groceries and BEFORE I touched anything except the hatch door handle, I washed my hands in the parkinglot with my soap and water. Not a single person even noticed me doing it.  

I used the paper towels to hold the containers and to dry my hands.  I put the thermoses and soap dispenser in a bag to be washed in soap and water when I got home.  The bag was cloth and would be washed in the washing machine.

By the time I got into the car to drive, my hands were clean and I didn’t have to worry about going home and cleaning the steering wheel, belt buckle, brake, etc, etc.  

Only the hatch door handle was touched with dirty hands.

MONEY/KEYS

4. In the store these items were carried and would become germy:  my grocery list, my pen, my credit card.  I kept those in an outer pocket of my coat so they would be the only items touched by my germy hands.

I put my car keys in a different pocket and touched them through the cloth of the pocket to push the unlock button to unlock the hatch door.  The keys never got touched by germy hands.  

When I got home, I sprayed the pen and credit card with bleach water and threw the paper list away.

CLOTHES/BAGS

5. I wore clothes, including my coat, hat, masks, and cloth bags, that could be immediately put in the washing machine when I got home.  So, no leather jacket.  It all got washed as soon as the items were taken out of the car.  

BACK AT HOME WITH THE GROCERIES

6. I brought all the groceries in.  Anything that could sit untouched for a few days went into a big cardboard box.  That stuff will sit there for the next 4 days before anyone touches it.  The cloth bags that I used at Aldi went right into the washing machine with my outfit and coat.  

Fortunately, I have food already out in my pantry that we’ll be eating for the next 4 days while we wait for the new food to be ready to be touched.

If I had to use the new food right away, I’d have sprayed it down with bleach water before putting it on my shelves.  

I put cold stuff in the fridge and freezer stuff in the freezer and THEN I watched a video that said the virus lasts longer in the cold; up to TWO YEARS in freezers.  Whoops!  Whenever we take something out of the freezer, we’re going to have to remember to throw away the packaging and wash our hands when we’re done with it.  

Next time, I’ll wipe the freezer and fridge stuff down before I put it away. 

We wash fresh fruit before we eat it with soap and water.  

See the video in the comments that teaches you how to wipe your food down if you have to use it right away.  The video also shows you how to handle take-out food containers.  

FINAL CLEANUP

7. All the food was put away in the fridge/freezer or put in a big box to wait for the germs to die.  

Clothes and cloth bags were in the machine and I started it up for them to be washed.  Boots went into the closet not to be used for at least 4 days (probably 2 weeks at this rate...I only go out to buy groceries every 2 weeks).

Plastic bags were put aside for the next week to be left at room temperature for the germs to die.

I made a fresh batch of bleach water (1.5 or so tsp of 6% bleach to each cup of water in a spray bottle.)

I sprayed:
My credit card
My pen
The handle to the hatch on the car
Inner and outer handles to the screen door
Inner and outer handles to the front door
Any lightswitches I touched
The handle to the fridge
The handle to the freezer
The handle to the mail box, just because it was there and I walked past it
Handle to the sink faucet
The pump on the soap dispenser.
The knobs on the washing machine

I handwashed the thermoses and soap dispenser I’d taken in the car with me

And...I think that’s everything.

Feel free to add your own tips in the comments.  Someone suggested to me that I could have taken off my germy shoes at the door and put on new ones once I was home.

Hair buff  https://coolofthewild.com/how-to-wear-a-buff/

 

Wipe food/Take-out containers:  

 

Cloth masks:  Cloth masks:  https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/

Edited March 25, 2020 by Garga

[amyx4]

I don't want to encourage a run on the grocery store but I would like to share something.  I live in a state that has restrictions in place and I have more than 2.5 kids 😉

Locally, I keep being told the grocery stores are good and trucks are getting through so don't panic. However, there are a few items that no matter which store or what time of day, I have been unable to get some items. There are some items that have not been restocked since this started. (I don't have brand loyalty)

No bags of rice. No frozen veggies, not even onions. No frozen fruit. No flour, sugar, yeast. Only tiny packages of expensive name-brand organic poultry. Only store brand white bread. There are store limits on eggs and milk.

I didn't check on meat cause we get a cow. I didn't check on t.p. cause we've always ordered by case.

[Pen]

@Garga 

thank you for sharing that

I am making notes!

 

[Sneezyone]

1 minute ago, amyx4 said:

I don't want to encourage a run on the grocery store but I would like to share something.  I live in a state that has restrictions in place and I have more than 2.5 kids 😉

Locally, I keep being told the grocery stores are good and trucks are getting through so don't panic. However, there are a few items that no matter which store or what time of day, I have been unable to get some items. There are some items that have not been restocked since this started. (I don't have brand loyalty)

No bags of rice. No frozen veggies, not even onions. No frozen fruit. No flour, sugar, yeast. Only tiny packages of expensive name-brand organic poultry. Only store brand white bread. There are store limits on eggs and milk.

I didn't check on meat cause we get a cow. I didn't check on t.p. cause we've always ordered by case.

 

Rice is an issue here too but we have alternatives like potatoes. Flour (not my preferred kind) was in stock here too. We don't eat frozen veggies if we can avoid it but we've had no trouble finding fresh veggies. Can you can or freeze fresh items yourself? There are small/easy to use kits for vacuum sealing. Some things may need to be par boiled before freezing (green beans) but others (spinach) not so much.

[Corraleno]

94 residents of a NJ nursing home are currently being evacuated —  all test results so far have been positive (24 already tested) and the other 70 are presumed positive as well. 😥

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/all-residents-of-virus-stricken-nj-nursing-home-now-assumed-to-be-infected/2343436/

[Kassia]

No rice here either.  Still no toilet paper/paper towels at the store I went to.  No eggs or bread.  No laundry detergent or Listerene.  Ice cream was pretty wiped out, but lots of frozen pizzas and chicken.  Fresh meat was well-stocked,too.  Kind of strange what shelves are empty and what aren't.  Many items were limited to 1-2.