Corona virus

colak · 2020-03-10 18:43:43

Hey all,

I’m wondering how the panic about the corona virus is infiltrating your systems. About a week ago our government has closed all passages to the northern part of the island prohibiting physical contact between the two communities. Earlier today a directive from our ministry of health stated that

people arriving from Class 2 countries (that is the classification regarding the spread of the virus), will have to be under a self imposed state surveilled quarantine for 15 days. Class 2 countries include most of the EU (Italy excluded).
Gatherings of over 75 people are now illegal until the end of the month unless otherwise announced.

As a side note, we will need to postpone an exhibition we have planned for the 20th as they made the above a criminal offence and can result in fines and a prison term.

I would very much like to hear your experiences, especially those in Italy.

> Edit: It’s been a long 2 weeks. Covid 19 data

Last edited by colak (2020-03-23 07:12:25)

jakob · 2020-03-10 20:15:54

You can read a personal non-sensationalist account from someone in Milan at Slate magazine.

I read about Nicosia and thought wow, just 75 people. I wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or whether that reflects the scale of typical gatherings in Cyprus.

Here in Central Germany (just 2 confirmed cases of illness currently in our state), people are more vigilant, and some health/hygiene goods are sold out and other shelves are not as well stocked as usual, but life on the whole is currently fairly normal. Some larger scale city-festivals have been cancelled or postponed but otherwise people still go out for lunch or to the cinema. I’m not sure how long it will remain that way, though. Local doctors, however, are being actively prepped for quite drastic-sounding scenarios. Otherwise there’s the usual sensationalist reporting and misinformation being parlayed via other channels.

phiw13 · 2020-03-11 00:35:35

Here in Western Japan life in the city is much much quieter. (shopping) tourism from China has died out, idem from Korea but the virus is not the only reason for that, the racist attitude from our dear governing mafia is also to blame. Preventive measure are finally more widespread after a very poor start from the same mafia. Testing kits are also widely available and are free. That is very important.

The usual hysterical babble on the teevee. Toilet paper is still missing. I don’t think I can travel easily to many countries without spending two weeks in quarantine.

(also I am a high risk individual due to my various health issues)

@Jacob good to hear the situation in your corner of the world is still quiet. Germany is one country that does not pop up much in the reports in this context. Italy and Spain are currently in quite a bad situation (I hear from people in Madrid that hospitals are already overwhelmed).

colak · 2020-03-11 07:07:03

What appears to be happening is unprecedented. Although I have read a wide range of articles from all over the world, it still feels like the shock doctrine to me.

Dragondz · 2020-03-11 07:16:52

Hi,

Here in Algeria, there is some case (about 20), then they canceled all gathering (economic, social, sports,…), but daily life is still the same, schools are still open, markets also, there are no people on street wearing masks even if masks disapeared from stores!

I hope it will not spread widely here because our health system is in bad shape and it cant handle a lot of critical cases.

Cheers.

gaekwad · 2020-03-11 07:27:51

Well, ~~the~~ a UK Health Minister reportedly has it. I am expecting the government to do more when they themselves start to be more affected by it. I’ll leave my personal political views out of it.

My local grocery store has plenty of toilet paper, soap, sanitisers, etc. I can only assume the denizens of The People’s Republic of Cornwall are a hardy bunch, or we just don’t care. There are stories of people coming to Cornwall because it’s so sparse, and a few have brought COVID-19 with them, so now it’s here. Still, at least we have toilet paper. I’m waiting for more bidet businesses to appear over the next few years.

I am an expert self-isolationist. I’ve had years to hone this ability with freelancing, remote work and mental health issues. The UK media (especially tabloids) are bleating about it, but life goes on.

PS: wash your hands.

Last edited by gaekwad (2020-03-11 10:20:02)

Algaris · 2020-03-11 10:19:00

I work for a school in England and things have kicked into overdrive. In the event that schools are closed in the UK it is expected that our teaching timetable and lessons will go ahead as normal with the teachers giving lessons from home and making sure resources are uploaded to our VLEs.

For the past two weeks I’ve had nearly back to back meetings most days to train the staff how to use our VLEs (Moodle and Microsoft Teams), and how to remotely access their documents via OneDrive and Teams. I’m also in the process of integrating BigBlueButton into Moodle for use as a virtual classroom.

The Sainsbury’s supermarket I use for my weekly shop has had a run on toilet paper and hand wash. The supermarket is mostly coping but as fast as they stock the shelves they get depleted again. Otherwise life goes on as normal. I go out, meet up with friends, eat, sleep, and go to work, etc.

Bloke · 2020-03-11 10:54:31

I console myself with the knowledge that me and my family are not the target demographic. I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in, no pre-existing conditions I’m aware of, don’t smoke, and therefore unlikely to contract this, imo, overhyped cold. And even if we do, it’s unlikely to be fatal.

Saw a map somewhere of countries with at least one case of the virus, with scary red blotches peppering the world over. But of course, no comparison map showing the number of countries that report one case of regular flu. Or measles. Or any other infectious disease. Strange that. Doesn’t sell panic as much.

Basic everyday hygiene seems to be the cure, not knee-jerk reactions like Cyprus declaring some, but not all, gatherings over 75 people illegal.

Some perspective, perhaps.

And some media headline-grabbing events of the last 20 years.

EDIT: Although I may be acting glib, I unfortunately come from a statistical process control background. Knee-jerk reactions and false control measures requiring up-to-the-minute statistical data gathering (“I want a report on my desk every hour on the hour and daily crisis meetings until this situation is resolved”) do nothing to bring an otherwise normally varying process back under control. The data tells the story and the trick is to use that data intelligently to make informed decisions on what is statistically relevant and what is noise, to reduce the variance. Look up Deming’s classic funnel experiment for more.

Last edited by Bloke (2020-03-11 11:06:54)

colak · 2020-03-11 12:14:25

A friend arrived from Germany earlier today only to find out that he will have to stay under quarantine for 15 days. I understand that there are tests available that can detect the infection. Why don’t they use them?

Italy’s closure is an extreme measure but China seems to be leading the way towards a nightmare future.

This is not about the virus, it is an experiment on state-control tactics.

I am wondering how much real policy events have escaped our radar because of the virus flooding the news. Distraction of our attention from the real news might be the plan here.

Summer · 2020-03-11 15:01:50

The distance to others should be more than 1 meter, and do not touch directly.
Wear a mask when going out. Do not touch eyes, nose and mouth. Wash your hands often.
Don’t go to crowds.
Don’t party together.
Don’t visit friends.
Need to be disinfected with more than 75% alcohol.
The most important thing is to reserve food, as long as you don’t go out.
Corona virus has a low fatality rate but is extremely infectious. The main routes of transmission are droplets, sneezing, coughing and contact.
It can be infected as fast as a few seconds, so be sure to wear a mask or other protective measures when going out.

colak · 2020-03-11 18:22:15

You left one thing out. The virus dies in environments over 25ºC, so keep warm and drink lukewarm water. ie. avoid drinking cold beverages or beer (no problem in the UK as far as this is concerned:).

michaelkpate · 2020-03-11 21:25:47

The State College I work for is making plans but none of them have been implemented yet.

Fortunately, I wasn’t planning any travel.

phiw13 · 2020-03-11 23:27:06

colak wrote #322166:

You left one thing out. The virus dies in environments over 25ºC,

I would certainly not bet on that. there were early memes that that virus was seasonal (colder weather favoured). Research coming out of China / Korea / Japan has contradicted that (it possibly is weaker though).

colak wrote #322161:

[…] I understand that there are tests available that can detect the infection. Why don’t they use them?

the virus has an incubation period (4~8 days for first symptoms, ~2 weeks + for serious ). You could test negative on arrival but still carry the virus.

Italy’s closure is an extreme measure but China seems to be leading the way towards a nightmare future.

LOL Guardian China bashing as usual. And yes the closing down of public spaces / gatherings / isolation is the (only) way. China radical and very expensive measures in Wuhan / Hubei slowed down the speed of the spread of the virus. It bought the world 2 months or so to prepare. The (western) world did nothing.

This is not about the virus, it is an experiment on state-control tactics.

I am wondering how much real policy events have escaped our radar because of the virus flooding the news. Distraction of our attention from the real news might be the plan here.

It is of course very useful for some the economy in the western world was already crashing on all sides, now it can be blamed on The Virus™.

phiw13 · 2020-03-11 23:57:04

phiw13 wrote #322151:

Preventive measure are finally more widespread after a very poor start from the same mafia. Testing kits are also widely available and are free. That is very important.

Here is a twitter overview of a Nikkei article on one of poor start aspects from the Japanese government

Bloke · 2020-03-12 01:29:53

A little more statistical perspective.

I reckon basic, not extreme, everyday hygiene is key. I’d love to find some numbers to back this up, but my feeling is that being too clean – using anti-bacterial handwash every day of your life, for example, or using antibiotics a lot – isn’t going to supply you enough exposure to low-level bacteria that keeps your body on its toes. Thus when you contract something foreign, your body doesn’t know how to fight it and has to relearn, which takes time. Just a hunch.

But now the thing is here and spreading, isn’t basic hygiene all that’s required to help slow its dissemination? Y’know, don’t cough and sneeze on people and food (like, isn’t that standard behaviour anyway?) Don’t lick other people’s hands or faces. Use your sleeve to open door handles in public areas (and don’t lick your sleeve afterwards). Keep your immune system topped up with decent quality food intake. And if you suspect you’ve got the virus, limit your exposure to others – especially those in the high risk bracket – like you would with any regular cold or other contagion.

Common ruddy sense FTW. I’m with colak and phiw13. This is an experiment or diversion.

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#1 2020-03-10 18:43:43

Corona virus

#2 2020-03-10 20:15:54

Re: Corona virus

#3 2020-03-11 00:35:35

Re: Corona virus

#4 2020-03-11 07:07:03

Re: Corona virus

#5 2020-03-11 07:16:52

Re: Corona virus

#6 2020-03-11 07:27:51

Re: Corona virus

#7 2020-03-11 10:19:00

Re: Corona virus

#8 2020-03-11 10:54:31

Re: Corona virus

#9 2020-03-11 12:14:25

Re: Corona virus

#10 2020-03-11 15:01:50

Re: Corona virus

#11 2020-03-11 18:22:15

Re: Corona virus

#12 2020-03-11 21:25:47

Re: Corona virus

#13 2020-03-11 23:27:06

Re: Corona virus

colak wrote #322166:

colak wrote #322161:

#14 2020-03-11 23:57:04

Re: Corona virus

phiw13 wrote #322151:

#15 2020-03-12 01:29:53

Re: Corona virus

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