Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Chat about stuff other than Transformers.
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Hound
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Hound »

Who knew working in grocery retail was going to become such a dangerous job. Sadly it also means that there is no way I'm getting any time off while all this madness is going on. That said, they gave us a $2/hr raise while the pandemic is going on.

Customers have been surprisingly understanding and grateful for the most part. It's nice to hear...
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Sades
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Sades »

Hound wrote: Sat Mar 21, 2020 4:03 am going on.

Customers have been surprisingly understanding and grateful for the most part. It's nice to hear...
As long as they are surprisingly understanding and grateful from a distance of 2 metres.

I had to enter the petri dish that is Wal-Mart on a Friday today... because the new Animal Crossing came out. :glance:
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Warcry
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Warcry »

All the respect in the world for Hound and anyone else working retail right about now. The way people are going crazy, I can only imagine how NOT fun the job must be. Even over and above the threat of disease. We have to shop for groceries tomorrow and I'm dreading it. Can't imagine being in that environment five days a week.

We had another round of layoffs where I work today. Honestly they cut less deeply than I'd expected, and in a lot of cases I think they used the economy as an excuse to mass-cut folks who weren't measuring up, but I'll miss some of them regardless.

My wife and I are both still working -- from home in my case, and from a 'restaurant' that's become a takeout/delivery joint in hers. But business is really slow for her work, so I don't know if the place will be able to hold on for the length of the quarantine.
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StoneCold Skywarp
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by StoneCold Skywarp »

In these trying times it's good to have avenues to be able to chat to other people. So quick reminder we have a place to come and chat in more of a live environment.

Discord is free to download, works on PCs and mobile devices alike and you don't have to chat via a headset as there are text based rooms.

If you want to join, shout up in here and I'll PM you an invite.

Everyone stay safe.

~Matt
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inflatable dalek
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by inflatable dalek »

My job is actually much simpler because there's no time for arsey managers to make trouble, it's just grab a cage and work it.
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slartibartfast
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Post by slartibartfast »

Hullo everyone, it's been a while ^^

Thought I'd leave a message as I was wondering how you guys/gals were faring during this social-sanitary turmoil.

Here in France Macron is in full god complex mode - going on about how "we're at war" and voting through laws for epidemic emergencies. Meanwhile the police are driving around with megaphones almost threatening people at gunpoint to stay at home - 135€ fine if you don't have the proper paperwork on you.

Personally have been pretty untouched by all this as I have my own health problems at the moment, but that's another story... take care y'all
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StoneCold Skywarp
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by StoneCold Skywarp »

Hey slarti :wave:
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Tantrum
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Tantrum »

inflatable dalek wrote: Sat Mar 21, 2020 12:24 pmMy job is...just grab a cage and work it.
So, you're a go-go dancer?


The state I live and work in (Rhode Island) is very small. A lot of my coworkers commute daily from a neighboring state (Massachusetts), So, those people have to be concerned with the policies of both states. If Mass goes on lockdown, but RI doesn't, they probably can't get to work. I think that's part of why they're pushing telework so much, so those people could still get paid.

I'm only 3.5 miles away, and there's a supermarket within walking distance, so I don't need to travel much. I did skip my weekly toy hunt of two shopping plazas and a B&N. It's been more miss than hit lately anyway, and I figured I'd skip an unnecessary risk. I have a decent sized yard so I can go outside without being near anyone, as long as the weather's nice.

Friday afternoon, we got an e-mail from our captain explaining the new flexible hours policy. An hour or so later, my group got an e-mail from our immediate supervisor saying he'd been in teleconference with his counterparts from other groups, and their immediate superior all morning, and the the captain's e-mail "blew up" everything they'd talked about.


Best of luck to you, Hound, and anyone else working with the public through all this.
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Skyquake87
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Skyquake87 »

We've just massively scaled back on all the work we're doing, just concentrating on urgent water supply and sewerage supply issues. Which is fine, but meant we've cancelled all non-essential work, which includes fitting meters to help customers reduce their bills (for those unaware, due to the gradual way infrastructure evolved in the UK, domestic properties built before 31 October 1989 didn't have meters fitted, and water charges were worked out based on the old General Rates system of taxation that existed up until 1990. This way of charging continues to apply for homes that don't have meters).

A lot of customers have been understanding - and some have cancelled themselves - but we're starting to get complaints that we're leaving customers on high fixed bills, at a time when more of them are looking for financial help from us. We have some other options available, but for some people, these aren't appropriate, which isn't great. We do have tariffs for customers who can't physically have a meter, but so far there's been no indication from the top brass that we could use these in the interim until we can fit meters again.

Like recent government proclamations, there's a lot of decisons being made on the fly at the moment with no forethought as to the ongoing impact this will have.

That said, no matter how tough this is, I'm grateful I'm still able to get out the house and get to work as a defined 'Key Worker'.

Everything else has been told to close and the government have offered loans, suspended business rates and offered to pay 80% of wages for those unable to work. Although I can predict that being an administrative nightmare, if it's passed to the Department of Work & Pensions to sort. I hope it's not run along the lines of Universal Credit (a catch all benefit for the unemployed which is designed to pay a monthly 'salary', which is paid in arrears, leaving the most vulnerable in society in a bit of a mess).
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slartibartfast
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Post by slartibartfast »

StoneCold Skywarp wrote: Sat Mar 21, 2020 2:17 pm Hey slarti :wave:
Heya SC ^^

Am genuinely curious if the current crisis will have any long-term effects on social and economical levels, providing that fundamental infrastructural elements (water, power, communications, etc.) don't start falling apart. Pretty sure some interesting data on pollution and energy consumption will come from these unfortunate events.

By the way, and totally by coincidence, been re-reading the UK Marvel run recently - funny how Ratbat appears so much more sensible and pragmatic today...
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Skyquake87
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Skyquake87 »

I've read some stuff shows that pollution levels in China and Italy have dropped, and the rivers in Venice have improved in quality. So there's some good news that limited human activity helps improve things for the environment. Bet climate change deniers love that... :P

Been out for a walk today, which was nice (we have some substantial woodland just behind our house) and there were a fair few people out (all observing social distancing, which I thought was good).
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inflatable dalek
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by inflatable dalek »

All that stuff is bollocks though. The photos of "Venice" doing the rounds are of somewhere else in Italy.

Plus, you gets swans on Kidderminster canal, it's not a sign of pure water.
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Skyquake87
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Skyquake87 »

Oh, I read these:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-51691967
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... from-virus
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... oronavirus
https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/co ... -lockdown/
https://www.boredpanda.com/fish-seen-in ... gn=organic

There's a bunch of other sites all showing the same NASA stuff. Just thought it was interesting. Like when the air cleared up a bit after 9/11, whilst aircraft were grounded. Admittedly, the Venice stuff is likely due to less boats and that :)
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Denyer
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

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slartibartfast wrote: Sun Mar 22, 2020 11:49 amAm genuinely curious if the current crisis will have any long-term effects on social and economical levels, providing that fundamental infrastructural elements
Easy international travel's going to be very hard to justify when short-term economic measures will have created generational debt. It's also an argument in favour of intrusive surveillance and far-reaching interventionist powers.

Governments are going to be under massive pressure to protect public services, put in place liveable benefits, and conceivably nationalise some things.

And this is on the back of disruption and fear, not possible huge numbers of deaths.

edit: Copy of pay-walled Times article -- the one everyone's citing because of Cumming's “herd immunity, protect the economy and if that means some pensioners die, too bad” but there are other revealing comments.

http://www.thegwpf.com/inside-no-10-ten ... uuhPLn119Y
Amid the frenzy of events, more thoughtful Tories have concluded that the decisions taken last week will change three key aspects of the way the world works. One said: “One is the debate around globalisation. Is Trump right that we just need to build bigger walls, or is Gordon Brown right that global problems need global solutions? The second is Socialism v The Free Market. Large parts of the economy are going to be socialised after this. I fear it leads to nationalists and socialists winning, to national socialism.”

The third fissure may yet be the worst. “It’s the intergenerational question. It is unsustainable to have people in their youth put their whole life on hold for months while the economy tanks to save a 91-year-old who would have died six months later anyway.”

Whatever the outcome, ministers have little doubt about the significance of the virus. “It’s shaking the world,” one said. Another, who has been up to his neck in the dramas of the past three years, was more prosaic: “My obituary gets more interesting every week.”

The sadness is that there will be many other obituaries to be written too.
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Warcry
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Post by Warcry »

Denyer wrote: Sun Mar 22, 2020 9:01 pm
Amid the frenzy of events, more thoughtful Tories have concluded that the decisions taken last week will change three key aspects of the way the world works. One said: “One is the debate around globalisation. Is Trump right that we just need to build bigger walls, or is Gordon Brown right that global problems need global solutions? The second is Socialism v The Free Market. Large parts of the economy are going to be socialised after this. I fear it leads to nationalists and socialists winning, to national socialism.”
I don't know who originally said that, but it's the most craven bit of fearmongering I have ever, ever heard. No, this crisis is not going to lead to swastikas flying in front of the parliaments of any major country, and they damned well know it. But it WILL definitely put something of a brake on the increasing globalism that has enriched Conservative Party elites in both of our countries (and Liberal Party elite too, in Canada), and that's exactly the same as another Holocaust, right? :nonono:

As far as the bigger question goes...if this disaster forces governments in developed countries to figure out how to implement a universal basic income for everyone, then in the long run we might look back on it in the same way as we look back on the Black Death. A terrible thing, to be sure, but a terrible thing that forced the world to become a better place to live in for future generations.

It probably should lead people to stop and think if the world being so interconnected is a desirable thing or not. Is it really good to rely so thoroughly on countries on the other side of the world for basic necessities like medicine and protective equipment? Is it really good to be so integrated that our governments preferred keeping travel from China going because stopping it would have put us all in a recession a couple months earlier?

Oops, I just said socialist and nationalistic things at the same time. Does that mean I need to go out and join the Proud Boys once we're done with the social distancing thing? :(
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Denyer
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Denyer »

It might not matter if it continues to mutate. Bad enough it destroys lung tissue, but if it becomes more aggressive in younger populations or gets weaponised Stephen King turns out to be a prophet with The Stand.

https://www.facebook.com/Sailboatdog/po ... 2344906616
https://www.facebook.com/Sailboatdog/po ... 2785251572



This is what needs to be front-page rather than Boris putting his feet in it again.
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Skyquake87
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Skyquake87 »

Boris has told us all to stay indoors now, after everyone went outside at the weekend without thinking.

Mitchell & Webb look more prophetic by the day....

https://youtu.be/wnd1jKcfBRE
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Sades
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Sades »

Srs tho if anyone has any suggestions on how I can keep Hound home right now that won't endanger his job I'd appreciate it. :laugh: Christ I hate humans in general. Cabin/mountain/far away/etc/meh.
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Denyer
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Denyer »

@Skyquake: Assume decision was taken last week, and just waiting for the news stories to back things up. Helpful they've acknowledged specifically what everyone following things already knew about following the trajectory of other countries.
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Warcry »

The WHO is launching a global mega-trial for four different treatments that anecdotally seem to cure patients with COVID-19 symptoms. The smaller-scale trials I've read about so far all seem to have gone quite well: 70% or greater cure rates inside of a week, albeit on small sample sizes. If that plays out on a larger scale, it could save a lot of lives -- not just by saving seriously ill patients, but by nipping the disease in the bud before it gets to that point in a lot of people, and keeping them out of ICU beds. Here's hoping!

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03 ... treatments
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