Thanks @emilybee . At least their country is responding quickly to this.
They were quarantining when they first arrived, but then given permission to visit the relative and were told not to stop or be around anyone along the way. The hotel where they stayed, but are looking into whom they came into contact with, as well as those on the flight.
MODERATOR’S NOTE: I haven’t looked through all the posts, but I am seeing a LOT about masks. We’re getting reports about them. Please restrict posts about masks to the masks thread so the discussion doesn’t take over this one. I am going to post Jon’s OP to remind people what he requested that this thread concentrate one:
So I’d like to see this thread focus on how we can help each other in this time of stress. Please bring news that is helpful and avoid trying to score political points. How can we adjust to the world that’s changing before our eyes? Let’s avoid assigning blame or shame.
While you are here, please maintain a civil and respectful attitude. If you can’t agree to that and demonstrate it in your responses, I request you sit this month out. If you are onboard, please be patient as I work through moderation here."
I went to the grocery store this morning at 6 am (woke up very early and figured I might as well get it over with).
The first thing I noticed was that they are in the process of installing self service kiosks. I don’t know if the catalyst was COVID, or simply that it seems to be what many stores found to be a cost cutter before we ever heard of this virus.
The store was well stocked with everything except disinfecting wipes and canned soup. They had shelves and shelves of hand sanitizer. Toilet paper and other paper products were plentiful, as was cooking oil and vinegar. They have removed the one way aisle signs, probably because so few were compliant.
It was a much more pleasant experience than going during the middle of the day.
Chris Cuomo on CNN interviewed three of the young women who went to a Florida bar for a birthday celebration, only to come down with COVID a few days later. All were regretful and said that they knew at the time that they were probably pushing it, but said that the mayor and governor essentially told them it would be fine, so they put any misgivings they might have had out of their minds.
One thing I found interesting was that they said of the 16 in their group who got COVID (and I believe that was every single one of them in their party), none have gotten seriously ill. One of the women said her only symptom has been loss of smell/taste. But they seemed to be saying that none of them was completely asymptomatic.
I actually scored a five pack of Clorox wipes (big roll cans) and a four pack of large Lysol spray cans at Costco today so it was a good morning. 
Got there right at opening.
Today is three months since working from home all the time began for me and my coworkers. I’m accustomed to it, but I feel dragged down by the tedium and by my anxiety and lack of hope.
At some level, I feel and think that I will never see my children again. They’re healthy, and I’m healthy, but one lives 1,000 miles from here and the other lives 2,000 miles from here (they’re on the coasts, I’m in Wisconsin).
@“Cardinal Fang” I saw this, and wondered…just who is this guy, and what was this study he was involved in?
https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/potential-long-term-effects-covid-19-71271287
“Most symptoms appear to eventually go away, said Dr. Thomas McGinn of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in New York, who was involved in one of the largest U.S. studies of COVID-19 patients.”
H got a text last night. His sister tested positive. She had fever, chills, and loss of smell on Saturday and got tested. They called her last night. She is in her mid 50s and could have starred in multiple episodes of House over the last 10 years. She’s baffled doctors at all major hospitals up and down the east coast. She thinks she may have gotten it when she had skin cancer removed in the last week. (Sad when having skin cancer is a minor blip in your health history.) Her H is in his 60s and autoimmune. She has regular contact with my in-laws - both in their 80s and in very poor health. She says she hasn’t seen them since Saturday at least, but I don’t know about in her pre-symptoms days. And so far she has no respiratory symptoms. We are praying it all stays that way and nobody else comes down with it, but I am not optimistic.
They all live in town, but we have not seen SIL/BIL since Xmas. I have not seen my in-laws in 3 months. H has, but only to drop things off from time to time and it’s been a couple of weeks.
Better than those swinging sticks! 
I missed the post that said we had a mask thread and we should not talk about it here. I will keep that in mind.
More good Maryland news today. From our governor, Larry Hogan, this morning.
"Maryland’s key COVID-19 health metrics continue to trend in a positive direction, with the statewide positivity rate dropping to 5.81%, and current total hospitalizations at their lowest level in 73 days.
This morning, the Maryland Department of Health began operating a free COVID-19 testing site at the Baltimore Convention Center. Testing at the Convention Center site will occur on Wednesdays and Fridays between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m—weather permitting—and does not require a doctor’s order.
State officials continue to encourage all Marylanders to get tested for COVID-19, particularly those who are in or around vulnerable populations or who have recently attended large gatherings.
Maryland has now conducted 526,882 COVID-19 tests, including 15,594 tests over the last 24 hours. The state’s seven-day average positivity rate has dropped to 5.81%—down more than 78% from its peak level on April 17. The state’s daily positivity rate is below 5% for the second consecutive day, at 4.46%.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations Continue to Decline. Maryland’s current total COVID-19 hospitalizations—one of the state’s key recovery metrics—have dropped to 702, their lowest level since April 5."
Read the full news release:
All state covid-19 statistics available here.
I’m not a doctor or epidemiologist, but from everything I’m reading, this virus is all about viral load exposure. Someone in that bar was probably pre-symptomatic, but quite sick (shedding virus), but all the patrons only picked up a small load of the virus, so their bodies were able to fight it off with minimal effects. This is clearly another example of how the virus is airborne and contagious through aerosolization, as there is no way every person there touched the same thing and all got infected by surfaces.
I remember all the reports from China and Italy of young health doctors and nurses dying before there was sufficient PPE and protocols to protect them- they were exposed to very very sick people with a very high viral load.
A cheap fairly-accurate breath test would be a HUGE help in stopping the spread of this virus. If it could at least catch potential positives, they can later get tested with a PCR test for verification, but we could prevent contagion in indoor settings.
260 workers at Orlando International airport test positive for COVID-19.
A breath sample can be tested by PCR as long as there is a suitable protocol for NA isolation out of that sample. Not a bad idea - a Covid breathalyzer. A few labs are already working on this tech.
Apologies if I’m over-stepping!
Have you reached out to a therapist yet?
The anxiety & overwhelming feelings of hopelessness are solvable problems.
I promise!
This brings up some interesting thoughts. I’ve always thought that eventually herd immunity will happen either through sheer number of cases or a vaccine.
If there is something to reduced effects with a reduced viral load, and antibodies are helpful long term (I know, major assumptions), then maybe certain “healthy” people with a high chance for exposure anyways should be given a chance to have a low dose administered as a possible type of “vaccine”.
I’m sure I’ll get plenty of pushback for this.
If we’re allowed to express a brief meta opinion on this, I would say that I thought the little bit of mask conversation on this (main) thread was totally on-topic and didn’t get snarky or derail anything.
I particularly valued the issues of how we can use common sense and also interpret authorities’ statements, both of which continue to be relevant to all issues pertaining to COVID-19.
To the extent that this opinion could be noted, I would think that “light moderation” would apply to permitting occasional forays into tangential topics. I haven’t seen any problem with the thread trucking forward on topic in general.
I go on one to two hour walks every day in my neighborhood. The closest I have ever been to anyone is 100 feet. I do not bring a mask. It’s a blessing and a privilege to not have to worry about masks on my daily walks.