@1NJParent The only crowded part of my trip will be the airport. My vacation entails visiting and staying with family and skiing, hiking. Probably will ski somewhere other than vail.
I’m planning on meeting a friend today at an outlet mall that is midpoint between our two cities. It’s a popular spot for travelers from all over the world. It will be interesting to see if it’s less crowded.
Safe travels. Skiing’s been great this year and this health situation isn’t keeping locals from the slopes. Enjoy.
Kid who works at the hospital in the Seattle area says no visits home to see us until this blows , since we are in the over 60 risk group, brat! 
We are going furniture shopping. Need a specific piece - I got tired without it. See if I can pull off “sell me the floor sample at a nice discount so you would not have to clean it” trick.
I understand that the advice is to avoid large gatherings but how do you do that when it is your job to go to these? Just yesterday, my boss asked me to attend another conference that had not previously been on my radar screen. Am I supposed to say no? Quit my job?
My job is lobbying and attending large Industry gatherings is a big part of it. If I don’t go to these meetings. I can’t do my job adequately. A lot of what happens is done through hallway conversations, sidebars, breakout meetings, etc. You can’t do that remotely. Sure you can call people, but a phone conversation is not nearly as effective as face to face interaction. I’ve got several large meetings scheduled in the coming weeks. I’m not sure what will happen with this, but I can’t see these meetings being cancelled unless some authority orders it. I do expect that at some point I’ll get an email saying someone at one of my meetings tested positive and I am being ordered to self quarantine.
So my daughter is driving in a van with like 12 students and going from Wisconsin, to Chicago (and our house) to St Louis, back to school in Wisconsin for something they are doing this weekend. Once they hit Chicago they are all doing different things but mostly museums etc. Then their coming back to our house.
Normally we love to entertain their friends etc. But my wife said “they are going to be running all over Downtown Chicago then bringing all those germs back to our house”. She really doesn’t want them to come back inside… Lol…
Good thing I am getting ready to drive my son back to Michigan… ?.
On the Michigan front… My son is planning a major conference at Michigan that he did last year. Maybe 100 people will show (with lunch included)…
He is going to find out but it could be canceled . Right now all systems are go and would hate to see it canceled. He has worked so hard to make it happen…
Difficult decision, and somewhat depends when and where the conference is being held, and if you’re at risk (age group/health history, etc.)
I went out last night to a fundraiser for an arts organization. There were dozens and dozens of people, all squished together. Granted, most of the attendees were in their 30s and maybe 40s; there were maybe 10 of us over 60.
But it seems life for most of us goes on – certainly at this point it is – and relatively few of us are dramatically altering our daily home/work lives.
@katliamom. Maybe discuss with your job the protocols since the virus started. Good chance they don’t have any or really never thought about it.
Maybe if you have weekly meetings this would be good to discuss
@me29034 I live in NYC and have to be in midtown most days. I think there are measures you can take to try to minimize your exposure (at least, that’s my hope!) I wouldn’t take any passed or buffet food if I were you, for one. Aside from washing my hands like Lady Macbeth, I personally have been keeping my hair pulled back (I don’t often touch my face but I do touch my hair, alas), finding less crowded places to stand wherever possible, passing on kisses and handshakes, carrying around a little Purell and being cognizant of everything I touch.
I mean. I have to go to work!
Oh, and I’ve also been taking my temperature more often, but that’s because my parents and inlaws are elderly and I see them a lot. I’m wondering if I shouldn’t?
Definitely a tough situation. I’m in software sales and always prefer meetings in person, but my company has banned all non-essential travel. We’re told local meetings are ok as long as you don’t have to get on a plane, but are 100% at the employee’s discretion if we want to meet in person or not. In your case if you’re over 60 then I’d have a conversation with your boss. Under 60 then pack hand sanitizer, go and be careful.
I’m leading an all-day customer event locally in a few weeks for a couple dozen people and will probably still hold it but with a little trepidation. If I was in Seattle I’d probably cancel, but not too many reported cases in my state yet. Although with the pathetically low level of testing that’s not saying much.
@me29034 I know that SAP has cancelled all its conferences and Vanguard has cancelled non essential travel. I would bet that some of those conferences will be canceled too.
Anyone have any tips for small retailers? We are seeing less foot traffic and wondering what we can do, other than wipe down counters and have hand sanitizer out on display. I was hoping people would shop local instead of venturing to a big mall, but we are not seeing that.
I saw an online article interviewing a Trader Joe employee who said customers were buying 60 bottles of their hand sanitizer and such for resell to China. He said that if the customer said it was for resale, TJ could refuse to sell. Otherwise, once the person gets to the check out counter, they have to ring it up. TJ’s FAQ’s says they don’t sell large orders in order to provide all customers with available products, but I wonder how well they enforce that?
This could be a reason for empty shelves elsewhere; people buying for inflated resell rather than personal use. Very sad if so.
My Durable Medical Equipment Company that supplies my supplemental oxygen has decided it’s going to stop by ppl Yong the oxygen my providers have ordered.
They want me to switch to something they have but my docs and I do NOT believe will be appropriate for me.
The equipment my docs and I have asked them for us equipment they say they don’t have and won’t get.
I called a friend who said the equipment I want is on back order for his company but he will get me a machine as soon as the manufacturer starts filling it’s orders. It appears there’s a part made in China that is not available that is needed for the machine. No expected date as to when the part or machine will be available. In the meantime, I already have a (noisy) machine I can (and will) use temporarily while we wait for the quiet machine that needs the part from China.
I am very fortunate to have options and viable back ups so I don’t have to continue to work with the company who will not meet my request for a replacement me and my docs have agreed upon.
A friend of mine who owns an established, popular coffee shop reports the same. Far fewer customers and sales. But then I went out last night and saw the streets/bars/restaurants buzzing with people, so maybe it goes in waves? Good luck to you!
So…what do you do if your spouse is not as cautious as you? Our son (in Seattle!) texted his concern and asked us to use extreme caution when out and about. My husband responded, “We’re abiding by recommended self protection protocols.” A bit later, I checked that he was washing his hands when he came home from running errands etc. “When I think I need to,” he replied. I told him he should do it every time and he gave me a dirty look :(. I told him that was one of the major protocols.
Granted San Diego has no confirmed cases and no community spread at present - I guess the locals don’t go on cruises or skiing in Europe! But I do believe it’s just a matter of time and better to develop those habits now.
And tonight we’re going to a boat warming party and there are a lot of huggers and cheek kissers in our circle. They’ll probably also think I’m crazy to avoid that.
Is your husband related to mine? I bought him a small bottle of hand sanitizer to put in his computer bag. Nope. Won’t do it. He rides the train in and out of NYC at least once a week.
Nothing I can do about him!
But like you…If I listen to the CDC guidelines, I need to just stay home most of the time.
I also have a cold with a tickly cough so I don’t want to get funny looks if I cough. No confirmed cases in my neck of the woods either…but I think it’s only a matter of time before that changes.
Just got back from eating at a local market food court for lunch. Tasty and crowded. It was tough for folks to find a table when we left shortly before noon. All ages. No one was cleaning tables other than the usual staff. No masks. It really seemed no different at all than a normal Saturday. If folks are changing their ways around me, it’s tough to see.
We also went to the grocery store to get a couple of items I had forgotten. Out of curiosity, I looked at the “Coronavirus” items. They were out of hand sanitizer and pretty depleted, but still available with wipes, bleach, and Cold Eeze (all flavors offered). There was plenty of water and all types of soap.
I bought another pack of Cold-Eeze simply because it’s a “usual” item for me to use on many nights when I work and come into close contact with a sick student. If they were to run out, I’d miss having that as I give it credit for helping me to avoid almost all colds. I only catch one every third year or so compared to other teachers who catch them a couple of times per year, sometimes more. Even if it’s the placebo effect - I’m quite ok with how it works for me.
At our school students are told they must come to school if it’s an ordinary cold. The only acceptable reasons for having a sick day from school is if one is running a fever or barfing. If that happens at school they are sent home. Stuffed up with a runny nose and coughing but no fever? Go to school. For now that policy still seems to be in effect. Also, if one doesn’t go to school they can’t participate in activities like sports or competitions like band - even on weekends. Pretty sick kids come to school in order to not miss out on those. They refuse being sent to the nurse.
(Medical appts are also excused, of course, but one needs them signed and dated with the “time appt finished” listed on paperwork from the office. Dr excused days are also allowed - things like concussions or cancer side effects, etc. I was merely talking about colds/flu, etc.)
I might resubscribe to our local newspaper - it would be a good source of supplemental toilet paper.
Okay, sorry, humor keeps me sane.
My yoga studio emailed me with all of the precautions that they are taking to keep the studio clean and disinfected. And then they also posted their precautions to social media. Do you have a client mailing list or social media? You could reach out, suggest they shop local, and let them know you are zealously disinfecting. Include a picture of Purell next to your register. I know I have just been busy, and getting the email from the yoga studio made me make note that I should drop in next week.
I gave my house a good disinfecting, which I do every Spring. Clorox-wiped all my doorknobs and handles, etc. Drove three teen girls up to VT after school yesterday and we all hand sanitized when they got in the car after school. I have a meeting in NYC on Monday and I’ll take public transit there from NJ and then probably walk across town instead of taking the subway. But that’s mostly normal for me, I like to walk. I have a fellowship to go to Norway for a week at the end of May. I’m supposed to make my flight arrangements by April 1 and am going to wait another week to see what is happening. I really want to go to Norway, but I kind of feel like the responsible thing to do would be to bow out of the fellowship. But I’ll give it another week.