In NYC. I’ve seen fewer people on the subway for the last 2 days and several busses pass by with just a handful of people on them. I’m not sure how people are getting around because the sidewalks seem the same as usual.
Family member here takes the train to Grand Central in NYC twice a week for work. No restrictions on travel at all. He says he as seen less than a handful of masks anywhere. He is conscientious about hand washing, carries his own food and water, etc.
I’m going to go out later. I need ingredients for two soups I want to make. These are non-perishable food items. We will use them anyway.
My company has suspended all nonessential travel and we had a call yesterday to clarify. Basically any travel will have to be approved and anything that involves a plane or hotel will not be approved. Day trips by car may be approved (I am awaiting approval right now) but if approved rental cars are not allowed, must take our own car.
Personal travel is not restricted (obviously) but anyone traveling by plane or staying in a hotel should plan to self quarantine for 14 days.
A question came up about daily commuting via train. Surprisingly no issue with this. Travel in a plane and you are quarantined but by train twice a day and all is good. Seems a bit of a contradiction to me.
Wow. That is an overreaction and not a whole lot of rational thought was put into these measures.
^^^^^That’s just going to result in people lying outright or lying by omission.
No kidding!
I am doing absolutely nothing differently. I’m over 50 years old, never had a flu shot in my life, and never had the flu as far as I know. I’m not changing a thing.
I just am not understanding all the travel restrictions or even choices not to travel domestically unless you have significant health issues.
Especially at this point in the US. I’m stunned and perplexed.
So I went to the grocery store today because we are out of everything. I finally decided to grab more than my usual just in case one of us gets sick and we can’t make it to the store.
I noticed that our grocery store was completely out of hand sanitizer. I bought some alcohol and aloe just to be on the safe side. Thanks to whomever posted how to make your own. I also bought some clorox wipes. There were about 10 left on the shelf. I bought latex gloves, not because of coronavirus, but because I have three cats in the house for the next few weeks, and my elder lady misses the box often, so I have to change out potty pads around the box daily. No desire to do that bare handed! Anyway, I bought an extra box in case the coronavirus scare causes a shortage. Poor kitty, she’s on daily prednisone, and it causes her to be very thirsty and to urinate a lot. She tries to make it, but just can’t seem to.
Bought some aleve because I only have 2 capsules left. I have a lot of back and neck issues. Also bought some cold-eaze lozenges on the advice of the physician in the sticky thread (says the zinc keeps the virus from colonizing on the throat/nasopharynx).
Other than that, just bought our usual food staples. I did buy a bag of pasta even though I don’t eat it. Would make an easy meal if I were under the weather and DH was hungry.
It makes one wonder how much of that business travel really was needed. I bet a lot just substitute videoconferencing now and business goes on
I can understand it in certain industries with key players. Certain jobs need to be done regardless. You can’t have people not show up. I never had snow days for example. At least a skeleton crew had to be there. They’d put us up in hotels near the office or near a contingency site some distance removed if need be to cover the bases.
Agree. Lots of travel and conferences can be boondoggles.
Goodness, let’s just prohibit all driving by car since it’s so dangerous. ?
It appears that a lot of Seattle Amazon workers are working from home or staying off work today. The buses going downtown had empty seats! My commute was breezy today.
I asked son (who works at Day One) if this was true, and he said, “It does feel a bit like it.” (He can walk to work.)
When the alternative is working from home, it can help keep employees from being exposed. If you’re still going into the office via public transportation, I agree it doesn’t make much sense.
I work from home when not traveling for work. So with my company’s current travel ban I’m essentially the equivalent of self-quarantined (in an inverse kind of way) except for trips to the grocery store.
Wow @iaparent , are you saying that your employer is stating that any employee who stays in a hotel or flies in a plane must “self quarantine” (as in stay home from work, right) for 14 days after? Are these paid work days?
This is so shocking to me! I find it hard to imagine anyone really thinking that their hometown is safer than any other city/town now, with cases popping up in new states daily, and an incubation time of of 14 days?
This is slightly OT but are there places in the US where “Purell” and “hand sanitizer” are interchangeable? I’ve seen Purell in reference to hand sanitizer a few times on this thread and elsewhere and I’ve never noticed it before.
We use tissues and kleenex interchangeably but I’ve never heard the purell/hand sanitizer one.
FWIW, I would absolutely love if this was a wake-up call to people about how much travel is NOT needed. Most of the jobs I’ve worked could easily be done at home with maybe 1-2 in-person days a week. Obviously this isn’t true for all occupations but for a lot of things, it is. My generation has been heavily pushing for hybrid telecommuting/in-office time since we entered the workforce.
Sure. Purell is hand sanitizer just like Kleenex is facial tissue and Coke is soda/pop. Same for Clorox and bleach.
Isn’t Purell just a brand name?
Yes it’s a brand name but out of the context of this thread I wouldn’t have put it together that it was referring to hand sanitizer.
Someone sent me a pm asking where I bought the purell and it was only from the rest of the message that I figured it out.
Regional differences interest me is all. 