We had instituted a 14 day, no-contact ultra-safe two weeks regime before TG. But my H had a dentist appointment on the last day (which in retrospect we should have skipped.) There’s still a fourteen day period, but because he ostensibly could have caught something there, then be asymptomatic, then give it to me who might have it and not have symptoms at TG (all far-fetched but not impossible) we have a test scheduled for him next week, with time to get it back before holiday. We are all usually on safe-mode anyway, but not taking any chances with D pregnant, as family will be staying overnight.
We have several local testing centers located in the next town over which is now in the red zone here. I had to go to the bank (which remarkably had no one else there but the employees). I drove past three testing centers which I drive past at least twice a week (because I’m going to outpatient PT for my knee) and all three had lines into the parking lot…something I have never seen before!
So…for those hoping to get tested…check out your testing sites. See what’s up.
Try to get an appointment - I wouldn’t walk in to a testing site if it were me.
So even though I said in Post #302 that DH and I were driving from CT to NC, it’s off. We’ve canceled. I’m really really sad, since I haven’t seen my granddaughter since last February and haven’t seen S1 and DIL’s new house. Our son was the one who convinced me it was too dangerous. He’s mostly concerned about DIL, who will be exposed to people the Monday before we arrive. He really doesn’t want to get DH and me (“elderly”) exposed.
He’s right, of course, and DH is kind of relieved. I’m about 10% relieved and 90% sad. It’s going to be a really long, cold, dark winter.
@VeryHappy your post makes me sad!!! I can handle most “waiting” to see others but the idea of not seeing little ones tears at my heart!!!
We all have to think of ways to find some relief in feeling alone, separated, despaired about the current times. Look for some light. <3
We cancelled my daughter’s flight so Zoom holidays today.
@thumper1 sorry about your son’s birthday!
I am glad that @ucbalumnus posted about careful time before testing. That post deals with near quarantine periods before the trip.
However, if flying is involved, quarantine of 5-7 days, test, and waiting for test results before seeing each other indoors seems smart. Some people are even concerned about relatives driving, with rest stops involved.
We had planned for my daughter to borrow the apartment upstairs, which is empty, and we were not going to see each other except for outdoors, until probably day 9 or 10 after her arrival.
How much can we safely rely on tests just before visits, when we are told it is just a snapshot and the test could be positive the next day?
Thanks, @abasket. We do video chats and I even read my granddaughter books that I’ve gotten from the library, but it’s not at all the same. She’s now 21 months and I haven’t seen her in person since her first birthday. I feel terrible when I ask her if she wants me to read her a book and she runs to get one of her own off the shelf. I can’t read it to her, but if I were there, she’d climb on my lap and we’d read it together.
I guess the “light,” if I can find any, is that we’re all healthy; that DH and I, S1 and DIL, and S2 and DIL haven’t had our incomes touched by the pandemic at all; and that we all have safe places to live. I had hoped for more for my children, but I know a lot of people don’t even have those things right now.
^^^ That is a whole lot of light. 
It’s ok to be sad and disappointed though. It’s important to not get too stuck there. In addition to that all important physical health I hope all take time for mental health in whatever shape or form works for you.
And as someone who has had a career in early childhood literacy your post AGAIN tugged at my heart!!! You will read together for many years to come. Your lap will again be full.
I know what you’re going through, @VeryHappy. I haven’t seen my grandkids since Feb either. This month I’m missing GD’s 3rd birthday and GS’ 1st (he was 3 mo last time I saw him). GD likes playing hide n seek on videochat with us and we “meet for lunch” once a week. GS didn’t really pay attention to us on the screen until he was 7-8 mo. I’ve read books to them too, but it’s not the same as being there. I keep telling myself I’m staying away now so I’ll be there next year.
Sorry you had to cancel your plans to have your D visit, @compmom, but it was probably the right thing to do.
I hope you get to see your kids soon too, @thumper1.
2020 can’t end soon enough for me.
My husband has a co worker who has been waiting on test results since Tuesday and counting. Not a rapid test, of course though.
If you can do rapid result testing every day, that may help the most. But you may still worry about false negative results even when contagious.
Slow (2-3 day) result testing is difficult to use for the purposes discussed in this thread. Since you can only get the result of 2-3 days ago, that leaves the possibility that you were infected after the test, or that the test happened while you were in the early incubation period of the infection, so that you are now contagious even after a negative result 2-3 days ago.
What it means:
- All people involved must be extra careful for at least a week (or more if you are extra paranoid) before contact.
- If the test is positive, cancel the contact. Or stay outdoors at a large distance, with the COVID-19-positive person positioned downwind of everyone else.
- If the test is negative, still be careful, such as meeting outdoors, opening windows to indoor spaces, wearing masks, etc..
D cancelled her plans to come home for thanksgiving today. We are a bit sad but understand. She was worried about my H and my mother, both of who are in high risk categories. She also wasn’t thrilled about the idea of air travel given the rising cases both here and in her city. What are the chances that no one on the plane has COVID? Yeah it makes sense to cancel but it stinks.
DD lives an hour or so away and in our same state. BUT because if her work, we agreed today that celebrating Christmas together probably won’t happen.
All of her Christmas decorations are here, and we had been looking forward to taking them to her house and decorating. Now our plan is for her to come and get the stuff which I will put on the porch for her the day she plans to drive her. Maybe it will be 60 degrees and we will be able to eat out…not likely. This will happen after Thanksgiving.
The bright spot here…we have been waiting for her to take her holiday stuff for a lot of years!!
I am feeling fine about not seeing extended family for Thanksgiving even though I enjoy our traditional gathering here very much. It is just one day (of course I was looking forward to having D home for 5 days or so) and I can let it go this time. Still having a lot of sad feelings about Christmas. I think part of. the difference is that it seems so obvious now that Thanksgiving travel is going to be problematic with the virus number going up everywhere and just the usual hectic pace of TG travel, with everyone needing to fly on the same couple of days. The family members who would have come by plane already decided not to a few weeks ago and each day’s news seems to validate that decision more (from the news but also from people we know personally, who have all been fairly careful!) I feel a bit worse about Christmas because some part of my brain keeps saying it’s far enough away that maybe things will be better by then. I saw my daughter and my mother last month and now I am just going to try to be content with that.
Be extra careful after Thanksgiving – a survey found that 38% of respondents “indicated they would host or attend a gathering with 10 or more people during the holidays and 33% would not ask others to wear masks”: https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2020/11/12/40-in-US-planning-large-gatherings-for-holidays-despite-COVID-19-warnings/1161605213219/
I.e. with a lot of potential superspreader events on Thanksgiving, some may become actual superspreader events, which could seed other superspreader events starting several days afterward.
My mil called today. Two weeks ago they were to visit their son at his cottage but decided at the last minute not to go because a girlfriend of one of their sons is in medical school and was to be at the cottage.
Instead they decided to visit family friends. The family friend had been exposed to the coronavirus 6 days before but neglected to tell my il’s. As you might suspect, the family friends came down with Covid the day after my il’s visited with them. Apparently the friends have been very cavalier, so many of their family and friends have had the virus and no one has had it badly. That’s what they told my mil
My il’s have been quarantining for the past two weeks. Another one of mil’s friends also has the virus, she came down with it days after she attended a dinner party with friends, exposing all of them. Thankfully my il’s were not at the dinner party although she had seen that friend recently.
My mil has decided that she has had enough close calls, she will not be attending her other son’s family thanksgiving. She will visit the far away granddaughter from a distance.
Wow, @deb922 that is a lot of close calls!
@VeryHappy Maybe you and your granddaughter could have some sets of duplicate books? She could “chose” one from that set, her parents could help her turn the pages as you read from the book in your set. Just an idea that ran across my brain while reading your post.
I think all of you that are canceling your plans are doing the right thing, both for yourselves and others. How incredibly difficult it is to avoid catching a virus was driven home to me, as I have now ended up sick (luckily not Covid!). And here I was, thinking I had been so careful. You are really doing your loved ones a favor by just staying home.
@VeryHappy I sent this to my 21 month old granddaughter and also have one at my house. When we FaceTime, we try to “play” together.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TBL9C6Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I just ordered these for December.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GSRZX2P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K81R16X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1