How COVID-19 is affecting society

Kara Spengler · Apr 17, 2020

Sid said:
What others do is their own responsibility, but a crowded bus, train or tube is not accepted over here. It will not leave the bus stop or station.

So does the platform then get crowded more? I would not trust public transit for a year unless there was no other option. Which reminds me to go set my transit withholding to 0 this morning.

Innula Zenovka · Apr 17, 2020

Sid said:
What others do is their own responsibility, but a crowded bus, train or tube is not accepted over here. It will not leave the bus stop or station.

Sure, but what's possible in towns and cities somewhere like Limburg isn't always possible in a huge city like London.

Innula Zenovka · Apr 17, 2020

Coronavirus has destroyed the myth of the deficit | Yeva Nersisyan and L Randall Wray

No, federal government spending doesn’t have to be ‘paid for’. The crisis shows providing for our society is not a financial issue

www.theguardian.com

Only a month ago, a stimulus bill of $2tn would have been unthinkable. Indignant deficit scolds would have asked how one planned to pay for it, and complained about burdening our grandchildren with debt and bankrupting our country. Bernie Sanders bent over backwards to explain how he was going to pay for a Green New Deal or Medicare for All. These programs don’t seem as expensive any more. Suddenly the government is planning “helicopter drops” of cash. Larry Kudlow, who relentlessly attacked the Obama stimulus during the global financial crisis, is touting the current stimulus as “the single largest Main Street assistance program in the history of the United States”.

Nobody is seriously asking how we are going to pay for this stimulus – and they shouldn’t. It took a global pandemic to explode the myth that federal government spending has to be “paid for”.

Kalel · Apr 17, 2020

They have been monitoring the metrorail system to make sure the platforms don't get overloaded with those still working. ( they have security cameras everywhere and some transit cops.) I've been driving to work instead of taking Miami transit since the essental order lockdown. From what i've been told and what i can see from the road transit is pretty much a ghost town now. since government and school systems are down it been like permanent weekend schedule. reduced frequency all around and 30 minutes between. enough that they are trying to use the time to get some construction done at stations. tho miami is more vehicle heavy i'm curious to hear how transit heavy cities are handling it.

they have suspended all fares and you have to get on off from the back entrance of the bus. they blocked the seats closest to the driver... Pretty much every express bus has been killed and they implemented a program for late night essential workers with a special phone number you can call to get a lyft driver to take you from one bus stop to another for free.

Anya Ristow · Apr 17, 2020

Trumpers have ruined the zombie apocalypse.

Rose Karuna · Apr 17, 2020

Cindy Claveau said:
I've been suffering unusually high stress and anxiety the last few weeks, as many of you can probably understand. It's not simply the isolation part, though that's part of it, but I realized finally that I'm feeling less optimistic about the future than ever before.

This whole experience feels so lonely to me, even sharing a house with my husband. Am I the only one?

I decided today that one way for me to cope would be to try to help some local organizations. I gave cash to Harvesters Food Pantry, a little more to the local Rescue Mission and the last bit to the shelter where we got our pup, Molly. All transactions online. It really did calm my feelings of hopeless anxiety.

I'm generally an optimistic person and I've been feeling very sad, probably me more than my husband.

What really helped me was when our best friends suggested having dinner together over FaceTime. They put their camera and monitor in their dining area and we put our camera and monitor in ours. We started at about 7:00 and at first, it was kind of awkward. Then, we started interacting and joking like we always did in the past. We forgot there was a camera and monitor between us and by that time we were all a bit drunk (wine and cocktails with dinner). Suddenly, it was 11:30 at night and we were all feeling better and exhausted.

I can't tell you how much it lifted my spirits. Also, my brother is working from home and he and I send emails and IM three or four times a day. I realized how much I need that connection with him (I raised my youngest brother and he's like my son in a way). He's kind of a luddite so we can't do the interactive dinner (he has a flip phone) but during this crisis we've connected a lot more than we usually do.

Actually I find reading VV and connecting with people here helps a lot too.

All I can say is hang in there and try to make as many connections with the people you love as you can. :loveflag:

Innula Zenovka · Apr 17, 2020

Reports of domestic abuse sent to UK police forces by Crimestoppers have surged by nearly 50% during the coronavirus lockdown, and the charity is urging people to come forward if they think a friend, family member, colleague or neighbour is a victim.

More details here

Innula Zenovka · Apr 17, 2020

Anya Ristow said:
Trumpers have ruined the zombie apocalypse.

They are certainly in dire need of brains.

Aribeth Zelin · Apr 17, 2020

It is called Spanish Influenza because only Spain was reporting accurate numbers, becuase I think of all of Europe, they were the only ones not really involved in WWI? But since everyone else was suppressing numbers, it looked like spain was hardest hit , if all my sources are correct, anyway.

Sredni Eel · Apr 17, 2020

My birthday yesterday was not how I envisioned it would be back when Other Half was asking me what I want.

I want a vaccine, and freedom to go places, and a namwich. And cake. I can have none of those things right now, because I got a huge fucking pandemic for my birthday, instead of nice things.

Kara Spengler · Apr 17, 2020

Sid said:
Yes, but those masks should not be from the category home made. They only help from next to nothing to very moderate, depending on the used materials.
One of the reasons that public transport is almost at a halt over here right now.

Tragically there is still a huge shortage in more reliable masks.
We can hardly provide them for medical use at the moment.

There are manufactured masks that are not medical masks.

Kara Spengler · Apr 17, 2020

Sredni Eel said:
My birthday yesterday was not how I envisioned it would be back when Other Half was asking me what I want.

I want a vaccine, and freedom to go places, and a namwich. And cake. I can have none of those things right now, because I got a huge fucking pandemic for my birthday, instead of nice things.

My niece is in hs and had her birthday recently. It featured getting takeout while social distancing and the restaurant giving her a roll of single ply as a gift.

Sredni Eel · Apr 17, 2020

I received severe dental pain for my birthday. And also drove around playing Pokemon Go. So yay.

Kalel · Apr 17, 2020

Biggest convention in the us is canceled

San Diego Comic-Con Canceled Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

San Diego Comic-Con has been canceled amid widespread coronavirus fears.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Aribeth Zelin · Apr 17, 2020

Kalel said:
Biggest convention in the us is canceled

San Diego Comic-Con Canceled Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

San Diego Comic-Con has been canceled amid widespread coronavirus fears.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

I'm really not surprised - I'm expecting dragon to be cancelled too. It sucks, it really, really sucks, but it beats getting sick and dying? And a lot of the guests at these sorts of things, are well, high risk.