About COVID-19--Be safe--Warnings and safety suggestions

[Emily]

Oh that's really frustration, Overcome. :( I hope your order will be delivered soon, and you can get your cheesecake!

Btw, maybe technically it is considered a "small thing." But really I don't think it's a small thing. It's hard isolating at all. Days like Birthdays and holidays are meant to be celebrated with people you love. And not having that is extra hard. And then, you try to do something to treat yourself and something like this happens. I know that it can really feel like the last straw. So I'm really sorry that happened.

Hoping that you end up getting your delivery, and you enjoy your cheesecake. And I hope that you spend the rest of your day knowing that you're cared about and celebrated.

[Catie]

Ohhhh! That is soooo disappointing, Overcome! So sorry! Hope they figure it out very soon and get your groceries and treat to you.

And

Happy Birthday!!!!

[Overcome]

Definitely feeling it today, it’s my birthday and I had a Walmart order supposed to be delivered this morning. It’s about two hours past the delivery window and they can’t figure out what happened to it. I had ordered myself a slice of cheesecake and I just want it! It feels so silly but I’m stuck here not being able to go out and get it myself.... I just was really hoping all would be well. Plus I kinda do need the other groceries I ordered.... but my mind is hung up on I wanted my birthday treat. Rather selfish, yeah?

but of course, big picture, that is a small thing in the large scale of what is going on in the world. And I feel for people who aren’t able to not go to the store due to availability in our area, and the essential workers having to work at the store and the driver who would have brought me my order. My thoughts and prayers go out for everyone’s safety.

[Emily]

I think that's a lot of it, Overcome, for sure.

[Overcome]

It sure feels harder right about now than it did in the summer. I guess because many are ignoring for the holidays

[Emily]

I've seen that as well, Moonflower, people just being horrible about being asked to wear a mask. And really, it's the simplest of things if it means saving lives.

The numbers are really hard to watch, that's for certain. Honestly, I think I watch them closely just to keep myself vigilant. But it's tough when they're rising so exponentially.

I hope the vaccines end up being both safe and successful. I'm also hopeful that by the time they reach the general public there will be enough evidence of that safety to make people trust them more to get them. So much riding on it all really, isn't it?

I do think it'd help if there wasn't so much rampant misinformation, far too often from people who are supposed to be leaders, and some media downplaying the virus, downplaying it's danger ("oh, it's just another flu..only people with comorbidities are dying...blah blah"--as though those people's lives are less important.), downplaying the importance of masks and distancing, even to the point of making fun of people who are taking every precaution. It's all just hard.

[moonflower]

We did almost a complete lockdown in our house for several months. The second half of spring semester our clinical hours were made virtual, so I only left the house (with a mask) for groceries and I managed to only go out every 10-14 days. Beaches were closed, playgrounds were closed, but the walking path I can see from my back window that isn't technically on the beach was still open and there were 10-15 times the normal number of people out there.

When cases began dropping here, towards the end of the summer, more and more restrictions were lifted. Now technically there is a mask mandate in place, there are signs on the door of every store, but almost no one is willing to enforce it. I've seen several instances where people have gotten violent over being asked to wear a mask.

I don't watch the numbers on a regular basis, I don't have the energy for that. At my hospital though COVID numbers are still down from what they were a few months ago, it will be interesting to see what the next few weeks bring though. We did get an email earlier this week asking for volunteers willing to go to the hospital to give vaccines to other health care workers. It's not the be all end all and I know a lot of people who aren't willing to get a vaccine early on. We have yet to hear if it will be mandated for us like the flu shot and all other vaccines are. We are in an unprecedented time for sure.

[Emily]

It's wonderful that your cases are so low now, Falena and Brina.

True Falena, the precautions do work, as evidenced everywhere that they're in place. Unfortunately, most leaders won't put the necessary restrictions in place. And far too many people won't voluntarily use the precautions.

I feel like if we had leaders who implemented lockdowns and mask mandates, and people showed enough concern for others around them to wear masks and distance even if someone didn't make it a rule, we'd be much closer to those results.

Now that things are so bad here, I really hope people begin to take it more seriously, particularly given that the experts are predicting a really large surge of cases and deaths in the next few weeks because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Honestly, I find myself just increasingly annoyed and frustrated at people's lack of regard for others and complete selfishness. So I really hope that it gets better, because aside from the suffering....I am struggling with what it says for humanity that there's such an unwillingness to do the simplest of things to help everyone (whether they know and love them or not) stay healthy and alive.. It's as though "Love your neighbor as yourself" is a foreign concept these days.

It really does break my heart.

[Brina]

So true Falena, when we in Victoria were having over 700 cases a day, there was a state in the USA with the same amount, we went into lock down and masks were mandated, we have no cases at the moment and they have thousands of cases a day.

that just breaks my heart, because it could have been so different if people took this seriously and thought of others.

[Falena Porter]

...but I realized that I had felt normal for a moment and forgot where I was and the reality of this hidden danger.

I think this is so true Starship. I have done similar things myself and then later wondered how I could have, but I think it is simply because we are human beings not machines with a default setting. There probably isn't anyone on the planet who hasn't done something like this I reckon.

It is good to read of the diligence of everybody in this forum to the use of physical distancing. It does work. In the state of Victoria, there was a huge surge of cases - hundreds and hundreds of deaths - and the population of the entire state had to go into lockdown for several months. It must have been incredibly hard but to the credit of everyone involved, there was widespread compliance with the rules of lockdown.

As a result, there has not been a single new case there for 35 days - down from over 20,000 cases. There are now no active cases whatsoever.

So, hang in there because the precautions really do work.

[Emily]

It's true, Star. The covid fatigue is a real issue. I think besides just going through routines that are were so normal pre-covid, and forgetting, there's the fact that so many think, "well, we've made it all these months without getting sick...so it's all good." There's the exhaustion of isolation. There's the financial burden, lost jobs, etc. There's the stress of front line workers. And that's of course healthcare workers, delivery people, grocery clerks, etc. But it's also teachers. And I know that we have several members here (you included) who are among the frontline workers, who still are out there, doing what needs to be done. It's just a lot, isn't it?

I can totally see, btw, how easy it would have been to forget to put your mask back on when you were going to the restroom. I bet a lot of that is just body memory, routine, doing it the way you've been doing for years. Glad you were safe!

Not to belabor the point here, but just going to add here that I saw that as of today, an American is dying on average every 32 seconds. It's numbers like this that make me more determined to do everything that I can to slow this thing. Because there are people like so many of you who have to be out in it.

Today, my heart is just so heavy for healthcare workers....the burden that they're facing right now is great....and getting heavier daily as the numbers go up. Just so hard.

[Starship]

Thanks for this thread, (((((Emily))))).

I see covid fatigue all around me. It’s very, very easy to get relaxed about things when back at work. For example, I was working after school in my classroom and I typically remove my mask when no one else is in the room with me. I was so focused on my work and then I had to run to the restroom. Well, I got into the middle of the hallway and realized I had forgotten to put my mask back on. It was a moment of horror - @&!% - I said...do I run back to the classroom or dart in the bathroom???? Which is closer??!! Thank goodness no one was in the hallway at the time, but I realized that I had felt normal for a moment and forgot where I was and the reality of this hidden danger.

It takes effort to be vigilant....especially when it’s something you can’t see.

[Catie]

Overcome, it's so unfair that your family wasn't understanding about the holiday. But I'm thankful you are taking such excellent care of yourself and your students!

I haven't yet used Instacart, though I've heard good things about it!

Having groceries plopped into my trunk has been amazing though.

[Emily]

Hopefully a time will come soon that it'll be safe to do those fun things like the thrift stores again, Catie. It's kinda hard work, being so diligent.

Overcome, my thoughts are always also with all of you who are working. You are an essential worker as well as the folks who work at hospitals and those who do my shopping. And I appreciate you. I also am always thinking of you all and sending extra thoughts for your safety. I bet it is so hard to be working so hard to be safe, but having others not happy about it, or not understand that you're doing what you can to keep them safe as well. I hope that the time will come when they really see that you're showing your love by being safe.

Thank goodness for Walmart delivery indeed. I always think that my luck, by the time I get back to my grocery, they'll have moved everything around. lol. I thank goodness for Instacart all the time, as well as Fedex, UPS, and other services.

Be safe! Hopefully this will get better soon!

[Overcome]

Thanks Emily for this reminder. It is vital that we take care of our health care workers and other people in our community. Although I do leave my house for work, that is the only place I am currently going (minus the doctors who aren’t doing teletherapy in our area). And I am being so strict to protect my students and to continue to be able to go to work where they and I need to be! Zoom does not work for my student population and so I will do anything possible to keep them safe. But it’s a heavy burden. My family was very angry with me for not going to thanksgiving and I haven’t even broached the fact that I won’t do Christmas yet, but I won’t! I have to think larger than that and do everything I can to not spread.

thank goodness for Walmart delivery.... I don’t even know what the inside looks like anymore!

it’s very frustrating talking with people who aren’t taking the same precautions because I am trying so hard! I miss restaurants and shopping in store etc. especially goodwill and other thrifts Catie! but it’s worth it.

again thanks for the reminder. Hang in there! Glad you have a housemate for company.