Can we get Soft Machine (Tom in Paris), or some other person privileged to live in a country with universal medicine to comment on the outbreak there? We could answer Elder Berry's comment:

"I wonder what it would be like to not live in a society where poor health choices are pushed and health care is a preminum commodity. It seems like a dystopia at times.

"Health care as a basic service to citizenry sounds so humane."

Just FYI, Prince Charles of Great Britain (age 71) has tested positive for Covid-19. He has mild symptoms and is resting at home in Scotland. His wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has tested negative and is at home with the prince, but staying apart from him. Prince Charles's last public engagement was on March 12th, when he had dinner with William Russell, the lord mayor of the City of London, and George Brandis, the high commissioner of Australia. He also saw the Queen that day.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/prince-charles-coronavirus-test-positive-covid-19-royal-family-latest-a9423666.html

Hi Cludgie and Summer, are you both (separately) on lockdown?

We are (wife and daughter are at home too), although here it's called "confinement". Basically, we don't go out, except into the garden ;-)

EB's remarks:

"I wonder what it would be like to not live in a society where poor health choices are pushed and health care is a preminum commodity. It seems like a dystopia at times.

To answer your first question, I think the best reply is "reassuring", although I'm worried for the US.

"Health care as a basic service to citizenry sounds so humane."

The answer to that it that it is the ONLY humane way to do things, in my opinion. When my youngest daugher was knocked down by a car in Jerusalem and broke her shoulder nastily, we (and she) were shocked when, at the hospital, instead of "where does it hurt?", the first question was "who's paying for this?"

To my mind, that is wrong. It would not happen in the UK or France, and I expect that applies to most European countries. Our way of life has its down-sides, but it has that principle right.*

Tom, currently locked down in Montreuil

Hi, Tom! I'm off from school until at least April 24th. It may end up being longer. I will most likely continue being paid. Maryland's Governor Hogan has been doing a great job under the circumstances. I only go out to go grocery shopping. Pretty much everything (apart from essential services) is shut down in Maryland.

I am concerned about people who have lost their jobs. As you know, in the U.S. most health insurance is tied to one's employment.

My nephew, his wife, and child are staying with my brother and his wife. My nephew and his family are NYC refugees -- NY is not a good place to be right now. My nephew is out of work, but his wife can work remotely. My niece in New Orleans is likewise out of work, but her partner is also working remotely.

Basically we are just focused on trying to keep everyone as safe, healthy, and prosperous as possible. I wish you and your loved ones continued good health.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2020 07:11PM by summer.

What do you mean you most likely will continue being paid?

Didn’t you sign a contract with your school system stating you would work for them for a year and they’d pay you for a year?

I am in contact constantly with family in the UK and things sound pretty much the same as here. Lock downs, shortages, etc. The British National Health Service has been under stress but I am heartened by the news today that a national appeal for retired nurses, doctors, and other medical people to help out has resulted in more than 400,000 volunteers responding. Shades of Dunkirk.

We are in a state of lockdown now. All interstate travel is restricted except freight and emergencies with state borders being manned and arrivals having to "self isolate". A bizarre lack of follow up from this. The shopping panic has eased a considerably.

We have some problems with delineation of authority. States have jurisdiction in some areas,Federal in others. Hence we see school closures in some states not others. To our disgrace this allowed over 2000 passengers off a cruise ship which had symptomatic passengers without testing.

We are testing more than US.Have just had our eleventh death.

On a personal note.Hospitals allow one nominated visitor per patient,there is thermal screening on entry and there are recently announced restrictions on elective surgery Final year medical and nursing students were withdrawn from clinical placements 10 days ago to ensure a reserve cadre if needed.i have still been working but am in daily expectation of being redeployed into a different role. There have been massive job losses including my son's. He has quietly arranged to help out a friend who is a primary producer. My daughter is working largely at home. My husband looking after me,shopping and cleaning.

Australia's awareness of the extent of this was somewhat in advance of the US. I had family members due to arrive from the States for a visit. Even last week messaging to them to to not come brought the response that they were still intending to travel!They were finally convinced as they would have been required to quarantine for 14 days.

Cafes,restaurants,cinemas,gyms,swimming pools ,churches etc closed.lots of publicity push back over those ignoring these restrictions,like the crowds on Sydney'sBondi beach and now recently announced police powers for on the spot fines for non-compliance.

The churches, anti-vaxxersand alternative health "influencers" are being uncharecteristically quiet.At the start of this the Greek Orthodox Archbishop amused us all when he stated they would not abandon the use of the Communion chalice as"the virus can't survive in the blood of Christ".
Unlike most Aussies who are sports crazy, I don't lament the cessation of football of all codes,but most are mourning that and the recently announced possibility of a beer shortage.

I hope all our invisible friends in the community of ExMormons stay safe and we can keep supporting each other.

Finland:

positive:
Still no severe outbrake of cvid. About 1200 + x10-20 cases.
140 in hospital care. (march 29 th) (population 6 milj)
Seisure in southern parts of Finland.
Medicines suplies are available for 3 month for important medicines.
Emergency suplies of breath masks etc. provided from state to hospitals.
Political leadership is mostly coherent and solid.
Finland is about 1-2 weeks behind the surrounding countries in in in fections.

negative:
Massive economical implications.
Some shortage of hospital gear.
Incoming in citicens at airports has possibly been transmiting covid19.

Unknown:

Countries around Finland, Sweden and Russia has a different approach for the covid19.

Mormon and exmo communitity: no news yet.

Well, my daughter's good friend is from Perth. They're both college athletes in TN. She visited him over Christmas break. Took him and her two roommates to Orlando for Spring Break and then to visit my brother and his family in Tampa. That's when they started shutting things down. They announced that Break would be extended for another week. Having fun boating and fishing. Then, school announced that they were going to be online for the rest of the Semester. He flew back to Nashville, so did my kid to get her books for online classes. She flew back o Tampa the next day, he flew back to Perth via Sydney. His brother also plays Tennis in college in Portland. He also came home. They both flew together from Sydney to Perth. They got home and their mom had set up their rooms with new mini fridges and microwaves. They were quarantined and a local health official visited to make sure. He was informed that his roommate from Denmark tested positive back in TN. He was scheduled to fly home, but then quarantined in another room on campus. Both Perth boys were tested by Australian health officials. Both negative, but sill quarantined. My daughter's roommate is positive. My kid got tested in FL after 2-3 days of red tape. FL doesn't have a lot of testing ability. She won't get results until 5-7 days. She's self isolating. No fever. No cough. No aches. This morning she called us and said that she lost sense of smell. Australia is taking this a lot more seriously than most of the US. Her buddy and his brother in Perth have to get retested before they can be freed from quarantine.

Let us know how your daughter does, Stillanon. Loss of sense of smell could also be seasonal allergies.

Or the fact that there's nothing "new" to smell.

Like in the old days, doctors and nurses couldn't 'smell' the ether that wafted through old-timey hospitals, in the 40s and 50s.

I'd walk into Children's Hospital to visit my mom (1949-1953 [I quit in a huff; bit of scandal...])and immediately be assailed by the smell of ether, which my mom and her friends said they couldn't smell.

It's also why people who reek of whatever aren't aware of what the rest of us smell.


So that I'm saying is that her anosmia isn't automatically a sign of infection...

But:

"Loss of smell occurs with the common cold and other viral infections of the nose and throat. Anecdotal reports suggest the loss of smell may be one of the first symptoms of COVID-19. Doctors around the world are reporting that up to 70% of patients who test positive for the coronavirus disease COVID-19 — even those without fever, cough or other typical symptoms of the disease — are experiencing anosmia, a loss of smell, or ageusia, a loss of taste."


I always like to look on the bright side!

My cat has been assessing my sense of smell quite faithfully, once and sometimes twice each day in his litterbox. He appears to have my best interest at heart. :O)

Ha ha :-D

I have a litter tray for my cat under my desk (in case of unforeseen circumstances), but she has made it very clear that it's beneath her and prefers to go outside. As so often, I'm glad to have a garden.

Tom locked down in Montreuil

Thanks. That's what we're hoping. It's just that every little symptom has everyone on edge and thinking the worst. I'll keep you posted. Hopefully, test results come in soon.

CANADA SUMMARY

In Canada, around Wednesday, Mar 18, 2020, the Canadian government woke up and banned air travel and banned people coming from the USA.

In the week of Monday, Mar 09, 2020, a lot of employees were asked to work from home if they are given a laptop + VPN or just asked to stay home and do nothing and they will get full pay.
Starting Monday, Mar 23, 2020, me and my teammates started to work from home.

Starting around Thursday, Mar 26, 2020, all places have to be closed, such as restaurants, clothing stores, eye glasses, etc. Only exception is food, pharmacies, medical centers, gas stations.
However, a bunch of these locations had already in the week of Monday, Mar 16, 2020.

A few Statistics (not all):
Monday, Mar 02, 2020
Ontario reports 3 new coronavirus cases, brings province's total to 18.
Ontario's 3 new cases bring Canada's total to 27, with 8 cases in British Columbia and 1 in Quebec.

Sunday, Mar 08, 2020
Canada reporting 64 cases so far. Increase of 37 compared to Monday, Mar 02, 2020.
Ontario - 29 cases
B.C. - 27 cases
Alberta - 4 cases
Quebec - 4 cases

Monday, Mar 09, 2020
Coronavirus death in Canada: First victim of COVID-19

Thursday, Mar 12, 2020
Currently, there are more than 140 confirmed coronavirus cases in Canada and one death, a man in his 80s who had underlying health conditions.
Among the 17 people in self-isolation, 13 people had recent travel histories, including travel to Italy, the U.S. Spain and Puerto Rico. Puerto.
Increase of 76 compared to Sunday, Mar 08, 2020.

Tuesday, Mar 17, 2020
Over 580 diagnoses, 7 deaths.

Saturday, Mar 21, 2020
Health officials across 3 different provinces have reported 6 more COVID19-related fatalities on March 21, 2020.

Sunday, Mar 29, 2020
Over 3000 detected cases.
I think the number of deaths is 21.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2020 08:15PM by lurking in.

I know we're not overseas but on the subject of the cost of health care, we are indeed fortunate in Canada not to have to worry about medical bills bankrupting us - because there aren't any (in the public system).

When I was in hospital last year for a week with a hefty case of seasonal flu I paid $0,000.00 for the services of physicians as well as IVs, drugs, food and bed. Not that I enjoyed the space they gave me in a hallway behind Emerg. Twice. Or the MD who discontinued my IV antibiotic (for a complication, not for flu, against which antibiotics are ineffective) just at the point of receiving my last dose and discharging me too early so I ended up having to do the whole thing all over again.

But those are unusual glitches, in my experience.

I had been paying the monthly premium to the provincial government of $37.00 prior to that time and even that fee has now been discontinued so there is zero out-of-pocket expense up front, or even if you should need medical care. (At their discretion, sometimes you may receive a bill for an ambulance ride - fortunately, I didn't need that. My brother was my paramedic!).

Of course, we complain about our high taxes but. "Free" medical care at point of need. Most of us will take it.

I am also fortunate to be in B.C., a province in which the chief medical officer has just announced cautious optimism that things are looking up on the COVID front, with the new infection rate decreasing by 50% in the past few days, indicating that the physical distancing guidelines and adoption by most citizens are working well for us. Indeed, the streets are often deserted. If I have to go out (mostly for groceries) travel time is cut in half due to very light traffic, one nice bonus in an otherwise challenging time. I can't remember the last time I could drive an entire block without having to stop in slow traffic.

Thinking of everybody, everywhere, and hoping you're all managing to stay safe and fed and healthy and calm. That can take some grit and determination. I'm surprised to find that it can be on the depressing side to be isolated. I've been wanting a few quiet days at home. But you know what they say: Be careful what you wish for. It is often different from how you envision it will be. I'm so lucky I had a stash of good books to keep me company but that is a most quiet pursuit.

I like a little noise.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2020 11:23AM by Nightingale.

Great post, Nightingale :-)

If you pay a bit more in taxes or similar deducations, you get much more back in return. Who'd a thunk it?

Our public services are currently proving their importance.

I prefer to pay a little bit more taxes and that everyone gets health coverage, even if they are jobless.
Socialism is always better than extreme capitalism where everything is treated as business, dental care, hospitals, street cleanup, scientific research, caring for the elderly.

Extreme capitalism causes jobs to get exported to el-cheapo countries where the value of their money is lower for no reason at all. It creates a huge divide between the rich and the poor.

> It creates a huge
> divide between the
> rich and the poor.


The growth of that 'divide' is called "getting richer~!" and "getting richer~!" is addictive! The rich keep finding cheaper and cheaper laborers to manufacture a product whose price does NOT go down!

What a rush!!!!

Hello, Tom! Whew - I was going to do a shout-out to you as the last post I saw from you was about a week ago. A lot can happen in a week, especially during a once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) negative worldwide event such as we are experiencing now. I was thinking that if you have to be confined indoors at least you're in Paris! But if you're not free to wander about even being in the City of Love may get old fast.

Good to know you have a garden. At least you can get out and about a bit and maybe breathe some cleaner air (with a decrease in pollution as a beneficial side effect of the shutdown of nations). And a cat, haughty and particular it sounds like, as cats are wont to be. Entertaining!

Take care over there. It's always nice to see you popping in.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2020 11:32AM by Nightingale.

That never stopped me or Lottie!

Watch it, Humble Tool.

I was originally due to finish my nursing degree and training only six weeks from now. The NHS is so overwhelmed that students are instead likely to be pulled out of hospital placements soon and I now don’t know what will happen other than that we will return as unqualified employees.

But I have been working, unpaid, on the frontline in the emergency department. It is probably as you would imagine: chaotic, busy, stressful and difficult. When I am not on shift I am so exhausted I spend a lot of my spare time in bed. I was also unable to get food and have only been able to eat because an ex-boyfriend went shopping for me - as if things couldn’t get any weirder :-) I am also not earning anything and awkwardly have to depend on financial help from my mother for this last stretch, only to discover I probably won’t graduate after all. No one was prepared for this and the NHS has been so underfunded for so long it is a huge task to go from already inadequate to the high functioning required to deal with a pandemic.

I am torn between wanting to reassure people because I want to look after everyone, and wanting to get off my chest how it really is. One thing I am seeing is official statistics claiming only a small number of healthy people dying from this, and that they were all elderly.
That’s not actually what I’m seeing and I’m guessing healthy younger people are not being included in the stats because: they were never tested. Also, so far, although the PM got tested, health professionals are not being tested.

Thanks for your input.

I recently heard a story about final year nursing and physician student in the UK being held back from front line duties in order to serve as a final reserve if the onslaught continues.

And is the justification for not paying you that you're just a student? Do you have to clock in and out, on a set schedule?

Yes, student nurses don’t get paid. We used to get a small amount in the form of a bursary but that was scrapped a couple of years ago. We are on clinical placement for experience, and get hours signed off at the end of each shift to count towards the total of 2400 of unpaid hours required to become an RN.

I happened to already be in the ED when this kicked off an the NMC and the government have been so slow in deciding what to do with us students that I suspect so far that, like me, most have just been left to battle it out on their own wherever they happen to be. They pulled first years off a couple of weeks ago I think. Next week we should receive the plan of what is going to happen to us. Unfortunate that I am no longer being supported in placement and by my university because if I were, I could soon add to the nurses dealing with the crisis. This all adds to my frustration at our government for totally neglecting the NHS and the nursing profession for many years. Everyone is now paying the price.

I don’t know about final year students being held back. I think this refers to the emergency register they will use for us (make us qualified earlier) if things get a lot worse but last week they backtracked on that plan. We certainly have not held back and protected for that eventuality - We have just been left wherever we already happened to be. No emergency action to protect us, after all we are helping out and they don’t even have to pay us!

Are you being provided with proper protection (masks, etc.)?

Yes, although I’m not sure they’re always the right masks. However we have ‘cold’ zones for non-cv19 patients and there we are faced with another problem: Some patients come in for treatment officially for other things but they don’t disclose they have a cough and symptoms of the virus because they don’t want to go to the ‘hot’ zones. Of course they do anyway once we realise, but not before they’ve potentially exposed us all to the virus. This has been very common in the past week.

Thank you for your service. You are entering the nursing profession at an historic moment. I wish you and your loved ones the best.

Hi I'm also in Perth, Western Australia. We are a bit fortunate in that we are very easily cut off from other states and countries, and that's what we have done. The last few international flights bringing people home are coming in, and they are all being put up at hotels for 2 weeks.

Only freight and essential workers crossing the state border now. Aside from illness on the last couple of cruise ships being looked after here, we had only 17 new infections yesterday, and authorities know in each case where the infection came from. I'll be very surprised if we don't manage to keep it under close control from here.

Key lessons:

- Social distancing everywhere works.
- Tracing and isolating of contacts is critical (as has been successful in China and Sth Korea).
- Close internal borders if possible, to protect more isolated states from those with higher infection rates.
- get co-operation between federal and state authorities.

Our state Premiers (think Governors) are all participating in a national cabinet with the federal government, meeting regularly,regardless of political colour, to agree on a national strategy, while allowing each state to attend to its own circumstances as it sees fit. Politicians of all stripes have stopped attacking each other in the national interest.


Having a universal health care system is a plus, it would be great for the US if this crisis led to some approximation of that. The Australian one costs everybody 1.5% of their salary. For this you get heavily subsidised medical care and a high standard of free hospital care and emergency treatment. If you want more, like a private room, you can pay for it at a private hospital. Most hospitals are public; private ones are mostly used for elective surgery, and more choice of specialist care.

Nobody gets turned away from Emergency departments, or asked if they can afford care. Poor people get exactly the same care in the public system as wealthy people. Most people wouldn't want it any other way.


In Perth, a city of almost 2 million, we have about 330 cases, and the growth rate is slowing down. Looks like our hospital system will hold up OK.

Sydney and Melbourne are bigger and more crowded, so the growth rate hasn't yet slowed down. However, we are confident that this will start to happen now, before things become overwhelming.

Then the challenge will be to start to open up the economy again, and let the virus spread again in a controlled way, as we inch our way towards herd immunity, while allowing the economy to come back to life.

[political comment edited out by mod]

Best wishes from the southern hemisphere.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2020 12:00PM by maude.

I am in Germany. German companies are showing an impressive ability to adapt to our current situation. Lots of delivery services are popping up.

I did experience a sad COVID-19 related loss ten days ago. We were trying to adopt a dog from a rescue, but he was in a distant city and we weren't allowed to travel there.

The rescue hired a pet taxi service and, despite having a lengthy article about safe transport on the pet taxi business's Web site, the driver failed to properly secure our would be beagle.

She took him out of the taxi without a collar or harness. He panicked, ran away, and was later killed on the Autobahn. My husband and I are heartsick, since at any other time, we would have gone to get him ourselves. We didn't hire the driver and, in fact, even suggested that the rescue let us pay and do the paperwork, but have the foster mom hold the dog until we could travel. They wouldn't do it.

Hours after the dog ran off, my husband had to get tested for COVID because three of his co-workers got it. He was put on quarantine, so we couldn't even search for the dog while he was still alive, not that he would have come to us. Then someone botched the first COVID test, so he had to redo it. Fortunately, the result was negative, although he's still ordered to stay in the house until April 7th. I, on the other hand, am free to shop. Makes no sense.

The taxi driver is, of course, trying to deny any responsibility, even though we never even so much as got to pet the dog. She told my husband that she had been driving for 21 hours when the dog escaped. Other taxi services had shut down. This whole thing was totally preventable, and now a dog died and someone's car got messed up extensively. I'm sitting here in mourning, because we were really ready for a new pooch... and this would have been a good time to break one in.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2020 10:28AM by knotheadusc.

So sorry knotheadusa for your sad loss. What a tragic occurrence for the rescued animal that would undoubtedly have been delighted to be adopted by you and to finally live a happy life.

Sorry too about your husband's exposure to CV. Tricky for him to be in "quarantine" yet with you in the same location. I agree with you that some restrictions or instructions seem confusing or contradictory. If he has been exposed then apparently you are at risk from close contact with him. The way I understand it, he would have to isolate also inside the dwelling to the point you are separated from each other for the period of his confinement. Our PM's wife was a confirmed case, having unfortunately contracted it while on a speaking trip to the UK. When her test came back positive (or perhaps even since she first displayed symptoms) our PM self-isolated and has been working from home, and holding daily news briefings outside his residence. They said that he and his wife established distance inside their home between her and her husband and three children. Fortunately, none of them contracted the virus from her and she has now been given the all-clear. So, I'd say that a person who has been exposed to confirmed cases must not only isolate from the community but from everyone in their home as well. Tedious and awkward and difficult, likely, for many to accomplish.

Here's hoping for the best for you both. So sorry about the dog. Poor thing.

Take care. It would be good to see you checking in to let us know how it's going.

I am pretty sure we’re not going to be sick unless we get it from someone in our neighborhood. We have both been housebound.

The dog’s death was horrifying for us. We didn’t have a bond with him, but we lost our beloved beagle, Zane, to cancer last year. We usually get a new dog pretty soon after we lose one, but this time we waited six months, mainly because of horror stories I had heard about Germans not wanting to let Americans adopt (mostly in military areas). But we passed our home check with no problem. If we had just been able to get the dog in the house, he would have been fine.

Our other dog, Arran, is at least happy to have us both home. And I got to give my husband a haircut today... first time ever. I now realize I could have saved us some money all these years. I may not be good at handjobs, but I give a pretty good haircut. I have cut my own hair for years.

Any other week before the shutdown, we could have gotten the new dog... we couldn’t go earlier, because my husband went to the USA on business. He did, at least, get to see his long lost daughter for the first time since 2004. He met his son in law and grandchildren and his grandson looks so much like him.

But if he’d been home a week earlier, this accident with the dog probably wouldn’t have happened.

knotheadusc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I may
> not be good at handjobs, but I give a pretty good
> haircut.

Don't undercut yourself! ;)

Well... Ex was good at those kinds of "jobs". Probably why she has managed to marry three times...

;-)

I, on the other hand, swear like a sailor and sing like an angel. And I know how to work hair clippers, because I used to clip my horse back in the day. God, I would love to have a horse right now.

You do sing like an angel. The two or three clips I've perused are numinous.

When I walk my 2, I watch them and think, "What would I do without them now." I wasn't going to get one the last 2 times I lost a dog because it is just so painful to lose them. But I can't help myself. My dogs get me through. Maybe you never got to touch the dog, but I can see it in your post how much this hurt. This was tough to read about. I'm glad to hear you still have a dog. I'm so very sorry!

I'm very sorry for your loss, Knothead. That's very upsetting.

I hope your husband's test comes back clear.

It did. He is negative.

But his bosses have him quarantined anyway.

I'm sorry that your dog died, Knotty. I've been thinking about the pets in shelters and rescues. It can't be easy for them right now.

I wish you and your husband continued good health.

Thanks to everyone. The rescue, so far, has handled the claim for the person who hit him, since we technically never actually took delivery.

I just hope the person whose car got messed up gets what they need/deserve and this doesn’t wind up a court case, especially one that involves us. We are already dealing with a lawsuit against our former landlady, who ripped off our deposit and falsely accused us of theft. The good news is, if it does end up a legal issue that involves us, at least we already know a lawyer and have legal insurance.

My heart hurts for the dog, too. He was a hunter’s dog in Sardinia and had only been in Germany for three weeks when he died. And he’d only just turned four. :’(

We are under orders to stay in our homes except for essential workers. Over 70s and the vulnerable must stay in at all times. The rest of us are allowed only to go to the market for essential shopping, to the pharmacy, medical visits, or to care for someone in need of care.

We are allowed to go out for one hour of exercise, but it must be within a 2km radius of home. I suspect that limit was put in because an earlier, less restrictive, directive saw traffic jams and crowds at beaches and public parks.

Most retail shops are closed, all restaurants and pubs, but take-away or delivery is allowed. Exceptions include mechanical or vehicle repair, shops suppling agricultural needs, maintenance of home or offices, office supply, post office, dry cleaners and laundrettes, groceries and pharmacies -- all things to keep the wheels turning. However, I think most of these are restricted to appointment-only, or call and collect, or call and delivery. No worship services anywhere.

Another change: Normally prescriptions have to be re-issued by the GP every 6 refills. Now pharmacists are permitted to re-issue them based on history and their best judgement without the GP.

These restrictions went into effect Saturday morning. When we went out for our normal Sunday walk (I confess -- it's just beyond the 2 km radius from here) we passed one car on the way out and saw only 5 vehicles on the road on the way back.

We are very lucky that we live in the country on sizeable site, so we have plenty of room to be active in. The road is little used, and much of the traffic comprises tractor, animal feed deliveries, and milk tankers. It's reassuring to see them still at work. I see them and think: 'They're feeding us.'

It would be much harder in the towns, where houses and flats can be cramped. Parks are all closed, so the hour of exercise would have to be on ordinary streets if you don't have a garden.

People are taking it seriously, but there's still a sense of humour and fun evident. Sometimes we have to remind one another of the 2-metre distance. But at least locally there's no run on the grocery markets or a lot of evidence panic buying. But it is hard now to get a delivery slot online for groceries, something that was never true before.

The rate of growth of cases is ticking up a little worryingly. Aer Lingus as just had a plane go to China and return to collect essential supplies. They are not testing everyone; only those with two of three symptoms and/or healthcare workers. It's apparently not tests that are in short supply but reagents for running the tests. Also we had an order for ventilator hoods in from an Italian company, which is now not shipping them because of demand there. But the Department of Health is trying to increase the number of ICU beds (we lagged behind the European average) and ramp up for a sudden increase in cases.

Our health service is a mix of private and public. Not everyone is eligible for a medical card for free treatment; it's means tested. So one might have private insurance for hospitalisation. But costs are generally much lower than in the US. For instance, a recent day in A&E, complete with multiple tests and ambulance ride, came to €100. Not free but manageable. GP visits are usually €50. And lots of tests, like X-rays and MRI, mammograms, etc., are done in the state hospital, free on a doctor's referral. Still, there are weaknesses, like waiting lists and bed shortages in normal times, underpaid nurses, so the Health Services Executive (HSE) needs a lot of improvement. We all hope after we get through this that the government will do a massive rethink and fund it properly.

Lorraine! Haven't seen you in forever.

I didn't know, or forgot, that you were living in Ireland. Glad you haven't forgotten us.

My maternal grandmother was from Limerick. She had a lot of brothers who were apparently interesting characters. I have always wanted to check out the Emerald Isle and look up the records to find out what my great-uncles were up to over there! I would like to see my grandmother's name on her birth certificate and trace back to her parents as well.

Re the Rx refills: Our pharmacists have been given the same permission - to refill ongoing Rx's without a new prescription, to save a lot of trips to MDs (restricting people's contact with others and especially those who are ill) and also because quite a few medical clinics are shut or working reduced hours.

It's amazing the number of accommodations that can be made, in a hurry, when the need is great. I hope, and trust, that some at least will be kept on even after CV is no longer a threat. There are a lot of rules and traditions that need a good overhaul anyway.

Re exercise - sounds good that you can get out and about with plenty of room. I'm lucky to be on a quiet street, with a bit of a hilly section nearby, so I can take walks, at least, to stave off complete inertia. I note that often, though, people pass by each other without leaving themselves the requisite distance between. I'm not the only one who had the idea to go "hill-walking" as a means of exercise and trying to stave off cabin fever by leaving the house and getting some air. There are a lot of dogs around here so their owners have to take them out. It was funny yesterday to see two little dogs nose to nose, on long leads, while their owners social-distanced themselves from each other.

So, you're another country heard from. I'm so glad it's Ireland! For my sweet Nanna and her Irish eyes (green and sparkly).

Hope you check in again soon. Take care.

Thanks, Nightingale. And I'm glad you've got happy memories of your Irish Nanna.

We were in Ireland for 2-1/2 years, then in Salzburg, Austria, for 4 years, and then in Co Down, Northern Ireland for 4 years, and now we've been back in Ireland for 2 years. This should be it, as we're now retired.

My favourite was Salzburg. I love Austria and the German lands and peoples.

You stay safe, Nightingale!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2020 01:26PM by Lorraine aka síóg.

What a great thread. Here's to the wide World of ExMos and interested/invested NeverMos!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2020 11:26AM by Elder Berry.

Denmark Here - We have been under restrictions for about two and a half weeks now, they were announced on the evening of March 11. About a week ago the restrictions were toughened and extended another two weeks, until April 13. The latest word here is that they are starting to see the results from the so-called "flattening of the curve" and so far we are nowhere near capacity at the hospitals. There has been almost zero hoarding, about the only time we saw a little bit of it was on March 12, the day after when a few things started to run low. But since then, the stores have been well stocked, even with TP. The current restrictions are closed schools, non-essential business are closed, and any congregating in groups of any size is prohibited. Spots where people might be able to congregate, like malls, have been barricaded. The government has offered to pay 75% of employee salaries, up to a maximum of 30.000 Danish Kroner, provided employers pay the other 25%. As I am typing this, the Danish PM is giving a press conference about some new measures, but I am not watching it. As far as healthcare goes, all legal residents are eligible for universal basic medical care. Currently all elective procedures are on hold, and if you must see a doctor, you must come alone unless physically unable. Not exactly sure what the current testing protocol is though.

How humane.

But what a price you pay for your social stability and effective healthcare. You face strict limits on how many guns you can own, religious charlatans don't enjoy extensive government support, and you don't get the satisfaction of seeing impoverished people die on the streets for their sins.

You Danes are such philistines!

Lot's Wife Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> But what a price you pay for your social stability
> and effective healthcare. You face strict limits
> on how many guns you can own, religious charlatans
> don't enjoy extensive government support, and you
> don't get the satisfaction of seeing impoverished
> people die on the streets for their sins.
>
> You Danes are such philistines!

Nobody loves paying taxes, not even the Danes, but overall Danes realize there is a lot of social good that comes out of paying the taxes.

In the States, as you know, government spending as a proportion of GDP is almost as great as in the western European countries. The differences are that we spend the money less efficiently and we refuse to pay for it with taxes. Instead, we borrow and thereby transfer the debts to future taxpayers.

It's not a great system.

No its not great, and we will all have great difficulty getting out of this once its over, due to the high cost of money required to service debt, and the limited ability of governments


..although I don't understand economic theory on these matters...

I suppose it might mean that the depression will be long and any recovery will be slow.

ETA: Zapped because it was too technical.

Yes, the world is entering a depression and yes, the extent of the government debt around the world will weigh heavily on future generations.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2020 12:37PM by Lot's Wife.

Didn't the Roaring 20s follow the Spanish Flu?

Yes, and the massive expansion in debt combined with stockmarket bubbles led to the Great Depression.

A pre-apocalypses party in a couple of years.

Another one from Perth, Oz here. I'm almost 70 and OH is just over so we are self isolating as much as possible. Still not too many cases in Perth and a very low death rate ..still only two people have died.

Our stage govt allowed a cruise ship to dock in Fremantle the other day as a humanitarian act. The ship had German passengers some of whom had the virus. They were taken off the ship and ambulances took them to a modern hospital for treatment. The healthy passengers were taken to Perth airport and flown back to Germany..all under police and army escort. The roads to the cruise terminal were blocked off to keep the rest of us safe.

We aren't under a proper lock down although restaurants, cafes, gyms, churches , pubs etc have closed. Every day I'm getting emails from companies I shop with saying they are closing for the duration. Most still have online options.

Really looking forward to this being over.