Are you scared from the Corona-virus pandemic?

Genesis

Administrator
Staff member
Great to hear from you @Peter. You're right of course. I'm almost certain stats become less and less reliable once countries get into the hundreds of cases. This is bound to happen in South Africa as well. Identification of cases then becomes a luxury next to saving people's lives.
 

WhiteShiro

New member
Yes, fear is a good thing. 'panic buying' basically prepares them for a lock down, which is good. Fear also causes people to be more concious and stay away form others, as well as wear mask. This lowers the chance of caching the covid-19 virus
 
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DTEC

Guest
I was wondering about the best way to disinfect phones without causing damage to them. I thought that perhaps liquid or alcohol based sprays could damage gear. We handle the phones all day so when we wash our hands we need to also sanitize our phones. I've opted to use speaker phone and headphones & mic more.

Working in a high-school I've told students to ensure they wash their hands after using shared keyboards and always before they eat at break.

I am hoping this hosting could be a good alternative for students working from home.
 

Genesis

Administrator
Staff member
I think people should fear being responsible for spreading the virus more than the virus itself. As that is where the biggest problem lies. The fact that the virus has grown into a pandemic because of people spreading it, without thinking about the consequences of their actions. Instead of asking themselves whether they will be infected by the virus if they fly from country A to country B. They should ask themselves, if they should get the virus, how many people can be infected by them during the journey, and how many people will be infected by the people they infected. Do they really have to fly from country A to country B?
 
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meajop

Guest
i fear the virus but i need to help spread awareness about it thus i am using my skills as a web developer to fully help my government fight back against this global pandemic .
 

Lorenzop7

New member
[font=Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif]I am worried about this virus (Coronavirus) it puts a lot of fear, here in Italy there are many deaths but also many cured, I am upset that this virus can kill so many people, then with the lies that put on facebook they put me even more anxiety. Let me know what you think.[/font]
 
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magnuscarlsen

Guest
Things have been a little tense where I am. I have been practicing self isolation for the last few days. It's been rough. How are y'all passing the time? Would love to hear back from you all.
 

Genesis

Administrator
Staff member
magnuscarlsen said:
Things have been a little tense where I am. I have been practicing self isolation for the last few days. It's been rough. How are y'all passing the time? Would love to hear back from you all.

Please check for previous threads on same topics so there is no duplication. I've merged it with the running discussion on the Corona Virus.

Regarding your topic. Every one is tense here in South Africa. We've just started with a lockdown today where every one has to stay home, and are only allowed to go out for buying food, medicine or do essential banking.

I also notice that the Prime Minister and Secretary of Health in the UK also contracted the virus. Feels like dark times for sure.
 

Yozora

Moderator
Things are pretty chaotic here. My state is basically on lockdown, with a "stay at home" order newly in place. While the virus worries me, people's panic buying almost worries me more. A lot of food and basic supplies are continually sold out everywhere, and everyone's in a mad dash to find a store with things in stock. When online stores have supplies nowadays the prices are usually outrageous. If things like this go on for too long I don't know what I'll do. I've seen this kind of panic buying before hurricanes and such before, but that doesn't last as long. This is worse. The government here said non-sick people would benefit from wearing masks, but masks are sold out everywhere so people are posting instructions on sewing homemade masks. This all just feels more and more like a horror movie. Part of me half-wonders if I'll wake up and this will all be a dream, but I know that won't happen.

The good news is that it looks like some countries are starting to "flatten the curve". South Korea is a huge success story, and deaths are lessening in Italy last I heard. I hope everyone is safe and doing well!
 

Genesis

Administrator
Staff member
Yozora said:
The good news is that it looks like some countries are starting to "flatten the curve". South Korea is a huge success story, and deaths are lessening in Italy last I heard. I hope everyone is safe and doing well!
Nice to see you @Yozora and hope you are keeping well. At least that is good news then particularly for Italy. Although I hope it's not a case of under reporting and tomorrow we get a spike again. As all of these stats can only be as good as the source from which they are being produced and the timing of when the cases are reported.

I'm in South Africa right now and we're also in a state of lock down. I also didn't like the panic buying and the Government cautioned people against it saying there would be plenty of food and essentials available during the lock down. But policing is so severe of people going outside their homes. We may go to markets, but one feels almost intimidated to walk down the road. May have been better if I had bought provisions for 21 days lock down. :unknown:
 

Yozora

Moderator
Genesis said:
Yozora said:
The good news is that it looks like some countries are starting to "flatten the curve". South Korea is a huge success story, and deaths are lessening in Italy last I heard. I hope everyone is safe and doing well!
Nice to see you @Yozora and hope you are keeping well. At least that is good news then particularly for Italy. Although I hope it's not a case of under reporting and tomorrow we get a spike again. As all of these stats can only be as good as the source from which they are being produced and the timing of when the cases are reported.

I'm in South Africa right now and we're also in a state of lock down. I also didn't like the panic buying and the Government cautioned people against it saying there would be plenty of food and essentials available during the lock down. But policing is so severe of people going outside their homes. We may go to markets, but one feels almost intimidated to walk down the road. May have been better if I had bought provisions for 21 days lock down. :unknown:

Yeah, I'm hoping that more and more countries that were hit by this early start to slowly get less new cases, then that would give me hope the US could start to recover at some point if people stay home. I've heard stories about people using this as a time to travel because airplane tickets are apparently super cheap right now. :fool:
Then my state had to go on lockdown (set to end in June!) because people weren't following the social distancing guidelines and went to packed beach parties...Before, the government here said that healthy people shouldn't wear masks to save them for healthcare workers, now they're saying that wearing masks helps everyone and posting homemade mask sewing instructions. It feels like an apocalypse came and shattered normality for everyone.

That sounds awful about the policing in South Africa though! :shock: It's not that bad in the US yet (though maybe in harder-hit places like New York state it might be), but I've heard of police breaking up gatherings of 10 or more people. If I had to explain where I was going to police every time I stepped outside I'd probably start panic buying food too.
 

Peter

Member
Yozora said:
Before, the government here said that healthy people shouldn't wear masks to save them for healthcare workers, now they're saying that wearing masks helps everyone and posting homemade mask sewing instructions. It feels like an apocalypse came and shattered normality for everyone.
[url=https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/the-public-health-agency-of-sweden/communicable-disease-control/covid-19/]The Public Health Agency of Sweden[/url] said:
Do face masks protect against transmission?
Face masks are used by healthcare staff when they are in close contact with patients and need to protect themselves against respiratory droplets, which is one way that COVID-19 is transmitted. However, face masks are not needed in in the community. The best way to protect oneself and others in daily life is to maintain social distancing and good hand hygiene.
[url=https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks]World Health Organization[/url] said:
When to use a mask
- If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection.
- Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.
- Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
- If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly.
I'm not saying you shouldn't listen to your local authorities, but maybe there is no need for panic if you cannot get hold of a mask or if you see someone who isn't wearing one.
 

Genesis

Administrator
Staff member
Peter said:
I'm not saying you shouldn't listen to your local authorities, but maybe there is no need for panic if you cannot get hold of a mask or if you see someone who isn't wearing one.
Agreed. It's the same here. But recently with our lockdown I see some people wearing masks when they go to the supermarket.

For me the problem is that those masks are not really protective as they are commercial masks, designed for people who have a virus - but not the Corona virus. To be really effective it has to be a properly designed mask. Otherwise the mask in its own right could become a carrier of germs. Like typically those masks that are purchased in shops are supposed to be disposable masks. Not re-used.

One thing I have issue with our authorities cautioning people against buying bulk products before the lockdown. In retrospect I wish I'd done the bulk buying, as at the time the advice from the Government was that there would be plenty of resources and food available in the super markets, which indeed there are. But at the same time we're not really allowed to move outside our homes. So I feel almost as though I'm putting myself at risk from being scrutinized by the police and army when I'm walking to our local super markets. Also, super markets, when one thinks about it is not that safe. As there is always some exchange between cashier and buyer when money is exchanged, or using one's card at the till, shop workers don't always observe distances in the shop alleys when they are going about unpacking and moving around. So going to the super market runs counter to social distancing philosophy.
 

Peter

Member
Genesis said:
One thing I have issue with our authorities cautioning people against buying bulk products before the lockdown. In retrospect I wish I'd done the bulk buying, as at the time the advice from the Government was that there would be plenty of resources and food available in the super markets, which indeed there are.
Genesis said:
Also, super markets, when one thinks about it is not that safe. As there is always some exchange between cashier and buyer when money is exchanged, or using one's card at the till, shop workers don't always observe distances in the shop alleys when they are going about unpacking and moving around. So going to the super market runs counter to social distancing philosophy.
People need to have food. Even if the lockdown doesn't stop all transmission it can hopefully slow it down.
 

Genesis

Administrator
Staff member
Peter said:
People need to have food. Even if the lockdown doesn't stop all transmission it can hopefully slow it down.
This probably wouldn't work as it would be too expensive to install, and super markets make lots of money with people buying with their eyes instead of their heads. But possibly it would be better for someone to give them a list of what is needed. And it gets processed for collection at the till behind glass partition. They could possibly do this at ATMs in front of the store. Then get a beep on their phones to collect the order. It will make things safer for the people who work there, and also for the people who buy. Then they just need to make sure they clean the credit card machines and ATMs regularly.

But yes, you're right. People need food, and the way it is done is supposed to be temporary and social distancing is still encouraged in super markets. Just not perfectly. Guess one has to really wash one's hands when one gets home, thoroughly. And learn not to touch one's face etc. while one is shopping.
 

sssgp

New member
In the supermarket (small one) which I frequent, they make you stand inside circles drawn about 3 ft apart. Not more than 5 people are allowed inside the store at a time. When it's my turn, they point one of those infrared red sensors at my forehead to measure my temperature, then give a couple of generous sprays of alcohol based sterilizing liquid to clean my hands and then let me in. When I step inside, most of the shelves are empty. :search: