COVID-19

[shadokat]

We'll all be infected by the time this disagreement ends

[Sen's Revenge]

Originally Posted by shadokat

We'll all be infected by the time this disagreement ends

[Sciencewoman]

Wait, I thought we clarified that there was no disagreement?

So, I've been getting these GREAT cruise offers. My husband I like to cruise, and the deals are fantastic, with generous rescheduling allowed "for any reason." Would you all book a cruise now?

[AGDee]

My daughter and I have a cruise to Italy, Greece and Turkey booked for mid-May. I'm so sad. We've been planning this for two years

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by AGDee

My daughter and I have a cruise to Italy, Greece and Turkey booked for mid-May. I'm so sad. We've been planning this for two years

Go somewhere in Europe on foot. Not sure when Italy will reopen but Greece and Turkey have many sites.

I'm still planning to book a 2 week trip to Europe in mid-May. Originally, I was doing Belgium and Amsterdam but after foot surgery, I might not be up to that. Plan B is two weeks in Portugal where I could alternate city and the beach at the Algarve.

[PKT4LIFE]

Passed by the docked cruise ship in Oakland today. I spent the weekend in Vegas and flew out of the Oakland Airport. Both the Oakland and Vegas airports were DEAD. Also, the casinos were EMPTY. I also avoided the buffets.

[ASTalumna06]

I have a trip planned to Iceland next month. It's still on at this point. Fortunately, Icelandic Air is waiving change fees between now and March 31st, so we'll see what happens. Plus, I don't book anything (hotels, excursions, etc.) until last minute, so the only thing I have going right now is the flight.

What does everyone think about all this? Are you in a panic yet? Has anyone's job told them to not come in or to work from home?

My parents have stocked up on frozen food (in case they're quarantined) and have bought more hand sanitizer than they've ever owned in their lives. Meanwhile, I'm riding the NYC subway in and out of work and going about my daily routine. Not sure what the right answer is here, but I'm basically just washing my hands more frequently and hoping for the best.

[lake]

I work with a bunch of doctors, and everyone is pretty level-headed about the whole thing. Watching the situation, yes, but not freaking out. It's nice.

I'm washing my hands more and using hand sanitizer when I'm out shopping for essentials. I rarely used hand sanitizer before. I'm not stocking up on anything.

I'm just trying to go about my life as normal. I'm also in the process of moving, so I've got bigger fish to fry.

[ChioLu]

The Costco locations are crazy. Customers are lined up before opening (which wraps around the building) to get bottled water and toilet paper. They way people are running down the aisles with carts, it looks like an episode of the game show “Supermarket Sweep”. There is a hashtag on Twitter called #CostcoPanicBuying.

I’m in LA and updated my earthquake preparedness kit after the July 4th quake. For Christmas, I included flashlights and hand sanitizer as stocking stuffers. Initial reaction was “Um, thanks?” but now friends have actually thanked me.

[Theta1234]

Hey AST, where are you going in Iceland? It’s one of my favorite places. The reality is that outside of the Capital, it’s really not crowded at all. The only suggestion I would have is to visit your doc before you leave and see if they will give you some basic scripts—or just take some OTC meds with you. If you get sick on a Sunday, you are out of luck there as the pharmacies don’t open until Monday. Most stores close around 6pm on weeknights so it’s smart to just have some stuff with you. I’m heading to Nepal in May and my doc is just giving me my own “medicine cabinet”

If you need any input on Iceland, feel free to PM me.

[Phrozen Sands]

The German chancellor is predicting 70% of the German population could be infected.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by Theta1234

Hey AST, where are you going in Iceland? It’s one of my favorite places. The reality is that outside of the Capital, it’s really not crowded at all. The only suggestion I would have is to visit your doc before you leave and see if they will give you some basic scripts—or just take some OTC meds with you. If you get sick on a Sunday, you are out of luck there as the pharmacies don’t open until Monday. Most stores close around 6pm on weeknights so it’s smart to just have some stuff with you. I’m heading to Nepal in May and my doc is just giving me my own “medicine cabinet”

If you need any input on Iceland, feel free to PM me.

Thanks so much! Any tips you have would be appreciated! I'm so overwhelmed with all there is to see and do. And of course I can't pronounce or remember the names of anything, so I've got a giant list going. I know I want to go glacier hiking for sure. Also planning some whale watching, and if puffins are spotted, that would be awesome, but it's still a little early in the season. I don't feel like I need to visit the Blue Lagoon, but other (free!) hot springs would be nice. Right now, the plans are to land in Reykjavik on 4/22 and take off on 4/27. Still debating about whether to stay in town for the entire trip or spend a few days stationed in a different part of the country.

Originally Posted by Phrozen Sands

The German chancellor is predicting 70% of the German population could be infected.

Based on?

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

Based on?

Well, the New York Times is reporting that Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that 2 of 3 Germans are infected, so I would say that 66.67% is close enough to 70%.

[SWTXBelle]

My son's school closed down because a sibling of a student might have been exposed. This has resulted in me and my daughter (who subs) being essentially quarantined from my school.

[AGDee]

Michigan State has gone to all online classes until April 20. Ohio State and University of Toledo have also gone to all online for awhile. Waiting to see if my son's will.

Our cruise company is now allowing cancellation for full credit which must be used before December 2021. So hopefully we can go next May. Not sure if we can cancel flights or hotels without fees yet. Fingers crossed.

My work has done things like ban all meetings of more then 30 people in a room. Bring your kids to work day is cancelled. Several conferences people were supposed to go to are postponed.

Disney World was packed this weekend. I took wipes and wiped down my plane seat, arm rests,v etc. Offered one to the guy who was next to me too. He wiped down his area too. Several others had done the same. We were careful when waiting in lines to Dave each other instead of facing strangers. On elevators, I faced the wall or door, not other people. I tried not to touch hand rails but when I did, vi used hand sanitizer right after. Little things