Virus

So far, there are six confirmed cases in Onondaga County, but many more in other parts of New York State. Around here, nearly everything is temporarily closed. All the schools in the county closed as of Monday, and local colleges sent students home. Online study programs are being set up at all levels. Restaurants and bars are closed, except for takeout orders; sports events have been canceled or postponed, churches, shopping malls, casinos, theaters and all other entertainment venues are temporarily closed. Only necessary services remain open: grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies. There's little left on the shelves in the grocery stores; things like paper products and soap are completely out of stock. Produce and meat counters have been picked bare (Ralph will have to make do with warmed-up frozen peas for now), stocks of frozen and canned foods are depleted. I shopped yesterday and had to improvise since hardly anything on my list was in stock. Aside from having some unusual meals (like hot dogs and beans without the hot dogs) and having to conserve resources like paper towels, I haven't been too badly disrupted as yet.

Well, today we had two people return to the Northern Territory from overseas, on separate flights, who tested positive. it's here.
Who knows how many people on those flights are now spreading it to others? It would only take one person on each flight to have caught it and to spread it further before they are contacted by the airlines.

If just one 'positive' person came from overseas/interstate into Darwin, Katherine, Alice Springs or Tennant Creek (or any of the really remote areas like Maningrida) the Aboriginal population would be absolutely decimated. A lot of them don't even have homes (they are called "long grassers"), let alone the ability to maintain proper hygiene...scary stuff.

We have been told we shouldn't get tested unless we've had direct contact with someone recently arrived from overseas, or with someone who has tested positive. I don't think that's good enough, given the transmissibility of the virus prior to symptoms appearing. We've had a couple in Sydney who went to get tested and were turned away, only to test positive later - they were only tested later because they were persistent and happened to have been in touch with someone else that tested positive (this happened AFTER they felt ill and tried to get tested initially). I really wish Australia had closed its borders a few weeks ago - as always, we have done too little too late.

Sorry if I am sounding negative, I am just MAD at the lack of timely measures taken by our government.

It does seem weird to close the parks. I wonder what the reasoning is.

At least, as I read somewhere online recently, if you are an introvert, this situation is a dream! (Social distancing, I mean).

Hi everyone, I'm so sorry for my absence!

I'm in Washington state, about 90 miles north of one of the major outbreaks. As of now, there are 48 confirmed cases in my county and 2 deaths.

So far my husband and I, and our friends and families, are all safe.

Washington is on "Stay Home" orders now, with the exception of essential workers and essential tasks.

I hope everyone here is safe and healthy. 💕

The reporting is correct. Trump originally planned to lift all restrictions in about a week, but now is aiming for Easter Sunday. It's extremely doubtful that will be possible; the medical professionals in the U.S., as well as individual states' governors, are opposed to Trump's plans.

As more testing is being done locally, the number of coronavirus cases rises every day; Onondaga County is now up to 65 confirmed cases, and one death in the county thus far.

Things are improving somewhat at the stores. Panic buying has subsided and many items are back in stock, though paper products, soap products and disinfectants are still in short supply. On my last visit to the grocery store, the produce department looked almost normal (and I was able to buy fresh peas for Ralph), but the meat counters were still sparse. Everything is being disinfected between customers.