COVID-19 (Coronavirus) - How are you coping with this?

[Wayside Observer]

17 hours ago, Loud-Invero said:

At this point reading what's been published, at what point does the solution become worse than the problem and when is that line drawn? I'm sick of being isolated but I know if I go out, I can be killed!

Also I've noticed I've been ordering Uber Eats for almost 2 weeks straight. Now that must be a lot of money I'm spending and it is, but when you still continue to get paid 1K+ bi-weekly and have no where to spend your money or go, it's like... wtf...

 

On April 13, 2020 at 2:38 PM, PCC Guy said:

Ugh, I totally relate on this. Anything over 12 months for a return to normal sounds absolutely ghastly, I really, really hope that those predictions are way off.

I agree with you that it feels like we're going to be reaching the breaking point really, really, soon, but what is the alternative? I'm sure there are many policy makers or influencers on whose minds the collective national irritation is constantly weighing, but what are they going to do instead? Surely no one is going to greenlight any ideas that will let the virus ravage the population.

Though who knows. There was an article I read a few days ago claiming that the UK was hoping to roll back restrictions slowly over the coming two months with a full restoration of international travel by June 1st. Ha! Chance would be a fine thing.

I think the balance has begun to tip.  I'm not seeing any more articles about how the government and the banks are expecting a V shaped or a narrow notch shaped recession but there are several out now on the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, CBC, other publications about how we're heading into the worst recession of the century that'll possibly be comparable to the great depression.  Strangely, there's been no explanation in any that I've read to go over why the forecasts suddenly changed so drastically over the last few days.  But given how it's well known that poverty has extreme adverse health effects including premature death, I don't see much point in saving people from COVID-19 now so that the fallout from a dire economic crash can get them later.  There's probably going to have to be another round of massive government to try and prevent that from happening once things ease up.

When, how, and where that happens still isn't clear.  Donald Trump has been consistently making announcements about restarting everything too soon and then having to walk them back and postpone it meanwhile Trudeau seems to want to push things off into early 2021 but too late is going to be as big a problem as too soon.  Meanwhile, unless you were the top political elite, you spent the Easter long weekend locked up at home unless you were doing the 'do as I say, not as I do' routine and travelling across the country family in tow to Ottawa or hightaling it across provincial boundaries to the cottage retreat that we're all chipping in to pay for.

[T3G]

I think that, at the very least, it would be premature to think about re-starting normal life until antibody tests are widespread and the data from those has been collected (to see if the estimates that the virus has already made its rounds among the bulk of the population are true, and we're much further along in this thing than we thought), and we also know the nature of what immunity recovery from the virus offers. There have been a few quotes in the papers here and there suggesting that those who were asymptomatic and recovered perhaps didn't have an adequate number of antibodies, making them susceptible to re-infection (I have seen this put forward as an explanation for the alarmist news alleging that some people who had recovered from the virus were being reinfected). I really hope that's not true, but until we can ascertain whether it is, it might be best to hold off, especially if we don't know what repeated exposure to the virus could do to a person's body.

[Doppelkupplung]

There have been reports already of a flare up somewhere along the Chinese-Russian border...can't remember the main city. 

[T3G]

I believe we now have an answer to the question of how far along this can progress before start to lose their minds:

https://business.financialpost.com/executive/posthaste-coronavirus-outbreaks-could-be-with-us-until-2024-requiring-some-social-distancing-into-2022-says-harvard-study

It never rains, but it pours.

[captaintrolley]

1 hour ago, PCC Guy said:

I believe we now have an answer to the question of how far along this can progress before start to lose their minds:

I hope this is a bit exaggerated. I do miss the swimming pool, and being with my son and grandchildren (although don't see much of them as it is).  In every other aspect, I am fine with social distancing.

[Doppelkupplung]

5 hours ago, PCC Guy said:

I believe we now have an answer to the question of how far along this can progress before start to lose their minds:

https://business.financialpost.com/executive/posthaste-coronavirus-outbreaks-could-be-with-us-until-2024-requiring-some-social-distancing-into-2022-says-harvard-study

It never rains, but it pours.

This is all provided the idiot down south doesn't get us all killed first. 

[T3G]

In all honesty, I can't possibly imagine a scenario where all of our emergency measures last for anywhere close to four years.

Besides the issue of the economy not being able to hold out for half a decade of this, the other thing that makes me skeptical is that the longer this will go on, the more reckless people will get. I imagine there will come a point at which most people will figure they'd rather play Russian Roulette with the virus rather than be stuck doing nothing till kingdom come. High risk, high reward, and all that.

 I still think it's too early... we should figure out some effective treatments, and a plan to avoid overwhelming our emergency rooms, before we face the possibility of restarting life. But it's going to have to happen eventually.

 

[Byfold]

There are people on this forum who have been selfish and stupid recently by still going out fanning.

This past week someone on this forum actually took GO transit all the way to Niagara Falls just to take bus pictures.  This is not essential travel!  The same individual was also at a GO train station last night taking pictures of track work.  Also not essential travel!    There is another group of individuals who have been fanning in Toronto, Hamilton and Brampton.   What's even funnier is these people are posting photos on facebook and flikr so it's quite obvious who these people are.

STAY HOME unless it's essential.   Work, groceries and medical appointments are the ONLY 3 reasons you should be out right now.  I know being stuck at home sucks!  There are many ways to stay busy while being stuck at home:  House work, video games, youtube, video group chats, flikr, facebook, cooking, home work outs like push ups.  

 

We need to do our part and stay home.  I really want to post these individuals names but will refrain as I don't want them to get spammed with hate messages.    Let's show transit employees that we care by not riding the transit and not taking photos of their vehicles.  

 

 

[Wayside Observer]

19 hours ago, PCC Guy said:

In all honesty, I can't possibly imagine a scenario where all of our emergency measures last for anywhere close to four years.

Besides the issue of the economy not being able to hold out for half a decade of this, the other thing that makes me skeptical is that the longer this will go on, the more reckless people will get. I imagine there will come a point at which most people will figure they'd rather play Russian Roulette with the virus rather than be stuck doing nothing till kingdom come. High risk, high reward, and all that.

 I still think it's too early... we should figure out some effective treatments, and a plan to avoid overwhelming our emergency rooms, before we face the possibility of restarting life. But it's going to have to happen eventually.

What I think they're driving at is that Coronavirus itself won't be completely eradicated by the time the emergency measures are walked back which means that when and where it does show up, the people who come into contact with it will have to isolate themselves for the fourteen days and proper supports should be in place to assist people when that happens.

On people holding out without going crazy, I've been reading more and more disturbing articles about civil rights issues that have come up.  I don't like what I'm seeing.  I don't like what I'm reading.  It reminds me of the first few years after 9/11 where anything anybody didn't like got shut down on vague, unarticulated "security reasons" grounds.  Now it's medical grounds.  Go rollerblading with your two kids in an empty, abandoned parking lot?  Thousand dollar ticket.  Walk your dog through the park instead of on the sidewalk?  Thousand dollar ticket.  Stop to tie your shoelaces?  Thousand dollar ticket.  Stand a little too close to your significant other when out in public?  Thousand dollar ticket.  Don't like it?  Take it to court and tell it to the judge if and when that ever reopens.  John Tory was running his yap on TV again on Friday saying thousand dollar tickets all weekend!  The overzealous ticketing and overpolicing needs to be made reasonable and proportional now, and needs to be wound down completely as soon as possible.

The bottom line is, the number of diseases that are completely eradicated is very small and it's unlikely coronavirus is going to become one of them.  It'll be possible to get the numbers down and keep them down but I don't think it's possible to get it to zero and have it stay at zero which means we're going to have to accept the fact that like many other viruses and diseases out there, going about your daily life will involve some amount of risk that you could come across something nasty whether it's COVID-19 or something else.  You can't live in a bubble and have a life that's 100% risk free from anything.  Nobody's talking about banning automobiles because of some huge number of car accidents that have taken place over the last 120 years.  Nobody's talking about banning books because someone got hit by lightning while reading one once.  Nobody's talking about banning going outside during daylight hours because sunburns can lead to skin cancer and so on.  Coronavirus is going to be with us to one degree or another from here on in.  After the worst of it's over, we'll have to manage the virus, manage the exposure and response to it when it pops up, but otherwise get on with life.  Shutting down the world indefinitely with no end in sight and papering people with thousand dollar tickets for venturing out of doors is not the solution.

[TTC4120fan]

My great aunt passed this pass week, and after talking around, it turns out she was located at a home where there was an outbreak of COVID-19. I suspect that she passed due to the virus. I don’t think I have ever met her, and my family isn’t close due to stuff that happened way before my time, but it’s weird to think that someone I was related to died because of the virus.

[Byfold]

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[RailBus63]

The reason that fines are necessary is because we still have too many irresponsible people who refuse to follow important health guidelines.  In my area (upstate New York), law enforcement officers are generally avoiding writing any tickets if a warning will suffice - they have no desire to get in someone's face, handle their ID, etc. and risk exposure to the virus.  Making an example of a few idiots will be useful.  Certainly, any overreach by police or others should be addressed via official means or via the media if necessary.

The key to resuming our normal activities will be an agreement to follow health regulations such as wearing a mask in public and continued social distancing - it is not optional.  People can be asymptomatic carriers of this virus and pass it to others, so it is necessary to compel everyone to wear a mask and exercise caution around others.  No one has the right to put my life or your life at risk.  The efforts to develop treatments and an eventual vaccine are unprecedented and we will get there, but we all have to make changes to our normal routines to protect one another until we get there.  

[T3G]

14 hours ago, Byfold said:

The reason why that family got ticketed was because the father questioned why they were being asked to leave.  That's what happening people are questioning bylaw officers who have been given directive from the Gov of Ontario to ask people to leave specific areas.   Everyone should be staying home.  Or if you have to walk your dog or what ever... walk around the block and don't go far.   You should see how many people are out along lakeshore in the suburbs.   Everyone!   Stay home! 

Bottom line is if you're asked to leave.. then leave or face a fine.   I think it's reasonable and threats of tickets through the media will hopefully work at keeping people home.   

Just a personal opinion I don't expect you to agree with me. 

So people are allowed to congregate in huge lines for grocery stores, but someone rollerblading in an empty parking lot, going for a walk without a dog, or continuing past the nearest cross street on their road, is posing a public health risk? Not everyone has the benefit of a huge yard and there seems to be a very clear consensus from health experts that exercising outside while practising social distancing is much better for everyone concerned than to be cooped up at home forever (citation) - especially since the indications are that this thing is not going to disappear any time soon, if at all. And what's going to happen when we reopen society? There are going to be far bigger generators of risk than people going for a walk. We should be coming up with policies and guidelines for how to do that safely without endangering ourselves or others, rather than assuming hat we can keep up this song and dance for much longer. 

Let's also not pretend that all infractions are equal. There is a world of difference between "rollerblading in an empty parking lot" and "going up to the nearest person you see and sneezing right in their face", or "throwing a huge party in the park".

In addition, there seems to be growing evidence to suggest that even the action of going to a grocery store is not as significant of a risk factor as previously believed. What makes parks different, then? Assuming, of course, you're not congregating in huge groups for extended periods of time.

https://today.rtl.lu/news/science-and-environment/a/1498185.html

Quote

Mr Streeck is a professor for virology and the director of the Institute of virology and HIV Research at the University Bonn. He explained the methodology of his new study in Heinsberg, the “epicentre” of Germany’s COVID-19 outbreak, and talked about potential plans for a country to move forward gradually in getting back to a “normal” life.

During recent weeks, his team completed substantial research conducted through surveys and investigations in homes across the Heinsberg region - where more than 1,400 confirmed cases had been reported. Heinsberg has an approximate population of 250,000 inhabitants and has confirmed 46 coronavirus-related deaths.

These research findings have already provided some indication on how the virus works, as Streeck clarified:

“There is no significant risk of catching the disease when you go shopping. Severe outbreaks of the infection were always a result of people being closer together over a longer period of time, for example the après- ski parties in Ischgl, Austria.” He could also not find any evidence of ‘living’ viruses on surfaces. “When we took samples from door handles, phones or toilets it has not been possible to cultivate the virus in the laboratory on the basis of these swabs….”

To actually 'get' the virus it would be necessary that someone coughs into their hand, immediately touches a door knob and then straight after that another person grasps the handle and goes on to touches their face.” Streeck therefore believes that there is little chance of transmission through contact with so-called contaminated surfaces.

The fact that COVID 19 is a droplet infection and cannot be transmitted through the air had previously also been confirmed by virologist Christian Drosten of Berlin's Charité. He had pointed out in an interview that coronavirus is extremely sensitive to drying out, so the only way of contracting it is if you were to “inhale the droplets.”

[FabianColeyLOVESBUSES]

16 hours ago, Matthew TTC 4120 said:

My great aunt passed this pass week, and after talking around, it turns out she was located at a home where there was an outbreak of COVID-19. I suspect that she passed due to the virus. I don’t think I have ever met her, and my family isn’t close due to stuff that happened way before my time, but it’s weird to think that someone I was related to died because of the virus.

My condolences to you and your family.

[Byfold]

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[T3G]

32 minutes ago, Byfold said:

Rollerblading is avoidable and a leisurely activity.   

Why does this matter? If the person participating in that activity is keeping their distance from other people, what are they doing to endanger themselves or others?

32 minutes ago, Byfold said:

Parking lots are usually private property and when a town or city closes parks for public use that also includes parking lots attached to these parks.

Then you ought to specify that the infraction should be for trespassing on private property. Let's not sit here and pretend that breaking out the pitchforks and torches every time someone steps out of their house for "non-essential reasons" (and who are you to decide that?) is helping us in the fight against the virus.

32 minutes ago, Byfold said:

No one knows what's going to happen and all the people saying bylaw officers are abusing their powers can shut the hell up. 

I am incredibly disturbed by how willing you are to shut this argument down without a second thought.

32 minutes ago, Byfold said:

Don't like the rules?   Elect new leaders and tell them no more rules!   Or why don't some of you complainers run for office if you don't like the way things are done.   This is new for all of us and cooperation is something we Canadians royally suck at.

I'm sure there are very few people who don't want any rules at all. But like with anything else in life, restrictions around activities should be circumstantial. Not everything is the same. Going to a sports event, crowded concert venue, or packed airplane cannot be, in any way, compared to a family who lives together participating in physical activity outdoors while keeping their physical distance from others. Obviously, if necessary, station bylaw officers to ensure that groups of people don't come together while doing their thing.

I note that you haven't addressed any of my questions about what happens in the future. Do you seriously think that this can go on for any extended period of time?

[Byfold]

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[Doppelkupplung]

Old but still applicable to a degree. Thought I'd include as a fun side dish. 

[Wayside Observer]

17 hours ago, Matthew TTC 4120 said:

My great aunt passed this pass week, and after talking around, it turns out she was located at a home where there was an outbreak of COVID-19. I suspect that she passed due to the virus. I don’t think I have ever met her, and my family isn’t close due to stuff that happened way before my time, but it’s weird to think that someone I was related to died because of the virus.

First off, I'd like to extend my condolences to you and your family.

17 hours ago, Byfold said:

The reason why that family got ticketed was because the father questioned why they were being asked to leave.  That's what happening people are questioning bylaw officers who have been given directive from the Gov of Ontario to ask people to leave specific areas.

 

43 minutes ago, Byfold said:

Standing in a line for groceries is unavoidable if you require food to live.  Rollerblading is avoidable and a leisurely activity.    Parking lots are usually private property and when a town or city closes parks for public use that also includes parking lots attached to these parks.   A walk around the block is all you need.  I don't have a yard so I just walk around the block and that's it for being outside.   The problem is people are not practicing social distancing in parks I've seen people playing soccer last week in a park!   The gov needs to put their foot down and keep it down for now.   No one knows what's going to happen and all the people saying bylaw officers are abusing their powers can shut the hell up.  The province gave bylaw officers the power and it is their job to make sure people follow their guidance.  Don't like the rules?   Elect new leaders and tell them no more rules!   Or why don't some of you complainers run for office if you don't like the way things are done.   This is new for all of us and cooperation is something we Canadians royally suck at.    My only wish is that all three levels of government act together and as one unit.   

Yes being stuck inside sucks and can be unhealthy.  I'd rather be unhealthy then possibly infecting someone else and them dying.   Just the reality we live with. 

 

13 minutes ago, PCC Guy said:

I am incredibly disturbed by how willing you are to shut this argument down without a second thought.

So am I.

I'm going to make the general observation that there's been a long tradition or practice or habit, I'm not really sure what the right word to use is, in the Toronto foam scene to not ask questions.  At all.  About anything.  Close to 20 years ago if you opened your mouth and asked an unpopular question, one or more of the self-appointed nuckitynucks at the TTS or HCRR would unload a barrage on you and threaten dire consequences etc. and it would get ugly.  Has anybody seen Downsview108 lately?  He's one of the people here who was around and remembers that period of time.  But this whole not asking questions thing has now been taken to an extreme I never would've thought possible.

3 hours ago, PCC Guy said:

So people are allowed to congregate in huge lines for grocery stores, but someone rollerblading in an empty parking lot, going for a walk without a dog, or continuing past the nearest cross street on their road, is posing a public health risk? Not everyone has the benefit of a huge yard and there seems to be a very clear consensus from health experts that exercising outside while practising social distancing is much better for everyone concerned than to be cooped up at home forever (citation) - especially since the indications are that this thing is not going to disappear any time soon, if at all.

I got armtwisted into signing up on Facebook since that's how all the football stuff gets communicated but to your point there, there have been several pictures floating around that make that argument and are serious food for thought.  I downloaded two examples:

 

Put in stark terms like that, it does raise questions which, apparently, we aren't supposed to be asking.

 

3 hours ago, PCC Guy said:

And what's going to happen when we reopen society? There are going to be far bigger generators of risk than people going for a walk. We should be coming up with policies and guidelines for how to do that safely without endangering ourselves or others, rather than assuming hat we can keep up this song and dance for much longer. 

Let's also not pretend that all infractions are equal. There is a world of difference between "rollerblading in an empty parking lot" and "going up to the nearest person you see and sneezing right in their face", or "throwing a huge party in the park".

In addition, there seems to be growing evidence to suggest that even the action of going to a grocery store is not as significant of a risk factor as previously believed. What makes parks different, then? Assuming, of course, you're not congregating in huge groups for extended periods of time.

https://today.rtl.lu/news/science-and-environment/a/1498185.html

Exactly.  Once the worst of it is over, probably in the next few weeks, we need to get back to normal, or close to normal in a way where risks are managed and tradeoffs are reasonable as opposed to indefinite shutdown and house arrest.  If nothing else, governments around the world are going to run out of money propping up entire stopped economies.  Existing inventories of things whose manufacture is suspended are going to run out, and those of us deemed essential workers are going to burn out and it's going to force the issue.

For what it's worth, being in a park is probably one of the better places you can go right now.  Strong sunlight with the UV content is a powerful disinfectant and out in the open, the air you're breathing gets changed rapidly, and there's room to space yourselves out.  Compare that to being cooped up indoors in close quarters where you can't space yourself out, there's no sunlight naturally disinfecting every surface it exposes, and how often does the indoor air get changed in a typical house/apartment/condo or the remaining offices/factories/plants/shops still operating under essential service designations?

Just over two weeks ago, some close friends of mine who I've known since 1989 got back from Australia right before a lot of the commercial flights were cancelled and they stayed home for the 14 day quarantine period.  I was on the phone with them about a week into that quarantine period and I asked if they needed me to go to the store and pick up anything for them and they said no, but must've taken a look around their house at what they had on hand and had second thoughts because they called me back about four hours later and took me up on the offer so the next day, on my way home from work, I found myself packed in a Loblaws store with a ton of other people and a list of stuff they needed.  I finished doing the shopping they needed, dropped it off in their garage, and headed home and passed by their neighbourhood's high school which was located adjacent to a park.

All the amenities were taped up with caution tape.  Including the uprights at each end of the football field!  I wish I stopped and got a picture of that because it was priceless.  They taped off the bottom part of the uprights which you don't use.  Hint:  You kick the ball between the two upper parts of the posts if you're doing a convert or a field goal.  You want to tape it up and make it unusable?  Tape off the top half completely so you can't kick a ball through it.  Not to mention you kick the ball well back from the uprights themselves and the rest of the field was open unimpeded including the usable range of kicking distances.  I just shook my head at that.  Also on the subject of football, sometime this evening there's a league conference call happening to try to figure out what to do with the 2020 season in terms of cancelling completely, starting it in July and running a shorter season which is one proposal that's been floated, or maybe doing a fall season.  I was talking about risk management earlier.  Here's an interesting one to ponder.  If I and say about 35 or 36 other people put on our equipment and play a football game right now people would freak out about the coronavirus risks that maybe that might get passed around.  Very little if anything would be said about the risk of concussions, broken bones, torn muscles and ligaments, broken joints, cuts, bruises, abrasions and infections that get into that, fractures, and other injuries that come with the territory.

My final thought in this post is going to be an observation.  We received letters from the corporate legal department at work that explain that the company is a designated essential services operation and has in turn designated those of us who have been issued letters as employees who perform essential roles at work and basically states that we need to be able to go wherever our job requires us to go whenever needed.  This was accompanied by instructions saying to carry our employee IDs on us at all times along with contact information for our department's management so that they can be contacted in case they need to vouch for us.  I've never had to carry such things around with me before, ever.  But I look at that, I look at the lineups outside of stores.  I look at the empty shelves in the stores.  I've thought about things I've stocked up on.  I've thought about things I've seen other people stocking up on because when you see it, you buy it, because it may or may not be available when you need it or the next time you go shopping.  I've read the horror stories about draconian law enforcement, the people in the intimidating uniforms that stop and question people, demand IDs, judge, jury, executioner tickets and fines on the spot without any discretion or consideration of the circumstances about whether it's reasonable or not.  And it reminds me of something from when I was a kid.  It reminds me of pictures and news accounts of day to day life in the Eastern Bloc before the iron curtain fell.  This is what things were like in Poland.  This is what things were like in East Germany.  This is what things were like in the USSR.  We were told that things weren't like that here because we were better than that.  Now I'm not so sure after seeing how easy it was to change over into that kind of operation and some sectors of government seem to be perfectly fine with it and using COVID-19 as the grounds to do so, but then, as Richard Nixon said, "A crisis is a terrible thing to waste."

 

[T3G]

52 minutes ago, Byfold said:

What if the person potentially gets hurt? Wasted resources for responding to this incident then you'll possibly be exposed more if you end up being admitted to the hospital. 

I'm not sure what kind of rollerblading-induced injury you think would warrant calling first responders, but I'm fairly certain that the chances of something like that happening are very small. In over 15 years of playing sports, I've only ever sustained a single injury that warranted a trip to the ER, and that was more of a precautionary thing than anything, and I've never required first responders. But if that's the argument you're going for, you realize that there are ways to injure yourself from the safety of your own home, right? Besides there being home exercises that could also lead to injuries, better make sure not to cook, or clean, or do repairs, or really anything really, to be on the safe side.

55 minutes ago, Byfold said:

A walk around the block is also fine but no further.

Why is a walk around the block fine, but anything beyond that isn't? You might run into another human being right in front of your house or apartment block. You might trip or fall. No danger is eliminated if you confine yourself to a personal bubble like this.

57 minutes ago, Byfold said:

I am one of the few people who seems to care about the greater good. 

Don't flatter yourself.

57 minutes ago, Byfold said:

I've given this lots of thought and have seen a lot of stupid behaviors since this has started.  I am incredibly disturbed that you're defending these people.

I've also seen a lot of stupid behaviours since this started. I'm not sure why social distancing and exercising is one of those.

58 minutes ago, Byfold said:

Do you honestly think i know what's going to happen in the future? 

I don't expect you to have a crystal ball, but like I've said on multiple occasions in this thread, there are no indications whatsoever that we are going to contain this disease in its entirety, and if that is the case, then we need to start planning for how a post-COVID world is going to look like. I can't imagine how shaming people for wanting to get fresh air or exercise is going to fit into that world.

https://time.com/5805368/will-coronavirus-go-away-world-health-organization/

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/08/health/coronavirus-stays-warmer-weather/index.html

[Byfold]

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[Wayside Observer]

16 minutes ago, PCC Guy said:

I'm not sure what kind of rollerblading-induced injury you think would warrant calling first responders, but I'm fairly certain that the chances of something like that happening are very small. In over 15 years of playing sports, I've only ever sustained a single injury that warranted a trip to the ER, and that was more of a precautionary thing than anything, and I've never required first responders. But if that's the argument you're going for, you realize that there are ways to injure yourself from the safety of your own home, right? Besides there being home exercises that could also lead to injuries, better make sure not to cook, or clean, or do repairs, or really anything really, to be on the safe side.

I needed a laugh so thanks for the memory of the one time I went rollerblading in the early 1990s.  I was wearing a borrowed set of rollerblades and I had built up a nice speed on level sidewalk but then picked up a bit more speed as the street sloped downhill towards an intersection...and I saw a car go by on the cross street...and I realized I needed to stop otherwise I'd go sailing through possibly with cross traffic.  I couldn't angle either of my feet back far enough to use the little rubber block that you're supposed to drag on the pavement to brake so I ended up veering to the left into a controlled crash into a tree in someone's front yard to stop figuring it was better to do that than uncontrolled barrel through the intersection that was coming up.  I haven't thought about that in ages.  Anyways, no helmet, no nothing, dusted myself off and continued on.

So, since I'm stuck at home, let's see how I can get myself into trouble here.  The kitchen's a nightmare for sure.  The stove, toaster oven, coffee maker, electric kettle all have heating elements so there's a serious risk of burns or fire there.  Electric shock if any of them land in the sink by accident.  I suppose I could climb inside the fridge and shut the door and suffocate myself.  The microwave oven.  Ah, the microwave oven, a truly exotic household danger.  Not only is there the severe risk of electric shock from that thing but the dangers of severe RF burns if any of the shielding gets dislodged or the door interlock is defeated or malfunctions.  I don't have anything in my workshop that comes close to being a total radio frequency hazard as the microwave in the kitchen is.  And then there's the run of the mill sharp knives.  Worse than that, the dull knives.  Every chef'll tell you the dull knives are the dangerous ones.  I guess I've managed to get through daily life using the bathroom without drowning myself so far.  The rest of the ground floor is full of tripping hazards.  One of the worst ones is black so it's hard to see especially at night and it moves around on its own.  Fortunately it sometimes meows so I can kind of hear where it is.

The basement, well, that's a problem.  Not only is it kind of dark, it's full of all kinds of dangers fun stuff.  I've got a couple hand drills, a drill press, a mitre saw, and a handheld Skil saw, all power tools that spin sharp cutting tools at high speed.  I've got cleaning chemicals.  Better not accidentally mix up ammonia and bleach.  I've got hot soldering and desoldering tools.  I've got equipment that can make some seriously high voltage and can back it up with some pretty heft current delivery.  There's a pipe that comes into the house that delivers flammable and explosive vapours to the furnace and water heater.  The washing machine with a big motor with all that water sloshing around in the drum above it?  Hope nothing goes wrong there.  I honestly really should take the back off the clothes dryer and vacuum the lint out of it because that's a nasty fire hazard and make sure the vent pipe's unobstructed.  I haven't checked on any of that in a long time.  I've also got darkroom chemicals in the laundry room too.  That stop bath?  That weak acetic acid's bad news.  Definitely wouldn't want to give it an innocent sounding name like "vinegar" and let people put it on their food and eat it!  Disgusting!

I was already feeling lazy anyways but I'd better stay inside because I don't want to cut the grass.  You never know what could end up happening if things go seriously wrong while using a lawnmower.  The truck's making me nervous too.  The other night, I pulled into this place called a gas station, put my credit card into this machine, and then I grabbed a hose with a handle on it and sprayed about 70 litres of extremely flammable explosive liquid full of toxic compounds into the truck without wearing any protective gear all unsupervised.  Then I drove it home on the open road!  It's still sitting in my driveway with a tank full of this stuff!

1 hour ago, Byfold said:

I've given this lots of thought and have seen a lot of stupid behaviors since this has started.

 

16 minutes ago, PCC Guy said:

I don't expect you to have a crystal ball, but like I've said on multiple occasions in this thread, there are no indications whatsoever that we are going to contain this disease in its entirety, and if that is the case, then we need to start planning for how a post-COVID world is going to look like. I can't imagine how shaming people for wanting to get fresh air or exercise is going to fit into that world.

I'm going to be brutally honest here.  I've seen a lot of stupid behaviours for a ell of a long time before this ever started.  I've seen a lot of stupid behaviours since this started.  And I'm sure I'll see a lot of stupid behaviours after.  Shaming people for wanting to get fresh air and exercise is pretty perverse given that the normal health opinions have been that most people don't get enough of either.  Becoming obese with diabetes plus all the other health impacts of that is seriously bad news.  I can't imagine how anybody would think the risks of that and potentially Ian Campbell-ing oneself into the next life is better than the risks of some fresh air, sunshine, and physical activity.

[Doppelkupplung]

Also, not everyone lives in houses. A house just in itself, large or small, allows much easier access to the outdoors than a 500 sq ft. apartment. Its not fun being cooped up in those for weeks on end. Yeah you have a balcony (if you even have one), but you're gonna want to go for a walk at some point. 

And I agree with what the Observer said, you can't shame people for wanting to get fresh air and exercise (I know that's not what some are implying). As he said, you could apply the "reducing load on the system" ideology to literally everything. I like my morning bike ride, and I'm gonna keep doing it. 

[ThomasW97]

Mr Trump is advising to inject ourselves with disinfectant as a source of cleanliness and protection 

[Doppelkupplung]

mAkE aMeRIcA GrEaT aGaIN!