Coronavirus prep
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Hubby's work just "furloughed" him for 90 days. I guess furlough sounds better than laid off with no pay but that's what it is. We're in sort of a hot spot in Texas for community transmission of the virus.
We are a one income family. Not sure what we'll do. How things change so quickly.36 -
My CEO just put out an all-staff email. I guess, based on this, that whether people work from home will be up to individual managers. I will say that our sick time and PTO are generous, so people will be unlikely to go unpaid should they not be able to work.
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I work for an investment bank that is the opposite of the experience of @Ruatine. They have been so fearful that I had to get a doctor's note in February that my chronic runny nose is due to hayfever causing post nasal drip, before they would let me back into the office. I never liked taking antihistamines for my allergies but I do now.
We started social distancing this week with split teams, where one half of the employees work from home for a week while the other half is in the office. Today we were told everybody should work from home also on the weeks you are meant to be in the office unless you need to do things that are hard to do from home.7 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Does anyone else work for a company that seems to be completely ignoring this altogether? I have received no communication from our leadership team whatsoever. I am extremely disappointed rn ...
I'm sorry to hear that. My company isn't ignoring it per sé, but they're very adamant about people not working from home unless they're actually sick. "We expect people to show up to work unless they're sick," has been said multiple times since last Friday when our city's first case was announced.
For companies that have the capability for people to work from home, especially if they don't have clients that require face-to-face contact, I really see no reason not to allow WFH. Really, every company should have some response prepared for their employees discussing the issue, regardless of whether people can work from home. Communication is key to alleviating confusion and stress.
Given what we're learning about asymptomatic transmission, this seems willfully stubborn.
I agree. We're a bank, so there is some measure of people who have to stay in order to service clients, but there are definitely people who could work from home without it causing any problems. In my opinion they should be encouraging those that can to work from home. Unfortunately, from conversations I've overhead around the office in the past few days, there are a lot of people who still believe everything is being blown out of proportion.
I think you said you're a computer security person? I'm musing (i.e., not expecting you to have an answer) about how many companies now resisting work-from-home have been foot-dragging about it heretofore, as a half-**sed security strategy, and are now paying for (or panicked about) that. Dysfunctional management, in the form of under-planning and under-responding, can be dysfunctional in multiple ways.
It's been a long time now since I retired from IT, but back then, there was a huge range of responses among organizations needing to do disaster planning (needing, in order to pass audits, and such). Some recognized the risk issues, and made it real planning. Some just did some hand-waving and created a shelf-ware report to get their auditors to check a box on some audit questionnaire, unfortunately. Pandemics should/could have been one of those planning scenarios.
Do you think banks may be more on top of the issues, having been through close scrutiny since the last recession, and because of personal-data compromises? Versus, say, manufacturing companies or the like, who haven't had those same kinds of experiences over the last decade or so?2 -
I work for an investment bank that is the opposite of the experience of @Ruatine. They have been so fearful that I had to get a doctor's note in February that my chronic runny nose is due to hayfever causing post nasal drip, before they would let me back into the office. I never liked taking antihistamines for my allergies but I do now.
We started social distancing this week with split teams, where one half of the employees work from home for a week while the other half is in the office. Today we were told everybody should work from home also on the weeks you are meant to be in the office unless you need to do things that are hard to do from home.
Huh, I also have a chronic runny nose that frequently results in me coughing from post-nasal drip. I've had to explain myself many times in the past week.
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I agree, Igfrie. Oklahoma cases nearly doubled, 10 to 17 overnight. 2 of the last four of the first 10 were private tests. I have not heard how many of the last 7 were private, but those 2 didn’t qualify for the government tests. How late were we in finding cases because we didn’t test anyone because we didn’t know who to test?
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Today my job announced that we will be shortening hours, 6am-6pm, but we still are working our scheduled shifts to get the store back in order. They are urging our supervisors to make sure the sick do not come to work. They have granted all full timers an additional 80 hours of sick time, and 40 for the part timers.
I am continuing to go to work as long as we are still open. My supervisor has told me that my team has recieved permission to work overnight shifts so that we limit ourselves from public interaction. It is something I am definitely considering.
My boyfriend has mentioned that his driver's routes are being cut in half as a majority of specialsts/doctors offices are closing. There are very few other places they are delivering to besides hospitals. He has to be in Boston for 5am to deliver a huge special order of scrubs/linen.
I am assuming the governor will be making some new announcements. Our count is up to 68, from 41 last night. I expect this number to continue to rise as new testing sites were opened today. We will see as time goes on.
Edit: 68 confirmed cases, only 280 tested here in Connecticut.6 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Does anyone else work for a company that seems to be completely ignoring this altogether? I have received no communication from our leadership team whatsoever. I am extremely disappointed rn ...
I'm sorry to hear that. My company isn't ignoring it per sé, but they're very adamant about people not working from home unless they're actually sick. "We expect people to show up to work unless they're sick," has been said multiple times since last Friday when our city's first case was announced.
For companies that have the capability for people to work from home, especially if they don't have clients that require face-to-face contact, I really see no reason not to allow WFH. Really, every company should have some response prepared for their employees discussing the issue, regardless of whether people can work from home. Communication is key to alleviating confusion and stress.
Given what we're learning about asymptomatic transmission, this seems willfully stubborn.
I agree. We're a bank, so there is some measure of people who have to stay in order to service clients, but there are definitely people who could work from home without it causing any problems. In my opinion they should be encouraging those that can to work from home. Unfortunately, from conversations I've overhead around the office in the past few days, there are a lot of people who still believe everything is being blown out of proportion.
I think you said you're a computer security person? I'm musing (i.e., not expecting you to have an answer) about how many companies now resisting work-from-home have been foot-dragging about it heretofore, as a half-**sed security strategy, and are now paying for (or panicked about) that. Dysfunctional management, in the form of under-planning and under-responding, can be dysfunctional in multiple ways.
It's been a long time now since I retired from IT, but back then, there was a huge range of responses among organizations needing to do disaster planning (needing, in order to pass audits, and such). Some recognized the risk issues, and made it real planning. Some just did some hand-waving and created a shelf-ware report to get their auditors to check a box on some audit questionnaire, unfortunately. Pandemics should/could have been one of those planning scenarios.
Do you think banks may be more on top of the issues, having been through close scrutiny since the last recession, and because of personal-data compromises? Versus, say, manufacturing companies or the like, who haven't had those same kinds of experiences over the last decade or so?
Yes, I'm in information security. Based on industry contacts, banking is certainly more aware of and prepared for the security issues of a work from home environment than other sectors. There has been a huge push in banking to move to virtual infrastructures, which helps mitigate many of the security issues (so long as it's managed appropriately). I do worry about how many security measures are being waived in other industries in order to quickly deploy a remote workforce.
I have been saddened, but a not surprised, by the number of companies (non-banking) I've seen in the past couple weeks without a fully fleshed business continuity plan. There have been even more that haven't explained that BCP to their employees. Pandemic planning as part of BCPs has been woefully overlooked by many to this point. It's one of the more difficult pieces of a BCP, given the timeline variables and the human capital component. I do hope businesses learn from this experience.5 -
Financially I think we will be ok, we are truly blessed with my husband’s job, and I don’t see things stopping given what they make (mentioned above, but packaging for various items, many of which are hygiene/cleaning related). This is our usual time of year to re-pad savings but already the bonus he was supposed to get last week didn’t come through, and we are hoping our tax guy can get ours filed ASAP in case refunds are dramatically delayed (or worse)... our spring spending just came to a screeching halt, minus what I am investing in garden beds and supplies... just in case.8
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Kansas schools closed the rest of the year 6 -
I work at Microsoft, as an outside contractor. My job will be up in July and we'll be in a recession by then, bad news for me. But for now, they're treating me well.
Microsoft is donating millions to support the restaurants and cafes around here. Everybody who can work from home is. Parents who can't work from home and can't arrange child care are being paid to stay home with their kids for 6 weeks. Hourly workers are being paid through this.
I can work from home, and it's good to occupy my mind. Spring is in full force here, the cherry trees are going off, we've had some sun, I want to be outside, I shouldn't much (around here) and work is keeping me busy.8 -
Berkeley Co. WV had their first case, confirmed an hour ago from what my husband said
ETA: if I were a betting person, I would have put money on the first being in the eastern panhandle...3 -
I can't believe I didn't give the source; my bad. Scroll down below the map--there's a few graphics and this infor is in one of them-a table, "How Virus was Contracted." The number for Unknown is now at 4800+
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
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We have a power blip every day now at 630 pm for the last 3 days. A little unnerving.
9 months from now are we going to see an increase in births? Or opposite since we can't touch one another?8 -
We have a power blip every day now at 630 pm for the last 3 days. A little unnerving.
9 months from now are we going to see an increase in births? Or opposite since we can't touch one another?
We had a power blip too. WTH is that about?? Weird.
There is no rule against family members touching each other, so yeah, baby boom. The quarantine generation and in 2034, the quaranteens.10 -
Hubby was joking about a baby boom when this first started - and it will be WORLDWIDE!We have a power blip every day now at 630 pm for the last 3 days. A little unnerving.
9 months from now are we going to see an increase in births? Or opposite since we can't touch one another?
We had a power blip too. WTH is that about?? Weird.
There is no rule against family members touching each other, so yeah, baby boom. The quarantine generation and in 2034, the quaranteens.
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Dang it - taxes could be delayed 90 days and ours haven’t been filed yet... bummer 1
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It doesn't appear that they have yet to update the Department of Health site as of yet, but as of end of day yesterday Indiana has tested a total of 159 people... 30 confirmed... 2 dead. I think the low number of tested is what annoys me. I know that test kits are rare. I know they can't just test everyone who shows symptoms. I know they have to be reserved for those who really REALLY need the test. But I feel the low number of tested leads to a low number of confirmed cases which leads to people not taking things seriously. I am shocked how many people still think this is just "the flu" or "a really bad cold" or whatever.
I spoke to my doctor today. He is worried about me as I have high blood pressure, asthma, and something unknown that has wrecked my immune system this year (I seem to catch a different illness every other week). Said he would write me a note to work from home (told him I already have been approved). He wants me to contact him if I start to run a fever or have any breathing troubles. Even if it's not bad, just so he is aware and can get me anything that might help.
A handful of stores around here are starting early shopping for seniors and those "at most risk". What does "at most risk" mean? How would they know if someone is telling the truth that they are high risk or have compromised immune systems? If they limit to just the elderly, then what about those who ARE at high risk due to having compromised immune systems? I'm not even talking about myself, but people who are doing chemo or taking medications that reduce the immune system. Not all of them have access to others to do their shopping.14 -
moonangel12 wrote: »Berkeley Co. WV had their first case, confirmed an hour ago from what my husband said
ETA: if I were a betting person, I would have put money on the first being in the eastern panhandle...
We both could have racked up some dough, @moonangel12 , because that's where I figured it'd show up first, too!moonangel12 wrote: »Dang it - taxes could be delayed 90 days and ours haven’t been filed yet... bummer
Thankfully, I was able to get my taxes done back in mid February, and both my state and federal returns came in this week.0 -
We got ours together last night, but not soon enough, and hubby didn’t get him to the guy at work (nor has his aunt given us the last bit of info from our old church in NC). Argh. Part of that could be their staggered staffing, maybe he wasn’t in today.bmeadows380 wrote: »moonangel12 wrote: »Berkeley Co. WV had their first case, confirmed an hour ago from what my husband said
ETA: if I were a betting person, I would have put money on the first being in the eastern panhandle...
We both could have racked up some dough, @moonangel12 , because that's where I figured it'd show up first, too!moonangel12 wrote: »Dang it - taxes could be delayed 90 days and ours haven’t been filed yet... bummer
Thankfully, I was able to get my taxes done back in mid February, and both my state and federal returns came in this week.
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It doesn't appear that they have yet to update the Department of Health site as of yet, but as of end of day yesterday Indiana has tested a total of 159 people... 30 confirmed... 2 dead. I think the low number of tested is what annoys me. I know that test kits are rare. I know they can't just test everyone who shows symptoms. I know they have to be reserved for those who really REALLY need the test. But I feel the low number of tested leads to a low number of confirmed cases which leads to people not taking things seriously. I am shocked how many people still think this is just "the flu" or "a really bad cold" or whatever.
I spoke to my doctor today. He is worried about me as I have high blood pressure, asthma, and something unknown that has wrecked my immune system this year (I seem to catch a different illness every other week). Said he would write me a note to work from home (told him I already have been approved). He wants me to contact him if I start to run a fever or have any breathing troubles. Even if it's not bad, just so he is aware and can get me anything that might help.
A handful of stores around here are starting early shopping for seniors and those "at most risk". What does "at most risk" mean? How would they know if someone is telling the truth that they are high risk or have compromised immune systems? If they limit to just the elderly, then what about those who ARE at high risk due to having compromised immune systems? I'm not even talking about myself, but people who are doing chemo or taking medications that reduce the immune system. Not all of them have access to others to do their shopping.
There was a press conference today at the White House. During the press conference, they were talking about having millions of test kits available. When the press asked why more hadn't been tested, they admitted that they have been doing a poor job of getting them out to be used. Hopefully they figure out how to put those test kits on trucks and bring them to where they are needed.7 -
Kansas schools closed the rest of the year Laughing at myself here - I had to go check, that's the rest of the school year, not the calendar year (in my defence, the school year here runs from late January to mid December, so if my kids' schools closed for the rest of the year, we'd be looking at a loooooooong time at home...which may still come to pass, I guess)
We've gone from 8 cases confirmed in New Zealand about this time yesterday, up to 12 by the time I went to bed last night, and now 20. Apparently all linked to overseas travel, not community transmissions yet. DD's Cubs camp this weekend is "postponed", and now the Breakfast Club I help run at school has been cancelled too.
We're self-employed - DH is an electrician, and I am a bookkeeper. Just waiting to see what the impact will be for us - I can theoretically work from home, but I work for a firm that provides admin to tradesman businesses like DH's, so if those dry up, then so does the bookkeeping work (and I would be first to go).
I'm still managing to get my usual weekly grocery deliveries - had to book an extra day in advance of what I usually would, and they just called to check a couple of substitutions as my selected brands were out of stock, but mostly normal at this stage.
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I heard somewhere in the media that America is two weeks away from what has happened in Italy... is that true or fake news?7
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janejellyroll wrote: »My parents are in their mid 70s and I typically go over twice a week to have dinner with them. Should I stop going? I can't tell if I'm being cavalier to go over or being overly anxious to not visit them the whole time this is going on. I know they'll say to come over, that's just how they are!
My mom was going to drive to visit me this weekend. I told her yesterday to cancel, I just couldn't handle it if she got sick as a result. I felt overly anxious asking her not to come and I know she was disappointed, but I feel like this is the time for us to be overly careful about our parents.
This is where I am. Now I'm anxious that something will happen to them and I will have missed a chance to see them. The mind can do crazy things to you!
I'm really happy though that they are generally taking this seriously. My dad's been going to his local Walmart as it opens most days because there's hardly anyone there and he can catch the stuff they couldn't find on their previous visits coming off the trucks. Otherwise they are staying home and away from people.10 -
T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »It doesn't appear that they have yet to update the Department of Health site as of yet, but as of end of day yesterday Indiana has tested a total of 159 people... 30 confirmed... 2 dead. I think the low number of tested is what annoys me. I know that test kits are rare. I know they can't just test everyone who shows symptoms. I know they have to be reserved for those who really REALLY need the test. But I feel the low number of tested leads to a low number of confirmed cases which leads to people not taking things seriously. I am shocked how many people still think this is just "the flu" or "a really bad cold" or whatever.
I spoke to my doctor today. He is worried about me as I have high blood pressure, asthma, and something unknown that has wrecked my immune system this year (I seem to catch a different illness every other week). Said he would write me a note to work from home (told him I already have been approved). He wants me to contact him if I start to run a fever or have any breathing troubles. Even if it's not bad, just so he is aware and can get me anything that might help.
A handful of stores around here are starting early shopping for seniors and those "at most risk". What does "at most risk" mean? How would they know if someone is telling the truth that they are high risk or have compromised immune systems? If they limit to just the elderly, then what about those who ARE at high risk due to having compromised immune systems? I'm not even talking about myself, but people who are doing chemo or taking medications that reduce the immune system. Not all of them have access to others to do their shopping.
There was a press conference today at the White House. During the press conference, they were talking about having millions of test kits available. When the press asked why more hadn't been tested, they admitted that they have been doing a poor job of getting them out to be used. Hopefully they figure out how to put those test kits on trucks and bring them to where they are needed.
My guess is that now that the elections today are over, suddenly there will be a lot more testing.
It's going to be bad. (The numbers of positive cases.) Regardless, people are going to go about their lives, albeit pretty restrictively with the social side. I think people want this to go away and are willing to make some sacrifices...in two or three weeks we will know a lot. Here in WA:
____________________________
Public Health – Seattle & King County is reporting the following confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 through 11:59 p.m. on 3/16/20
518 confirmed cases (up 30 from yesterday)
46 confirmed deaths (up 3 from yesterday)
Of the 46 deaths reported, 30 are confirmed to be associated with Life Care Center of Kirkland
____________________________
I have no idea how many have been tested. It's a pretty slow drawn-out process, apparently.
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I work at a local TV station owned by a national TV company. The admin, marketing, and sales teams are all authorized to work from home, but I'll be in the office a couple times a week for a few hours for stuff that requires it (especially restock the coffee!) for the reporters, engineers, anchors, etc. Our parent company got their computer security provider to offer a free security package for any employees working from home to download on their remote computer for up to 6 months. Parent company is also providing a special PTO code for anyone who isn't essential but can't do their job remote so they can be paid for a certain period of time.
I had ordered hand sanitizer for the office a couple of weeks ago, it was backordered, and now Staples canceled the order. They said they wanted to divert all sanitizers, alcohol, etc to healthcare customers which obviously I totally understand. But it means we'll run out soon. At least we have a lot of Clorox wipes!
My allergies are kicking in. The Bradford pear trees are blooming and those things kill me! My sinuses flair up which causes a cough but I don't sound stuffy, which I'm really self conscious of now! Plus I have to keep reminding myself not to let my monkey brain make me panic, it's just my allergies I'm not dying Lots of deep breathing exercises for this girl right here. 15 -
SA is now up to 11 cases. 4 are travel-related, 3 are related to close association with those infected and 4 are still being investigated.
I think it's safe to say that we're at the level of community spread now. 3 -
T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »
The US surgeon general said this on Monday.2 -
T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »
The US surgeon general said this on Monday.
I've heard others saying it for quite a bit longer. It's one of those "tomorrow will never come" stories, right? As long as you say "2 weeks" every day for the next several months, it can never be proven wrong.1
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