Coronavirus prep

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  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Oh my... people are losing their minds...

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/kentucky-gas-station-owner-who-posted-sign-banning-masks-says-purpose-was-say-government-cant-1505498?amp=1

    The original article that hubby pulled up this afternoon didn’t have his commentary toward the end of the article, it was pretty B&W as written.

    @moonangel12 thanks for the link because the full story does not indicate anyone is losing their mind but we know mental health decline is a concerning side effect of this 2020 Pandemic. I wear a mask when at risk of being within 6 foot of people out in the public out of respect for others and myself. The CDC has confused the public with their Wear a Mask, Don't Wear a Mask, Do Wear a Mask suggestions over the last several months. KY has no law on the books to wear a mask when near others is factual but why not for the mental health for others plus it is common sense a person does not appreciate being coughed on ever.

    "We would like to clarify the statement behind our sign, we posted on the front door of our store. First of all, we would never deny any customer access inside our store, that is wearing a mask or not wearing a mask. We are not telling you to not wear a mask, what we are saying is, its your choice to wear one or not, not our governments choice for us. While some got the meaning behind it, alot did not. We didnt mean to offend anyone, but we will not apologize for our beliefs in our freedom to make our own decisions, that our government wants to make for us. We strive to keep our customers safe, and our employees."

    One coronavirus prep item I over looked was trickle chargers for the parked vehicles with internal combustion engines now that we use the EV for 99% of travel needs since ICE vehicles require going to the gas station and is not helpful for those with COPD.

    I've not seen anything inconsistent from the CDC. Has the CDC ever said that it is a bad idea to wear a mask?

    As for vehicles, I don't plug mine in and I don't have a way to do that. I would guess that most do not have an EV, but that number is probably larger than those who have an engine heater... something I remember my parents had when growing up in northern Iowa, but not sure very many even in northern climates still have those. Probably if you have a diesel, you have a plug-in heater. Would have to go pretty far north or pretty high in elevation right now to need it in the northern hemisphere.

    But, I do drive a Prius (not a plug-in) hybrid. My understanding is that letting it sit too long can be stressful on the hybrid battery. For the last 2 months, I've had it out maybe once every week or so... not good for it, I'm sure. :(

    Actually in the early days of the pandemic - before homemade and cloth masks really existed - the CDC was saying masks did nothing and were potentially even harmful for us normal folk (who presumably put on a mask by rubbing the inside on the nearest flat surface then licking it). This was a misguided effort to get people to stop buying and hoarding masks so medical personnel would have enough. But their lack of truthfulness was transparent - even a child is smart enough to know that if a mask helps to protect a nurse, it will also help to protect you - and backfired severely in the long run, now that a substantial number of people don’t trust anything said by the CDC.

    Ah, I see... was not aware of that at all. I do know that I saw a lot of signs early on saying "Please don't wear masks. Save this precious limited resource for medical staff and use a bandana or cloth face covering instead." - Or something along those lines. But I don't recall ever seeing anything that indicated it would be hazardous to wear a mask.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    ythannah wrote: »
    Oh my... people are losing their minds...

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/kentucky-gas-station-owner-who-posted-sign-banning-masks-says-purpose-was-say-government-cant-1505498?amp=1

    The original article that hubby pulled up this afternoon didn’t have his commentary toward the end of the article, it was pretty B&W as written.

    @moonangel12 thanks for the link because the full story does not indicate anyone is losing their mind but we know mental health decline is a concerning side effect of this 2020 Pandemic. I wear a mask when at risk of being within 6 foot of people out in the public out of respect for others and myself. The CDC has confused the public with their Wear a Mask, Don't Wear a Mask, Do Wear a Mask suggestions over the last several months. KY has no law on the books to wear a mask when near others is factual but why not for the mental health for others plus it is common sense a person does not appreciate being coughed on ever.

    "We would like to clarify the statement behind our sign, we posted on the front door of our store. First of all, we would never deny any customer access inside our store, that is wearing a mask or not wearing a mask. We are not telling you to not wear a mask, what we are saying is, its your choice to wear one or not, not our governments choice for us. While some got the meaning behind it, alot did not. We didnt mean to offend anyone, but we will not apologize for our beliefs in our freedom to make our own decisions, that our government wants to make for us. We strive to keep our customers safe, and our employees."

    One coronavirus prep item I over looked was trickle chargers for the parked vehicles with internal combustion engines now that we use the EV for 99% of travel needs since ICE vehicles require going to the gas station and is not helpful for those with COPD.

    I've not seen anything inconsistent from the CDC. Has the CDC ever said that it is a bad idea to wear a mask?

    As for vehicles, I don't plug mine in and I don't have a way to do that. I would guess that most do not have an EV, but that number is probably larger than those who have an engine heater... something I remember my parents had when growing up in northern Iowa, but not sure very many even in northern climates still have those. Probably if you have a diesel, you have a plug-in heater. Would have to go pretty far north or pretty high in elevation right now to need it in the northern hemisphere.

    But, I do drive a Prius (not a plug-in) hybrid. My understanding is that letting it sit too long can be stressful on the hybrid battery. For the last 2 months, I've had it out maybe once every week or so... not good for it, I'm sure. :(

    I'll just chime in as the resident of a northern climate to confirm that engine block heaters are still very much a necessity here and are standard equipment on every vehicle sold locally. I have to plug my vehicle in any winter night the temp dips below -18 C if I want to be sure it will start in the morning. It's also less wear and tear on your engine to have it start and run with lubricating fluids that are slightly thinner than molasses.

    We’ve never, yet,had an electric vehicle. Married 45 years in September and have had a lot of vehicles in those years. Live in Minnesota where winters are cold. Temperatures can be below freezing (F 32 degrees) oftentimes for months, with days well below zero Fahrenheit. Vehicles are always outside. Always start. Sometimes a little reluctantly when miserably cold, but always start. At temperatures well below zero Fahrenheit, we have a few times plugged them in, especially when the batteries may be older, and we absolutely have to be somewhere the next morning.
    The only problem we’ve had is with the tractor which runs on diesel and the gas tends to thicken up in very cold weather.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,400 Member
    ythannah wrote: »
    Oh my... people are losing their minds...

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/kentucky-gas-station-owner-who-posted-sign-banning-masks-says-purpose-was-say-government-cant-1505498?amp=1

    The original article that hubby pulled up this afternoon didn’t have his commentary toward the end of the article, it was pretty B&W as written.

    @moonangel12 thanks for the link because the full story does not indicate anyone is losing their mind but we know mental health decline is a concerning side effect of this 2020 Pandemic. I wear a mask when at risk of being within 6 foot of people out in the public out of respect for others and myself. The CDC has confused the public with their Wear a Mask, Don't Wear a Mask, Do Wear a Mask suggestions over the last several months. KY has no law on the books to wear a mask when near others is factual but why not for the mental health for others plus it is common sense a person does not appreciate being coughed on ever.

    "We would like to clarify the statement behind our sign, we posted on the front door of our store. First of all, we would never deny any customer access inside our store, that is wearing a mask or not wearing a mask. We are not telling you to not wear a mask, what we are saying is, its your choice to wear one or not, not our governments choice for us. While some got the meaning behind it, alot did not. We didnt mean to offend anyone, but we will not apologize for our beliefs in our freedom to make our own decisions, that our government wants to make for us. We strive to keep our customers safe, and our employees."

    One coronavirus prep item I over looked was trickle chargers for the parked vehicles with internal combustion engines now that we use the EV for 99% of travel needs since ICE vehicles require going to the gas station and is not helpful for those with COPD.

    I've not seen anything inconsistent from the CDC. Has the CDC ever said that it is a bad idea to wear a mask?

    As for vehicles, I don't plug mine in and I don't have a way to do that. I would guess that most do not have an EV, but that number is probably larger than those who have an engine heater... something I remember my parents had when growing up in northern Iowa, but not sure very many even in northern climates still have those. Probably if you have a diesel, you have a plug-in heater. Would have to go pretty far north or pretty high in elevation right now to need it in the northern hemisphere.

    But, I do drive a Prius (not a plug-in) hybrid. My understanding is that letting it sit too long can be stressful on the hybrid battery. For the last 2 months, I've had it out maybe once every week or so... not good for it, I'm sure. :(

    I'll just chime in as the resident of a northern climate to confirm that engine block heaters are still very much a necessity here and are standard equipment on every vehicle sold locally. I have to plug my vehicle in any winter night the temp dips below -18 C if I want to be sure it will start in the morning. It's also less wear and tear on your engine to have it start and run with lubricating fluids that are slightly thinner than molasses.

    We’ve never, yet,had an electric vehicle. Married 45 years in September and have had a lot of vehicles in those years. Live in Minnesota where winters are cold. Temperatures can be below freezing (F 32 degrees) oftentimes for months, with days well below zero Fahrenheit. Vehicles are always outside. Always start. Sometimes a little reluctantly when miserably cold, but always start. At temperatures well below zero Fahrenheit, we have a few times plugged them in, especially when the batteries may be older, and we absolutely have to be somewhere the next morning.
    The only problem we’ve had is with the tractor which runs on diesel and the gas tends to thicken up in very cold weather.

    My mother was a nurse in Minnesota for many years. She worked the night shift and drove from the farm to the hospital in town. They always had a station for nurses to plug in their cars, otherwise in the winter they might not have gotten home in the morning.
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,366 Member
    ythannah wrote: »
    Oh my... people are losing their minds...

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/kentucky-gas-station-owner-who-posted-sign-banning-masks-says-purpose-was-say-government-cant-1505498?amp=1

    The original article that hubby pulled up this afternoon didn’t have his commentary toward the end of the article, it was pretty B&W as written.

    @moonangel12 thanks for the link because the full story does not indicate anyone is losing their mind but we know mental health decline is a concerning side effect of this 2020 Pandemic. I wear a mask when at risk of being within 6 foot of people out in the public out of respect for others and myself. The CDC has confused the public with their Wear a Mask, Don't Wear a Mask, Do Wear a Mask suggestions over the last several months. KY has no law on the books to wear a mask when near others is factual but why not for the mental health for others plus it is common sense a person does not appreciate being coughed on ever.

    "We would like to clarify the statement behind our sign, we posted on the front door of our store. First of all, we would never deny any customer access inside our store, that is wearing a mask or not wearing a mask. We are not telling you to not wear a mask, what we are saying is, its your choice to wear one or not, not our governments choice for us. While some got the meaning behind it, alot did not. We didnt mean to offend anyone, but we will not apologize for our beliefs in our freedom to make our own decisions, that our government wants to make for us. We strive to keep our customers safe, and our employees."

    One coronavirus prep item I over looked was trickle chargers for the parked vehicles with internal combustion engines now that we use the EV for 99% of travel needs since ICE vehicles require going to the gas station and is not helpful for those with COPD.

    I've not seen anything inconsistent from the CDC. Has the CDC ever said that it is a bad idea to wear a mask?

    As for vehicles, I don't plug mine in and I don't have a way to do that. I would guess that most do not have an EV, but that number is probably larger than those who have an engine heater... something I remember my parents had when growing up in northern Iowa, but not sure very many even in northern climates still have those. Probably if you have a diesel, you have a plug-in heater. Would have to go pretty far north or pretty high in elevation right now to need it in the northern hemisphere.

    But, I do drive a Prius (not a plug-in) hybrid. My understanding is that letting it sit too long can be stressful on the hybrid battery. For the last 2 months, I've had it out maybe once every week or so... not good for it, I'm sure. :(

    I'll just chime in as the resident of a northern climate to confirm that engine block heaters are still very much a necessity here and are standard equipment on every vehicle sold locally. I have to plug my vehicle in any winter night the temp dips below -18 C if I want to be sure it will start in the morning. It's also less wear and tear on your engine to have it start and run with lubricating fluids that are slightly thinner than molasses.

    We’ve never, yet,had an electric vehicle. Married 45 years in September and have had a lot of vehicles in those years. Live in Minnesota where winters are cold. Temperatures can be below freezing (F 32 degrees) oftentimes for months, with days well below zero Fahrenheit. Vehicles are always outside. Always start. Sometimes a little reluctantly when miserably cold, but always start. At temperatures well below zero Fahrenheit, we have a few times plugged them in, especially when the batteries may be older, and we absolutely have to be somewhere the next morning.
    The only problem we’ve had is with the tractor which runs on diesel and the gas tends to thicken up in very cold weather.

    It's not an electric vehicle, it's a normal gasoline vehicle. And I'm quite a bit north of you ;) 0 F is when I start plugging in the block heater.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    Gale's comment seems to be written in code to me.

    I have an '08 Prius, which I was told to drive more frequently before this all started (I drove it about once or twice a week before, more like once a month since). It's fine although I drove it a couple times this and last week (after not driving since Easter).

    I grew up for some years in Anchorage, AK, and plugging in your car was not a big thing (snow tires were), although it was commonly below -4 F (which is the same as -18 C). It was a thing in Fairbanks, where much colder temps were common. -4 F happens in Chicago and I am not aware of people plugging in here. But it's unusual and short term. Jan '19 was the polar vortex which was -23 F in Chicago (that's -30 C) (and of course that does not include wind chill), but I did not drive that day. Ubers and Lyfts were, though, as I tried to go to the airport (the flights all got cancelled due to weather),
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Gale's comment seems to be written in code to me.

    I have an '08 Prius, which I was told to drive more frequently before this all started (I drove it about once or twice a week before, more like once a month since). It's fine although I drove it a couple times this and last week (after not driving since Easter).

    I grew up for some years in Anchorage, AK, and plugging in your car was not a big thing (snow tires were), although it was commonly below -4 F (which is the same as -18 C). It was a thing in Fairbanks, where much colder temps were common. -4 F happens in Chicago and I am not aware of people plugging in here. But it's unusual and short term. Jan '19 was the polar vortex which was -23 F in Chicago (that's -30 C) (and of course that does not include wind chill), but I did not drive that day. Ubers and Lyfts were, though, as I tried to go to the airport (the flights all got cancelled due to weather),

    I was in Minneapolis a couple years ago during a polar vortex and my car ('16 Prius) started fine in... I don't recall exactly... maybe between -30F and -40F. Having said that, my mpg was just the worst (in the teens during that time) because the gas engine had to run constantly. Normally, the idea of hybrids is for the gas engine to shut off and use the hybrid battery when possible. But the gas engine was needed to keep everything warm enough, I suppose. If I had a diesel, I'm sure I would have had problems. I'm not an expert, but have heard that a lot of trucks still use something to keep their fuel tanks warm enough so the diesel doesn't gel in the winter when sitting.
  • jo_nz
    jo_nz Posts: 548 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    OK, so here's a completely off-topic personal whine, but with a COVID-relevant twist.

    Some (bleep) took out my mailbox overnight, flattened the heavy galvanized-pipe post into the ground so hard that I couldn't pull it out by hand, ripped up the wet ditch, lost a side mirror and some red/black vehicular scraps along the way, and bottomed out to damage the end of a culvert that goes under my driveway on the way out. 🙄

    So, I called in a police report. Here's the COVID-relevant part, loosely related to police procedures in the time of COVID, at least in my (quiet, suburban) area:

    The dispatcher apologized for having to ask, but did ask several questions about whether I had symptoms, anyone else in the household was sick, etc. (No, plus I said I'd wear face covering when the officer arrived, which I did.) Officer did not wear a mask. (IMO, she didn't need to waste one, given my answers, the fact that we were outdoors, and I had one on. We were mostly >6' apart; the closest we got was when she handed me a business card at arm's length. (I had on work gloves, because I was cleaning up glass & debris.))

    I have been interested to see a lot of businesses asking those kinds of questions as part of their now-standard procedure - I've been questioned before someone came to do fibre installation, while ordering items for collection, when booking a haircut, and when booking for flu vaccinations & doctor appointments. And we are hearing a big emphasis on staying home if you are at all sick in any way.

    But :# how annoying about the mailbox!! Hopefully with the debris left behind the culprit can be found.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
    edited May 2020
    Most older (pre 2015) Prius traction batteries are used the NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride Battery) technology but I do not know the protocol voltage % they need to be stored at. Some high end Prius starting in 2015 got lithium ion batteries and long term storage for lithium Ion is at around 40% to 50% state of charge. The regular 12 volt batteries on EV's need to be recharged from time to time just like any ICE vehicle not being used. Taking a car out for an hour drive once a month would be helpful in most cases.

    We charge the Nissan Leaf at home and currently it is charging because I will go pick up the wife in 45 minutes. It is full electric with no gas engine so other than for the tractors we are not pumping fuel much these days. Tonight I was out trying to recover the battery on the wife's car because they fail if they set around discharged in times like these. The shut down of the country is driving the sales of new starting batteries for sure.

    Most EV's are sold in China today but are becoming more common. After getting away from gas engines for daily driving the smell from tail pipes and gas pumps gets to me and I do not have COPD.

    Areas with higher levels of air pollution reported had higher COVID-19 death rates so I think outside of the USA EV's are going to become quite common over the next 5-10 years. It seems the air we breath and the foods we eat are getting more attention due to the number of COVID-19 deaths in some regions. The USA just relaxed future emission standards for vehicles due to cost of reducing vehicle pollution.