Coronavirus prep

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Replies

  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    I also get a ton of disagrees and don't even pay attention to them. Not everyone will like everything I post.

    Something a bit different... dating in the pandemic. I've been single for a very long time and I have some deal-breakers that are not exactly easy to find, especially in the places I've lived. Surprisingly, I found someone recently who checks all of those boxes and is a perfect match on paper. So it was worth getting to know her. We have chatted much more electronically, but met once so far. I had suggested a walk outside (lower risk, right). I wore a mask when we first met, and she asked if I wanted her to wear one. I said I wasn't worried about it as long as we kept moving and I pulled mine down for most of the time also. Yes, it is a bit risky, but we have both been careful otherwise and we are moving along rather than staying in the same airspace. Even if one of us is infected without symptoms, I see it as relatively low risk.

    Our next meeting / date / whatever you want to call it (it's complicated because I am likely moving for work soon, so we are just calling ourselves friends for now) - is planned for Sat. We are going hiking. I had suggested hiking for our first, but she didn't want to do that because how would she know if I was a serial killer or something? So she wanted to meet and then stay in a populated area (with cell coverage) so she could text her friend that she's still alive.

    Anyhow, I've convinced her I'm not a serial killer - she is very trusting, I guess. So we are going hiking on Sat. at a state park that is past where she lives. So I'll plan to pick her up and then continue on to the park with her. I'm not worried about masks outside, especially if we keep moving because the air is constantly getting replaced by different air and any viral load should be small, if any. However, I'm going to ask her to wear a mask in the car and I'll do the same while she is with me. I am sure she will be alright with that and seems like a practical safe measure to take. Some may say I'm taking too much risk and should exclusively chat electronically. I'm taking reasonable precautions even if not taking every precaution that is possible to be taken. It's a balance of sorts. If you don't like that, go ahead and disagree. If you have better ideas of what I should do differently (besides not seeing her in person at all), I'm open to those ideas. Obviously I'll have hand sanitizer as well.

    This is the best news. Have a great time. You deserve it. I have been with my husband since I was a teenager and today my grandson told me how much he loves me tons of times. Nasty people.. we just ignore them. Sad people get what they deserve. Not sad. Bye. You are doing it all perfectly I think. So happy for you.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    I also grocery shop for myself. I like to select my own food items. For example, I went to get some bottom round roast recently and selected the cuts with the most fat on them as that is what I'm preferring right now. All I eat is meat, which is something that is nice to pick out my own cuts from what's available - people who eat fruits and vegetables do the same thing.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
    https://youtu.be/NmfLkEuyWdo

    This is a doctor out of the UK that I have listened to some over the last nine months. He goes into why we in the USA are going to have a hard Jan-Feb case load because of our holiday travel plans plus he talks about the South Africa Covid-19 mutations.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    lokihen wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Provoked by something earlier in the thread I won't quote, I'm thinking about displacement of risk.

    What do I mean? Choices that make me safer, but arguably put someone else at the risk I'm avoiding.

    The classic example is grocery delivery: It's contactless on my end, low worry (depending on how I feel about things other people have touched recently), probably reduces my risk, has a cost but it's not enough to be a big deal for me (fortunately comfortable but not wealthy).

    When I use that service, *someone* is wandering through the store, taking the risk I'm avoiding, whether it's the person who delivers, or another contractor/employee.

    I can't speak for where others live, but here the people doing those jobs are not well paid, and often don't have employer-provided health care. Many are fairly young, perhaps have young families depending on their continuing health and continuing paycheck. (My cost helps with their paycheck, but risks their health.) Could they choose other jobs? Maybe. Realistically? Not all of them.

    I understand why people use these services. As a social good, it's rational/responsible to shift risk from more vulnerable people (older, immune compromised, etc.) to less vulnerable. Of course any individual can make his/her own free choices about risk and cost, contingent on that person's own circumstances. I'm not second-guessing others' choices here.

    Given all of the above, though, I'd personally find it tough to claim that using grocery delivery is some kind of moral high ground, an absolute good, to protect me or my family/contacts, in some condition-free way. It's risking someone else's health and contacts, to benefit mine, because I have enough money to make that choice.

    P.S. To be clear, I'm still going to grocery stores myself, just keeping it very rare, like every 3-4 weeks, despite being old and having at least one comorbidity potential (early COPD). This is not my lowest-risk grocery option, clearly. The ethics of it are probably not the main driver.

    I think this would make a very good debate topic.

    My view leans more towards the fewer people wandering around the store the better for everyone, including the workers. I haven't been inside a store since March to protect myself and my parents. A side benefit is that I'm not an additional source of contaminants for the employees and shoppers.

    I sometimes use the curbside delivery my local supermarkets are offering. It's the store employees who would be in the store anyway doing the shopping, so I don't see it as transferring risk, and is one less vector entering the store.

    I think if a young healthy person is shopping for an older person or someone with a comorbidity risk factor, that would be good risk transference, because you are transferring the risk to someone much less likely to get sick or die. I think a parent with children who would need to drag multiple people thru the store with them would also be a positive for delivery, as it reduces people in the store. But I can see the issue with one low-risk person using an independent delivery service, because it's just a one-to-one tradeoff of similar risk; the only benefit would be if that one person is going into the store multiple times rather than multiple people, it's theoretically fewer vectors in the store. I bet I could totally overthink this though :smiley:

    UK here, two of my sons work in retail, and both would prefer if customers were only allowed to have collections or deliveries. Then they would only have to mix with their colleagues who would respect each other’s space unlike some customers. It’s probably not financially viable for the companies they work for but it would make their jobs easier and safer.

    I agree that this would be the safest. This would presume the workers were trained and practicing safety protocols. (I have a friend who works in non-grocery retail and most likely caught COVID from a coworker who turned up positive and had been only wearing a mask reluctantly, and then only when in the part of the store where customers could see her.)

    But there are numerous drawbacks to delivery. As several people have mentioned and I have experienced myself, there can be problems with quality, expiration dates, and substitutions, etc.

    I've checked out all of the delivery services near me. None are free (and I would not expect them to be.) I am fine with Whole Foods delivery costing a tip plus the Amazon Prime membership, as I have this for other things. The other delivery services inflate store prices and/or charge a delivery fee and/or you need a paid membership.

    I can empathize with people unwilling or unable to pay these extra fees.

    I would be more than happy with pickup (delivery not an option, rural, 12 miles from nearest grocery store) but, mainly for reasons you have stated, expiration dates, quality of meat and produce, I will continue to do my own shopping. I don’t know about other places, but here, grocery prices have gone up during covid. An example for items I buy weekly. Three pack of romaine lettuce was $2.99, now $5.99. Buddig meats were.59 cents. On sale you could get them for 5 for $2.00. Now .99 cents, and never on sale. If I have to pay more for groceries, and I am, I want the best quality available. I’ve always checked expiration dates, and examined produce and fresh meat before putting in my cart. Even pre-covid. I don’t want items that are near or even past expiration dates. The solution for me is doing my own shopping. A 25 mile round trip isn’t feasible for exchanging items because of these issues, it’s just the way it is🤷🏻‍♀️

    I didn't notice price increases, but I did notice lack of sales for items for which I am very price sensitive, and wait for sales to stock up and freeze.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
    edited December 2020
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    lokihen wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Provoked by something earlier in the thread I won't quote, I'm thinking about displacement of risk.

    What do I mean? Choices that make me safer, but arguably put someone else at the risk I'm avoiding.

    The classic example is grocery delivery: It's contactless on my end, low worry (depending on how I feel about things other people have touched recently), probably reduces my risk, has a cost but it's not enough to be a big deal for me (fortunately comfortable but not wealthy).

    When I use that service, *someone* is wandering through the store, taking the risk I'm avoiding, whether it's the person who delivers, or another contractor/employee.

    I can't speak for where others live, but here the people doing those jobs are not well paid, and often don't have employer-provided health care. Many are fairly young, perhaps have young families depending on their continuing health and continuing paycheck. (My cost helps with their paycheck, but risks their health.) Could they choose other jobs? Maybe. Realistically? Not all of them.

    I understand why people use these services. As a social good, it's rational/responsible to shift risk from more vulnerable people (older, immune compromised, etc.) to less vulnerable. Of course any individual can make his/her own free choices about risk and cost, contingent on that person's own circumstances. I'm not second-guessing others' choices here.

    Given all of the above, though, I'd personally find it tough to claim that using grocery delivery is some kind of moral high ground, an absolute good, to protect me or my family/contacts, in some condition-free way. It's risking someone else's health and contacts, to benefit mine, because I have enough money to make that choice.

    P.S. To be clear, I'm still going to grocery stores myself, just keeping it very rare, like every 3-4 weeks, despite being old and having at least one comorbidity potential (early COPD). This is not my lowest-risk grocery option, clearly. The ethics of it are probably not the main driver.

    I think this would make a very good debate topic.

    My view leans more towards the fewer people wandering around the store the better for everyone, including the workers. I haven't been inside a store since March to protect myself and my parents. A side benefit is that I'm not an additional source of contaminants for the employees and shoppers.

    I sometimes use the curbside delivery my local supermarkets are offering. It's the store employees who would be in the store anyway doing the shopping, so I don't see it as transferring risk, and is one less vector entering the store.

    I think if a young healthy person is shopping for an older person or someone with a comorbidity risk factor, that would be good risk transference, because you are transferring the risk to someone much less likely to get sick or die. I think a parent with children who would need to drag multiple people thru the store with them would also be a positive for delivery, as it reduces people in the store. But I can see the issue with one low-risk person using an independent delivery service, because it's just a one-to-one tradeoff of similar risk; the only benefit would be if that one person is going into the store multiple times rather than multiple people, it's theoretically fewer vectors in the store. I bet I could totally overthink this though :smiley:

    UK here, two of my sons work in retail, and both would prefer if customers were only allowed to have collections or deliveries. Then they would only have to mix with their colleagues who would respect each other’s space unlike some customers. It’s probably not financially viable for the companies they work for but it would make their jobs easier and safer.

    I agree that this would be the safest. This would presume the workers were trained and practicing safety protocols. (I have a friend who works in non-grocery retail and most likely caught COVID from a coworker who turned up positive and had been only wearing a mask reluctantly, and then only when in the part of the store where customers could see her.)

    But there are numerous drawbacks to delivery. As several people have mentioned and I have experienced myself, there can be problems with quality, expiration dates, and substitutions, etc.

    I've checked out all of the delivery services near me. None are free (and I would not expect them to be.) I am fine with Whole Foods delivery costing a tip plus the Amazon Prime membership, as I have this for other things. The other delivery services inflate store prices and/or charge a delivery fee and/or you need a paid membership.

    I can empathize with people unwilling or unable to pay these extra fees.

    I would be more than happy with pickup (delivery not an option, rural, 12 miles from nearest grocery store) but, mainly for reasons you have stated, expiration dates, quality of meat and produce, I will continue to do my own shopping. I don’t know about other places, but here, grocery prices have gone up during covid. An example for items I buy weekly. Three pack of romaine lettuce was $2.99, now $5.99. Buddig meats were.59 cents. On sale you could get them for 5 for $2.00. Now .99 cents, and never on sale. If I have to pay more for groceries, and I am, I want the best quality available. I’ve always checked expiration dates, and examined produce and fresh meat before putting in my cart. Even pre-covid. I don’t want items that are near or even past expiration dates. The solution for me is doing my own shopping. A 25 mile round trip isn’t feasible for exchanging items because of these issues, it’s just the way it is🤷🏻‍♀️

    I didn't notice price increases, but I did notice lack of sales for items for which I am very price sensitive, and wait for sales to stock up and freeze.

    If you request a refund they will just refund you without making you return. Especially if you use amazon delivery services. If there is any bad product or any sub you don't like, just request replacement and they let you keep it for full refund. There is usually always a few things every order I get refunded for. Not saying everyone should be doing delivery (I only do occasionally) but thought I’d let the people who are using them know you can get refunds so easily.
  • LazyBlondeChef
    LazyBlondeChef Posts: 2,809 Member
    edited December 2020
    The pharmacies around here all have drive through windows for pickup of prescriptions and they will even let you add common items like ibuprofen, Nyquil, etc.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    I haven't been to a for-people pharmacy, but the pharmacy that used to handle my cat's prescription had a system where you rang and then they'd bring it out to you (no one was allowed to come inside -- they did people prescriptions too, handled the same way). Clearly with the big places like Walgreens and CVS you can come in, and I don't think there's an alternative (I bought wrapping paper at my local Walgreens, as well as some candy for Halloween back in Oct, and it was pretty comfortable to shop in for that).

    Unfortunately for me the pharmacy that my vet now works with is in WI, so either a long drive for me or mail-order only, but so far they've been pretty good.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    Yeah, that's similar to vet appts here. You park and call, they call back, get info, and then call again and say come to the door and drop off the pet (the emergency vet comes to collect the pet at a numbered space). When the appt is finished they call to give you info and then the payment person calls to give you the cost and get the payment and to say to come to the door (at the emergency vet they call again to tell you they are bringing the pet out and then do).

    I've mostly done grocery delivery since it's easy where I live, I think the controls at my local grocery (which I shopped at only 25% of the time anyway, pre covid) are mediocre, and I've found WF through Amazon here to be pretty reliable and to choose good produce (I used it sometimes pre covid and found it an easier way to shop deals than just going when I felt like it and buying what caught my eye, which is what I did). I supplement with fish and farmers' market delivery (which is great for seasonal produce and non fish meat and eggs/dairy). I've done delivery from Target happily too, and do a lot of curb-side pickup (sometimes by car, sometimes when walking from local stores), but have also gone into stores and see no reason to say that going to stores or using delivery is somehow judge-worthy. (I also am in a big city, so don't assume the options open to me are open to all.)

    I disagreed with anyone saying going to a store was somehow irresponsible, no matter what, but also strongly disagree with any claim that it's somehow immoral (or careless of others) to use delivery.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    Both my husband’s prescriptions and our dog’s prescriptions are call when you arrive, pay when you call, and they bring it out to your car with the prescription and receipt. No one is allowed inside the facilities. When our dog has an appointment, you call when you arrive. The vet tech comes out and gets him. After the vet sees him, the tech calls and gets payment then brings him out to the car. Then the vet comes out and talks to us. Our dogs had a couple of issues this year and has been to the vet 3 times during covid.