Covid-19

[backstothewall]

When the numbers start going down, you crack the door and allow people out a bit more, some categories back to work, etc, and you watch the numbers. If they go up, you close it a little again. Gradually, it should result in most of us getting back to normal, but of course the at-risk categories will have it tough. It's a slow process, but we'll get there.

An acquaintance of mine is a researcher in QUB. His project has been put on the back burner and he's working from home, but according to him his colleagues in virology are working harder and quicker than ever before. Everyone who can work in this this is on it, and those who can't offer anything have been sent home. It's effectively the scientific version of wartime production. He believes something will be found well ahead of the suggested time frame, perhaps getting effective vaccines and/or treatments into the field by the autumn.

If this thins is seasonal as everyone hopes, we might get away with this only being bad (as opposed to catastrophic).

But we have to get through to that. In the meantime social distancing etc is what we have. A week of unseasonably warm weather over Europe wouldn't do any harm at all. I'd guess the Italians and Spanish will give us an answer before anyone else on that score.

[Closed Account 2]

The testing needs to be on those who appear healthy as you are gonna avoid anyone coughing anyway.

However that would mean daily testing of everyone, which whilst impractical would be a good solution.

This would also help in terms of getting a more accurate idea of the death rate. At the moment a lot of countries are only testing when a patient is in a critical (or serious) condition. Essentially only testing patients who are at death's door is likely to inflate the perceived death rate.

[pineapple stu]

So Boris has it - got initial symptoms on Wednesday.

How much of Westminster has he potentially taken out?

[Real ale Madrid]

So Boris has it - got initial symptoms on Wednesday.

How much of Westminster has he potentially taken out?

Best of luck contact tracing him anyway.

"I shook hands with everybody"

[osarusan]

Further restrictions as of tonight. Only essesntial travel - to and from work which can not be done from home, and to get essentials like food and medicine. Exercise limited to 'brief' periods no farther than 2km from home.

[backstothewall]

Varadkar did extremely well again last night. He's holding up really well.

I think what this crisis is proving is that the country is lucky enough to have 2 potential leaders, offering the people contrasting visions of the future.

I can understand why the left have coalesced around Sinn Féin. How the right haven't done the same around Fine Gael is beyond me. Neither Me-Hole Martin nor anyone else they have in Fianna Fail is within a million miles of Leo.

[Real ale Madrid]

Varadkar did extremely well again last night. He's holding up really well.


What did he do well? Read a script and is doing what the hse tell him to do - its hardly rocket science to be fair.

Simon Harris - a liability during the general election and had to be hid from general view is now heralded as modern day Saint. I don't get it at all.

[tetsujin1979]

Varadkar is clearing the extremely low bar set by Johnson and Trump*, and is staying in the background until he needs to address the country.
The best thing he's done is put Dr Holohan front and centre and let him speak to the nation about what we're doing, its successes, and failures, and what we're going to do next.

*Only mentioning those two because they're the two leaders we see on TV more than any other. From what I understand, Germany and South Korea have had the best response to the pandemic

[D24Saint]

Varadkar is clearing the extremely low bar set by Johnson and Trump*, and is staying in the background until he needs to address the country.
The best thing he's done is put Dr Holohan front and centre and let him speak to the nation about what we're doing, its successes, and failures, and what we're going to do next.

*Only mentioning those two because they're the two leaders we see on TV more than any other. From what I understand, Germany and South Korea have had the best response to the pandemic

The German trademark organisation and efficiency can put to use for anything when they put their minds to it , world domination, defeating the Coronavirus they are a multitalented bunch.

[BonnieShels]

What did he do well? Read a script and is doing what the hse tell him to do - its hardly rocket science to be fair.

Simon Harris - a liability during the general election and had to be hid from general view is now heralded as modern day Saint. I don't get it at all.

Sometimes just communicating clearly and calmly is enough. That is all we need from them now.

[geysir]

I do take some consolation (or hope) that Fine gael will be ousted just like Churchill was, post WW2

Here in Iceland it's a lightish lockdown, not the full martial law, eg. tourists are allowed in - no restrictions but natives returning home are expected to self isolate for 2 weeks, which apparantly they do.

One thing that's different here (of some interest) is that there are two testing facilities, the regular hospital medical centre facility who test people of some evident concern, the other is deCode Genetics, a genetic institute who will test anybody and everybody according to their daily capacity.
In the last 3 days (https://www.covid.is/data),
medical facility tests 26th March 81 confirmed from 392 tests 27th March 66 / 504 28th March 54/359
deCode genetics tests 26th March 6 confirmed from 606 tests , 27th march 3 /518 28th March 2/490.

What that goes to show is that outside the people of concern, very few people in the general population are testing positive, even allowing for false negatives, that isolation methods and taking personal responsibility do slow down the spread of the virulance significantly and the burden on medical resources.

[BonnieShels]

Misplaced hope.

It's a good thing that there's not a rogue nation based in Akureyri following idiotic plans from the mainland, putting the whole island at risk.

[backstothewall]

What did he do well? Read a script and is doing what the hse tell him to do - its hardly rocket science to be fair.

Simon Harris - a liability during the general election and had to be hid from general view is now heralded as modern day Saint. I don't get it at all.

Harris looks like he's a work experience kid who's wearing his dad's suit.

But when you look into Varadkar's eyes you don't see the panic which is etched on Johnson's soul.

It's a low bar but for now that's enough.

[NeverFeltBetter]

I think that kind of quality is under-estimated by some people. I have had to deal with people in my workplace whose reaction to all this has, in my opinion, literally bordered on the criminal: spreading misinformation, endorsing panic buying, and launching verbal attacks on anyone who says otherwise. Varadkar's speech on that Sunday actually did help the situation. Panic is infectious, but to a degree so is calm. When the leader of the country, caretaker or no, adopts a posture of "It's bad, but we'll get through it if we work together" without bombastic delivery or flubs, a little bit of the air is let out of the balloon. As much as a dislike Varadkar, and Harris, there are other party leaders I'm not sure I'd trust to share that quality in a time of crisis.

[joey B]

Social media is unbearable,we've ran out of tests in a few places and the reaction is incredible like these people aren't doing their very best in this,we're testing more per capita than South Korea but it won't please the baying masses. I understand people are worried but everyday I'm glad I live in Ireland and not in some other places.......

[Real ale Madrid]

Harris looks like he's a work experience kid who's wearing his dad's suit.

But when you look into Varadkar's eyes you don't see the panic which is etched on Johnson's soul.

It's a low bar but for now that's enough.

I was more arguing against the fact that he is doing "extremely well" as you put it earlier in the thread. I don't want to be criticizing him for no reason either. He and they are basically doing what they are told and looking calm which as you and others say is all that is required for now. The financial packages look ok although I haven't looked at them in any real detail. I'd like them to put a 3 month moratorium on mortgage payments for everyone. Its the least the feicin banks owe the country.

[D24Saint]

Social media is unbearable,we've ran out of tests in a few places and the reaction is incredible like these people aren't doing their very best in this,we're testing more per capita than South Korea but it won't please the baying masses. I understand people are worried but everyday I'm glad I live in Ireland and not in some other places.......

It’s times like this that make me glad I quit social media, it barely tolerable in the best of times.

[dahamsta]

I agree that Varadker is doing very well. Some people don't seem to grasp yet the scale of this crisis, the length of time we're going to be isolated for, the ramifications that crop up minute-by-minute, the short, medium and long-term consequences that are constantly presenting themselves. While we need to concentrate on the here and now, we also have to be conscious of the fact that the economy of the entire planet is in freefall, and every change made now has the potential of a butterfly effect. Varadker isn't just standing in front of the nation reading from a script, he's managing the country and he appears to be doing as good a job as can be expected. We won't actually know for a good while whether his actions, and those of the people surrounding him, will be successful, but I think he's inspiring confidence and hope, and I think we need that right now.

[Eminence Grise]

I’m teaching from home for the last few weeks, and, coincidentally, my students have been delving into crisis communications management. Varadkar and Co have been a textbook case on how to do it well. Taking control of the narrative, dealing in the facts as known, reassuring, escalating the stages in a way that creates societal buy-in to extreme limitation on liberties… so far, so perfect.

I don’t understand criticism that they’re only doing what experts are telling them – would people prefer a Bolsonaro, Trump or the Belarusian leader who says vodka and saunas will cure it? Or the Malthusian enthusiasm of the Tory party? I’ve no torch to carry for FG, but Varadkar and Harris have stepped up to the plate and done a far better job than I would ever have credited them with the ability to do.

(Or maybe interest is a better word than ability - practically every government I can recall since the early 80s has been nothing more than a care-taker government, doing the bare minimum to maintain the status quo and avoiding anything that would threaten their re-election chances. It goes to show that there are politicians with potential - the tragedy is that it takes a crisis for them to reach for it.)

[Real ale Madrid]

I agree that Varadker is doing very well. Some people don't seem to grasp yet the scale of this crisis, the length of time we're going to be isolated for, the ramifications that crop up minute-by-minute, the short, medium and long-term consequences that are constantly presenting themselves. While we need to concentrate on the here and now, we also have to be conscious of the fact that the economy of the entire planet is in freefall, and every change made now has the potential of a butterfly effect. Varadker isn't just standing in front of the nation reading from a script, he's managing the country and he appears to be doing as good a job as can be expected. We won't actually know for a good while whether his actions, and those of the people surrounding him, will be successful, but I think he's inspiring confidence and hope, and I think we need that right now.

You could well be right.

I just find it hard to swallow the notion that FG did a terrible job of running the country up until the start of this crisis and have suddenly become amazingly competent at managing all the consequences of this that has been thrown at them at this unprecedented time. Both things can't be true imo. If they are so good now why haven't they done a better job up to now? Again I don't want to be critical for the sake of it but the transformation in the eyes of the public (for example - red C poll over the weekend +13pts for FG) is difficult to comprehend. Maybe the low bar to our neighbors either side of us is contributing.

[Real ale Madrid]

I’m teaching from home for the last few weeks, and, coincidentally, my students have been delving into crisis communications management. Varadkar and Co have been a textbook case on how to do it well. Taking control of the narrative, dealing in the facts as known, reassuring, escalating the stages in a way that creates societal buy-in to extreme limitation on liberties… so far, so perfect.

I don’t understand criticism that they’re only doing what experts are telling them – would people prefer a Bolsonaro, Trump or the Belarusian leader who says vodka and saunas will cure it? Or the Malthusian enthusiasm of the Tory party? I’ve no torch to carry for FG, but Varadkar and Harris have stepped up to the plate and done a far better job than I would ever have credited them with the ability to do.

(Or maybe interest is a better word than ability - practically every government I can recall since the early 80s has been nothing more than a care-taker government, doing the bare minimum to maintain the status quo and avoiding anything that would threaten their re-election chances. It goes to show that there are politicians with potential - the tragedy is that it takes a crisis for them to reach for it.)

Its not a criticism (from me anyway) , I'm just reacting to the notion that they are doing "extremely well". They are doing fine for me. Maybe we are just excellent at crisis management and crap and everything else!

[Eminence Grise]

I hadn't realised you'd posted your previous comment until now, RAM, so there was no finger-pointing. It was something I've had repeated to me in conversations or seen online in less reasonable spots than this.:nails:

[dahamsta]

I just find it hard to swallow the notion that FG did a terrible job of running the country up until the start of this crisis and have suddenly become amazingly competent at managing all the consequences of this that has been thrown at them at this unprecedented time. Both things can't be true imo.

I think they can. I'm terrible at marketing, but I'm great at pitching and closing. I have a excellent wide-scale knowledge about the web and the net, but I have very few focused skills (jack of all trades, master of none). And most relevant, I'm awful at time management, but if you put me in a crisis, I'll come up with ideas and fixes very quickly. Maybe Varadker and/or FG are just good in a crisis.

I don't think it's fair to say he / they've done a terrible job of running the country either. The state of the health service is still appalling, and their use of the money message is an abhorrent abuse of power, but they've done good too: I very much appreciate things like free healthcare for kids, and I really can't complain about where I am financially, I'm paying my mortgage and I'm not uncomfortable. I'd like a better pension and healthcare, but it could be worse.

Don't get me wrong, I voted SF, and will again if it comes to it. And I'm unlikely to vote FG again if it comes to it, but that's more down to the incompetence of my local representatives than anything else. However he has inspired more confidence in his abilities, and I think they deserve credit for their work so far.

So far. There's a long way to go yet.

[John83]

...their use of the money message is an abhorrent abuse of power...
I don't recognise the term "money message". Have I missed something, or could you expand a little please?

[geysir]

I don't recognise the term "money message". Have I missed something, or could you expand a little please?

It means even though the feckers have been voted out in an honest election, litterly thrown out onto what passses for a scrapheap in D4, they are still in government and can exercise their "god" given right to block bills that they do not like from anybody else in the Dail using the argument "money message", regardless if if the bill involved any spending from the state coffers. But probably Dahamsta can explain it more eloquently.

[backstothewall]

Couple of thoughts tonight.

The first is that we are about to find out how much of a difference the weather makes to this disease. Madrid is being hammered, but the forecast there is a jump from 6°C to 16°C by the end of the week. No better way to establish if a spell of decent weather will make a difference. I've read some stuff (and it's all speculative owing to lack of data) which suggests that the difference isn't directly caused by temperature, but rather by people getting out and about in the sunshine, and the subsequent boost in Vitamin D levels improving the herd immune system. That goes some way to explaining why most diseases go into retreat in the summer months in all latitudes. People in Norway might get out to the beach or into the garden for anything north of 10°C, while people in Portugal probably won't consider it for anything south of 20°C.

If that's the case we're on to a winner as long as we use the time fate has granted us wisely. If this thing fades in the spring sunshine it will be back with a vengeance in October. By the time that comes around though we'll have had months to prepare. A vaccine isn't impossible by then, if only for the most vulnerable. We can also get the ventilators, the testing kits, and the drugs in place to hit the virus harder than it can hit us.

I've been listening to a podcast about the Spanish Flu. In 1918 Philadelphia was hit hard by it. Horrific stuff. They simply couldn't deal with the bodies. Ran out of coffins and ended up digging mass graves. But in 1919 it hardly hit Philly. We've not been hit badly but we need to make sure it stays that way. Chances are that if this goes away in the summer Lombardy won't have much of a problem in the Autumn but those places which haven't been hit hard will take a shellacking if they don't act in the meantime.

The other thing I've been thinking is that this crisis has changed government around the world. It won't last forever, but it's been a much needed reminder that government can actually get it's **** together when it put's its mind to it. Here it's going to be hard to criticise the FG government for their response to this, but the attack line will be "why wasn't this level of energy devoted to tackling housing crisis" or "why can't week keep these healthcare resources in public hands". Government went and did something and now people are going to expect it to do other things. The inertia of the machine won't be good enough for a bit after this.

For that reason I'm more convinced than ever that the next election is a 2 horse race between SF seeking to keep up the momentum of change, and FG trying to ride the wave of the establishment getting the job done and saving granny. The poll yesterday confirmed what I was posting about a few days ago. The Irish people don't need Fianna Fail anymore. This crisis is even worse for them than 08 was.

I can see FG hitting 40%-45% in polls by the time this is over, but I don't for a minute think they can get close to that in a general election. George Bush Sr looked unbeatable in 91 after the Gulf War victory, but within 18 months he had lost the election because of a supermarket till. The nature of this is that an election isn't possible while the crisis is ongoing, but that without the crisis the day to day life issues people face will re-emerge as surely as the sun will rise on election day.

[tetsujin1979]

Just wanted to inject some hope, and levity, to the discussion, via xkcd
https://xkcd.com/2287/

[dahamsta]

I don't recognise the term "money message". Have I missed something, or could you expand a little please?

The Irish Times will explain it better than me:

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/what-is-the-d%C3%A1il-money-message-argument-about-1.4073511

[backstothewall]

Italy and Spain seem to be starting to get to grips with it.

[pineapple stu]

Well their diagnosed cases have levelled off at around the 5k/day mark. But that's with full lockdown.

What's the next step?

[backstothewall]

Well their diagnosed cases have levelled off at around the 5k/day mark. But that's with full lockdown.

What's the next step?

Now we wait for the scientists to come up with something and hope this bug doesn't like sunshine.

[geysir]

It's way too early to hang your hat on a pattern, there's still a steady rise in numbers of total confirmed cases, as opposed to the recovery rate.

In Ireland the Dep of Health stopped releasing figures for the overall number of tests done from the 24th March onward.

[backstothewall]

I'm finding this all very hard today. I never thought I'd ever say this, but i can't wait to get up some morning and drive into the office. I think I'll even be able to enjoy the traffic.

Things were going quite well this morning (considering the situation). You guys don't know this about me, but I'm a landlord (Don't hiss and boo, I'm one of the decent ones). One of my tenants has lost his job. They are an immigrant family, and his wife doesn't work, so for now they have nothing coming in. Another tenant has been furloughed under the 80% scheme they have running up here. So i spoke to the agent this morning, and he's going to see what tenant #1 can pay, but ultimately i think i'll have to take this one on the chin. I can't get blood out of a stone, and they are good tenants so i don't want to lose them. I spoke to tenant #2 myself on the phone and explained I was temporarily cutting her rent to give her a bit of slack and literally had her crying down the phone saying thank you.

But the daughters school have been dreadful today. The teacher who ordinarily takes her year is off on maternity leave, but has decided to come back. We were told shortly after 2pm today that that will be happening on Monday morning, and the teacher who has been taking the class since September is out the door. It just feels like insanity in the midst of all this. So we had to break the news to her this evening. She was upset, but from the WhatsApp group the parents have some kids took it a lot worse than she did.

And in the middle of all this I'm trying to do a day job, and we've had to cancel the holiday we had planned for the summer.

It feels like the whole thing is being held together by duct tape, fingernails and a level of good luck that probably isn't going to sustain itself. It's mentally and emotionally draining, and a month in we're still closer to the start than the end. As I sit here typing this i'm exhausted. I should probably go to bed, and i will shortly, but if i didn't find a way to scream this out into the void I don't think i would have slept.

2020 feels like a dead loss already.

[D24Saint]

I'm finding this all very hard today. I never thought I'd ever say this, but i can't wait to get up some morning and drive into the office. I think I'll even be able to enjoy the traffic.

Things were going quite well this morning (considering the situation). You guys don't know this about me, but I'm a landlord (Don't hiss and boo, I'm one of the decent ones). One of my tenants has lost his job. They are an immigrant family, and his wife doesn't work, so for now they have nothing coming in. Another tenant has been furloughed under the 80% scheme they have running up here. So i spoke to the agent this morning, and he's going to see what tenant #1 can pay, but ultimately i think i'll have to take this one on the chin. I can't get blood out of a stone, and they are good tenants so i don't want to lose them. I spoke to tenant #2 myself on the phone and explained I was temporarily cutting her rent to give her a bit of slack and literally had her crying down the phone saying thank you.

But the daughters school have been dreadful today. The teacher who ordinarily takes her year is off on maternity leave, but has decided to come back. We were told shortly after 2pm today that that will be happening on Monday morning, and the teacher who has been taking the class since September is out the door. It just feels like insanity in the midst of all this. So we had to break the news to her this evening. She was upset, but from the WhatsApp group the parents have some kids took it a lot worse than she did.

And in the middle of all this I'm trying to do a day job, and we've had to cancel the holiday we had planned for the summer.

It feels like the whole thing is being held together by duct tape, fingernails and a level of good luck that probably isn't going to sustain itself. It's mentally and emotionally draining, and a month in we're still closer to the start than the end. As I sit here typing this i'm exhausted. I should probably go to bed, and i will shortly, but if i didn't find a way to scream this out into the void I don't think i would have slept.

2020 feels like a dead loss already.

I imagine the majority of people are in the same boat on this. We are having to react to prolonged confinement for the first time in our lives and the denial of choices we have always enjoyed. The longer this goes on the tougher it gets and it will take more of a mental toll on society. The only thing we can take out if all this is to try and not take the freedom we enjoy in normal times for granted anymore.

[backstothewall]

I imagine the majority of people are in the same boat on this. We are having to react to prolonged confinement for the first time in our lives and the denial of choices we have always enjoyed. The longer this goes on the tougher it gets and it will take more of a mental toll on society. The only thing we can take out if all this is to try and not take the freedom we enjoy in normal times for granted anymore.

Oh yeah. This is a mental health time bomb.

I assume rates of PTSD among doctors and nurses are going to be awful

[Eminence Grise]

So true. I’m usually self-contained and quite like solitude. (Years back, when I was finishing my PhD, I rolled back my office chair at home and realised I hadn’t set foot outside for 21 days. I just shrugged and carried on…) This is tougher. I've work to do and no focus or interest in doing it. Writer’s block is the polite term, but it’s pure stress.

It’s stress because Mrs Grise has her first shift today on a ward where every patient has Covid-19. She’s nursed through swine flu and avian flu; once nursed a convicted rapist so dangerous there was always a guard present and nurses went in in twos with strict orders not to speak to him; had a needle stick injury recently that was a worry for a while, but this is the first time I’ve ever felt petrified for her safety. And she’s so calm about it - she says it’s a privilege to be able to nurse through this. It's just overwhelming.

[John83]

Your wife sounds like a pretty badass lady, EG. Best of luck to her.

[Eminence Grise]

She puts up with me. Nuff said, John!

Coincidentally it's out tenth wedding anniversary tomorrow. Me doing her a packed lunch is not quite what we'd planned for it. Fingers crossed we'll all soon be out of this well and sane and back to normal.

[backstothewall]

So true. I’m usually self-contained and quite like solitude. (Years back, when I was finishing my PhD, I rolled back my office chair at home and realised I hadn’t set foot outside for 21 days. I just shrugged and carried on…) This is tougher. I've work to do and no focus or interest in doing it. Writer’s block is the polite term, but it’s pure stress.

It’s stress because Mrs Grise has her first shift today on a ward where every patient has Covid-19. She’s nursed through swine flu and avian flu; once nursed a convicted rapist so dangerous there was always a guard present and nurses went in in twos with strict orders not to speak to him; had a needle stick injury recently that was a worry for a while, but this is the first time I’ve ever felt petrified for her safety. And she’s so calm about it - she says it’s a privilege to be able to nurse through this. It's just overwhelming.

Sometimes the thanks button really doesn't get the job done

[Eminence Grise]

But a post like that always does. Much appreciated on Mrs Grise's behalf.

[tetsujin1979]

How is everybody holding up?

[osarusan]

All a bit stir crazy, but holding up ok. Both kids get material from school, so that put some kind of routine in place - we suffered a bit without that material during the Easter holidays.

I was sleeping badly due to just not being tired at the end of a day of no physical exercise, so I've started doing loops of a road within 2km of home. Adds up to about 24km each day, so I'm up to about 160km over the last 2 weeks.

I've never played as much online chess in my life as the past month.

[pineapple stu]

Funny, I've been playing online chess too, but just too lazy to properly study it, which is the way to improve (as opposed to pass time)

I find I'd rather not do something and have something to do, than do it and have nothing to do. If that makes sense.

[tetsujin1979]

I've been the same - good days and bad. Been working from home since Friday, 13th March. Took about two weeks to get used to being in work, but not being in the office. I found the four day weekend over Easter tough - think I missed the structure of work! Also, Varadkar's three week extension to the lockdown was a bit of a shock.
I improved over the last week, forcing myself to get out and go for a walk every day, so I think I'll be ok for the next two weeks. Been watching how the lifting of restrictions in Austria and Denmark are going for some clues on how things might go here after the May bank holiday. It'll be nice just to be able to see and talk to other people!

[D24Saint]

Up and down myself with whole thing. The structure of working & everyday life seem mundane normally but when they are gone your realise how vital they are to your wellbeing. Without work and a game on Friday to keep occupied is challenging. I find taking breaks now and then from the news helps & I don’t do social media.

[passinginterest]

It's a strange one, I've said a few times that I think this is my ideal way of living and I've only been half joking. I missed the work routine a little in the early stages but I've got used to working from home. I'm a very solitary person at the best of times, never really went to the pub, moved away from home at 20 so well used to only communicating with parents on the phone etc. Still see my wife every day and get to spend more time with the dog and cats. Can still go for a walk, run or cycle, etc. Routine hasn't really changed all that much outside not going into work. In many ways it's made me more sociable in terms of being more in contact with friends on what's app etc.

I appreciate it's a lot harder for others, wife included, her job can't really be done from home and they were in the middle of a critical project as this kicked off, so she was actually in something like 20 days in a row. She speaks to her parents, brothers and sisters every day and would be used to seeing them all most weeks, especially her younger nieces and nephews. We're only around the corner from her parents, so when we're walking the dog we stand in the garden for a chat most evenings. Their road has also started a nightly sing song, where people gather on the road at a safe distance and contribute, songs, jokes and poetry, it's a nice touch and it's brought people together in a different sort of way too.

If it stretched on a lot longer I think I'd start to find it more difficult, particularly if any loved ones were ill, but so far been lucky on that front.

[sidewayspasser]

I'm working from home since 13th March. To keep a certain routine, I'm more or less treating my day as if I would go to work - get up at the same time, turn my laptop on and off around the same time when I would usually get into work/go home, etc. It's not the same, but it creates some kind of structure in daily life at least.

Not being able to meet people who aren't living in the same household isn't great when you're in a single person household. That's what I'm missing most. Usually, I'm quite content on my own, but this is a bit too much solitude. At least, there's phones, Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp etc.

As I'm not from here and all my relatives are in my home country, I currently have no idea when I will be able to see them face to face again. I guess I won't go there until quarantine on arrival restrictions have been lifted, and who knows when that will be.

[Kingdom]

I've never realised how much I enjoy watching old footage of Chris Benoit.

[geysir]

Being a highly responsible citizen I went for my pre booked test this morning at the deCode genetic facility. I suspect that when I offered the honest answer that I had a bit of an usual dry cough 2 weeks ago, for 10 seconds 3 days in a row, my test was put on a fast track and I received the result same day by sms at 5pm instead of the usual 2 days.
It simply read,
'You do not have the COVID-19 disease'.
but just when you think "that's cool", they give you the following disclaimer to keep any lingering Woody Allen hypochrondria at full alert,
'This finding does not preclude you from getting the disease later. If you later become ill with flu-like symptoms, fever, bone pain and cough, you need to evaluate if a new sample is needed.

Iceland managed to reach the highest rate of confirmed infections in the world per population. Altogether 1770 cases in a population of 365,000, fortunately the much mentioned curve has been on the downward part of a V slope for 2 weeks, hitting a new rock bottom yesterday with only 2 confirmed cases from 400 tests. That means there's very few in the untested general population who are carrrying the virus.
Therefore it does looks promising for football league competitions to proceed as planned on June 6th, if the LOI is still in handbrake mode my local team could do with a loan of Jack Byrne, i.e. if he can handle the upward adjustment.

[kksaints]

I've never realised how much I enjoy watching old footage of Chris Benoit.

Great wrestler, horrible human.