The Coronavirus Panic Thread

[NorthernZel]

Over here, our local CDC has crunched some numbers and recommended that smaller stores (like thrift stores, shoe stores, bookstores and others) can open by March 1st under strict social distancing rules, and kids in graduating classes in low-infected regions (10-11th elementary year, senior high schoolers, continuation school students) can attend in-person classes provided they test once or twice a week.

We need to get the PM's confirmation on this (a press meeting is scheduled on Wednesday), but after a long lockdown it sounds promising. Our first to-do things: I have to buy a pepper grinder at a thrift shop, and Mr Zel needs to have the battery on his wrist watch replaced

[MadMike]

Our case count continues to drop overall, although it bounces around a bit. A week ago, we almost got down to our previous high from back in early April.

My state's vaccination schedule isn't the best, but we're moving along. My wife and I are getting our second shot this weekend. Almost everyone in my immediate family has had theirs or is in the process of getting theirs. After skipping Thanksgiving and Christmas, we think we'll be able to get together in late March, I guess to celebrate the holidays we missed. We're also trying for the beach again since we missed out last year. Hopefully things are closer to normal by then.

Most of the banks in my area have closed their lobbies, opening them only by appointment. One of the ones near my house announced that they'd be reopening theirs today. Not everyone is going that route just yet, as I have an eye appointment on Thursday and I have to call them when I arrive so they can unlock the door and let me in.

We could probably be doing a lot better if it wasn't for the idiots who still refuse to wear their masks or wear them the wrong way, as well as the places of business who are too scared to say anything to them. I took a friend to the hospital on Friday for some surgery she's been needing for years, and there were two idiots in the waiting room with their noses sticking out. I was waiting for a nurse to yell at them, but they didn't say a word to them. Naturally, I made sure not to sit anywhere near either of them.

[Food Lady]

There's a mask out there that says "It goes over your nose."

[Dreamstalker]

I'm wondering if the wipes we have for customers at the entrance are even remotely economical for us anymore; people take way too many and just leave them in baskets and on the floor for everyone else to slip on. It's not uncommon for me to replace the roll twice (a roll of wipes is approximately 10" in diameter) in a shift.

I asked one of my managers about using a different cleaner on the registers; one of the ones that needs to sit for a few minutes to actually sanitize a surface (when it's slow enough, I'm able to put up a "Closed" sign on one SCO at a time to allow the cleaner to do its job). It's rated for food contact surfaces.

The cleaner we're currently using for everything is an ammonia-based brew that is only designed for cleaning restrooms It is not intended to be used on any food contact surfaces, is destroying the touchscreens and probably not healthy for us either (some cow-irkers use WAY too much, to the point where I can smell the ammonia). I've proven that it's destroying the screens--we've had to replace one pinpad about three times so far, and two more are failing in odd ways that tracks with how people spray the stuff and let it sit.

Anything we use for cleaning has to be "approved", whatever that means. I don't give a rat's ass if they want us to use that ammonia shit, I'll bring my own bottle of the safer stuff if I have to.

[MadMike]

There's a mask out there that says "It goes over your nose."

I saw one that was a little less polite. It said, "It goes over your stupid nose."

[Argus]

It is possible to find "It Puts The Mask Over Its Nose Or It Gets The Ventilator Hose" or "It puts the facemask on its skin, or else it gets phase 1 again."

[Tama]

Sorry, this is the best I could do >_>

[Food Lady]

Tama, I want to steal that and post on Twitter.

[Dreamstalker]

My mom got a text from a local hospital to schedule her first shot; that's on March 15th. I'm still waiting. I might ask if she can inquire about me when she goes for the shot; I am an essential worker and we do live together (in some states that would have bumped me up the chain automatically). However I'm still arguing with the state to get a new insurance card. I am in their system, so it would make sense that I could request a card through my online portal...nope. That makes too much sense.

Was forced to ring up some maskless asswipe this morning; he didn't even act like he had a mask in his pocket/the car like most of them do. Just barefaced and smug....I suspect with the J&J 'miracle' shot announcement there will be a lot more of that. Before I even touched his items I said "Sir I will not assist you until you put a mask on". SC started to get loud, C 'stepped in' and I was told to help "the customer" (the growing line didn't help matters either; I was on the register that can never be closed for anything). Even though I discarded the gloves I was wearing and sanitized the hell out of my hands and the immediate area, the following customer demanded that I get new gloves and douse everything with that ammonia spray (which gave me a lingering cough until I was able to get outside for my break and actually pull my mask down for a bit).

[Tama]

You can probably find the image and make it on a memegenerator site, the shit quality above is probably not good for sharing lol

[Pixelated]

I watched a customer from another register walk past my register on his way out.

*sigh*

Mask under his chin ...

I gave "my" customer a wry look ... but she was laughing.

Me: "What ... ?"

My Customer: "That was his mask!"

He'd gotten one of those masks that perfectly mimics the lower half of your face, and it was made to look as though he wasn't wearing his mask properly. 😆

I wonder how often he's approached by somebody going, "Uh, sir, your mask ... oh ... uh ... er ... never mind ..."

[Smapti]

Our governor just announced that grocery workers are eligible for the vaccine starting on the 22nd, which is a marked improvement from the "summer, maybe?" time frame we had before. I'll be looking to schedule an appointment for mine as soon as possible.

[Buzzard]

Beats the hell out of Texas and Mississippi, dropping all restrictions, well before any real vaccine coverage is made. Nope, no science backing, just... blame someone else and open the doors.

[Pixelated]

Sorry, this is the best I could do >_>

I'd love to post that on my register but somehow I think management would not appreciate it ....

To be honest, 99% of our customers wear their masks properly.

[MadMike]

My wife and I got our second shot last weekend, and we had some reactions to it, which is normal from what I heard. I got congested and started coughing, and had chills. That part passed overnight, but I was feeling loopy for awhile after that. I think it was about 48 hours before I felt completely normal again.