The Coronavirus Panic Thread

[Arcus]

Interesting. My understanding is that the air is mostly recycled in an airliner

At one time it was. Now days it's partially recycled after being run through some amazing filtering with fresh air pulled in from outside pulled in though the engine intake and pressurized to about 11psi by the engines (Air is pulled near the first fan you can see at the front and well before the combustion area so you are getting clean air.) All air that is released into the cabin is then filtered and heated or cooled to keep it at a set level. Fresh air is released above almost every row of seats and sucked out around your feet. This pulls the fresh air past your face first and removes any... odors coming from other passengers. They are careful to control the speed the air moves so most people never feel a draft, but is able to completely change all the air in your area in a couple minutes. This is also why no matter where you fly from, the air on a plane is extremely dry.

[MadMike]

Finally made it out to a karaoke show, the first one in over a year, not counting the one that one of my friends had in her back yard last summer. Actually made it to two, one last night and one on Thursday last week. My regular Thursday hangout hasn't restarted it yet -- they said it will be returning but haven't said when, so I checked out this other place. It felt a little weird at first, almost like I wasn't supposed to be there. I guess it was kind of like your first time at the bar after turning 21.

This one was actually pretty strict about the masks. If you were sitting at the bar or a table, you could take them off so you could drink. But if you were standing, you have to have them on. And yes, I actually saw the bartender come out from behind the bar to tell people to put their masks on. The only exception to this was if you were up singing, you could take it off. They had a thing of wipes on the DJ table to wipe down the microphone. I saw the DJ wipe it down between singers, but I wasn't sure if he was doing it every time so I made sure to wipe it down myself when I went up to sing.

[csquared]

Interesting. My understanding is that the air is mostly recycled in an airliner,

Actually, airliners leak like a sieve. They are constantly pumping in air to maintain the pressure.

This wiki has some good info.

[Nunavut Pants]

Because of how the ventilation works, it's only 2-3 rows in front and behind you that share the same air as you and the air is constantly being filtered.

Interesting. My understanding is that the air is mostly recycled in an airliner, in large part because bringing fresh air into the passenger compartment adds drag which drives up fuel consumption and cost. Maybe now the airlines are opting to use more fuel to keep the passengers safe?

That'd be a first, that they did something like that without being ordered to by the FAA...

[EricKei]

Sorry about your grandma, DS O_O I'm sure it will make her very happy to see you and other family & friends.

[Arcus]

I'm sorry for your grandmother. Hopefully having loved ones around will give her comfort.

Delta is still keeping the center seats open until April 30. The other airlines have gone back to filling all seats. COVID testing is required to fly by the airlines, so check with your airline how soon before the flight you need to get it. Some airlines are waving the test if you can prove you got the vaccine, but others are still requiring the test. The rules are constantly changing, and can be different between airlines/airports, so be ready for that. Because of how the ventilation works, it's only 2-3 rows in front and behind you that share the same air as you and the air is constantly being filtered. As long as the air system is running, an airplane is one of the safest places you can be.


In other things. I got my first Pfizer vaccine yesterday. Mild pain in the joints of the arm I got the shot in, got very tired about a hour after it and had a general feeling of just being off. Not sick, but not well. Just, feeling blah. Both looking forward and not looking forward to the second shot.

[Dreamstalker]

Thank you, cs. She's nearly 100, and we'd known things were declining for about two years but the pandemic probably accelerated it. She never contracted Covid that we know of, but the lockdowns/isolation/lack of access to traditional medical care (she doesn't have internet and is very hard of hearing so telemedicine isn't an option unless she has someone with her to 'translate') undoubtedly took a toll.

I plan to wear one mask on the plane (only wear it during travel, gets washed and put away as soon as we get to my cousin's house), and bring 3-4 reusable cloth masks with filters for when we're visiting her.

In other news, my store now has a "Front End Communication" whiteboard in the hallway to the office. Nobody knows what it's intended use is...we had one when I was there previously, and the only real use was cartoons, descriptions of scammers/SCs of note, and snarky commentary on whatever that shift was dealing with.

[csquared]

Dreamstalker,
Sorry to hear about you Grandmother. Wishing you safe travels.

The airlines have reported that flying, with proper distancing, is relatively safe due to the planes ventilation.

I can believe that.

Getting from the curb to the airplane? Not so much.

[Dreamstalker]

Got my second Moderna yesterday morning; so glad I had booked today off rather than yesterday. I was fine at work, then developed chills last night and didn't sleep well at all. Helped my mom with a few things this morning, came back home and went to bed for 3 hours; now I'm fine.

My grandmother in Oregon is dying, and my dad wants to go out and see her sooner rather than later...'sooner' is next week. I mentioned this to my manager last week (before I found out how dire things actually were) and I shouldn't have a problem requesting that time off. Yes, it's not the two weeks lead time they want, but this is extenuating circumstances.

[Kit-Ginevra]

We were released out into the wild yesterday after three months house arrest. Our shoppers were surprisingly well behaved. Pretty much all of them demonstrated the art of counting to six and then making a fairly orderly line. The wildest queues were for Primark and for the barbers- had I had a pair of hedge clippers and the time, I could have shorn the passing queues on the side for extra income

[Pixelated]

Just a wild guess, but I think someone at corporate noticed they weren't making as much money by not selling those things. Hence the change.

Wouldn't surprise me in the least.

[Ironclad Alibi]

And then ...

I had Friday off. When I came in on Saturday, virtually all the plastic was gone. The ONLY thing we still couldn't sell was clothing, which had been blocked off by racks of snack foods.

What ... the ... almighty ... FUCK ...

Just a wild guess, but I think someone at corporate noticed they weren't making as much money by not selling those things. Hence the change.

[Pixelated]

I went in on Thursday, and, since I have (finally) started reading the "note of the day" ... I actually read it. It said we were not allowed to sell anything other than food. FYI we are a ginormous corporate grocery store that also sells beauty products, clothing, household goods and so on and so forth.

And ... all of the "not for sale" stuff was covered with plastic. Just to drive the point home, I guess.

Okay, well, whatever.

Except ... there was absolutely no rhyme or reason to the list of "not to be sold" items.

You could buy air freshener ... but you couldn't buy a spatula.

You could buy gift cards ... but you couldn't buy greeting cards.

You could buy a Soda Stream gadget ... but you couldn't buy any other appliances.



And then ...

I had Friday off. When I came in on Saturday, virtually all the plastic was gone. The ONLY thing we still couldn't sell was clothing, which had been blocked off by racks of snack foods.

What ... the ... almighty ... FUCK ...

[Dreamstalker]

Is there such a thing as flash paper that's set off by simple friction? That would lend itself to an interesting trick...

I've been dealing with healthcare workers that have their noses sticking out...ok you probably got vaccinated but is that really the example you want to set in public?

[Pixelated]

Did you make a show of sanitizing the bills then removing and burning your gloves?

No, I didn't, but I do like the idea of burning my gloves.

Shortly afterwards I had another customer ...younger than the first ... who came up with his mask firmly in place. At some point I looked up from my keyboard and ... his mask was dangling off one ear. No idea when he did that or why.