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Daily coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - March 18
This thread is posted daily, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the situation is like where you live!
Note: This is only for HUD owned properties, which makes sense given that the govt would not have authority to do so otherwise. Still a good move.
I see some people on twitter concerned that Trump is flanking the Democrats (or Biden specifically) from the left here, but I feel like that just ignores the proposals coming out of the House that have been shot down by Republicans (or else negotiated on). I'm not really sure what to make of that concern.
It's small, but this might be something to keep an eye on
https://twitter.com/RiganoESQ/status/1240273631604809728
It sounds like she's not quite at the "yes, you absolutely have this job" point yet, but will be soon (after the background check?). If the new company is as large, profitable, and established as you make it sound, I really don't think there's going to be much risk in giving normal notice. Presumably they hire a lot of employees and are very accustomed to that being part of the hiring process.
There are definitely layoffs and hiring freezes happening, but they're mostly going to be affecting certain industries. Many technical companies and departments should be able to do just as well (or possibly even better) as part of this situation, so I don't think there's a need to be too concerned that they're going to rescind the offer at the absolute last minute.
Of course it's impossible to know for sure, especially for someone like me that doesn't even know the actual details of the company and situation. But my general impression is that I think you're focusing too much on one particular way this could go wrong. If something truly exceptional happens, it's possible they could just fire her immediately after starting too, and then giving zero notice could have burned some bridges at her old company that would have been useful.
In the end it's just going to be a judgment call, so it will be mostly based on the feelings that she's getting from the people at the new company (and it sounds like that's been very positive). There's always going to be some risk as part of switching jobs and moving, but it sounds like there are a lot of upsides as well, so it's probably worth it as long as there aren't a bunch of warning signs.
If you don't have to move for any reason other than the job requirement which is currently suspended, it seems like it's worth staying in a more familiar environment with people you know. At least until there's a little more certainty, you know?
Sounds to me like it could also be worth a shot to reach out to the new employer about that particular part of the equation. Maybe someone knows someone or they can pull some strings. Or they'll reassure you that their office is closed anyway during the pandemic, so home office is fine for another few months.
Travel is iffy right now and it seems like a terrible time for a move. It might even be forbidden soon. Unless there is some urgent deadline that can't be moved even during a pandemic, I think everyone will be understanding if you put it off for a couple of months, or more?
It sounds like your wife is in a good negotiating position and should be confident that just asking for what she wants is not going to be a problem, or if it somehow is then they will just tell her what's up. After all, this isn't a temporary hire and they presumably want her there for the long-term benefit.
I would not give notice at the old job until the new one is certain. If she is concerned about not giving them enough notice, delay the start date at the new job. But is it needed? Would there be much to do at the old job in this situation or is it just being polite?
Has she signed an employment agreement yet?
Until there's a written job offer on the table, specifying salary, eligibility date for benefits, etc., your wife shouldn't submit a resignation. Don't terminate any current housing arrangements, either.
Two weeks is the usual and customary minimum time after giving notice; any less risks burning bridges with a former employer. Depending on the relationship, your wife may be terminated immediately, but there's still a record that she quit voluntarily and offered to fulfill any remaining responsibilities to a reasonable extent. IANAL, but this can be an important detail down the road.
Personally, I wouldn't go to work for a company that won't allow providing customary notice to a previous employer, or adequate time for relocation. Moreso after being strung along for months of a hiring process, and with regard to coronavirus challenges.
This great, wealthy company ought to have corporate relocation specialists on tap; that's something to ask about. Often, it means you can find housing completely at arm's length and just pick up keys when you arrive.
As to (2), it's as much to make a conscientious person feel like they've done their best, as to fulfill any actual duties to the employer. Since you mentioned that your wife's coworkers are invested in her success and good work, it's worth maintaining that reputation for care. For all their impact, branches of information service are still relatively small communities, and word gets around, good or bad.
I cooked dried beans for the first time in my life today.
This is far from monumental or newsworthy, but I just felt like sharing. I've always just bought canned beans since they seem so much easier, but my husband and I have been eating from our coronavirus-response food stash since Friday now, and it includes, of course, plenty of dried beans.
It was deceptively simple. I soaked some black beans overnight, then boiled them on the stove with onion, garlic, and a bay leaf for about an hour. Served it up with some rice, and it was a perfectly tasty meal! They had a bacon-y scent and flavor to them, and they were a bit firmer than what you would get from a can, which gave them a much better mouthfeel (IMO). I'm going to try again tomorrow, but using the Instant Pot this time to see if I can cut down on cooktime.
Again, this is nothing huge, I just thought it was an interesting thing to note. Somehow, I made it this far in life having never cooked beans directly, and it took a global pandemic to finally change that.
It always pleases me to someone overcome what appears to be the daunting task of cooking beans and realize how easy and tasty it is. If an Instant Pot is like a pressure cooker, yes it reduces time, but it can make the beans softer like what you get in a can. Nothing wrong with that, but if you like a firmer bean play around with the time. On the other hand, I have heard that a firmer bean is gassier than a softer bean :)
I did the same thing a month or two ago. Before that, whenever I tried to cook dry beans, I failed. The trick is to not use old beans.
I'm still a little shaky from trying very, very hard not to scream over the phone at my brother just now. He's still gaily visiting with sick friends, and making deliveries with in-person cash transactions.
I love him and worry about him and support him, as he's always been the veritable walking definition of a luftmensch. Now he's in a position where his unconcern for practical matters is a dire threat to himself and the people around him, however well-meaning. I used words like "airborne spread" and maybe some of it got through.
I confessed to him that I basically killed our dad by visiting with active 'flu, years ago. He wasn't even aware that Dad died of pneumonia, let alone that I'd been taking care of him while sick. Maybe that made an impression, maybe he'll just tuck it away in his head wherever he puts unpleasant realities. I don't know, and I'm pretty exhausted at this point.
Also, I picked a heck of a time to apply for an IT job at the local hospital; looks like they may want me.
Czech republic - we have complete lockdown since the start of week, but thankfully we can still go to forest and parks, which is a godsend. I don't know what we would do if we had to stay at home all the time. This way we can still enjoy forests, assuming one stays far enough from everyone else.
Infected count growth
What is interesting is that government uses phone location data, from cell phone carriers, to track down where infected people went and who them met. Cool usage, but it surprised me a little that we can get location data of any people in our country without problem, almost immediately. It's justified in this case, but it just feels weird to me.
Edit: The case number report was moved here.
This is something I'm extremely concerned about going forward. Stopping a pandemic seems like a justifiable use case, but once it gets normalized it can get scary. What else is "in the public's safety" that may warrant the government using and accessing this info?
Shades of 9/11 and the PATRIOT Act.
Along with a few pages out of the scifi show 'Person of Interest' for good measure.
Well, things are about to get really fun. On Friday I'll begin my trip back to Beijing, which will include an overnight stay with a friend in LA, followed by a 12 hour flight to Tokyo, a 17 hour airport layover, then a five hour flight to Beijing if im not diverted and screened in another city first. In total, it's about 72 hours from my original city to my destination. Once I arrive there will be at least 8 hours in the airport while we all get checked for signs of the virus, then I'll go spend two weeks in isolated quarantine at a government facility. I spent one week in quarantine at my apartment before I left and I was getting pretty antsy. Now I'm going to double it without the essentials like cigarettes, my xbox, and 白酒. So yeah, fun times ahead.
There's very little information about all of this because only a few outlets have reported on it. I'm basically going off a few articles and hearsay from my extended social circle, so who knows what the situation will be like. There's a rumor that people living in my district can quarantine at home, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I'll be there first person from my school to go through this process then others will decide if they want to go through with everything. My friends and family in America think I'm crazy, but I don't really have any options now that the US is sprinting towards shutdown since we were so unprepared. My only other option is to be unemployed and live at my mom's house for a few months while things slowly return to normal. Just three weeks ago I was applying for serving/bartending jobs so I could live in the states until after the election. Crazy how fast things change.
On the bright side of things, I get to see my students soon! If this whole experience has taught me anything, it's that I love my job more than I realized. Plus, I have a lot of money waiting for me when I get back. March 1st marked my two year anniversary at my job, so I have a bonus, raise, and full flight reimbursement to go on top of nearly two months worth of pay. I think I'll buy myself a quarantine present.
Are you an ESL teacher in China?
Yup!
I learned today my father-in-law has probably been exposed to coronavirus after his co-worker tested positive. No idea how that co-worker managed to be approved for testing, but the clinic/hospital first told him he tested negative then had to call back with a correction telling him the result was actually positive. What the fuck! Between the first call and second call (a 24-36 hour period), he went into the office and worked like everything was normal despite the fact that similar companies in the same industry (like my own employer) all moved to 100% remote over the weekend. And because this co-worker initially tested negative for the virus, other staff thought it was safe to work at the office as long as they kept their distance from each other. Company management was letting employees decide whether they wanted to work remotely or come in, so of course like half the staff was there this week.
I legit pleaded to my father-in-law a few days ago when we were video chatting not to go into the office. My wife's siblings were hounding him over our family group text as well. He still went in this whole week. I haven't confirmed when his co-worker was tested or first started showing symptoms, but there's at least an outside chance I was exposed when I had lunch with my in-laws on Friday. That was the last time I interacted with anyone aside from my wife and son.
So generally, I'm pretty upset with my father-in-law's stubbornness and the company for being so reckless while others were taking appropriate precautions. I love this man and consider myself the luckiest son-in-law in the world, and I would be lost if anything happened to him or my mother-in-law. These federal "guidelines" need to become mandatory yesterday because companies are still letting people come in. The message is not getting through.
Something to keep in mind is that covid tests aren't ever negative. They know two answers: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and 💩. A negative can easily be a false negative, a positive is very likely correct.
I see. I didn't know that. Basically just repeated the story as it was told to me, but I appreciate the clarification.
Canada announced an $82 billion aid package today, with $27 billion in direct supports and another $55 billion to help business liquidity through tax deferrals.
Ugh. It looks like I fall through the cracks on this one. I'm self-employed as a freelance tech support person, so my job involves going into people's homes and businesses, which is something no one wants right now. The measures they've provided for self-employed people seem to only apply to people who are already sick, or caring for someone who is.
The government site goes into more detail on this, saying:
So, if you're self-employed but not sick, aren't caring for someone who's sick, and don't have kids, you're SOL.
This reddit thread has someone saying they'll need to go out and get sick so they can qualify, which really points out the desperation of the situation.
I do freelance tech support/IT too, but most of it is done remotely (or by mail for data recovery jobs) with already established clients at this point. Is it possible for you to try to make the switch to using video conferencing and remote desktop viewing solutions for interacting with your clients and their machines, or are most of your jobs related to sorting out physical hardware and "hands-on required" type issues?
In any case, I feel for you. I also know first hand, due to my disability, how much falling between the legislative cracks really sucks. :(
TBH I don't really have a lot of clients to speak of at the moment. I've been sorta scraping by lately, getting like one a week or so. I'm certain that's going to trickle to none over the next while.
I think I need to start advertising. At least put something on kijiji. I've always relied on word-of-mouth and have waited for clients to come to me. Clearly I need a different strategy, especially during this epidemic.
Besides Kijiji, (even though I am loathe to recommend it) Facebook groups in your area might also be a good place to offer your services as well, e.g. entrepreneur/small business groups, or whichever other demographic you want to target. Just make sure to ask the group admins and/or read the group rules before soliciting, is all.
Oh, another thing I just thought of. Don't be afraid to offer discounts to people, or even volunteer your services to local businesses... at least to start getting the ball rolling, and build up your reputation. My sister did that when she was first starting out with her car seat installation / cleaning business, and now just a few years later she is totally swamped with paying work from all the referrals that have slowly accumulated since then. These days she even sets her prices rather comparatively high just to avoid having to refuse too many people, but even despite that she still has to pass on quite a lot of business to the other certified installers she knows.
p.s. Though it probably also helps that she has a nice, modern looking, responsive website (designed by yours truly), and solid SEO for all the right keywords, when none of her competitors really have either going for them. Oh, and business cards too... don't forget to hand out business cards! ;)
Unfortunate that most of it won't come into effect for individuals until Parliament resumes in early April.
Here are some more resources that are worth a quick read. I got these from a comment on HN
These are all crowd-sourced and seem reasonable. It looks like the medical community is getting organized.
Quite possibly. Our case growth rate has only minimally (if at all) been stunted by last week's interventions - school closures etc... We're still doubling cases almost every two days. By now, I'd expect changes to affect the statistics. School closures were large-scale last monday, 9 days ago. The average incubation period is 5 days, the testing delay after onset of symptoms can be gleaned from this(<- very good source, updated once daily) to be about 5 days, so I'd have hoped to see a dent in the virus' spread by now.
Lucky I'm in a smallish city that has had no cases last friday. Now we're at just under 10. I'd assume those have been symptomatic for a few days and possibly infectious for a few days more, so by now there's plausibly dozens of infectious people around town already. I'm very cautious by now, have basically gone on almost-complete lockdown already anyway. Only food runs, occasional walks away from people and medical care. Good thing I'm living with my partner. I'm not one to go mad easily from isolation, but the current prospects would even hurt my sanity eventually.
I'm aware of both sources. Morgenpost is on the bookmarks bar and rki is my go to source if I want geographic details (case load of my city) or stuff like the testing delay.
Same with study/work. I study from home, the partner works from home.
Is there something I'm not seeing? I just see state-level numbers and subdivisions of Berlin if I scroll down.
I'm sure you and @vektor are already well aware, but since this seems like a good place to put the link: Chancellor Merkel made her first-ever unscheduled nationwide televised address today, referring to this as the greatest challenge to the nation since World War II. Lots more information and more of her remarks in the link.
Thankfully my employer (a grocery store) is offering paid leave to all of our at risk staff without requiring exposure or being tested as of today. We're finally seeing some breathing room in the store, which is surprising today given we're expecting 8+ inches of snow tonight and tomorrow.
Hopefully the snow will keep more people inside this weekend, but we'll see if Friday brings the madness back with people getting paid again.
It's been surreal seeing how empty the streets are lately. Went down to the other end of town to go help my parents clean
their place (my mother is immunocompromised and works in nursing homes, so I told them that it was either happening Tuesday or not at all, since I can't risk exposing her) , and it felt like half of town up and left.
Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart from Florida has tested positive for COVID-19, the first member of Congress.
New Zealand is now up to 20 cases (+8 from yesterday), all of them still imported from people returning home from flights. Still no local transmission, but it's hard to believe it isn't occurring at this point.
Government announced a $12.5 billion (4% of GDP) coronavirus package of wage subsidies and business continuity to weather the storm. I'm kind of glad the previous government focused on balancing the budget and getting us into a better financial position to help us through this period.
Plan is that half the people will work from home for two weeks, half at the office, then we switch. This is stupid and will likely be changed in the future. I'm not so much angry as much as I am disappointed.
Also, our boss is staying in the office in solidarity for as long as there are people in the office. Ha ha, we're all going to die.
Well, to be fair, that is genuine leadership, although in small doses. It's a lot better than going home too. Stupid, but at least courageous.
this was the plan at a place of work of someone i know. They are now 100% at home now
I know that, but higher-ups don't. They bounced from "Everybody's working at home with emergency laptops," to "admins get the emergency laptops, Yall on the floor have half the people to deal with," to "this is unpresicented, we'll let everyone work from home with their workstations and get though this together," to "half on, half off, pick names out of a hat I guess. Lul." Nobody had a plan, and if we did, there is no reason we should even be in the office tomorrow, let alone for the past week.
I've been contemplating dropping most of the classes I enrolled for next quarter since most of them are "in the field" type of classes, and I am not sure they could be given online in a way that I was able to learn as much as I could. Currently my school is saying that though classes will start online, the campus will open April 24th. I'm just not sure if things will be back to normal enough that we are allowed to head back to campus. If I drop the classes, it adds a year to my graduation date.
Mostly for us we're going to be okay, but it's scary. We've been living off of investments and savings, and well, the investments are sort of fucked at the moment which puts more strain on the savings. Our tenant got laid off due to his place of work closing. We've decided to give them free rent through this, but we're really worried about them since they have a lot of mental health issues.
And I am really fucking worried about my mom who lives in Florida and has emphysema. And she' really scared too because she just somewhat recently really got her shit together and has been making a good life for herself, and she wants to live the good life after having struggled and suffered for so long. And I want that for her too.
In good news, I start a new job in a very small nursery on Monday. I'm super excited because the owner is someone who has multiple income streams with the nursery being one, and they live the lifestyle I am interested in. They are willing to share everything with me from financials to day to day operations. We're doing a barter/trade for my labor and that always excites me because I think I am getting a good trade. More importantly it will give me something to do instead of worrying about this damn virus.
I received an invite to Tildes over a year ago, but didn't follow through. While I had been posting on Reddit, I have also felt wary of most social media. It's so much more satisfying to have a good f2f chat with another human being, with all the premium bandwidth that implies.
But today, after being informed that my tech support job will transition to us all Working From Home, I realize I will see benefits to any social interfacing I can accomplish. I won't even be able to go weekend sittings at our Zen center when they go into lock down.
My hope is that tildes.net will be become a rewarding outlet to visit during the pandemic, and into the post-apocalyptic hellscape to follow.
i get to talk to my therapist over the phone this week. Will be the first time this has ever happened and I don't know how I feel about it. I have a paranoia disorder among other things.
I'm finding information saying that people who were thought to be less at risk (18-40) are starting to show symptoms more often than people thought. Has anyone else found similar or conflicting information to this?
I want to know so I can demand my employer give us necessarily supplies to protect me and my coworkers. And would like to gain an accurate assessment of the risk I am putting myself through daily