Good morning! London, New York, and California are now shut down. Let's hope this means the escalation is coming to a close and the de-escalation is on its way....but you never know.
Let's continue the conversation.
Let's continue the conversation.
Comments
The author says this is because hundreds of thousands of Chinese immigrants now live both legally and illegally in Italy, with 300K legally registered and many more illegal.
Italy recently entered into a new economic partnership with China, and therefore wanted to "discourage racism" by not highlighting the initial outbreak.
"So when folks ask, “Why Italy?” the reasons are clear. Along with an ageing population who may not be the healthiest, there is also a government now beholden to China, who acting at their behest, took extreme measures to the opposite of social distancing."
I can't vouch for the credibility of this website, which I've never encountered before, but her points seem strong.
https://uncoverdc.com/2020/03/20/why-italy/
(I should add that I strongly disassociate myself any kind of racism against Chinese individuals or people of Chinese heritage. The focus should be on the CCP's coverup and manipulation of the outbreak.)
Here in the UK, officialdom is very keen on us filling in ethnicity forms whenever we use services. I recall, back in the day, having to complete one when going on a guided walk on Dartmoor led by a National Park ranger – for Pete’s sake! – just so they could check they were reaching the minority population. (I was often tempted to fib. Well, it did say `what ethnicity do you consider yourself to be’ – a subjective view that I decided varied from day to day. On 17th March, I’m Irish; on 23rd April, I’m English).
Nevertheless, when we really like such information in order to understand what’s going on, it’s probably far too sensitive a subject to be allowed to be mentioned. Yobs have abused individual Chinese already.
We’re being kept in the dark about where, apart from London, the virus hotspots are. It’s often given on a regional basis mainly, occasionally in terms of county councils/unitary authorities.
We just have to keep our ears to the ground. There is great Chinese involvement in the building of a nuclear power station in the West Country, so I shall be interested to hear what happens close to the site.
If I were Chinese-British or Asian-American, I'd be fearful going out now.
Unfortunately, many of the people abusing Asian-Americans in New York City seem to be African-American. There's no solidarity in a crisis, I suppose.
Many US and UK universities are deeply financially dependent on Chinese students, who generally pay the full rate while locals are more likely to get scholarships. They must be quaking in their boots right now.
Trump is also deploying the military to NYC and PO are getting sick and calling out of work.
My next door neighbor who has been working in Chicago
is now home permanently and is not self isolating.
Amazon Prime is low in my area trying to keep with orders from cities on lockdown. Amazon workers are also reporting on Reddit that they are being forced to work sick.
There are not enough masks for nurses and they are being told to wear scarves in some areas.
It is time for all military to be called up and borders shut down between states to prevent travel. No more flights in from these states either.
Lastly, the mods on Reddit are taking down negative comments about the CDC.
I've just read a comment from a specialist : he says that the transmission occurs only through the respiratory way or through the mucous membranes, and not through the digestive tract.
And he says that the virus doesn't resist to the cooking temperatures.
@ Nutty
If I remember well, Italy didn't really find the Number 1 patient there, because the firt ill people was a 78 year old man, with no contact with the chinese community. Apparently he used to go to a bar, where te virus came from.
The problem is that Italy blocked all the flights from China (as here in France we were controling the passengers, knowing who they were), so people came back from China via other countries, and nobody knew it.
And don't forget that Italy is a very popular country for the Chinese touriSm.
Eventually italians suppose that a man went in Germany for a meeting with german and chinese partners (or perhaps they were in the same company) and that a chinese employee was already infected with no symptom at the time. He (or she? I don't remember) felt ill later on, when he (or she) was back in China, and told it to the partners.
I was last in my own university city a year ago - the number of Chinese tourists and students amazed me, quite extraordinary.
Also, in 2017 I was in Iceland, a country I've been visiting for almost 50years, and was staggered at the number of Chinese tourists in the south west, especially the Golden Triangle of Thingvellir, Gullfoss & Geysir-in March! I know it's warmer than it used to be, but still...
The world has changed dramatically over the last 30 years.
It seemed very strange, for example, to see tourist coaches from the-then Czechoslovakia in Hampshire car parks, as my first job was in a London school which took in a number of refugee children following the Prague Spring.
I asked one lad how his family had managed to get out.
He smiled and said `We ran away'.
I gathered that the authorities had slipped up and issued passports to 2 of his four-member family, when the other 2 already had passports.
He added, `We went to Vienna for the weekend and didn't go back.'
They were strange days then. The school was close to the Russian Trade Legation and I once had two uniformed Young Pioneers in my Divinity Class. Completely surreal.
"Many US and UK universities are deeply financially dependent on Chinese students, who generally pay the full rate while locals are more likely to get scholarships. They must be quaking in their boots right now."
It's the same in the EU. 🇪🇺
IDK about other EU member states, but in the Netherlands, the uni had an EU citizen tuition & non-EU tuition.
The non-EU students (such as my Indonesian self) had to pay the full tuition. The EU citizens paid a fraction of that figure.
Considering the Netherlands' history with Indonesia, you would think Indonesian students would get a break on tuition!
Anyway, there's a new post on the standard Nutty blog: "Are Meghan and Harry really in Canada?"
https://nuttyflavor88.blogspot.com/2020/03/are-meghan-and-harry-really-in-canada.html
So these restaurants closed, particularly near Milan, were the pandemic is the worst, and some chinese employees flew back to China in their families, and brought a second round of virus infection there.
Students and workers from southern origins did exactly the same before the Lombardy lockdown, they went back to their families in the south, now some doctors there say that 15 % were ill at the time and brought the virus to their loved ones.
We can see exactly the same thing happening now in France : people from Paris go to their families o to their holiday homes and spread the virus in the country
And as someone said it here (sorry, don't remember the name), it will be the same in the US with the Spring Break students.
Chinese communities in Italy donate masks to the hospitals and China has sent medical teams to help the italians doctors.
https://uncoverdc.com/2020/03/20/why-italy/
ties in with the Wikipedia entry on Prato.
It is expected to add to the burden on the NHS & food supplies, an exaggerated version of what happens in the summer anyway, which is bad enough. (I had to go to A&E a couple years ago because of eye trouble. In the waiting room, most patients seemed to have foot/ankle injuries, all of them were wearing flip flops(jandals if you're in NZ). I was the only one wearing proper shoes. Whether the flip-flops were the cause or effect of the injuries, I can't say, but it made me think. The other reason for A&E attendance seems to be sunburn. Both sorts of maladies were probably avoidable, if not self-inflicted.)
I keep thinking of the old wartime slogans - `Is your (journey)x holiday really necessary?' and `Coughs and sneezes spread diseases', to say nothing of the one that was ready in case we were invaded `Keep Calm and Carry On'.
Lemon Tea here
I cannot believe it took me a week to get onto this blog. And more time to catch up reading.
Despite me not having access to all the stats and numbers , as some commentators do, there are some issues that bother me.
South Africa has domestic workers or maids or chars. These women are all women of colour. These domestic workers clean, sanitise, cook at times, supervise children, iron, feed the pets, walk the dogs, do the laundry ( wash, dry and fold) , answer the phone , bake, help children with homework , water the plants, empty the trash, bath the children , feed the children ,and a myriad of other duties too many to mention.
Most South Africans cannot afford such domestic workers, as there are millions living below the poverty line. Millions do not have access to running water. More people have access and use of domestic workers than running water.
The life of a domestic worker, means that you leave home at 4am in the morning, travel with two modes of transport and get to start work , if you arrive on time, by 9am. In the afternoon, the same amount of time is used to get home. Most domestic workers never have time for their own children and family. Those that sleep in, and many do, only get to see their families maybe once a month.
That being said, I do not have a domestic worker.
With this crisis affecting and infecting people across the world, people are protecting themselves as they should.
Being as polite as possible I can say there will surely be widespread alarm if domestic workers are blamed.
So please explain, given the roles of these domestic workers and employed only by those who can afford them, why these long suffering women have to now suffer another suffering.
"A doubt of multiple introduction of SARS-CoV-2 in Italy: a preliminary overview" issued in the Journal of Medical Virology.
>>>During the first weeks of the virus spreading, in Italy some people were afraid to go to eat in a Chinese restaurant.<<<
My comment may bot be well received but I am going to say it. I would be wary about eating in the average restaurant, especially Chinese ones. My first professional job after college required me to receive education and training to be an Environmental Health Inspector. When I went out and inspected restaurants and grocery stores in Calif. I was a bit horrified. I found Chinese restaurants the worse and Hispanic grocery stores. However, I love Chinese food and do eat at a good one occasionally in my town.
I think sometimes problems occur because there are different cultural norms about food handling practices and cleanliness. For example: I walked in the back kitchen of a restaurant and found a little old Chinese lady sitting smoking over a bowl of cooked chicken she was deboning. Also a common error is that food won't be kept hot enough or cold enough (just lax practices usually).
If people are concerned one can always ask what the restaurant's score is when they were inspected by the local/regional health agency (usually it is a city or county health dept.) One can also call the health agency and ask if there have ben any complaints against an establishment (however most people don't complain even if they get a mild case of food borne illness).
Someone asked about cooking vegetables. My habit is to dunk vegetable in salted water, to remove squigglies, sand and grime. Usually leafy ones, like spinach or chard. Unpeeled veg like potatoes, needs to be peeled. Mushrooms just need an occasional wipe with a damp cloth.
As steaming and cooking at high temperatures, kills off most germs, I do not see why one cannot carry on cooking this way. Even grilling subjects them to very high temperatures.
I purchase tomatoes and potatoes in large amounts, so I often have a weeks supply or more.
What I have noticed, is that people are bypassing the vegetables and some prices are coming down as the store owners do not want rotting stuff on their hands.
I would say there is a generational and possible a cultural issue with vegetables and young people. Most youngsters cannot be bothered with chopping, slicing, hence the boost in take aways and Uber eats. Almost all my daughters friends, in the 19 years up age group, are not bothered with cooking or even learning how to. These are second year university students.
At this moment, I am using up all my fresh vegetable supplies first, for obvious reasons. If I run out of fresh, then I have some tinned products. But I will still source for fresh.
I try , old fashioned that way, to do the 5 a day (vegetable).
There is an article that said seeds are being sold out. No such luck with me and growing. Growing takes too long. I do have old lettuce seeds, not sure if they are duds now, but will try to scatter some and hope for the best.
The NY Post ran a piece about it earlier this week:
‘We should blow up the bridges’ — coronavirus leads to class warfare in Hamptons
It’s all-out class warfare in the Hamptons.
The year-round residents, the locals who serve and clean and landscape for the super-rich in the summertime — and put up with all manner of entitlement and terrible behavior in exchange for good money — are silent no more.
“There’s not a vegetable to be found in this town right now,” says one resident of Springs, a working-class pocket of East Hampton. “It’s these elitist people who think they don’t have to follow the rules.”
It’s not just the drastic food shortage out here. Every aspect of life, most crucially medical care, is under strain from the sudden influx of rich Manhattanites panic-fleeing, bringing along their disdain and disregard for the little people — and in some cases, knowingly bringing coronavirus.
The Springs resident says her friend, a nurse out here, reported that a wealthy Manhattan woman who tested positive called tiny Southampton Hospital to say she was on her way and needed treatment.
The woman was told to stay in Manhattan.
Instead, she allegedly got on public transportation, telling no one of her condition. Then she showed up at Southampton Hospital, demanding admittance.
https://nypost.com/2020/03/19/we-should-blow-up-the-bridges-coronavirus-leads-to-class-warfare-in-hamptons/
The situation in the Hamptons sounds dire. At least where I live lacks the cachet of somewhere like Rock, near Padstow - our local council regards our town as the armpit of the district, it would appear.
I’ve been picking up a few extra things every time i shop for months so i’ve got some non-perishables
This virus has been in the news since January and when Wuhan was shut-down, travel restrictions in China and CNY extended, it was obvious there was going to be trouble worldwide. With the global economy, China supplies so, so, much in finished goods and raw materials, this was inevitable. Delays in production, shipping, people out sick, and all the way through the cycle to the consumer. Expect some empty shelves and lines for a while.
Florida statewide: That brings the total number of cases in the state to 658. There have now been 12 reported deaths in Florida due to the virus. The most recent death in Duval County was said to be an 88-year-old man.
Of the total number of cases, 603 Florida residents have tested positive, while 55 non-Florida residents have tested positive. A total of 1,049 were being monitored.
Of note: There will be more deaths in Duval county (Jacksonville, Florida) sooner rather than later because an upscale assisted living facility/nursing home combo has people infected. Since they all socialized together and took meals together, I think we can assume that even those not yet showing symptoms have been exposed. This isn't due to lack of healthcare but because so many of those people are in their 80s and 90s.
Our county still has one travel-related positive but, with young adults coming home from universities throughout the nation, who knows.
Yep. Those of us in hurricane-prone areas stocked up as if for a big hurricane because we have an intimate knowledge of what happens when the supply chain is interrupted.
Re: The National Guard info you posted.
The rumor that the NG is going to be used for martial law in MO or KS (some of you might not know that Kansas City is on the border and split between MO and KS) is being denied by the Kansas City (KS) Police Dept, TV stations, and newspapers. The National Guard IS providing logistical support to law enforcement and helping distribute medical supplies. See @KCKChief on Twitter for up to date info.
The governments are trying to reduce viral load and exponential spreading of the virus. Viral load may make the difference between becoming mildly ill and contracting a serious-to-fatal illness.
793 people died in 24 hours (for a total of 4825 dead), it's very scary.
Here too we don't have enough masks, it's a real problem.
Wonder if that was some old video someone dredged up to scare people or if the state or feds are preparing for something down there, or if its just a standard occurance of redistributing equipment.
Just curious how your able to eat 5 servings of veg a day? Any tips or tricks?
I usually try to make a veg smoothie but that can get boring at times.
The state has ordered hospitals to stop the elective surgeries not because we have a huge problem requiring additional hospital beds at this time but to preserve the hospital PPE for the safety of the medical workers.
Our identified cases are going to ramp much higher with the increased testing of thousands daily.
I live in rural Norfolk, I do not want to see people relocating from virus hit cities so they can isolate in a more remote area...stay where you are! 🤨
Who is blaming domestic workers in South Africa and for what? I cannot find a post that does this, but I might have missed it.
Here is just one way:
Breakfast: Avocado on toast (1) OR scrambled eggs with chopped cherry tomatoes (1)
Lunch: Baked potato (2) OR sandwich with ham, lettuce (2) and tomato (3)
Dinner: Pasta with homemade sauce made with finely chopped onion (3), chopped tomatoes (4), finely chopped celery (5), chopped bell peppers (6) and chopped spinach (7) OR grilled fish/chicken with roast vegetables such as potato (4), onion (5), bell peppers (6), butternut or pumpkin (7)
There is a large ethnic (Caribbean and Hispanic) grocery store near me. I was going to run in for a few things but the parking lot was 100% full, same as on most Saturdays. I did see a parking space open up for me... But then I said, screw it, and left. Because I knew the checkout lines would take forever.
Once again today, my work was busy. Everyone talking about how the virus is a hoax or not that bad.
Question: if we all go into lockdown mode, people can still go to the grocery and other necessary stores. And get takeout from restaurants. Um, that’s what they are doing now. In droves.
I have a few favorite elderly clients, and they are the only ones worried. It’s heartbreaking all around.
Will Florida fatality rates start ratcheting up exponentially in the next few weeks? I don't know. Maybe. There have been nursing homes testing positive with deaths, and some of those were *NOT* complying with state directives. It will be interesting to find out if there is any positive correlation between sunlight exposure and lowered risk. I do expect the infection rate to be jacked up by the initial testing and then stall and lower because of so many closures of social gathering places.
Washington state, a cool and cloudy place, has 1,793 positive with 94 deaths, mostly on the west coast, not the sunnier desert. California, a sunnier and warmer place (except San Francisco, which I liken to being in a foggy freezer), has 1,224 cases and 23 deaths. Then there is New York City with reportedly 5,151 cases and 29 deaths. Early days, though, EVERYTHING is mass transit there.
Our temperatures today were high 80s F, currently 81F inside the house (grin). It has been sunny. Our A/C parts *may* come into Lowe's tomorrow, but probably not until Monday or Tuesday.
Our beaches (in my county) were closed today because the beaches were invaded by a bunch of hooligans who refused to abide by the social distancing rules (from other counties who had to close their beaches for the same reason).
How to eat 5 servings of vegetables a day? Here are some suggestions;
- Roast a variety of vegetables in the oven (350 deg) like broccoli, mushrooms and asparagus
- Vegetable pizza (even using riced broccoli or cauliflower for the crust
- Hearty Vegetable soup
- Chicken pot pie with at least 3 vegetables
- Vegetable stir fry
- Make a casserole with lots of vegetables
- Veggie omelet
- Vegetable chutney
Also you can include multiple fresh fruits dishes (unless you need to watch your sugar intakes)
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I was just too ADHD to score one. 😂😂 Sad. 😔
It's turning into a whole class/race issue, this indiscriminate virus...
Didn't you mention a while ago you were at Newnham? (That's Cambridge folks). Well you're right, the numbers are staggering all year round.
You may like to know the University has been absolutely superb so far, not just for employees but unprecedentedly for temps too. I've worked there nearly 20 years as an employee but while I'm getting ready to move to Scotland I'm temping for them, and they are paying temps whether they can work or not. I can work at home but I'm glad those who can't are not suffering. The Vice-Chancellor is briefing us regularly and everyone is looking out for the students, especially international ones. It's been a lesson in how to manage this properly as far as I'm concerned, although of course things are getting more and more difficult the longer this goes on.
>>>> More than 50,000 people queued to see the Olympic flame in northeastern Japan on Saturday.
Honestly.
Some people stood in the 500m queue for hours, according to local media. <<<<
They need to stop all Olympic activities now. Makes a nonsense of what we're all going through.
I am in the high risk group for three reasons so if I get infected I may well die a painful and lonely death. (negative) However, I live an isolated life and do not have contact with anyone who could pass on the virus to me. I just have to maintain that until the pandemic is over. (positive)
One of the many reasons I cannot go to the clinic for my medication is that one sits for hours in a crowded waiting room for each person one has to see (to see the nurse, then sister, then go to the pharmacy takes about 7 hours) and anyone infected (perhaps not showing symptoms or carries the virus but won't get sick) is going to pass it on. (negative) Luckily this is not a choice I have to make as even without coronavirus I cannot get to the clinic. (positive)
About 40% of the population live in conditions in which they cannot protect themselves from being infected (crowded living conditions, no running water for some, no disposable income to buy needed provisions or survive being without wages for even a week never mind longer). The government predicts that 60% of the population will be infected. The government health system provides basic medical care for about 40% of the population (it is basic and it is slow). There is no way that it can cope with so many people needing medical care (the assumptions are that at least 10% of those infected will need hospitalisation, but the clinics will be flooded with people panicking that they have the virus). The country is almost bankrupt and so indebted that future generations are going to work to pay off the debt. (negative) Maybe the private health sector will get off their entitled privileged thrones and pitch in to help and set up mobile clinics and hospitals, i.e. tell shareholders to get stuffed, forego profit for a year, and just help. (positive)
Are there any British people who can explain why Brits are stockpiling, and why toilet paper? Australians as well.
How do people find room in their homes to store all that toilet paper they are buying, never mind everything else?
One of my mother's older sisters was married to a man who was a stockpiler. They had a room in their house that was used exclusively for stockpiling. Every week he checked all the newspapers for bargains and set off to buy in bulk. The family blamed it on the war (he served in WWII and was a prisoner of war in Italy)!
>>>I am in the high risk group for three reasons so if I get infected I may well die a painful and lonely death. (negative)<<<
I am in the same predicament. Please do not feel negative. I know it may be hard to believe but I feel that certain people here would care about your predicament. I for one would offer my friendship if in the future you would like someone to correspond with outside out this blog. You don't have to do anything now. But please don't ever despair. There are good people in the world who would care if you let them. I know that may be hard to believe but it is true.
I know that it must of been a few strangers that prayed for me when I was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, an incurable fatal illness (which be coincidence killed my father in 6 months time). I received a miracle and I attribute it to those few Christians who prayed for me as responsible for my miracle (as I was not even praying for myself as I thought my death was ordained). So I will say a prayer for you that your spirit be lifted and you will have the warmth of human kindness shown to you and you remain safe. God Bless You,
Besides, nothing can happen to you because we need your interesting posts here on Nutty's blog, lol I believe you are in Africa, and really enjoyed your environmental comments (if I remember you are the same @Sandie).