From a local news conference I watched, presented by the heads of the local departments of emergency services and health this afternoon:
Most importantly, college-age kids are returning from Spring Break and likely bringing coronavirus with them. College kids and anyone else who have been traveling are being asked to self quarantine for the next 2 weeks. There is so far no law that they must do so, but they are being asked to stay in house or in one’s private yard if they have one. NO shopping! If they run out of necessary supplies or groceries, and have no friends or family who can help, then they should call the health department. The health department will deliver what they need to their doorstep, then call them to let them know that their supplies are outside and they are safely away. The same, of course, would be true for anyone who thinks they may have the virus.
The rest of us must stay at least 6 feet away from each other. All nonessential businesses are closing. Shopping malls closed as of today. Kids who are congregating in parks and playgrounds and on corners will be stopped by police officers who will break them up and send them to their separate homes. No gatherings! So if you don’t like cops around your kids, keep your kids home.
Also, they do NOT want grandparents taking care of grandchildren nor having any in-person contact with them! The counties have currently collected information regarding about 2000 childcare slots. If you have an essential job and need someone to watch your kids, the county will have someone take care of them for you! Again, contact the health department. At this point, this is considered much better than exposing older people to potential virus, putting them in hospital and at high risk of death.
Now the reported stats: About 1000 tests have been performed in this and nearby counties and have returned results. 45 have tested positive. About 1000 tests are outstanding, results not completed yet. Presumably at least another 45 are out there who will have positive results. So far, testing positive are 60% people under 50 years old including 20% people under 20 years old, 20% people 50-70, and 20% people over 70 years old. Clearly, everyone is catching it, everyone is a potential carrier.
A personal note: I had a persistent cough and care for my elderly mother, so called my doctor. They told me that they will NOT test unless I have a fever of at least 102! So clearly, there could be a lot of the virus around that has not qualified for testing. (Fortunately, my cough cleared up the next day!)
Back to the news conference: Our counties are considered to be ahead of the curve. There are no current shortages in any medical supplies. But this could change rapidly if there is a surge, which could happen if people keep getting together. The only way to stay ahead of it is for people to follow the health department’s requests. We are learning from New York City and the nearby badly hit counties. But we also have people traveling from there to here in the natural course of business and other travel.
At this point, hospitals are being asked to take care of their own procurement. But emergency services may step in later, if they become overwhelmed. They have never provided such help before, though, so need to determine the best ways to proceed.
That was it! Not too bad around here, for now. If people do what they’re told, maybe it won’t get too bad. We still need social distancing to keep the curve nice and low.
I also watched 60 Minutes tonight. The fed reserve guy they interviewed reported that many people are withdrawing money from the bank. It is NOT necessary to do that, it is dangerous to have a lot of cash in your home, and they said they will provide all the cash needed and there is no reason to think electronics will stop working. Also, money has germs, using your plastic does not as much. So try to stick with plastic. I have set up my bills to be paid online, including regular payments to the credit card so it won’t reach its limit. I highly recommend this approach.
