FWIW, Pence was with Trump when Trump was exposed and has been with him since. He was at the press conference today. I expect Trump’s whole administration to be riddled with positive test results soon since no one is isolating or taking precautions. Ivanka was also exposed by an Australian official so there’s a second exposure route to the administration. As contagious as this is, and the other world leaders who have tested positive, they are at risk, money and prestige do not protect you. I’ll be shocked if some of them aren’t reporting positive results soon, with at least some serious cases. Followed by even more chaos.
As I said, I am genuinely worried for our country. Hopefully Pelosi and others in the succession line are taking precautions, have their eyes open and are putting together contingency plans with contingency plans.
Studio #2 just closed for two weeks. Whew. I feel they are finally doing the right thing after they’re decision last night to stay open. Maybe my email made a difference after all. Or maybe it was the news coverage today and everything else that closed. But one step closer to flattening the curve.
Made the mistake of trying to do some minor grocery shopping. Most aisle were wiped out in a major employee owned chain. Carts were everywhere. Eight lines open with at least seven carts to a line. Cashier told me that earlier today the lines reached the back of the store. They closed down at ten (usually open twenty-four hours) for employee safety and to restock, they’ll open again at five on the morning.
What the hell, Washington??
This is terrifying. Report from Seattle:
From my friend who works in an ER on the East coast:
"This has turned into a shit show.
My health system initiated drive through testing yesterday. They had two trauma patients out of it from individuals who didn’t want to wait in the long line, rushed the actual testing area only to get hit by cars.
Then, later in the afternoon, staffers ran out of test kits. There were riots. Like call in the police riots. People wound up in the ER for getting beat up at the riots.
Going into work last night I got signout on an entire treatment area that was “COVID rule out can go home when flu/respiratory panel are done… COVID rule out admitted for COPD exacerbation… COVID rule out admitted for pneumonia… COVID rule out admitted for hypoxia…” and so on and so forth.
Then there came the, “What do you mean I don’t have any symptoms so I can’t get tested? Trump said I could get tested!” (Sadly, yes. That really happened.)"
My company is doing the right thing, and anyone who can work remote has been advised to do so. I’m grateful for the job that I have that we are able to do this. While I already work remote, this means no site visits for me or some friends in similar field roles. The program I help manage is now being shut down as of Monday, and while senior people advise it will be reviewed daily, I don’t think it will launch again until 4 weeks from now at the earliest. Being that it contributes a gazzillion dollars to our company’s bottom line, it is unprecedented that it is being closed down for now.
I am grateful that they are taking it seriously and putting people first against their desire for bottom line results. And for sometimes being a little slow on responsiveness, I think they have moved with great velocity.
I’m also grateful to SO is home with me. Prior to all of the explosions this week, he was on voluntary 3 week layoff from his work in a factory. He has just completed the first week, and I even wonder if he will have to go back at the end of the 3 weeks. So many unknowns that we are facing.
My husband’s grocery store broke their sales record yesterday, which they had previously broken the night before. The store opens at 6AM, and they have hundreds of people entering at that time. They received 12 packs of toilet paper last night. This has been really hard for him and his colleagues – they are working much harder and much longer than usual, and people are being rude to them even though they have no control over the situation. He’s exhausted and working 6-day weeks for the next few weeks.
I forgot to add that blue shop towels were also a hot item after toilet paper and paper towels sold out yesterday. And chest freezers.
Peak Italian 
made me smile!
My aunt is in the same nursing home facility that my grandmother was in before she passed last month – apparently they are on lockdown and can’t have any visitors.
I’m wondering if calling some local nursing home facilities and asking to be connected with someone who could really use someone to talk to is an option… I wonder if they would connect a stranger? I know my city has a huge huge huge nursing home facility on the west side of town.
Also prisons.
Also rehabs
Also AA and NA meetings that are being postponed.
Etc.
Etc.
Can I just say how frustrated I am that my parents aren’t taking this seriously? They believe this is no worse than the flu, less severe even. A psychiatrist and an engineer with many patents. WTF. How are they getting fooled by the misinformation coming from the executive branch?
My grandmother passed away last night. We will not be holding a service for her until summer, most likely, as many people who would be gathering are high risk.
My brother and SIL (with medically fragile Tiny Baby in their care) are going into quarantine proactively, and only accepting visitors who are part of Tiny Baby’s care (i.e. PT and OT, oxygen delivery, etc.
ETA: I will not be able to hold my nephew (for the first time, I haven’t yet touched him as before he was in the NICU) until summer.
I am personally going to consider myself and Partner a possible vector. She came home yesterday after spending (3) days in NYC and returning via train and bus routing through Chicago. I will be attempting to do curbside grocery pick up if I can swing it; we’re good for a few days since there will presumably be a wait list.
I am required to be at work on Monday so will just sanitize the crap out of everything I touch.
I keep wondering if some of the denial has less to do with the government’s reaction and more to do with media coverage of everything generally being so overblown. Like, a boy who cried wolf scenario?
It seems like nowadays every snow storm is a snowmagedonpocalypse, everything is written about like its an unprecedented emergency scenario even when it’s just: inconvenient, normal variation in life, or simply not optimal. I’ve even experienced this with how my stuff gets titled, like headlines. Even if I write something balanced, to get clicks the title gets written in the most dramatic way possible. So: X Might Pose Challenges for Y becomes X is DEMOLISHING Y and Things WILL NEVER RECOVER. 
So, now that something is happening that’s serious…the language that’s left to use is language that’s been used so.many.times. to describe things that really haven’t been that bad.
Sorry for your loss. Hopefully the delayed service still provides needed family gathering, healing, and catharsis
I’m so sorry Oro.
I think there’s a potentially huge amount of truth to this. I’ve thought about what I call the “rhetorical arms race” stuff a lot myself.
And OMG internet titles. My last big writing position before I quit for health reasons was a super clickbaity website. Titles and overall speed of “reporting” were so key for hit generation. I wish I could delete my byline from so many of those pieces if I were to get a job in media again, lol.
I’m so sorry, Oro. What a hard thing on top of an already difficult time.
So sorry, Oro.