The Covid-19 Thread: News, Preparation Tips, Etc

rayne

Well-Known Member
A few days ago I got an email from Citi about offering assistance for people with the virus. With people being quarantined for 2 weeks+ I can understand where Citi is coming from. But today, I just got this email from Best Buy. With all of the other epidemics that we’ve had over the years, I don’t recall any companies sending out something like this….to their internal employees maybe, but not to external customers. Between this thread, the email from DD’s school, and now this, I’m starting to get paranoid. I already feel like this is worse than officials are letting on. Is it just me or does this seem weird to y'all?


To our customers,

Like so many of you, we have spent the last several days and weeks learning about the coronavirus (COVID-19) and how it is impacting our world. For Best Buy, that means understanding how it affects our employees, customers and communities, and then making the necessary adjustments to our work and operations.

We have one simple objective that guides us: keeping you and our employees safe. This has been at the center of our conversations every step of the way. With that in mind, we have made several moves in our business in response to the threat of the coronavirus.

We have ramped up cleaning services at our stores and are adding hand sanitizer at the front entrances and at all cash registers. Sanitizing wipes are near workstations and counters so that employees can keep them continuously cleaned.

We are closely following the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) guidelines and recommendations on the steps we can take to help prevent the spread of the virus. We have shared specific instructions with our employees on the importance of washing their hands and staying home if they feel sick or are returning from an area of the world identified as posing a coronavirus-related risk. Per CDC recommendations, we will ask employees who have traveled to such locations or have been exposed to others who have traveled to such locations to self-quarantine for 14 days.

A strict travel policy for our employees is in place, and we have canceled meetings with large gatherings, again to do what we can to help prevent the spread of the illness.

If you don't feel well, or choose not to visit one of our stores, of course we are ready to serve you at BestBuy.com or through the Best Buy app.

We know that many of you have scheduled in-home consultations, deliveries, installations or repairs with us. If you have any concerns, we will be happy to partner with you to reschedule your appointment at no additional cost. Simply call 1‑888‑BEST‑BUY, and we will take care of it. For in-home consultations, we offer options for phone or video conversations with our experts if you so choose.

We will continue to closely monitor the situation and do all we can to protect you and our employees.

Thank you
 

rayne

Well-Known Member
Geez, as soon as I hit poston my last reply. I got a similar email from Target. I guess a lot of companies have decided to be proactive, not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe I should stop checking my email so that I can get caught up on this thread lol
 

discodumpling

Well-Known Member
A moment of levity ladies..
My Black coworkers and I have been playfully saying we cant get the 'rona cause #melanin. Well dwights are bigly mad at our joke! ROTFLMBAO!! I think its hilarious because this far it's been ASIANS & CAUCASIANS seemingly baring the brunt of this new virus.
This chick told them her y/t Jewish doc told her Black folks have a higher immunity...I wish yall could have seen all the Jewish faces fall at the lunch table!
I have another theory too...they just nastier than us! Ever been bopped on the head cause you didnt cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing? Ever been sent back into the bathroom after you got out cause your Mama just knew you didnt wash your hands? Yeah we've got checks and balances and they been out here all willy nilly and nasty they whole time.
 

ElegantPearl17

Well-Known Member
Geez, as soon as I hit poston my last reply. I got a similar email from Target. I guess a lot of companies have decided to be proactive, not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe I should stop checking my email so that I can get caught up on this thread lol
I got the same message. I feel like there is something going on that is not being said.
 

vevster

Well-Known Member
A few days ago I got an email from Citi about offering assistance for people with the virus. With people being quarantined for 2 weeks+ I can understand where Citi is coming from. But today, I just got this email from Best Buy. With all of the other epidemics that we’ve had over the years, I don’t recall any companies sending out something like this….to their internal employees maybe, but not to external customers. Between this thread, the email from DD’s school, and now this, I’m starting to get paranoid. I already feel like this is worse than officials are letting on. Is it just me or does this seem weird to y'all?


To our customers,

Like so many of you, we have spent the last several days and weeks learning about the coronavirus (COVID-19) and how it is impacting our world. FoThank you
I got this this morning.
 

vevster

Well-Known Member
Selenium is AMAZING. I managed a study on selenium administration during and after heart cardiac surgery and the results showed that selenium had protective benefits. Reduced stay in icu after surgery. Reduced infections. Earlier discharge. If I remember correctly. During the study we recruited a 80 year old man who owned and was still running a huge working farm. He had been taking......
We have such talent and resources on this board! Thanks for posting this!
 

vevster

Well-Known Member
I just read that New York has deployed the National Guard to fight Coronavirus. Is this correct?

There have been 173 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in New York state, including 108 in Westchester County, home to New Rochelle where the majority of infections have been detected.


Cuomo told reporters that businesses in the containment zone will remain open and that people will be free to come and go as they wish, insisting there is no quarantine.


“You’re not containing people, it’s facilities,” he said.


“It is a dramatic action but it is the largest cluster in the country. This is literally a matter of life and death,” Cuomo added.

https://www.breitbart.com/news/new-york-deploys-national-guard-to-fight-coronavirus/
Yes, in New Rochelle, not NYC.
 

Aggie

Well-Known Member
Nothing to report here in the Bahamas just yet, thank God, and praying it remains that way.

I am praying for all of the US to recover from this quickly. I have a trip scheduled to visit the US in August in Orlando for a whole week and pray it is over with by April, latest.

In the mean time, I am doing everything necessary to keep my immune system in check and strong. Unfortunately my skin brakes out from taking selenium, but I am taking a lot of vitamin C with 50mg of Zinc daily.

It's been over a year since I've been sick with even a common cold (last time sick with a flu was in early 2018) so I know my immune system is pretty strong, plus I stay prayed up. Psalm 91 is my favorite scripture for this virus. I pray that everyone here stays completely safe and free from this disease. Do everything necessary to stay healthy.
 

Chromia

Well-Known Member
Wegmans is limiting the purchase of certain products.

Limit of 3 each per order
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Alcohol wipes and prep pads
  • Hydrogen peroxide
Limit of 2 each per order
  • All Wegmans disinfecting wipes, 75 count
  • All Clorox disinfecting wipes
  • All Lysol disinfecting wipes
  • Wegmans towelettes, 40 count
  • Wegmans water, 35 and 24 packs
Limit of 1 each per order
  • Wegmans bath tissue, family pack
  • Wegmans soft bath tissue, family pack
More info at https://www.wegmans.com/news-media/press-releases/wegmans-response-to-covid-19-2/ for my fellow Wegmans customers.
 

Lute

Well-Known Member
I've been on vacay since the 1st and i have to go back to work on the 16th. I really don't want to go through the subways in nyc.. and i have to commute to jersey. Anyone that is commuting through the subway, how is it so far.

I wish my job would let me work from home until this blows over ..
 

awhyley

Well-Known Member
Nothing to report here in the Bahamas just yet, thank God, and praying it remains that way.

:wave: Hi Aggie, good to see you!

Nothing yet, but my fear is that the gov't is holding back so that they get the maximum in Spring Break numbers. I'm watching them super close. To me, the number infected has been at zero abnormally long for the high traffic tourist numbers we're reporting.
 

almond eyes

Well-Known Member
Corona is spreading steadily, two Nigerians have it and Cameroonian student caught Corona in China and is recovering. So it's not true that black people can't get it. I've lived in places where they have had major pandemics, I think this has the potential to rage for a more than a year getting really bad then diminishing and going up again until it disappears or a vaccine is found. Black people DO NOT get lax. The last thing you want is to be in this health care system that doesn't give a hoot about black women. We have to see how this thing evolves we really don't know, is it possible that many Africans because of exposure to so many diseases like malaria and other things (typhoid, hepatitis, cholera, lassa etc) that when Corona enters them the viral low may not be as potent but it doesn't mean they are immune to catching Corona. I've had malaria twice and all I can say is that it was bad.

Very concerned about the effects on the economy in the US. I know of someone who told me that they are talking in her office of possible layoffs.

Concerned about people not coming out to vote or too scared to vote. Will Trump invoke 'special emergency' powers. 2020 is going to be one hell of a ride for all of us. All we can do is remain calm, keep our immune systems up, eat healthy, do not smoke, stay out of too many crowds, do your spiritual work to keep grounded and wash your hands.

I wonder what new careers would be sparked due to Corona? Can we discuss how we can stay on top of the game?

Best,
Almond Eyes
 
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dream13

Well-Known Member
I received something similar from Target.

A few days ago I got an email from Citi about offering assistance for people with the virus. With people being quarantined for 2 weeks+ I can understand where Citi is coming from. But today, I just got this email from Best Buy. With all of the other epidemics that we’ve had over the years, I don’t recall any companies sending out something like this….to their internal employees maybe, but not to external customers. Between this thread, the email from DD’s school, and now this, I’m starting to get paranoid. I already feel like this is worse than officials are letting on. Is it just me or does this seem weird to y'all?


To our customers,

Like so many of you, we have spent the last several days and weeks learning about the coronavirus (COVID-19) and how it is impacting our world. For Best Buy, that means understanding how it affects our employees, customers and communities, and then making the necessary adjustments to our work and operations.

We have one simple objective that guides us: keeping you and our employees safe. This has been at the center of our conversations every step of the way. With that in mind, we have made several moves in our business in response to the threat of the coronavirus.

We have ramped up cleaning services at our stores and are adding hand sanitizer at the front entrances and at all cash registers. Sanitizing wipes are near workstations and counters so that employees can keep them continuously cleaned.

We are closely following the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) guidelines and recommendations on the steps we can take to help prevent the spread of the virus. We have shared specific instructions with our employees on the importance of washing their hands and staying home if they feel sick or are returning from an area of the world identified as posing a coronavirus-related risk. Per CDC recommendations, we will ask employees who have traveled to such locations or have been exposed to others who have traveled to such locations to self-quarantine for 14 days.

A strict travel policy for our employees is in place, and we have canceled meetings with large gatherings, again to do what we can to help prevent the spread of the illness.

If you don't feel well, or choose not to visit one of our stores, of course we are ready to serve you at BestBuy.com or through the Best Buy app.

We know that many of you have scheduled in-home consultations, deliveries, installations or repairs with us. If you have any concerns, we will be happy to partner with you to reschedule your appointment at no additional cost. Simply call 1‑888‑BEST‑BUY, and we will take care of it. For in-home consultations, we offer options for phone or video conversations with our experts if you so choose.

We will continue to closely monitor the situation and do all we can to protect you and our employees.

Thank you
 

Lylddlebit

Well-Known Member
I have see a few articles on Taiwan's response to the coronavirus being more effective than most other places.


https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/what-taiwan-can-teach-world-fighting-coronavirus-n1153826


March 10, 2020, 5:28 AM EDT
By Cindy Sui


TAIPEI, Taiwan — As countries around the world grapple with the coronavirus, Taiwan may offer valuable lessons on how to curb its spread.

The island is just 81 miles and a short flight away from mainland China, where COVID-19 is believed to have originated in the city of Wuhan. As the outbreak took hold in January, many Taiwanese business people and their families based in China were returning to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and up to 2,000 Chinese tourists a day visited the island, potentially bringing the virus with them.


And yet, Taiwan has had only 47 cases of COVID-19 and one death as of Tuesday — far fewer than China’s 80,754 cases and 3,136 deaths, a stark contrast even when taking into account the enormous population difference: Taiwan’s 23 million to China’s 1.4 billion. Taiwan’s numbers are also much lower than neighboring countries such as South Korea, which has had more than 7,500 cases, and Japan, with 530. It’s also faring better than countries much farther away from China, such as Italy, with more than 9,000 cases, and the United States, which has over 700.

Of the 100-plus countries and territories affected, Taiwan has the lowest incidence rate per capita — around 1 in every 500,000 people — for a place that is located so close to China and with so much travel to and from.

What lessons can Taiwan teach the world so other countries can stem the spread of the virus?


Schoolchildren use plastic dividers at a school in Taiwan.Courtesy of the Da Jia Elementary School
Be alert and proactive
Partly because it’s near China and speaks the same language, Taiwan learned early that a “severe pneumonia” was spreading in Wuhan. But it was the proactive measures the island took that helped it avert a major outbreak.

On Dec. 31, the same day China notified the World Health Organization that it had several cases of an unknown pneumonia, Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control immediately ordered inspections of passengers arriving on flights from Wuhan.

And despite poor relations with Beijing, Taiwan asked and received permission to send a team of experts to the mainland on a fact-finding mission Jan. 12.

“They didn’t let us see what they didn’t want us to see, but our experts sensed the situation was not optimistic,” government spokesperson Kolas Yotaka told NBC News.

Shortly after the team returned, Taiwan began requiring hospitals to test for and report cases. That helped the government identify those infected, trace their contacts and isolate everyone involved, preventing the virus from spreading to the community.

All this happened long before Taiwan confirmed its first case Jan. 21 and the rest of the world became alarmed.

Set up a command center
Equally important, Taiwan's CDC activated the Central Epidemic Command Center relatively early on Jan. 20 and that allowed it to quickly roll out a series of epidemic control measures, according to Stanford Health Policy’s Jason Wang, a pediatrics professor who also has a doctorate in policy analysis.

“Taiwan has rapidly produced and implemented a list of at least 124 action items in the past five weeks — that’s three to four per day — to protect public health,” Wang said in an email. “The policies and actions go beyond border control because they recognized that that’s not enough.”

Headed by Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, the command center not only investigates confirmed and suspected cases, it also works with ministries and local governments to coordinate the response across Taiwan, including allocating funds, mobilizing personnel and advising on the disinfection of schools.

Take quick and decisive action
Taiwan also took tough action early. On Jan. 26, five days after it confirmed its first case, Taiwan banned arrivals from Wuhan, earlier than any other country.

Not long after, it did the same for flights from all but a handful of Chinese cities, and only Taiwanese people were allowed to fly in.

Use technology to detect and track cases
After securing its borders, Taiwan used technology to fight the virus. Temperature monitors were already set up at airports after the 2003 SARS outbreak to detect anyone with a fever, a symptom of coronavirus.

Passengers can also scan a QR code and report their travel history and health symptoms online. That data is then given directly to Taiwan’s CDC.

Those coming from badly affected areas are put under mandatory 14-day home quarantine, even if they are not sick, and are tracked using location sharing on their mobile phone. Absconding can lead to heavy fines.

That also goes for not reporting symptoms.

One man who didn’t tell the authorities he had symptoms after he returned from Wuhan and went to a dance club the next day was fined $10,000.






Taiwan’s concert hall gets a deep clean after musician tests positive for coronavirus
MARCH 9, 202000:43
The authorities in Taiwan also quickly determine whom the confirmed cases had been in contact with, and then test them, and put them in home quarantine.

“They also proactively find new cases by retesting those who tested negative,” Wang said.

Ensure availability of supplies
To ensure a steady supply of masks, the government quickly banned manufacturers from exporting them, implemented a rationing system and set the price at just 16 cents each.

It also set up new production lines and dispatched soldiers to staff factories, significantly increasing production.

These masks are the tools for residents in Taiwan’s densely populated cities to protect themselves; they made them feel safe and not panic.

Educate the public
The government also asked television and radio stations to broadcast hourly public service announcements on how the virus is spread, the importance of washing hands properly, and when to wear a mask.

“We think only when information is transparent, and people have sufficient medical knowledge, will their fear be reduced,” Kolas, the government spokeswoman, said.

Residents learned that most patients had mild or no symptoms, so the death rate could be lower than what was reported. They also understood that a person’s travel history or contact with infected individuals determined their risk level, not their nationality or race. That understanding helped reduce discrimination.

Get public buy-in
The public’s cooperation with the government’s recommended measures was crucial to prevent the spread of the virus, including among students, school principal Tu Chen-yang said.

“More than 95 percent of our parents take their child’s temperature at home and report it to the school before the children arrive,” Tu said. “Regardless of what the government does, people have to take responsibility for their own health.”

Bank building manager Nature Lin echoed such views, as he checked the temperature of employees arriving for work,on a detection camera set up in the lobby.

“We were already stocking up on alcohol disinfectants and temperature guns during the holiday,” he said.

Practically every office building, school and community sports center check temperatures and prevent anyone with a fever from entering. Apartment buildings also place hand sanitizer inside or outside elevators.


Commuters travel on the subway in Taiwan.Cindy Sui / NBC News
Learn from experience
Taiwan was able to put the lessons it learned during the SARS outbreak in 2003 to good use. That epidemic ended up killing 73 people and hurting the economy.

This time, Taiwan's government and people were prepared, and that readiness has helped push up President Tsai Ing-wen’s approval rating.

Last but not the least, Kolas said that she believes the country’s health insurance system, which covers 99 percent of the population, has been crucial to fighting the spread of the outbreak.

“Taiwan’s health insurance lets everyone not be afraid to go to the hospital. If you suspect you have coronavirus, you won’t have to worry that you can’t afford the hospital visit to get tested,” she said.

“You can get a free test, and if you’re forced to be isolated, during the 14 days, we pay for your food, lodging and medical care,” Kolas said. “So no one would avoid seeing the doctor because they can’t pay for health care.”
 

winterinatl

All natural!
Geez, as soon as I hit poston my last reply. I got a similar email from Target. I guess a lot of companies have decided to be proactive, not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe I should stop checking my email so that I can get caught up on this thread lol
I’ve Ben getting emails like this from all sorts of businesses. Even the car dealership!
 
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