Corona Virus

[Unorthodox]

Work is a disaster of mixed messages at the moment, the decision left up to individual managers, so approximately 1/3 were working from home today, which made the other 2/3 very frustrated.  And yet none of them were practicing proper social distancing either.  I can kind of isolate to a corner, but people are idiots. 

Approximately 1/3 are actually mandatory, can't work from home under any circumstances, and their department is formulating a plan to run 24/7 and shift work the employees to minimize the actual contact. 

My facility houses about 1200 people, so this is no small thing I'm talking about. 

[Unorthodox]

Day 2 of Utah restrictions (during a workday).  We MIGHT have hit 50% working from home today.  Definitely fewer, but nowhere near where it needs to be. 

Meanwhile the 1/3 mandatory have implemented the shift work beginning today, and arranged janitoral to sanitize between shifts, and that probably counts for the fewer cars more than truly more people working from home. 

Nada from my boss or the two levels above her.  People are still idiots, saw a group of ~50 going out for lunch. 

Kyle's work has a confirmed case, if on another shift which pretty much guarantees I'm going to be getting exposed sooner rather than later.  I'm not even sure if he'd be shut down if they went total lockdown. 

Cases in Utah doubled today. 

I start waxing philosophical and wondering if any permanent good can come of this.  We are rapidly proving working from home is quite possible.  Could it become the norm, eliminating all this office space and allowing affordable housing, or lord forbid even returning some farmland?   

It could very well be that post-covid-19 the companies that recover the best are the ones that master this work from home and incorporate it going forward.  There is a monumental amount of savings to be had if corporate america would embrace it.  Not to mention the energy savings as a whole. 

Yet it's also becoming quite clear to me, that the cube farms are strictly about CONTROL, not about being the best scenario to do the work. 

[Rusty Edge]

The Governor closed the bars here in Wisconsin. Things just got real!

Well, not really. I had to fetch 2 cats from the vet this evening, and driving home the nearest bar had a full parking lot. But it's a worthy goal.

[Rusty Edge]

I start waxing philosophical and wondering if any permanent good can come of this.  We are rapidly proving working from home is quite possible.  Could it become the norm, eliminating all this office space and allowing affordable housing, or lord forbid even returning some farmland?   

It could very well be that post-covid-19 the companies that recover the best are the ones that master this work from home and incorporate it going forward.  There is a monumental amount of savings to be had if corporate america would embrace it.  Not to mention the energy savings as a whole. 

Yet it's also becoming quite clear to me, that the cube farms are strictly about CONTROL, not about being the best scenario to do the work.

I've been thinking about this, too.

*Even though I'm out of the workforce, I hope the lesson is learned that many meetings could be replaced by an e-mail and some answered questions.

*I'm hoping that affordable higher education at home becomes a thing, at least for the initial years of courses.

*I've long been concerned that there is very little shared experience to make people see each other as "We" & "Us" rather than "they" and "them." Maybe this will humanize everybody enough for a few years to prevent a war, or help us treat people in our own countries with mutual respect again.

[Geo]

At noon we go in a lockdown we may not call such so 'till the first weekend of April.
Only necessary movements outdoors are allowed (though leisure walks in nature with family or one friend are still good). Necessary is defined as going to basic services (bank, post, medical), groceries, and commuting to work.

My dentist texted me my consult next week is canceled. I have a session scheduled with the physiotherapist in the afternoon. Now I'm waiting to hear if she closes shop as well.

Need to get my sick leave note delivered at work before noon, otherwise Î'm breaking regulations in two ways: timely official notice to the employer for the cause of sickleave, and breaking lockdown regulations.

[Geo]

Well, my physiotherapist sent me a text message a contaminated person passed through her office last week.
Until further notice, not therapy.

[Elok]

They're now saying to treat COVID fevers and other symptoms with tylenol, not ibuprofen: https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1086?fbclid=IwAR3Ue6QHXVg0QBf9uuBQNTHcvAxpIoImdIx16lz_7Q0RuV8TXxOBGJ246B0

(this is all over my Facebook, posting here in case it's not all over yours)

[Unorthodox]

Aaaaand 5.7 earthquake to have more fun.  Judging by the sirens it might get adventurous getting home. 

[Unorthodox]

Oh yeah. Perfect storm. 

Corona had mostly been contained to slc but the earthquake was centered there now displacing a lot of people that were isolated and quarantined and knocked out the state coronovirus lab. 

[Rusty Edge]

I start waxing philosophical and wondering if any permanent good can come of this.  We are rapidly proving working from home is quite possible.  Could it become the norm, eliminating all this office space and allowing affordable housing, or lord forbid even returning some farmland?   

It could very well be that post-covid-19 the companies that recover the best are the ones that master this work from home and incorporate it going forward.  There is a monumental amount of savings to be had if corporate america would embrace it.  Not to mention the energy savings as a whole. 

Yet it's also becoming quite clear to me, that the cube farms are strictly about CONTROL, not about being the best scenario to do the work.

I've been thinking about this, too.

*Even though I'm out of the workforce, I hope the lesson is learned that many meetings could be replaced by an e-mail and some answered questions.

*I'm hoping that affordable higher education at home becomes a thing, at least for the initial years of courses.

*I've long been concerned that there is very little shared experience to make people see each other as "We" & "Us" rather than "they" and "them." Maybe this will humanize everybody enough for a few years to prevent a war, or help us treat people in our own countries with mutual respect again.

*I'm thinking that there is huge potential here to end the anti-vax movement.

* Medical Reform- FDA, healthcare, health insurance, and emergency preparedness.

* That a lot of people will get in the habit of washing hands, not touching their faces, coughing or sneezing into their elbows or the insides of their coats, improving public safety in the long run.

* That we will adopt he Vulcan "live long and prosper" greeting as the new standard.

* That companies will provide paid sick leave, rather than force sick employees to work.

[Rusty Edge]

I failed to note that the USA has raised their ranking from #8 to #6, bypassing France and South Korea in the number of cases a couple days ago. I truly believe that we will reach number one, in spite of our lack of testing swabs, kits, and labs doing the tests. Or rather because of it.

Well, Dr. Anthony Fauci  did say indirectly on Monday that the window on that had closed, and our last, best hope was to isolate ourselves immediately and cross our fingers.

[Geo]

Bloody hell, The EU already has more (confirmed) cases of Covid-19 then there were in China.
And if things work like in my country, there must be lots of untested cases due to testing policy.

[Buster's Uncle]

I assume there's someone in charge doing their job there?

[Rusty Edge]

Also on the silver lining side, much like when things close down and people stay home during sub-zero weather-

* crime & traffic accidents are down.

* presumably, so are workplace accidents.

[Rusty Edge]

The Mrs. observes that this is like the 1918 Pandemic and The Great Depression rolled into one. The trouble is if you got into a breadline or unemployment line now you are risking your life. It needs to be drive-thru now.