'People are terrified': Daily life on hold as Americans face coronavirus threat

[webfact]

'People are terrified': Daily life on hold as Americans face coronavirus threat

By Andy Sullivan and Lauren Young

 

The Life Care Center of Kirkland, a long-term care facility linked to several confirmed coronavirus cases, is pictured in Kirkland, Washington, U.S. March 12, 2020. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson

 

(Reuters) - In Texas, a photographer worries about paying his bills. In Pennsylvania, an aspiring dancer struggles with a canceled audition. In suburban Los Angeles, a mother wonders whether anyone will show up for her son's bar mitzvah.

 

Across the United States, the coronavirus outbreak is shuttering schools, emptying sports arenas and clearing out offices as Americans practice "social distancing" - staying at least 6 feet (1.8 m) apart from one another - that health authorities say is necessary to slow the advance of the deadly pandemic.

Like any attempted remedy, there are unpleasant side effects.

 

In New Rochelle, New York, National Guard troops delivered groceries and other necessities to the more than 100 people who were ordered to stay in their houses after testing positive for the coronavirus. College professor P.L. de Silva, who was given a clean bill of health by his doctor, said he was headed out to stock up on rice, beans and other dried foods with a long shelf life. "Those things last, right?" he said.

 

The suburban town is eerily quiet, he said, as residents trade news about who may have gotten sick and workers at the local laundromat say they are too nervous to keep coming to work.

 

"People are terrified," he said.

 

Beth Randolph Taylor, 50, did not touch her 94-year old father when she visited him on Wednesday in an acute rehab facility in Kansas City, Kansas, where he is being treated for a broken hip and pneumonia.

 

“I stood 6 feet away and gave him air hugs," said Taylor, whose mother passed away in February. "I thought: ‘This might be the last time I get to see my dad.’”

 

Analysts say the virus risks plunging the world's largest economy into recession as people put their lives on hold - canceling travel plans, staying home and steering clear of restaurants, movie theaters and other public spaces.

 

More than 1,300 U.S. cases of coronavirus have been confirmed and 38 people have died.

 

'MY HEART IS BREAKING'

Austin, Texas, cinematographer Kyle Osburn estimates he lost $20,000 in business because of the coronavirus - nearly half of that due to the cancellation of the South by Southwest music and arts festival, which pumps $336 million into the local economy.

 

As a self-employed freelancer, he worries he may not qualify for unemployment aid and other safety-net benefits for those who lose their jobs.

 

"It's always feast or famine for creative freelancers – and right now, we are in an extreme famine," he said.

 

As colleges cancel classes, students struggle with the realization that their academic careers may end with a whimper, free of the graduation parties, final recitals and other capstone events.

 

Others wonder whether they will be able to complete science courses that require laboratory work.

 

"People just get very anxious when there's so much up in the air and out of control, especially on a college campus in the city where germs run rampant,” said Alexandra Tananbaum, a 23-year-old post-baccalaureate medical student at New York University.

 

High school students are encountering new barriers as they look at college.

 

Aspiring Pennsylvania dancer Katie Kunselman, 18, will no longer be able to shadow a dance professor as part of her senior project, and her audition at Oklahoma City University was canceled, said her mother, Deborah Kunselman.

 

“She looked at me so sadly yesterday when she asked me whether she’ll have her senior prom and her high school graduation,” Kunselman said. “My heart is breaking because I have no answers, and she may be deprived of these milestones.”

 

In San Francisco, Erin Costa, 29, and her son Carter Noonan, 8, faced disappointment when the Golden State Warriors National Basketball Association team said on Wednesday it would play its game against the Brooklyn Nets in an empty arena. The NBA later said it was suspending its season because of the outbreak.

 

Costa and her son had flown out from Boston for the game.

 

"I've been wanting to go to a Golden State Warriors game since I was about 4 years old. I've always wanted to do it and it just gets canceled the day before," Carter said.

 

"It stinks," Costa echoed.

 

'HOLDING PATTERN'

In Pasadena, California, Monica Levine worried that coronavirus worries might scupper her son Jared's bar mitzvah. Twenty family members from the East Coast had already pulled out, and others asked whether they could leave every other seat empty to minimize the risk of transmission.

 

Levine considered canceling the event but is proceeding for the sake of her son, who has been working hard for a year to recite a portion of the Torah at his bar mitzvah.

 

"He has been really looking forward to it," she said.

 

Business executive Amy Hammer Nelson had to pull the plug on a cocktail reception at a conference in Maryland earlier in the week, losing $5,000 and a chance for her company to boost its profile in the insurance industry. Now she was considering whether to cancel other business trips.

 

"Everything feels like it's in a holding pattern right now," she said.

 

Cindy Cooper, however, is determined to hold a memorial lunch in honor of her recently deceased mother, inviting about a dozen friends age 90 and older, to the April 5 gathering at an elderly housing community in Princeton, New Jersey.

 

"The benefit outweighs the risk at this point, assuming we take normal precautions," said Cooper, 65, an obstetrician-gynecologist, who said she would use a disinfectant spray on her flight from her home in the San Francisco area.

 

"To all get together and have social interaction - the residents have very little social life, they are in their 90s and this was a good friend of theirs for 50 years," said Cooper. "These people are starting to pass away themselves. Let's do it!"

 

(Reporting by Andy Sullivan in Washington, Nathan Frandino in San Francisco, Nichola Groom in Los Angeles, Brad Brooks in Austin, Texas, and Lauren Young, Barbara Goldberg and Gabriella Borter in New York; Editing by Ross Colvin and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-13

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[lannarebirth]

Stores closing, restaurants closing, soon schools and daycares. People losing shifts to stay home with kids. No more tips that service workers depend on. Healthcare workers about to be overwhelmed. National Guardsmen will be called up soon. No plan put forward to help any on these people but they found $1.5 Trillion today to prop up the stock market. That would pay for 4-5 months of assistance to every American resident @$1,000/mo.

 

Edited March 13, 2020 by lannarebirth

[LomSak27]

No NCAA basketball Championship Tournament?!   ????

 

Terror, sure, but more like fear, loathing and a growing anger.

 

 

Edited March 13, 2020 by LomSak27

[tonray]

People need to stop expecting government to take care of them and do the right thing....history has shown that governments usually will only do the right thing after they've exhausted all other avenues of making themselves rich. The level of fear comes from not controlling your own destiny......I am upset but not terrified...life goes on

[cmarshall]

Uncoordinated individual action cannot mitigate a pandemic.  Some of us are angry, not terrified.

[meechai]

6 minutes ago, cmarshall said:

Airlines are going to belly up because of Trump's useless banning of flights from Europe, not, of course, including the UK where he owns three golf courses.

 

Trump can't even pretend to care about the lives of ordinary people.  He's not even a competent psychopath.

Oh come now...While no Trump Fan none can blame the 2020 bubble burst on him.

 

This is the bubble that was reinflated since 2008 with the FED pumping 80 billion + per month for years into it.

 

This Virus is just the needle bursting what was going to burst very soon anyway. No repair was ever made after 2008 instead rewards were given to those that caused most of it.

 

This virus may be the needle but should not be confused with the bubble it is bursting which again was so ready to burst anyone would have to be blind to not know it was coming

 

[Lacessit]

The level of obesity in the US and other Western countries makes the virus more potent.

There are things we can do for ourselves. People with decent immune systems will in almost all cases be mildly inconvenienced.

 

So:

 

Don't smoke. Drink only in moderation. Keep hydrated.

Eat fresh food - meat, eggs, fish, vegetables and fruit. Avoid processed and fast food.

Exercise regularly, 150 minutes a week.

Regular massage twice a week.

Sex is good for the immune system.

 

I am following my own advice.

 

 

 

[Pravda]

Americans will always find something to do like fighting in Walmart over toilet paper 

[Henryford]

Terrified of what" The chances of catching it are remore. The chances of dying under 50 are even more remote. I am more terrified of the world's over reaction than the virus.

[bkk6060]

4 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The level of obesity in the US and other Western countries makes the virus more potent.

There are things we can do for ourselves. People with decent immune systems will in almost all cases be mildly inconvenienced.

 

So:

 

Don't smoke. Drink only in moderation. Keep hydrated.

Eat fresh food - meat, eggs, fish, vegetables and fruit. Avoid processed and fast food.

Exercise regularly, 150 minutes a week.

Regular massage twice a week.

Sex is good for the immune system.

 

I am following my own advice.

 

 

 

That's why professional athletes are getting it?

Maybe stop arrogant self loathing just like everyone else, you are not immune to this.

[CraigInBangkok]

2 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Terrified of what" The chances of catching it are remore. The chances of dying under 50 are even more remote. I am more terrified of the world's over reaction than the virus.

The joys of social media

[cmarshall]

3 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Terrified of what" The chances of catching it are remore. The chances of dying under 50 are even more remote. I am more terrified of the world's over reaction than the virus.

Remote?  Really?  In the opinion of Angela Merkel, 60% to 70% of Germans will catch it.  Somehow Merkel, who among her other achievements has a doctorate in quantum chemistry, to be more credible.

[Lacessit]

Just now, bkk6060 said:

That's why professional athletes are getting it?

Maybe stop arrogant self loathing just like everyone else, you are not immune to this.

I never said I was immune. I said we can help ourselves.

I'm willing to bet the death rate among professional athletes is significantly lower than the general population.

Where did arrogant self loathing come from? That's just trolling. I'm simply taking sensible precautions.

[GeorgeCross]

9 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

That's why professional athletes are getting it?

Maybe stop arrogant self loathing just like everyone else, you are not immune to this.

he's just putting the odds in his favor, its not his fault all of that great advice sounded like arrogant self loathing to you, its just a reflection of your own <deleted>ty lifestyle choices

 

Edited March 13, 2020 by GeorgeCross

[Nyezhov]

15 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I am following my own advice.

 

Yeah me too.  Im having a good time and if I catch it, I catch it. No worse than anyhting else China has burped up before. Its just a media frenzy and the folks running around screaming are doing it to promote a political  agenda. No sense letting a good crisis go to waste.

 

Wash your hands.

[Tug]

Concerned prepared worryed <deleted> off at the bungled response terrified no and I haven’t seen any of that

[spiekerjozef]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

People are terrified': Daily life on hold as Americans face coronavirus threat

People in the US are always terrified, so nothing changed.

Fear has been spread around the US for decades, a way for the politicians to be in control.

[Roadkillaf]

Every year during the flu season I handle my surroundings differently, as there's always ongoing outbreaks, especially during winter. I'll go about this in a similar fashion. Unfortunately the majority are mindless when it comes to transmittable diseases, such as this wuwu flu and keep licking the proverbial door knobs. Fortunately for me I was layed off with a healthy severance and manage our funds better than most, so I'll just continue on with my home construction indoors as usual. ????

[BestB]

Thank the mass media and it’s scare mongering. 50000 Americans die per year from just a flue.

 

mass media just keeps blasting how many are getting sick, but failing to mention how many recovered or recovering. 
 

as for trump bashing , never ending story from the same people. When he banned flights from China it was not enough, must do more  but now he banned flights from EU and all over sudden he does not care.

 

here is a thought , lose some weight, keep healthy and your immune system can defeat the virus

[UbonThani]

22 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The level of obesity in the US and other Western countries makes the virus more potent.

There are things we can do for ourselves. People with decent immune systems will in almost all cases be mildly inconvenienced.

 

So:

 

Don't smoke. Drink only in moderation. Keep hydrated.

Eat fresh food - meat, eggs, fish, vegetables and fruit. Avoid processed and fast food.

Exercise regularly, 150 minutes a week.

Regular massage twice a week.

Sex is good for the immune system.

 

I am following my own advice.

 

 

 

Fast

Take zinc

Drink kefir or similar

 

80% of your immune system is in the gut.

[spiekerjozef]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Americans practice "social distancing"

Meaning they're not on facebook, twitter, whatsapp, Line anymore?

Hope the rest of the world will follow..

[UbonThani]

Just now, BestB said:

Thank the mass media and it’s scare mongering. 50000 Americans die per year from just a flue.

 

mass media just keeps blasting how many are getting sick, but failing to mention how many recovered or recovering. 
 

as for trump bashing , never ending story from the same people. When he banned flights from China it was not enough, must do more  but now he banned flights from EU and all over sudden he does not care.

 

here is a thought , lose some weight, keep healthy and your immune system can defeat the virus

If only 20 to 40% get tested then the death rate needs to be slashed.

 

Ive been confirmed for 1 flu in my life - swine.

 

Others they never test. Unless you have really bad systoms they dont test.

[lannarebirth]

4 minutes ago, BestB said:

Thank the mass media and it’s scare mongering. 50000 Americans die per year from just a flue.

 

mass media just keeps blasting how many are getting sick, but failing to mention how many recovered or recovering. 
 

 

 

Oh, they mention it alright, and publish it too. Here's the stats for the state of Washington in the USA.

 

Washington, US

Confirmed: 442
Deaths: 31
Recovered: 1 
Active: 410

[JHolmesJr]

43 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Sex is good for the immune system.

 

I presume sex with a non infected person....like perhaps your palm.

[lannarebirth]

^^ Can you let me in on what's so funny?

 

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

 

[Lacessit]

29 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

 

 

Wash your hands.

500 mL of hand sanitizer from lazada, 275 baht including delivery, three days to get to me.

[Lacessit]

5 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

I presume sex with a non infected person....like perhaps your palm.

My GF is probably a lot cleaner in her body than you are in your mind.

[Mansell]

51 minutes ago, BestB said:

Thank the mass media and it’s scare mongering. 50000 Americans die per year from just a flue.

 

mass media just keeps blasting how many are getting sick, but failing to mention how many recovered or recovering. 
 

as for trump bashing , never ending story from the same people. When he banned flights from China it was not enough, must do more  but now he banned flights from EU and all over sudden he does not care.

 

here is a thought , lose some weight, keep healthy and your immune system can defeat the virus

Thank you Doctor.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, Henryford said:

Terrified of what" The chances of catching it are remore. The chances of dying under 50 are even more remote. I am more terrified of the world's over reaction than the virus.

Well said. Were they "terrified" every time they went on the roads in a car? Were they "terrified" of the flue?

Better chance of dying from car accidents than Corona ( so far- I'm not psychic, but the mortality rate was 3% last time I looked, so 3% of the few that get it. Most will have mild discomfort ).

I blame the media for scare mongering. As for the politicians, the opportunity to prevent Corona entering the country has long past. Had they banned all international travel weeks ago, the situation would be significantly better. What they needed was time to develop a vaccine, but probably too late, IMO, for that to save everyone now that it's in the community and a year to bring a vaccine to market.

[zydeco]

1 hour ago, lannarebirth said:

No plan put forward to help any on these people but they found $1.5 Trillion today to prop up the stock market. That would pay for 4-5 months of assistance to every American resident @$1,000/mo.

The peons can just suck it up and die. The bankers and one percenters must have their profits protected. Jerome is actually promising between $4 and $5 trillion for the banks, if necessary. Yellen is telling Congress to let the Fed buy stocks. In ancient Rome, the people who did these sorts of things were ritually strangled in public following their exhibition in a triumphal march through the city.

Edited March 13, 2020 by zydeco