Well Everybody, what can I say?

Another rainy Seattle week has passed and people all over the city are in a panic as the death toll rises from coronavirus. Some dude was yelling at me a couple of days ago to "stay away from old people".

Didn't have the heart to yell back, "I'm 63!".

Store shelves are empty, except for "Lucky Charms", and more schools are closing every week. So I have to logon to the Public Employee Emergency Network every morning to see if my Agency (ESD-121) is open or closed.

I live in the North Seattle highlands. The EvergreenHealth Medical Center where this outbreak started is directly across Lake Washington from my apartment block. I can feel the worry level rise as more people change their daily routines in the face of more reported cases of virus infections.

I can honestly tell you guys that I am not worried. My "inner Faith system" is telling me the worry is needless. Be aware, but don't overreact to news reports. Forgive me if I'm starting to sound like Peter Quill's mom in "The Guardians of the Galaxy", but I'm convinced that this "storm" will pass.

From Ground Zero - Seattle, the word is, "Don't Panic!".

While I believe in taking precautions, it feels a bit overblown.

Update - now the the death toll is 22 people, Washington State Govenor Jay Inslee is under pressure to do something. Jay is the kind of politician who throws money at every problem. Govenor Inslee's appearance on the CBS Sunday talk show, "Face the Nation", was underwhelming, in my opinion.

Our Public Health system can only test, and testing kits are in short supply. With no treatment options available medical researchers are working overtime on a vaccine. But like other forms of the flu - most people will not die from it.

I'm sticking to my guns - No Panic Necessary.

I agree that we should not panic. However I also feel the advice to social distance and lower activity and exposure potential is wise. We can't simply say 'everything will be ok', we need to act to make it so. At this point caution is paramount. It's a pain in the neck, but this must be mitigated if we are to proceed as a nation, as a world. 

Those most at risk are ages 60+, the majority of voters are ages 60+, that's what it comes down to.  

So many people in Seattle treat me like I'm some kind of college dropout. Guys who know me understand I'm in the vunerable age group and act accordingly.

I need to establish a reomte link to my agency data files, then I can work from home if my building is shutdown after March 18th. As a member of the Washington Education Association, (WEA), my salary is protected by union contract.

However, I cannot live "business as usual" if society around me falls apart. Many of my neighbors have no income guarantees if this virus event goes on for too long!

Is there any place you could go... perhaps some place safer or more rural to do your work from? I had read that there were some changes to unemployment standards that would help alleviate the financial burden on those who find themselves out of work for extended periods of time as a result of this.

eddstarr wrote :

So many people in Seattle treat me like I'm some kind of college dropout. Guys who know me understand I'm in the vunerable age group and act accordingly.

 

I need to establish a reomte link to my agency data files, then I can work from home if my building is shutdown after March 18th. As a member of the Washington Education Association, (WEA), my salary is protected by union contract.

 

However, I cannot live "business as usual" if society around me falls apart. Many of my neighbors have no income guarantees if this virus event goes on for too long!

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The real situation in Seattle is the high number of homeless and near-homeless. My newly established remote link to work means I can stay safely in my secured building while I file my financial reports.

This will lower my exposure but it is my "going to work" all my life that has kept me looking half my age. Getting up and out everyday, staying constantly in motion has made me a more dynamic person compared to other guys my age - even if part of this is just my opinion.

This virus event could be the start of the final chapter in my life especially if I join a gym - when gyms re-open!

It's real awkward now to have allergies like I do, went shopping yesterday and I coughed cause my nose drains to the back of my throat and it sometimes agitates it so I cough. nearly half the people in the aisle gave me dirty looks. 

Yeah. Everybody is on edge and suspicious of any sign of sickness. Here in the office, one of the ladies has allergies and coughs, sometimes very heavily. If she were to do that out in public, I'm sure a few people would keep their distance.

ThatDudeintheHoodie wrote :

It's real awkward now to have allergies like I do, went shopping yesterday and I coughed cause my nose drains to the back of my throat and it sometimes agitates it so I cough. nearly half the people in the aisle gave me dirty looks. 

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