Covid And The Rest of Us

[Disneylover99]

Hope your dad and stepmom recover quickly.

Thank you. Hopefully, they’ll make a full recovery.

My dad seems to be doing okay. My stepmom was hospitalized for a few days mostly due to dehydration. She‘s out now, but finds speaking a bit difficult because she can’t take in a full breath.

 

[Karin1984]

thanks

My district has always had high unemployment, right back since the area was developed back in the 1970's. Basically its a classic example of town planning gone wrong. They built thousands of houses in the 1970's and moved huge numbers of poor families out of the city centre then didn't built any infrastructure for this new town until the 1990's. Over the years, its just become a low income high crime area. We have always had a higher than national average unemployment rate but Covid has just impacted here alot more. People live in this district but work all over Dublin in bars, restaurants and hotels or as office cleaners or other low skilled jobs which are now gone. Before Covid my usual commute was 1 hour each way on a bus , which is typical for most people in this area. The case rates are high because people here rely on public transport in their day to day life, the houses are small and many are multi generational households. People here don't have the luxury of working from home, they either work in factories, retail etc Covid high risk jobs or they are unemployed. The schools are open which is causing huge clusters of Covid, but the people in my district don't have the luxury of home schooling. Many families in this district would not have either the devices, internet access or other resources to home school.

Yeah, without internet access at home, you can't do anything. I know that there are some schools here, who loan laptops to unprivileged students, but then still you need internet.

 

[MommyinHonduras]

Yeah, without internet access at home, you can't do anything. I know that there are some schools here, who loan laptops to unprivileged students, but then still you need internet.

It is a big issue here, Our schools run Mid Feb to Mid November. For most kids here, this year is lost. Internet is expensive to have at home, most do not have tablets or computers anyway (but cell phones are common), all places to access free wifi have been closed until recently (restaurants and parks). They are not even talking about opening school until maybe next Feb, but that is a rumor. So only the families with money had school this year. We are one of them that could afford school for our kids. It is strange as Tink said, I should not feel guilty, but I do feel helpless to help others much during the season where so many have been negatively affected. The reason I talk about travel is because that is what the whole industry is here. Without it there are no jobs for most to go back to.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I haven't really felt like posting updates recently, as the conversations just seemed to be about abstract theories and opinions, and what people think countries should be doing. The reality for many is far from the return to normal, lets all travel and just get on with our lives. Ireland may not be an African developing country but there is a huge wealth divide, the unemployment rate is skyrocketing, we have a huge homeless crisis, and all around me I see the poor just getting poorer, relying on food banks to feed their families.

Gotcha, well all threads go off on tangents one way or another and there's been different types of those on this thread some serious, some fun, some just information about cultures, and some sobering on a different level.

That said I may be speaking for the group (and I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes by doing so) but we all still care about how everyone's situation is going

Continue to update us please

 

[BadPinkTink]

It is a big issue here, Our schools run Mid Feb to Mid November. For most kids here, this year is lost. Internet is expensive to have at home, most do not have tablets or computers anyway (but cell phones are common), all places to access free wifi have been closed until recently (restaurants and parks). They are not even talking about opening school until maybe next Feb, but that is a rumor. So only the families with money had school this year. We are one of them that could afford school for our kids. It is strange as Tink said, I should not feel guilty, but I do feel helpless to help others much during the season where so many have been negatively affected. The reason I talk about travel is because that is what the whole industry is here. Without it there are no jobs for most to go back to.

big hugs to you, I feel both of us share many similarities, even though I am what many may think is a rich country. I just came across this article https://www.medicalindependent.ie/lets-not-rush-to-judgement-and-instead-reflect-on-our-own

"The reason that Covid-19 incidence is highest in some parts of Dublin is not because of house parties. It is because of social inequality and its impact on the social determinants of health.
Many of the essential workers that kept meat in our fridges, bread in our cupboards and keep hospitals and businesses clean and open are working minimum wage jobs, living in cramped “co-living” shared accommodation and dependent on public transport to get them to work.

Their working and living conditions make it harder for them to keep the public health rules and maintain social distancing and make it more likely for them to get infected with Covid-19.

The next time we hear of someone young or poor slipping up and making a mistake, instead of condemning them and virtue signalling about all the sacrifices we ourselves are making, let’s pause and reflect. It is much easier for those of us who live in houses, who can drive to work and who have back gardens where we can meet with friends and social distance with ease. Instead of feeling smug, let’s reflect on how privileged we are and most essentially, we must all do our bit to call on politicians to actively address social inequality and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on those living in poverty so that all have a living wage and safe working and living conditions. "

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Thank you. Hopefully, they’ll make a full recovery.

My dad seems to be doing okay. My stepmom was hospitalized for a few days mostly due to dehydration. She‘s out now, but finds speaking a bit difficult because she can’t take in a full breath.

If you feel comfortable continue to let us know how your family is going, I'm so sorry to hear about your family's situation

 

[bavaria]

Well, let me reply to that and say that my life is not good right now. It's every word I cannot use on this site. A year ago I was living for what many people was a dream life (with of course the usual troubles which I don't share with most people, even in real life, but it was a very good life).

Now go look at the list of the top most stressful life events, and I probably can tick off every single one. I don't share much publicly (or even privately) but I can say with certainty that this is one of the very worst years of my life, despite doing everything I can to make things better. I had to make several sudden decisions with none of us having any idea of the future, and every day I regret decisions I made weeks or months ago.

Then to come here and read from people who have not had very much impact on their jobs, their relationships, their housing, etc and to be judged or told to 'behave' is incredibly frustrating. I've tried to explain how many/most people are not doing well globally, and while I fall into that group, I know that I am still far, far better off than most of the group of us who are so devastatingly impacted by the reaction to the pandemic.

I'm tired of replying to people who cannot seem to envision losing a career/job, a home, having a terminal illness and not being able to get access to the proper care, losing family, and not being able to be with loved ones because of the global situation, and not seeing any hope on the horizon of things improving any time soon. And it's not just me, so many of us are dealing with this because we didn't have the 'normal' lives so many of you are blessed to have.

I know that I can just use the 'ignore' feature but I've never done that in my decades of reading here. I would hope that by now people can be a bit more empathetic and less judgmental and understand that not everyone can live right now the way they want them to live.

I am not looking for sympathy, and I know that I am still much better off than millions, but right now life is not good, and there is very little on the horizon that makes me think that it will be better anytime soon. (And that depends on how much life is left, because for some of us it may not be that long) But I'm not prepared to just sit inside and wait.

 

[Disneylover99]

If you feel comfortable continue to let us know how your family is going, I'm so sorry to hear about your family's situation

Thank you. I will update if there’s anything newsworthy.

I think they’re both out of the woods, but I expect it will take some time for my stepmom to regain her health.

 

[Shellsbutt]

Well, let me reply to that and say that my life is not good right now. It's every word I cannot use on this site. A year ago I was living for what many people was a dream life (with of course the usual troubles which I don't share with most people, even in real life, but it was a very good life).

Now go look at the list of the top most stressful life events, and I probably can tick off every single one. I don't share much publicly (or even privately) but I can say with certainty that this is one of the very worst years of my life, despite doing everything I can to make things better. I had to make several sudden decisions with none of us having any idea of the future, and every day I regret decisions I made weeks or months ago.

Then to come here and read from people who have not had very much impact on their jobs, their relationships, their housing, etc and to be judged or told to 'behave' is incredibly frustrating. I've tried to explain how many/most people are not doing well globally, and while I fall into that group, I know that I am still far, far better off than most of the group of us who are so devastatingly impacted by the reaction to the pandemic.

I'm tired of replying to people who cannot seem to envision losing a career/job, a home, having a terminal illness and not being able to get access to the proper care, losing family, and not being able to be with loved ones because of the global situation, and not seeing any hope on the horizon of things improving any time soon. And it's not just me, so many of us are dealing with this because we didn't have the 'normal' lives so many of you are blessed to have.

I know that I can just use the 'ignore' feature but I've never done that in my decades of reading here. I would hope that by now people can be a bit more empathetic and less judgmental and understand that not everyone can live right now the way they want them to live.

I am not looking for sympathy, and I know that I am still much better off than millions, but right now life is not good, and there is very little on the horizon that makes me think that it will be better anytime soon. (And that depends on how much life is left, because for some of us it may not be that long) But I'm not prepared to just sit inside and wait.

Hugs to you Bavaria I hear you and empathize with you. Please do not stop posting. I really look forward to your posts, you seem to be a very intelligent and insightful person. I hope this pandemic ends soon, it has been devastating for many of us, for many different reasons.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well, let me reply to that and say that my life is not good right now. It's every word I cannot use on this site. A year ago I was living for what many people was a dream life (with of course the usual troubles which I don't share with most people, even in real life, but it was a very good life).

Now go look at the list of the top most stressful life events, and I probably can tick off every single one. I don't share much publicly (or even privately) but I can say with certainty that this is one of the very worst years of my life, despite doing everything I can to make things better. I had to make several sudden decisions with none of us having any idea of the future, and every day I regret decisions I made weeks or months ago.

Then to come here and read from people who have not had very much impact on their jobs, their relationships, their housing, etc and to be judged or told to 'behave' is incredibly frustrating. I've tried to explain how many/most people are not doing well globally, and while I fall into that group, I know that I am still far, far better off than most of the group of us who are so devastatingly impacted by the reaction to the pandemic.

I'm tired of replying to people who cannot seem to envision losing a career/job, a home, having a terminal illness and not being able to get access to the proper care, losing family, and not being able to be with loved ones because of the global situation, and not seeing any hope on the horizon of things improving any time soon. And it's not just me, so many of us are dealing with this because we didn't have the 'normal' lives so many of you are blessed to have.

I know that I can just use the 'ignore' feature but I've never done that in my decades of reading here. I would hope that by now people can be a bit more empathetic and less judgmental and understand that not everyone can live right now the way they want them to live.

I am not looking for sympathy, and I know that I am still much better off than millions, but right now life is not good, and there is very little on the horizon that makes me think that it will be better anytime soon. (And that depends on how much life is left, because for some of us it may not be that long) But I'm not prepared to just sit inside and wait.

I'm the kind of person who internalizes stress until it gets to a point; I'm not there yet but it's still a stressful time, and the holidays coming up will just add so much more to that.

I don't think you're looking for sympathy. This place can be a great sounding board, a way to vent, sometimes in ways one can't to other people. I can't relate to everyone here and everything that some of the posters have dealt with and I certainly can't relate to individuals who are being impacted in some of the ways we've already discussed (child marriage, extreme poverty, and more) that's for sure. I do appreciate gaining all the information I have from everyone here though.

----------------------------------------
I was about to leave for an errand a bit ago (to go to the library to pick up some movies) when my mom texted and asked if I wanted to stop by and pick up some leftovers she had of a meal she made for her and her neighbor last night. Since I was going to be out I said sure. I timed it so I could catch her during her lunch.

I get there and my mom slid some papers across the table at me....voluntary severance offer from her company with a decision needed by November 15th. She's been with the company 39 years (40 in March) and presently works in accounting. The offer was sent to anyone over 55 and has been with the company 5 years or more. If she doesn't accept the severance package there is still a chance (and really people are reading likelihood) of you being let go anyways but without the additional funds. She does have a pension with the company (that ceased to exist for new employees in 2018). My mom starts to cry, then I start to cry (because really it's my mom I don't want to see her cry). She's 62 and retirement age is 66 and 2 months. She planned on retiring with this company. She can start collecting Social Security but loses out on $600/month as she is not of full age. I mentioned on another thread to someone that while my mom is working from home (as was my husband for about 3 1/2 months or so) she lost a portion of her 401K due to the stock market and she doesn't have the decades we presumably have that would allow for a rebuild.

FWIW this company she works for I used to work for. They aren't the nicest company when it comes to layoffs and firings. I knew people who were 6 months from retiring even a person 1 month from retiring and the company fired them. From what my mom knows they did not let go of underperformers first, they opted to the route of getting the higher salaried, pensioned and those who are up in age all of which often goes hand in hand.

She's a wreck now understandably so.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Anyone else concerned about the holiday season?
I just know there will be many family or friend gatherings regardless of local restrictions.

Not worried about gathering with our family for the holidays. We will spend Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays together.

 

[MommyinHonduras]

big hugs to you, I feel both of us share many similarities, even though I am what many may think is a rich country.

My great grandma's family come over from Ireland to the US in the 1895. Hugs back to you I am sure Ireland is more rich than Honduras, but Ireland has had to fight for her people, its been a tough road for what I studied and learned.

 

[NFLDERS]

We just celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving with only our immediate household. Really glad we did. My dad and step mom got their Covid positive test results back right before they were supposed to head out to my sister’s house for dinner.

So that was a sobering reminder for us not to mix and mingle. We’ll just have a quiet Christmas.

Praying their Covid illness is not too complicated. My one Dsil
was taken by ambulance to Hamilton General yesterday. She was admitted as Covid probable, my brother is self isolating at home.

 

[NFLDERS]

I'm the kind of person who internalizes stress until it gets to a point; I'm not there yet but it's still a stressful time, and the holidays coming up will just add so much more to that.

I don't think you're looking for sympathy. This place can be a great sounding board, a way to vent, sometimes in ways one can't to other people. I can't relate to everyone here and everything that some of the posters have dealt with and I certainly can't relate to individuals who are being impacted in some of the ways we've already discussed (child marriage, extreme poverty, and more) that's for sure. I do appreciate gaining all the information I have from everyone here though.

----------------------------------------
I was about to leave for an errand a bit ago (to go to the library to pick up some movies) when my mom texted and asked if I wanted to stop by and pick up some leftovers she had of a meal she made for her and her neighbor last night. Since I was going to be out I said sure. I timed it so I could catch her during her lunch.

I get there and my mom slid some papers across the table at me....voluntary severance offer from her company with a decision needed by November 15th. She's been with the company 39 years (40 in March) and presently works in accounting. The offer was sent to anyone over 55 and has been with the company 5 years or more. If she doesn't accept the severance package there is still a chance (and really people are reading likelihood) of you being let go anyways but without the additional funds. She does have a pension with the company (that ceased to exist for new employees in 2018). My mom starts to cry, then I start to cry (because really it's my mom I don't want to see her cry). She's 62 and retirement age is 66 and 2 months. She planned on retiring with this company. She can start collecting Social Security but loses out on $600/month as she is not of full age. I mentioned on another thread to someone that while my mom is working from home (as was my husband for about 3 1/2 months or so) she lost a portion of her 401K due to the stock market and she doesn't have the decades we presumably have that would allow for a rebuild.

FWIW this company she works for I used to work for. They aren't the nicest company when it comes to layoffs and firings. I knew people who were 6 months from retiring even a person 1 month from retiring and the company fired them. From what my mom knows they did not let go of underperformers first, they opted to the route of getting the higher salaried, pensioned and those who are up in age all of which often goes hand in hand.

She's a wreck now understandably so.

Our eldest son may soon be in similar shoes as your mother. He is 49 years young, 27ish years with the company. He is keeping an eye out for a reputable Severance Lawyer, because it is believed companies here are unjustifiably letting employees go to rehire bottom of the wage, benefit scale entry level employees, and using Covid19 as the reason... sigh.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Our eldest son may soon be in similar shoes as your mother. He is 49 years young, 27ish years with the company. He is keeping an eye out for a reputable Severance Lawyer, because it is believed companies here are unjustifiably letting employees go to rehire bottom of the wage, benefit scale entry level employees, and using Covid19 as the reason... sigh.

Oh yeah cheap(er) labor is the name of the game. This company in question did this actually when I got hired. The training class a month before mine majority was just out of college grads just like myself and after that most of the new hires were that way. Younger employees often mean less pay and less investment long term.

That same company was actually sued by the Department of Labor (DOL) for lost wages because the practice used to be to have employees start up their computers to get the programs running before their shift started. The DOL said they were completing work and should have been paid for it. An agreement to estimate back pay for a long time period and give people checks was done and after that they went to a system where you were paid by the minute. If I had to guess because of the lawsuit the company has worked closely to ensure they aren't doing anything illegal in my mom's case but who really knows. I think it's possible age discrimination but even if nothing illegal is going on it's still shady and

Please send good vibes from me to your son I hope for a good outcome for him, I truly do And I just hate the thought of using COVID as an excuse ya know?

 

[mommasita]

Praying their Covid illness is not too complicated. My one Dsil
was taken by ambulance to Hamilton General yesterday. She was admitted as Covid probable, my brother is self isolating at home.

Best wishes-for your DSIL, and I hope and pray your brother stays healthy

 

[mommasita]

Thank you. I will update if there’s anything newsworthy.

I think they’re both out of the woods, but I expect it will take some time for my stepmom to regain her health.

keeping them both in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[mommasita]

Anyone else concerned about the holiday season?
I just know there will be many family or friend gatherings regardless of local restrictions.

I am worried yes. I think this will cause further spikes at a terrible time.
We no longer celebrate, so no worry for gatherings here, but we generally travel, and the sadness about it has me crying daily,

 

[Karin1984]

From the Netherlands, we are in our second wave, but our statistics agency has calculated that in week 39/40 (late September) 200 people more passed away than normally. However, from week 41 the figures are decreasing, still more people dying than average, but less than during the first wave.
According to the agency in the first wave about 10.000 people died in NL, which is about double of a severe flu season.
Also another reason for the lower figures in deaths are: the weakest have already passed away.

But in more cheerful news: Russia is spreading the rumour that the Oxford vaccin is turning people into monkeys!
I mean, come on, Russia! If you want people to buy your vaccin instead of 'ours', please come up with something good!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

@Karin1984 I don't know what reaction I should have with your comment so I'll just do it this way:

for the death part

And

for the Russia part, what will they come up with next? And really turning people into monkeys!?