How is everything affecting you personally? Making changes? Status quo? Too soon to tell?

[wenrob]

My DH doesn’t have the type of job where he can work from home but fortunately their site is only manned by six people and half of the time he is on shift alone. He also has plenty of PTO, vacation and sick pay if he were to have to take time off. No danger of him getting laid off. We will be fine for now.

My DD 23 on the other hand moved her whole life to Seattle a month and a half ago. She has a contract with her job and a lease and is only getting one shift next week. They have a whole ten people in their hotel right now. She’s kind of stuck, breaking the contract and lease would cost her thousands but she’s worried she won’t be able to pay her bills. She has some savings and we’re going to help her as much as we can but she might have to make some hard decisions in the near future. I’m just glad my gut told me to keep her on our insurance. My biggest worry for her is depression. She’s all alone out there.

 

[OKW8297]

I am working home from work daily instead of one day a week. We are bringing our son home from college Sunday. He’s finishing the semester online. We have a Disney trip scheduled in 2 months......or do we?

 

[rotlex]

My company went full work from home\remote\telecommute as of this past Wednesday. I work for a large insurance company and am in IT. I normally work from home on Friday's. As of today, the 13th, we don't officially go back to the office until April 1st.

 

[morgan98]

Well, I really feel like I have been living it since February 23rd or so when my husband boarded a plane for Italy. He was there and got back late Monday night, right after Italy closed the country...lol. He/we are doing the right thing and self quarantining. I can work from home (although don't like to everyday) and my employer thought that it made sense out of abundance of caution. So here I am. I am also part of the leadership team and am sitting in a couple of COVID-19 task forces for my employer, primarily due to the fact that I have been following the situation very closely for several weeks.

Yesterday, was the day I was supposed to fly to Milan and meet my husband. Needless to say that is cancelled. I have no other travel scheduled at this time. I was hoping to have family drive here for Easter, but who knows at this point?

I did go and buy more than two weeks of food and wine on Monday evening, when I knew I would be at home. Since then things continue to unfold here. I am in Atlanta, metro schools have all closed until pretty much the beginning of April. We don't have children, but that will most definitely impact everyone that does in terms of having to work from home, etc.

Our office is in a skyscraper downtown. They keep us posted daily on potential cases in the building etc. So far, so good on that front.

 

[Kitty 34]

How is everything effecting me personally? Well.........
I made a personal decision not to go to our casino for awhile.
I have to admit I am worrying much more now about my lung disease and my meds that go with it. I hate being a worry wort so this is rather new and tiring.
One of my sons and DIL were going to visit this weekend but we all made the same decision for them not to.
If I was still subbing with the schools here in Michigan closing for 3 weeks; I would have $$ issues so am glad I 'm retired.

I'm glad I have the DIS right now........

 

[Jennasis]

Business as usual here. Farm life continues. DHs office still going. Staying calm cool collected.

 

[Micca]

Things are pretty normal around here. I'm retired and mostly prefer to be at home anyway, DW works from home so no big changes there. Our biggest impact will be if the schools stay closed after spring break next week. Then the grandkids would be spending more time here, which is great but they'll get bored. We have a Disney trip coming but I wouldn't be surprised if that gets postponed. It's nice to have Dis-ers to commiserate with.

 

[JediBonas]

My son was rushed to the ER on Wednesday due to an asthma attack at school. After being discharged we went to make the follow-up appointment with his pediatrician - they won't see anyone in their office with any respiratory problems (he is NOT sick). So now, instead of going there if we believe he needs more steriods, we are required to take him back to the ER, with all the sick people we're TRYING to keep him away from. I had to cancel plans last night that I've been looking forward to for weeks because someone there was near someone who is currently being tested for the coronavirus and I just can't take that risk with him. I'm 99% sure I'm going to start working from home since quite a few people in my office travel down to NYC regularly.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Of course I’m making changes. I’m being as responsible socially as is in my power. We aren’t leaving the house for anything except things needed to live. My husband is working from home, no more gym trips or classes for us. I’ve canceled/postponed all travel plans.

No I’m not hysterical. I’m doing my part, as we all should.

 

[AlohaNow]

We had no spring break travel plans so nothing to cancel there. I’m busy planning our July camping trip. We were going to attend a fish fry tonight, but that was cancelled yesterday. We off-shore one of DH’s diabetes meds and he placed his typical order for a 90-day supply just a bit earlier than usual. My parent’s continuing care facility down in Texas is limited to essential visits only, which makes sense. (They are both healthy and have never been in the ‘continuing’ part.) I just started a contract gig last month and there is no work from home provision here at the company. I take the train downtown every day and so far there has been no decrease in ridership. DH is a one-man office, so he might go in to check the mail, but otherwise can be totally remote. My teenagers are now off school for the next two weeks. Our statewide case count is 49 as of today and about half of those are in our metro area.

At dinner last night we commented that if you watch the news, you’d think the world was ending. But if you go out into the world, most everything just seems normal.

 

[Farro]

Of course I’m making changes. I’m being as responsible socially as is in my power. We aren’t leaving the house for anything except things needed to live. My husband is working from home, no more gym trips or classes for us. I’ve canceled/postponed all travel plans.

No I’m not hysterical. I’m doing my part, as we all should.

We aren't quarantining ourselves as so far we aren't sick.

We will go out to dinner if we want to, take precautions, patronize our local businesses while practicing social distancing. It's not hard, restaurants are empty so you definitely can sit 6 feet apart. I trust the staff at restaurants to be safe as we've gotten so many emails from our local places outlining their plans for sanitizing, etc.
Still have to take CTA.
Having a few people over Sunday.

My elderly parents are staying home (supposedly) and we aren't visiting for a bit.

And if we get it anyways, then that's what happens. We are 46, healthy, hopefully we will be okay.

 

[Farro]

I sure do feel for all of you with kids and the ensuing boredom! Is it warm enough to play outside yet? Or I guess they have computers and video games.

 

[wvjules]

Same with us. Cancelling a Disney trip planned for over a year combined with the stress/uncertainty of the craziness around us is very depressing... My biggest concern isn't my health, but how this country is ever going to dig out of this economically.

We will recover. This is all just temporary.

 

[RedAngie]

DH and I are thinking of cancelling our vacation to Naples/Marco Island, Florida scheduled for March 28. Flying Southwest to Ft Myers so those funds can be used until mid-January 2021. American Airlines on the way back and I'm not sure of their cancellation/change policies. The hotels can be cancelled up to 72 hours in advance without forfeiting the deposits.

We'll wait and see for another week before deciding, but it's increasing looking like a no-go. Just like someone mentioned here or in another thread, even if we go I don't think we'll be able to enjoy it.

 

[JimMIA]

At the moment, it's business as usual for us although we have a ton of things in the watch and wait mode.

DD's high school spring break is in two weeks. There was talk of moving it up, or maybe doing two weeks, but they decided not to. We're concerned about her Prom and graduation in May.

Our biggest concerns right now are a whole string of trips we have scheduled in April, May, and June -- a Keys trip with relatives, Grad Bash to Universal Orlando (almost certainly not happening), elderly not-well relatives coming in for graduation, college orientation for both DD and us, and finally a bucket-list 2 week Alaska trip (through Seattle ) in June.

I suspect most of those trips will not happen. The Keys trip is still on, but the others are very doubtful in my mind. We're gonna take some hits from canceled airfares and Airbnb unless something changes.

The other big concern is Grandma, who is 92 with a medical history that simply says, "All of the above." She's disabled, but able to stay at home with abundant home care help. The problem with that is that it only takes one sick person to put her at risk.

 

[JimMIA]

DH and I are thinking of cancelling our vacation to Naples/Marco Island, Florida scheduled for March 28. Flying Southwest to Ft Myers so those funds can be used until mid-January 2021. American Airlines on the way back and I'm not sure of their cancellation/change policies. The hotels can be cancelled up to 72 hours in advance without forfeiting the deposits.

We'll wait and see for another week before deciding, but it's increasing looking like a no-go. Just like someone mentioned here or in another thread, even if we go I don't think we'll be able to enjoy it.

With American, it might help to mention to them that the only two deaths in Florida so far occurred in Ft. Myers. There are also three active cases in Collier County and one additional person under investigation in Ft. Myers.

Here's a link to the Florida Department of Health site with the latest official status reports:

http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19/index.html

 

[Halloweenqueen]

We are supposed to be sitting in Maui right now. I decided to keep my vacation days this week to grieve. lol I'll go back either Sunday or Monday. I work remotely, so this doesn't change my routine. I am worried about how this is going to play out in the months ahead. The company I work for has unlimited overtime right now due to the outbreak, but I can see thinks grinding to a halt soon as more folks decide not to travel. I'm in charge of training new employees and I bet there will be announcement of a hiring freeze soon. This really hurts as I make the majority of my income in the Spring.

My college kids have or will be returning home for Spring break and will not be returning for in class instruction for the rest of the school year. My youngest is in high school and the school board is deciding when to close today. They already told us to prepare.

I understand that some folks believe these are extreme measures, but I'm at ground zero here and it is bad. This is spreading fast and our government is doing everything in its power to suppress the numbers. My bf's husband is a doctor of infectious diseases and their entire family has symptoms. There are no test kits to confirm here. I have symptoms now, as does my husband and daughter. Folks saying they are not in the risk group have their heads in the sand. Italy is seeing younger healthy folks get this. Just because you may not die from it doesn't mean you can't pass on and give someone an agonizing death. Folks have to stop being selfish.

One of my favorite Disney vloggers rushed to the parks today. She has a respiratory condition that she often needs treatment for. I couldn't believe she would take such risks, especially since she has a multi-generational household. I couldn't cancel my Patreon subscription fast enough. Just wait for the Gofundmes and super chat requests from people who didn't take precautions.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

On Wednesday morning, my mother and I went to Target and Costco. At Target, the woman in front of us had a cart piled full of TP, wipes, and water. The cashier (politely) asked her if she'd seen the limit of 6 "per variety" and the woman snapped, "I don't have 6 of anything." Which she didn't...she had 4-5 of one type of TP, then 4-5 of another, 4-5 of another...she had 6 of each brand of wipes, 6 of each type of water (8 oz. bottles, 16 oz. bottles, and so on), etc. She spent well over $200 just on those items. Then at Costco, there was a line to get in (which I've NEVER seen). People swarmed the display of disinfectant wipes that was up front. Then in the back, there was a line to get paper towels (they were already out of TP). Thankfully we had already bought what we needed in TP and meat, so we could stay away. Now today I hear that the meat counter has been cleaned out.

Yesterday I got an email that our library would be closing "indefinitely" at 5 p.m., so I ran over to get myself some new books and renew my son's (as they were due this coming Tuesday). A little after 4 p.m., it was announced that schools were closing, even though AT THE TIME, there were no affected towns near us (as of this morning, there is one definite case in a town to our north and a possibility in one a few towns over). I thought for sure my son's preschool (at a church) would be closed, as they follow the town, but surprisingly they stayed open today. They didn't have many kids, however; my son and one other girl were the only ones who showed up from their class. They did have several other kids from the other classes, though. At pick-up, the director was at the door, handing out letters, and we got a chance to chat. She'd called the Early Childhood Office and got the go-ahead to stay open, as many parents use it as day care, too. She says they are doing extra cleaning, they are all washing their hands more often (teachers are doing it with the children), they've called off visitors, etc.

DH still has to work. He's a loan servicing officer for a credit union. Apparently they can't work from home - something to do with client confidentiality and the files that they work with. Luckily it's not a big operation and hopefully everyone will remain healthy.

I will admit that I've been making jokes - one of my favorites has been to quote the "Bring out your dead" cart scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail - but that's because if I don't, I'm going to lose my mind. Seriously. I already have severe anxiety and depression, and this is making it worse. Not the specter of the illness itself, but the hysteria surrounding it. Last night, I did lose it. Crying, shaking, yelling, the whole 9 yards. I can't get away from it; it's all that's on the news, social media, the radio, people are talking about it...I just needed to let it out.

 

[hellow]

**Please do not lecture me on how we HAVE to "flatten the curve" at all costs and what I think does not matter**

There are unintended consequences of every decision made to solve a country-wide problem. I have lived in areas where there was seasonal work (fishing/logging). Those counties had the highest alcoholism rates and domestic violence rates in the state. People NEED work, not only for their financial stability but to feel they have a purpose. The entire country has already been bombarded with fears of financial ruin and instability for over a month. I really hope everyone who is home LIMITS their News viewing to no more than 1 hour per day. I also hope people who are being forced to hunker down can find hobbies or home projects to keep them busy and spend less time ruminating online about this.

I work in a middle school. I can tell you that the kids I work with are hysterical with fear after hearing every conversation be about the Coronavirus. PLEASE comfort your kids but don't spend hours talking about this with all the statistics that scare everyone, but really have no basis in fact. Even the often touted "death rate" is not accurate without more information (the denominator).

So many times we want to solve the problem of the latest "bogey man" and we make decisions that just move the problem elsewhere. Keep that in mind when you are talking to others that are struggling with the whole "flatten the curve" plan. We need to take care of each other, not debate things to death.

 

[AlohaNow]

I will admit that I've been making jokes - one of my favorites has been to quote the "Bring out your dead" cart scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail - but that's because if I don't, I'm going to lose my mind.

Some of the recent memes are hysterical, I must say. We need something to laugh at right now!