Plague Diary

[Cramulus]

Westchester NY is beginning to reopen tomorrow 

honestly, having trouble processing it

I've had my mental energy reserve set to the "we aren't even halfway through this" setting, and I've never adjusted it. I have been living life one day at a time and not thinking too hard about the future. Now restaurants and businesses are reopening? look, I'm not gonna be on the front lines, but I am very grateful that the end of the first wave may be in sight.

[Juana]

The shelter in place order is lifting on Tuesday here. I strongly doubt any of us in the US are at the end if the first wave.

[altered]

Yeah. We’re not even at the proper peak of the first wave, near as I can tell.

[Cramulus]

Over here in NY, we are past the first-wave hump. (see attached graph) We're probably further along than many parts of the country.

The metrics for reopening in NY are:

• Decline in Total Hospitalizations - hospitalization must have been continually declining for 2 weeks. (regions also pass this criteria if they maintain fewer than 15 hospitalizations)
• Decline in Deaths during a 2 week period. If there are spikes, the criteria is failed.
• New Hospitalizations - it’s possible for a region that has seen a high level of infections – for example, New York City – to see a sustained decline in hospitalizations and deaths over a 14-day period, while still having an underlying infection rate that is too high to allow for a safe phased re-opening. Therefore, there needs to be fewer than two new hospitalizations per 100,000 residents (measured on a three-day rolling average)

Westchester NY (where I live, just outside of NYC) used to be the second-worst hit county in the USA... we had a spike on March 5th, but we've been declining continually since then. Gov Cuomo says we can start the phased reopening today.

This doesn't mean that we're in the clear, but it means that we're about as safe as we can be prior to a vaccine coming out.

In NY, the rate of infection amongst essential workers is lower than the infection rate for the general population [citation]), meaning that PPE works. This tells us that "low-risk" businesses could reopen without creating a spike.

[Juana]

I'm glad the data backs you guys opening up! Is the mask order still in place?

Those of you on Facebook with me have already seen the post I shared but at least there's this for us bc we've been open two days now.

Fresno: "only God can tell me to stay inside!"
God: "here's four days of +100° a month early. Enjoy."

[Cramulus]

I'm glad the data backs you guys opening up! Is the mask order still in place?

Yeah, we still need to mask before entering any business. Many businesses require curbside pickup. That was normal for restaurants, but now it's also the same for like, cell phone stores... you can call in, talk to the person etc, buy the product, but then you need to wait outside the store for them to come out and hand it to you. Not clear what exactly IS allowed to open right now, but am starting to see more traffic.

[minuspace]

Political economy of shit-flinging is escalating on one of the domestic fronts in which I can mostly function only as a spectator. Bad actors in bad faith abusing a bunch of old ladies with intimidation, threats, law-suits, violent language and constant  disruption of peace way into the morning. Shitty, shitty people right from the start. Had to step-in a few times; can’t do that no more... exposing myself, retail... so, here I go, complaining and shit in some sort of twisted karmic groove because I thought Memorial Day would be nice to go out into the sun for a second. That, or it’s the covid talking.

[Juana]

There were fifteen deaths since Friday and ten were today. It's been a little over two weeks since my town opened and all ten were here. SURPRISE!

[Doktor Howl]

We now have 16 confirmed cases at work and one death.

Thanks a lot, Governor Ducey, you spineless fucking flatworm.

[Cramulus]

We now have 16 confirmed cases at work and one death.

Thanks a lot, Governor Ducey, you spineless fucking flatworm.

what the fuuuuuuuck

Jesus Christos, that's horrible


I sure hope you're taking that hydroxy

[Juana]

I'm just waiting for it to start rampaging through the ranks of people like that. I think that's all we can do at this point (unless I guess Minneapolis's and LA's strategy gets wide adoption).

[Doktor Howl]

We now have 16 confirmed cases at work and one death.

Thanks a lot, Governor Ducey, you spineless fucking flatworm.

what the fuuuuuuuck

Jesus Christos, that's horrible


I sure hope you're taking that hydroxy

Nope.  My section is wearing full-face respirators and soaking everything in bleach.

[Cainad (dec.)]

Today and yesterday were my first days working outside the house (not in the office, outdoors) since mid-March

INSTANTLY scorched the back of my neck lobster-red because I haven't had any time in the sun to build up my usual tan

New Jersey, despite being a land of absolute fuckers who will fuck up your shit, you fuck, as well as Italians, has had almost total mask compliance in every store I've been in for the past two months. People here actually give a shit, although they'll kill for saying so.

I've been maintaining my connection to outside world mainly by participating in a mutual aid project, because lol socializm.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Malden is at 76 deaths as of today. Nearby Chelsea is even harder hit.

[Freeky]

june 1-2, 2020

the boi is entering their 'fight me' phase of adolescence. they're not allowed to go play with the neighbor kids, because none of them practice social distancing and none of them wear masks. he flounced out of my room, only to later come back and apologize for calling me stupid. i hadn't heard him in the first place. hearing is going p quick, i guess that'll help me keep my cool in the coming years.

we were well off in may - douchey is absolutely a douche in every way possible, but he secured the poor and recently jobless the extra funds to eat solid meals, plural, every day. i remain skeptical that it was a political move, because when you're hungry, you remember who will hand over a sandwich for nothing for a long, long time, and forgive far more than that sandwich was probably worth in the long run.

there's been Things happening, a new disaster set in the new normal, and my phone somehow became N E T W O R K   L O C K E D at 2am. i don't know if it's the all nighter talking crazy, or if smth gross is afoot.