How has Coronavirus impacted your life and your lifestyle?

[Swanky]

Hi!
To help keep from veering off topic or towards politics, here’s a reminder of the topic of the thread:

“Being this is a fashion driven forum, I am curious as to how this has impacted your lifestyle. Are you still buying purses, shoes or any high-end luxury items? How have you prepared and how do you plan to pass the next year of your life?”

There's other threads to discuss variants, deaths, etc... and as always we don't allow politics on tPF

 

[foosy]

I have been very active amongst friends trying to convey the dangers looming with the imminent spread of the Coronavirus. Initially i got resistance and skepticism but I believe that it is starting to sink in. It is not a question of panic, rather of preparedness, both logistical and mental.
We have already changed our lifestyle, canceling all our entertainment and vacations. Even meetings with friends have been significantly reduced. As of last week we moved to working from home.

I think that here in the US, now that they finally decided on massive testing, we are going to realize that many of us are sick and even more are carriers. All this requires planning because it is going to impact not only our routines but our loved ones.

Being this is a fashion driven forum, I am curious as to how this has impacted your lifestyle. Are you still buying purses, shoes or any high-end luxury items? How have you prepared and how do you plan to pass the next year of your life?

 

[Cat.A]

I’m Italian and it’s very hard the situation in my country right now. We can’t go out unless for working, going to the supermarket or for medical reasons. We have to stay home, there are strict rules to respect and, if you don’t, you will get in trouble.
I work as a teacher and schools are closed, we are doing online lessons from home. Libraries, shops, restaurants... everything is closed and we are waiting for the situation to become better.
I know people who are sick but they cannot be helped because they are not in too bad condition compared to other ones, so they have to stay home, check the situation and wait.
Streets are desert, we have to be far from each other minimum 1m and, when we meet, we watch suspiciously to each other.
I feel good in health but my soul is sick, I feel sad and depressed. I miss my routine, I don’t have a lifestyle right now, we live like shadows behind the doors.
I’m just wondering if this disease should teach us as human beings something, maybe we are doing wrong and it’s time to learn from difficulties to become better... I don’t know.
I’m most of the time speechless.

 

[MmeM124]

I’m Italian and it’s very hard the situation in my country right now. We can’t go out unless for working, going to the supermarket or for medical reasons. We have to stay home, there are strict rules to respect and, if you don’t, you will get in trouble.
I work as a teacher and schools are closed, we are doing online lessons from home. Libraries, shops, restaurants... everything is closed and we are waiting for the situation to become better.
I know people who are sick but they cannot be helped because they are not in too bad condition compared to other ones, so they have to stay home, check the situation and wait.
Streets are desert, we have to be far from each other minimum 1m and, when we meet, we watch suspiciously to each other.
I feel good in health but my soul is sick, I feel sad and depressed. I miss my routine, I don’t have a lifestyle right now, we live like shadows behind the doors.
I’m just wondering if this disease should teach us as human beings something, maybe we are doing wrong and it’s time to learn from difficulties to become better... I don’t know.
I’m most of the time speechless.

I appreciate hearing your experience. I think Americans have changed their tune relatively quickly and some places are being more proactive. We just closed all our schools today for three weeks. However my brother is in California and his school is still open. I hope it is a federal call soon. He teaches special ed and there are many vulnerable children there. And above all all our lovely children are vectors for the disease even if they aren’t at risk themselves. At least we have some technology to help! In bocca al lupo!

 

[Christofle]

I’m having issues in Canada with groceries (some store are sold out and will be closing their doors till they can restock). There’s barely any cases here but people are going crazy and hoarding food supplies. It would be a great time to be a grocery store owner.

 

[Morgan_Bellini]

I live in the USA and I didn't think it was a big deal until I went grocery shopping today. It was a nightmare! All of the toilet paper, soap, cleaners, and disinfectants were sold out as well as canned soup, rice, bread, flour, canned fruit and vegetables, pasta, pasta sauces, frozen pizzas, and meat. I saw a store employee filling her cart and had a small discussion with her: she has 6 kids and can't get good groceries for them because people are hoarding food and supplies. And then some people are buying up all these items only to price gouge those of us who didn't panic and now can't get basic necessities. So I ended up buying $300 worth of whatever I could find in the store not because I'm worried about the virus but because I'm worried we'll actually run out of food. Schools and churches are closed, my company has cancelled any travel plans, meetings, or gatherings and those who can work from home are encouraged to do so. Employees are calling in sick, so those of us who do show up for work have so much more to do. This is crazy! I've never seen anything like it. I wasn't even remotely nervous until today but I think it's the panic I see in others that scares me the most.

 

[Tuned83]

I am a GP in London and today I had to do most of my consultations by telephone. According to our scientists we are 14 days behind Italy. Our NHS as fantastic a service as it is, is still buckling under winter pressures. We know we are not ready for it to get worse but we know it will. It has been so stressful being in the front line with this over the last few weeks. 2 weeks ago I had to abandon a consultation, leave the patient in the room to call public health england. Thankfully she was swabbed and it was negative. We are bad at social distancing. Leicester Square is packed as I type this now despite this disease ravaging people. I wish everyone well and I pray we can all stay safe and well. I have absolutely no desire to shop. I don't feel up to it.

 

[Hotsauna]

I'm from Sweden and I feel like our government has a very naive view of this virus and undermining what is happening in Italy. It feels like they're waiting for the big bomb to drop until they do something at all and letting the citizens have the biggest responsibility for their own safety. We only get recommendations and advice on what to do but no clear directives so of course people are semi-panicking and emptying shelves in the bigger super markets.

As of yesterday the government decided to stop testing people coming in to the hospitals and now only tests the people that are at high risk like medical personnel or people that are extra susceptible to the virus (example elderly people with underlying disease and people with serious illnesses). So we can't know how many that are really infected.

As for OP question, no I don't spend money on purses or highend items at this time.

@Cat.A I wish you and your countrymen a speedy recovery and that it doesn't get worse. Sending you my thoughts and prayers.

 

[mrs.JC]

Admittedly, I was skeptical in the beginning... but the nonstop coverage (and learning recently that my boss' boss got stuck on a cruise) made me realize that things might be different this time and it would be wise to get some groceries. I went to the store today after work and bought what I thought was a reasonable amount to last two people a month or so. The lady in front of me had--I kid you not--an entire wagon full of tuna and sardine cans of every flavor. Literally hundreds of canned tuna/sardines. Her wagon was so heavy it took both her and her daughter to push it around.

All the bread and flour was gone, including the peanut butter and mayo and spreads. All of the spam and corned beef was gone. Stuffing, noodles, mac n' cheese, meat, eggs. Cleaning supplies, toilet paper... I saw a family where each member had their own cart full of stuff. I honestly couldn't believe it. It felt like I was in the beginning of a zombie movie.

I'm not even scared of the virus. I'm scared of not being able to get food because of people hoarding/everyone emptying shelves from sheer panic. I'm worried about my job possibly being affected. I'm terrified that we all have to live in this paranoid/fearful state for the foreseeable future.

 

[Morgan_Bellini]

I am a GP in London and today I had to do most of my consultations by telephone. According to our scientists we are 14 days behind Italy. Our NHS as fantastic a service as it is, is still buckling under winter pressures. We know we are not ready for it to get worse but we know it will. It has been so stressful being in the front line with this over the last few weeks. 2 weeks ago I had to abandon a consultation, leave the patient in the room to call public health england. Thankfully she was swabbed and it was negative. We are bad at social distancing. Leicester Square is packed as I type this now despite this disease ravaging people. I wish everyone well and I pray we can all stay safe and well. I have absolutely no desire to shop. I don't feel up to it.

Please forgive my ignorance, but why is coronavirus any different or worse than the flu? It appears to affect the same demographic of people as the normal flu (elderly and/or those with underlying health conditions), and so far has a lower fatality rate than the normal flu, from what I've read. I'm genuinely having a hard time understanding the severity of it.

 

[mmajolica]

I’m having issues in Canada with groceries (some store are sold out and will be closing their doors till they can restock). There’s barely any cases here but people are going crazy and hoarding food supplies. It would be a great time to be a grocery store owner.

The issue with Canada is that they've ONLY been testing people with a travel history, so the official numbers are likely lower than the actual number because it's virtually impossible that there hasn't been community transmission at this point. I've heard of many people exhibiting characteristic symptoms of the virus and have been refused tests. The hoarding is crazy, but you have to remain vigilant.

 

[Hotsauna]

... I'm scared of not being able to get food because of people hoarding/everyone emptying shelves from sheer panic...

This.

 

[babypanda]

Please forgive my ignorance, but why is coronavirus any different or worse than the flu? It appears to affect the same demographic of people as the normal flu (elderly and/or those with underlying health conditions), and so far has a lower fatality rate than the normal flu, from what I've read. I'm genuinely having a hard time understanding the severity of it.

This is different than the flu on many levels
1- it is not influenza virus
2- it’s a new virus in humans, which means noone is immune (no vaccines, no previous contacts) so it’s spreading super fast
3- mortality is 3 to 6% depending on the countries while flu mortality is 0.1%
4- risk of having a severe respiratory distress is high, which means needing ICU and there aren’t enough rooms and machines in the hospitals to cater for everyone
Basically the medical system is overwhelmed and if it continues to spread this fast a lot of people will die from lack of access to proper treatment. They are trying to slow the spread so they can treat everyone. Please read the article I’m attaching and help spread awareness
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ne...now-stop-killing-people-opinion-1491797?amp=1

 

[Morgan_Bellini]

This is different than the flu on many levels
1- it is not influenza virus
2- it’s a new virus in humans, which means noone is immune (no vaccines, no previous contacts) so it’s spreading super fast
3- mortality is 3 to 6% depending on the countries while flu mortality is 0.1%
4- risk of having a severe respiratory distress is high, which means needing ICU and there aren’t enough rooms and machines in the hospitals to cater for everyone
Basically the medical system is overwhelmed and if it continues to spread this fast a lot of people will die from lack of access to proper treatment. They are trying to slow the spread so they can treat everyone. Please read the article I’m attaching and help spread awareness
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/young-unafraid-coronavirus-pandemic-good-you-now-stop-killing-people-opinion-1491797?amp=1

That makes a lot of sense, thank you!

 

[corgimom11]

It feels like a big wake up call to me this week. I have been lucky in that I was able to get a couple of weeks of food prepared, so I am not so worried about that. I am more worried about the stability of mine & DH jobs at the moment more than anything. DH is still required to go into work, which worries me as he still has co-workers traveling all over like it is no big deal. But we think he is a couple of business days from a work-from-home/shut down. They did notify him that they would pay him for the duration of shut down, which is a relief.

I work in technology, but I primarily consult and work for pharmaceutical companies, who are quite frankly accelerating, not slowing down, in this climate. Therefore, our leadership asked as part of their business continuity plan that I would be one of those asked to self-quarantine to help to ensure I am well and ready to assist our clients. We can serve and do our operations 100% remotely, thank goodness. My self-quarantine was effective today... although I am not sure I am truly prepared on an emotional level to be at home for this long as it is just such a complete 180 from my traditional lifestyle (generally traveling all over the world as part of my work).

 

[Cavalier Girl]

My granddaughter is in New Zealand for her semester abroad. There are only 6 cases in the entire country, and the university where she's studying is still holding classes. However, her home university in the US is requiring all students to return home. I'm far more worried about her flying home (a trip that takes 30 hours including airport layovers) than her staying in NZ. But, she has no choice, she must come home, and is likely to lose her credits. I'm so disappointed in her US university for not giving her more support.