Corona strikes

On By EstherIn In the news, Real life

Yesterday at work, at just after 3pm, everyone was watching the TV news for breaking Corona virus news here in The Netherlands…

All large gatherings of over 100 people are cancelled till the end of the month and people are encouraged to work from home as much as possible. This means no more handball for my son for the rest of the month, no more soccer for my daughter (both are very bummed about that!) and no David Bowie Lazarus musical for Mr Esther and me at the end of the month. I work at an Applied Sciences University and all educational activities have been cancelled, so no students and teachers at work today and for the rest of the month. I did come in today for an IT coaching session I am giving for two people but the normally full office where I sit looks like this today…

03

The decision may come to close the school completely, also for all support services, so it is possible that I will be working from home for the rest of the month starting next week. Let’s just hope all of this helps to keep people safe and healthy!

59 thoughts on “Corona strikes”

  1. Esther oh.. I’m sorry about the musical and your children’s sports activities. There’s a fundraiser tomorrow night at my nieces school and I wonder if that will be canceled
    Just hmm no words for what is happening 😳🤔😢

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      1. It is that way here as well..Its not that this virus is worse tan others, its a new one with no known way to treat it….The deaths are unfortunately are those immune compromised, the elderly and the young children, containing it is the best course of action…Be safe, be careful everyone……….hugs

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        1. Yeah, I can imagine! Although here they haven’t closed down primary and middle schools yet. They say it’s because “Primary schools, secondary schools, secondary vocational schools (MBO) and childcare centres will remain open as usual. This, the government says, is because children and young people are not high-risk groups and closing schools would have a major impact on society without contributing significantly to reducing the spread of coronavirus.”
          (https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/03/what-the-new-coronavirus-measures-in-the-netherlands-mean-for-you/). The reasoning is also that if kids stay at home, their parents of course will too and then the emergency services can not be fully staffed. I wonder if that reasoning will hold up.

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    2. Servetus

      I don’t feel like I’m being protected specifically, but I hope that the measures help us protect the most vulnerable.

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      1. That is much more in my mind than my own health. I felt uncomfortable that my very elderly in-laws were in town yesterday and visited. They are part of a generation that says “don’t make a fuss, it’ll be alright, we’ve been through the war” – and that’s the wrong approach. I’m glad my mother, although much less vulnerable than them, is more careful.

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    3. squirrel.0072

      and (asymptomatic healthy carrier especially children case) have to protect the people in contact around them (elder grandpa grandma, ill persons…)

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  4. Servetus

    I think our public health people are resigned to widespread infections but hoping they can keep people who are acutely ill from basically tanking the hospitals.

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      1. Servetus

        I think it depends a lot on how many people actually stay home. I was sitting in the hall last night listening to the chatter before my last lecture and a lot of students were [coughs politely] not planning that. I also think that a lot of people will stay home for a few days and then get bored and go out and do stuff. Still possibly better than concentrating populations in places like universities, though.

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          1. Servetus

            Definitely a smart move. I am debating whether I’m going to go out today (all of my classes are cancelled for two weeks). There’s the definite problem of dad driving me crazy (he’s already started). The problem is that there are so many people who here who aren’t taking it seriously or following sensible procedures. I blame a lot of this on our president — he said for instance that “heat kills this” and I heard a bunch of students who were repeating that and planning not to cancel their spring travel to México for that reason. (I didn’t cut in and tell them about all the American retirees flooding out of México right now, but maybe I should have).

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  5. rachel

    My job involves lots of aerosol and even with out stringent cross infection control. ..I’m feeling nervous . And our government are throwing all of us under a bus.
    Yay

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    1. I am mystified by our UK governments’ reasoning that by allowing large gatherings of people to take place as normal this will delay the virus spreading, although it looks like their attitude is changing today,

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  6. Same here in France. Strange situation.
    My husband works with children and gives flute lessons too… 😦
    I think we’ll be stuck at home without work during a few weeks.
    My mum and I wanted to help my grandma who is 98 and still lives at her home. But as we are in contact with other people it won’t be safe for her. Well…. Just a question of patience and no panic …

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    3. squirrel.0072

      The problem is the incubation period of the virus. Who knows that he is a healthy carrier during these 3 to 12 days? No body knows!
      Here stage 3 is confirmed.
      Between delivering groceries at home to the old or leaving them alone to do the shopping outside, I prefer to deliver goods rewashed with bleach, while staying at a distance of several meters, masked and gloved …
      Le problème est le temps d’incubation du virus. Qui sait qu’il est porteur sain durant ces 3 à 12 jours? Personne!
      Ici le stade 3 est confirmé.
      Entre livrer à domicile les anciens ou les laisser livrés à eux-mêmes pour faire les courses dehors, je préfère leur livrer des marchandises relavées à l’eau de javel, tout en restant à distance de plusieurs mètres, masquée et gantée…

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  7. Ist bei uns das Gleiche, nichts geht mehr. Meine Jungs sind zu Hause. Uni in Maastricht ist zu, der Kleine macht homeoffice. Mal sehen wann sie bei uns zumachen 😦 Noch habe ich Publikumsverkehr und darf beraten 🙂

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