What are you doing during the confinement ?

[Seppia]

The situation in italy here is a bit more extreme than across the ocean in the USA, as we now cannot get out unless it's for very essential things.
Our region has banned walks/runs and you're now allowed to get out for only a few reasons:

1- buy food (soon, they will implement a "1 person per household gets to go out" rule)
2- your job is essential
3- you / someone in your family has a health emergency and/or cannot provide for him/herself

We are lucky we live in a building complex with a closed recreational area, plus we have a large balcony, so we get to at least get some regular fresh air.
Other than that, the other major change is I'm not traveling any more which is weird.

But life is great in general, we have a two months old baby that keeps us happy and occupied

[IlliniDave]

So far not much impact for me. Most of my confinement is voluntary. Restrictions here have been pretty mild, but in the city they have banned on-premise sales for restaurants and bars and similar. Mayor ordered all schools closed, but for the most part they had all closed on their own accord more than a week ago. I'm just doing the same introvert things I always do. The weather has been warming up but we've had such steady rain I still can't get out in the yard and start all my spring chores. My big dilemma is I wanted to replace one of my HVAC units this spring, but I'm not sure I want contractors in the house right now. I've known my HVAC guy for almost 20 years and like him, and he could probably use the business about now, but I'm not certain I want him in here. Ditto for the woman who was going to do some seasonal cleaning.

They finally opened a testing center here on Friday. Not a lot of capacity right now and they'll only test symptomatic people. I expect the numbers to spike because a disproportionate number of the tests should be positive, which might prompt some more serious measures from local officials. Luckily I'm predisposed to endure the isolation aspect of the general misery.

At work they've taken some half measures, split people into shifts so that not too many people are in the lab at the same time to allow for 6' spacing. That doesn't comfort me much. People who can work from home are required/encouraged (my employer/the company whose facility I work at) to do so. Best I can do with that is work from home one day and shorten a couple others. Based on a sister site out in Cali even if more severe shelter-in-place measures come down here, we're likely to be deemed "essential" meaning any quarantine on my part would be voluntary and on my nickel.

Hopefully this anti-malaria/antibiotic combo will have some of the efficacy the initial small N study in France hints at. The FDA is doing it's usual reflexive hindrance thing, but people are not patient enough for the red tape. Does seem like NY will be trying it soon.

[take2]

Our region has banned walks/runs and you're now allowed to get out for only a few reasons:

I don’t really understand the rationale for banning walks/runs. I suspect it’s aimed at making sure people do not congregate but If you just want to run a few km solo you’re not allowed?

My colleagues in Paris are on a similar lockdown and they told me the police have said they’re limited to 2km run. Again, a distance limitation doesn’t make much sense to me. Here in London measures are not yet so harsh and I’ve seen many other solo runners every day whilst I’m out, along with groups of 2-3 people out on walks.

Glad you’re staying safe in any event.

[jacob]

I totally understand the rationale for banning walks, etc. Otherwise people would just be getting into contact with each other on sidewalks and hiking trails instead of shops or at work. Plenty of examples of oblivious people crowding outside around the world after telling them to work from home and stay away from shops. It's as if they think exposure doesn't count as long as they don't know the people they're getting close to

I saw one proposed solution to only allow one-way traffic which would go some way towards reducing risk if it weren't for the fact that the concept of walking the same way is beyond some humans. Consider that it's the rare sidewalk that is 6-8 feet wide and so any given walk or run would pass the exhalations of lot of people. In terms of exposure, the risk is the same if you expose yourself to 200 people for 10 seconds each (as their exhaled droplets hang in the air you're walking through) during your 30 minute run or you spend half an hour in the company of one person.

Ditto with the congregations. Running for 10 days would be the same as showing up for one half hour meeting with 10 people. We already know that this behavior is not going to stop the virus from growing exponentially. That, then, is the rationality for banning unnecessary walks outside.

Read this: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03 ... ction.html

[Toska2]

I work as a contractor and was told business would be slow. I took week days off and started truck driving school. I have been in close proximity to 20 people all month. Of those 20, half aren't from the area so they self isolate in empty hotels. I figure thats better than living in a larger city.

Apparently the federal government loosened many regulations on truck drivers. I figure I may as well learn when traffic is down and demand is high.

[7Wannabe5]

If you assume uniform distribution of possibility of contraction over time of exposure, the risk from meeting with 10 individuals is far greater than risk from meeting with one individual which is slightly greater than risk from brief exposure to 200 individuals as described.For example, if general population infection rate is 1/40, the likelihood that at least one person in group of 10 is infected is 77.6%= 1-(39/40)^10. Given this rate of infection, the likelihood that 1of the 200 people you pass on your run is infected would be almost 100%, but the small chance implied by the assumed uniform distribution would greatly reduce your risk.

It is unlikely that the distribution is uniform. The phylogenetic analysis indicates large degree of heterogeneity of transmission. The implication being that contact at the level of familial intimacy is more relevant. See reports out of Imperial College London.

IOW, the 10 people you see every day in your office expanded out to the 2.8 people they hug every day is you most likely locus of infection. Ergo- shutting down non-essential businesses is more important than shutting down large gatherings, although it does seem like it would be socially nonsensical to do in that order.

[OTCW]

I was previously studying for the PE exam but that got cancelled so I dusted off an old laptop and installed Linux on it. Teaching myself to code which should take at least as long as the quarantine lasts.

I dusted off an old HP G60 and put Lubuntu on it. It had Vista on it. Switched out the hard drive to an SSD. Like a new machine.

Set my weight bench up in the garage.

Got a few watch repair projects going.

Crossword puzzles. Solving and creating.

Hopefully working from home soon.

Reading.

Bird watching.

Podcasts.

[Chris]

Crossword puzzles. Solving and creating.

Creating anything you'll submit publicly?

[Zanka]

I have been sharpening up my pokergame in case I somehow lose my very safe job. Me and 6-7 friends have started almost daily video-lunches on skype, which I highly recomend!

[OTCW]

Creating anything you'll submit publicly?

Just finished one. I'll figure out how to get it looking right and post it up somehow if you are interested.

[TheWanderingScholar]

Working on garden with my Dad. We bough some final few bits such as fennel, carrots, and corn. We already have summers squash, cucumbers,several peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, okra, and potatoes growing. Alongside that, some bitter melons and other original vegetables for mom.

Beyond that, waiting for a job to call back for a city in South Carolina.

[slowtraveler]

I'm cooking, watching movies, reading some books, learning Spanish, singing with my girlfriend, talking to friends and family, reading about stocks, planning a fun trip for when this passes.

[davtheram12]

I spent the weekend making a few new meals: shepherds pie using pork as my mince, lemon and lime infused cheesecake, lemon and lime infused burnt cheesecake, breakfast burritos with homemade chile colorado sauce and cold fermented sourdough pizza dough.

My DW and I also made a fort using pillows and extra bed sheets It really helped us get a good laugh out of the situation even though tension has been a little high.

Things have been pretty stressful since she works as a pediatric nurse and I work at a medical clinic. But I'm hopeful things will eventually settle. ffj makes a good point about constantly dwelling about focusing on the worst-case scenario. It really is terrible for one's mental health. I've prepared for the worst but i'm hoping for the best.

[Frugalchicos]

I am with Seppia. This pandemic is being dealt with quite differently in Europe (especially Spain and Italy) than in the US. Not being able to get out of the house at all makes a big difference. Police have been patrolling the streets and giving tickets to people who were just walking around without a real excuse. I am very grateful that at least we have a balcony where we can get out with the baby when she gets fussy.

Anyways, I am trying to stay in shape doing work outs with Hiit videos, yoga, etc... cooking a lot as usual and taking care of the baby. I am also planning on cleaning my surfboard tomorrow.

Hopefully, I will have a lot of surfing sessions when this is over

[Alphaville]

My wife is working from home now, and her videoconferences are maddening, so we had to inevitably purchase hardware ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I will make sacrifices to the frugal gods later.

[C40]

What I want to do:
- Get back in full swing of bodyweight exercise
- Learn some Vietnamese (language)
- Reading a lot of "post-civilization" books and other types of 'living right' books... contemplating and writing down ideas and plans for future ways of living when I put down roots
- Meditating
- Going to the beach (few people there now)
- Riding up on a hill along the coast to sit/relax/read/meditate
- Stock research. Be ready to make purchases while prices are low. Do it.


What I'm actually doing
- Some of the above, but not enough to really feel like I'm 'doing a good job'
- Too much playing video game
- Too much scrolling through 'news' and instagram

I'm in a cheap apartment ($190/mo) in low COL area (Vietnam), so thats good. As far as apartments go, mine is good because I have a huge rooftop to myself where I can be 'outside'. But one part that sucks is I have basically no capacity for physical hobbies/projects like making things, gardening, etc.

[classical_Liberal]

I gotta be honest. The only thing I'm missing right now is the local Barcade I frequent, and I tend to be an extrovert. Maybe I should get one of the video game consoles that have all the old arcade games... but that seems anti-ERE to purchase the solution.

[enigmaT120]

I love living where I do. Even a lock down won't stop me from going up in the woods. I would go crazy trapped in an apartment with only a balcony. Seriously I feel so grateful.

This is also a great time to already be retired.

[Lemur]

1.) Studying Options
2.) Working from home
3.) Reading a book...
4.) Rehabbing an injury the best I can.

[Jean]

I gotta be honest. The only thing I'm missing right now is the local Barcade I frequent, and I tend to be an extrovert. Maybe I should get one of the video game consoles that have all the old arcade games... but that seems anti-ERE to purchase the solution.

If you're going to buy one of those consoles with thausends of classic games in it, know they are not more legal than just downloading roms and emulator yourself and playing them on your computer.