So, I’m one of those lucky people that is still working and getting a paycheck.
That being said, I’m kinda stuck in a loop; therefore I won’t be and haven’t been around much. I peek on occasion here and 5r forum.
Take care everyone, hopefully, this craziness will be over and we all can get back to normal. I hope you all are doing good. I’ve read on 5r that sales have slumped for many but others are raking in a pretty good sum.
I hope you are the latter. There are several gigs I need to buy, but just don’t have the time right now. Funny isn’t it, when I have the time, all the great sellers are busy making money with long queue.
As a school teacher by day, we are closed. Start distance teaching Monday. Luckily still getting a paycheck. The gig works been sporadic but surprisingly more than I expected.
It is good to see you again, @RegiAdd. As a retired person that works as a freelancer, I still get my pension and SS, so that is a good thing.
It appears writers are still writing as I have had three enquires about proofreading books this week, and one booked today. So, I am happy. Like @writersblock , work has been sporadic, and I am thankful for my returning regulars.
Glad to hear you’re doing well - please stay safe.
Like @glacierlily, I get my teacher’s pension for a bit of pocket money, so no worries at the mo.
Everybody’s being so kind and supportive round here. A girl in the street whom I’ve never met, put a card through our door offering to pick up shopping, medication, chat on the phone etc. In time, I may find that I actually taught her - not sure at the moment!
I’m trying to help my neighbour, who’s being socially shielded for 12 weeks - just sending her texts and putting daft notes through her door to keep her spirits up. The whole volunteering thing should kick in from next week.
Thankfully I’ve managed to get a few grocery deliveries now, so we’re okay for food for the time being. And we’ve got loo roll!
Everything around me except grocery, drug store and day care are closed. I have no movies, mall, only take out, amusement parks, anything to do - it’s awfully quiet around here.
It’s killing the economy, people’s sanity and of course many people unable to pay bills. I think this is the highest unemployment we’ve had since my life time.
Crazy.
I’m glad you are doing well. I that things will get back to normal in a week or so. I will never complain about sitting in traffic during rush hour again.
No Gina, that won’t happen and I’m really sorry to be so straightforward , but you need to mentally prepare yourself on what is coming. This is just beginning for all of us on the American continent.
USA has more than 330 million people and can get out off hand pretty quickly, especially because no hard measures had been taken. As for the rest of America, what can I say… I guess it’s best to leave it to imagination.
In Venezuela we have all been in quarantine and states are isolated, since Mar 13. No one can go from one state to the other. Airports and bus travelling were also banned. Only pharmacies, supermarkets, bakeries and shops that sell food are open (of course also emergency). No restaurants (only cooked food to take), no banking.
All sit-in restaurants & coffee shops (McDonalds, Starbucks etc.) are closed. Most takeaways have done the same.
Chemists, supermarkets, emergency vets and dentists are open. Everything else should be shut with anybody still working doing it from home. Schools are only open to children of key workers. Banks are on reduced opening hours. GP surgeries have closed and are conducting appointments via Skype/telephone only.
We went on a 3 week lockdown last Tuesday. We’re allowed one form of outdoor exercise a day and/or a dog walk. Car use is for shopping etc. only, with some police forces using road blocks to check where drivers are going and why. The rest of the time it’s ‘stay safe, stay at home’.
My nearest airport is Birmingham - they’re working on a 5,000 bed hospital there and a mortuary at the nearby NEC to hold up to 12,000.
Weey, here we not only have police and military road blocks, but gas stations aren’t serving gasoline, and the few that do, are being guarded by the National Guard and decide who will be served and who won’t. There have already been arguing between them and the police, because they don’t let police to have priority.
Everything is closed (including schools and universities), but the centre of the cities and the poor areas, all full of street sellers and people. It resembles a Baghdad market.
Unless by force, these people won’t stay home. It’s a time bomb we have in hand ready to explode.
We’re used to ‘policing by consent’ as our council tax payments pay the wages of our local police constabulary. Some of the new powers which have just been introduced are completely alien to all of us who are used to it being a ‘free country’. The idea of being fined for being out and about doing nothing illegal is abhorrent to most of us. I’m assuming that we’ll get our freedoms back at some point.
I’m staying at home and getting everything delivered. Among my Amazon stuff tomorrow, I’ve got 3kg of Jelly Babies, just because I didn’t know you could actually buy 3kg of Jelly Babies!
This has nothing to do with being a free country, Weey. It’s about awareness and understanding. And you shouldn’t take it personally. Not everybody comply with what they are told to do, either because they don’t want to, have no conscience, don’t want to understand, or simply because of ignorance. None of them are capable of reasoning by themselves.
You could sit all of them a whole year under the sun, explaining them all the dangers, and even so, they will keep on disobeying orders, putting themselves and everybody else’s at risk.
I think you’re preaching to the converted. I’m staying in and doing as I’m told.
With the new legislation that’s been brought in, it has everything to do with it, especially for those of us who always do as we’re told. We’re precisely the ones who’ll feel hard done by, although we completely understand the reasons why it has to be done.
Nah - I understand why they’re doing it - doesn’t mean I have to like it!
Some police forces decided to interpret the law in their own way, and started it before they’d actually been put into law. That’s the sort of thing we don’t like.
Looks as if a tighter lockdown’s coming:
I haven’t been out for over a week, so it won’t really bother me if it’s tightened up.
Don’t think I’ll ever want to fly from Birmingham Airport again though!
Everyone knows that Boris did some stupid moves, as well as Trump. The numbers in the UK and the USA are going to skyrocket as they didn’t act on time.
I wish Trump would have closed inbound flights from all countries, not only those he did.
Now, since my state was one of the last to get COVID, 19 people from the US places that have more significant numbers of the virus are flocking here to fill up the vacation rentals and are booking them for 6 to 8 months. Ugh!
@TheFreaky How did your country handle the situation in a better way?
My father tells me that that’s what Croatians have tried to do, too, and basically spend the pandemic on the islands, vacation-like. Croatian government put a quick stop to it, and forbade everyone to leave the town where they live (those who work in other towns, like my father, get a special permission that allows them to go to/from their place of work).
Which is why I’m surprised at Sweden’s strategy. Life there is still going on somewhat normally. The pubs are still open!
It’s especially weird when you consider Denmark shut everything down weeks ago.
Are you working?
At the moment, no, and that’s largely out of choice. Many of the articles I’d be asked to write would be about the virus, and I just don’t want to do that. I don’t know enough about it, and I don’t want to spread doubt and panic, which is what the media seems to enjoy doing at the moment.
day care are closed. I have no movies, mall, only take out, amusement parks, anything to do - it’s awfully quiet around here.
that things will get back to normal in a week or so. I will never complain about sitting in traffic during rush hour again.
, but you need to mentally prepare yourself on what is coming. This is just beginning for all of us on the American continent. 
