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Celebrity Cruisers - How are Things where YOU are?


Host Anne
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Greetings, Celebrity Cruisers ~ If an effort to give our members a place where we can discuss how things are where YOU are related to the Coronavirus, hosts are starting these threads so we can chat during the crisis. Let's talk about creative ways our families and neighbors are coping and helping one another out; share ideas for parents who are at home 24/7 with their school age children; you get the idea.....  My only request is that we AVOID turning this into a political or health debate thread.  This is a stressful time for everyone.  Let's practice some kindness and make Cruise Critic a place members want to visit in this difficult time.

 

I'll start .... 

 

We're in Florida and consider ourselves fortunate that while we are dealing with lots of closures and social distancing, at least we have warm weather and sunshine.  We're also fortunate to be able to work from home with our small business.  The craziness at grocery stores seems to have calmed down except for a few items (toilet paper which I still don't understand and frozen veggies).  There is plenty of food in our grocery stores and at least here, they have a great crew wiping down carts, shelves, conveyor belts, credit card machines, etc.  

 

As of yesterday, all restaurants were closed except for those who are able to provide carry out and/or delivery.  We love to cook and while we enjoy going to local restaurants, we're fine cooking at home for awhile.  I do, worry, though about the all those who work in our restaurants and small businesses and hope they can all make it through this challenging time.  It will be more important than ever to support them once they re-open.

 

In addition to working from home during what would be typical work hours, I'm also going to take this "quiet time" to finish going through the thousands of photos I took on our Eclipse cruise in South America in January (feeling VERY grateful that we got to take that terrific trip).  We don't have any upcoming cruises until 2021 but we did have a business cruise postponed last week that was disappointing.  But I believe we did the right thing in deciding not to go.  It wasn't worth the risk.

 

I do want to support the cruise industry so we may try to sneak another cruise in this year once things settle down.  How about you?  

 

Here's one of my favorite cruise photos from Eclipse in South America.  I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe .....  let's chat!  REMEMBER....BE KIND!

IMG_3105.JPG

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Thank you Anne, for the nice post - I had just come to CC because I am feeling SO sad for the cruise and travel industries, and let's face it, the world right now. But with a special nod to the cruise industry. We were on the 3/6-15 Silhouette with the murder/suicide and double returns to Miami. We were treated SO well throughout the cruise and my heart goes out to the crew who are hanging around off the coast of Tampa right now along with several others in their cluster per MarineTraffic. 

 

We were supposed to spend our return day on 3/15 with family on the beach in Miami but their kids freaked them out and they said we couldn't come,  so we wound up in the CRAZY FLL airport, stood in line without social distancing, and changed our itinerary to two crowded flights which got us back home 6 hours earlier than planned. I was way more uncomfortable in the airport and on the flights than on the ship. 

 

In our corner of New England I think we're fortunate. No cases in our town yet, but several in the county and one in the town next door. I am working 100% remote and shockingly miss my co-workers, lol - the company went 100% remote quite seamlessly but we can't even video conference so as not to tax the system (19,000 employees). Weekly we get really encouraging messages from our leaders which really help. (Not getting political here, not getting political here....). My husband is in the media so considered an essential worker and his employer is taking good precautions. 

 

I have a conference in Las Vegas in May which we wrapped around a family trip - once the conference cancels I'm not looking forward to untangling the travel arrangements we made for my husband (Delta, SouthWest, Booking.com) - but one thing at a time. 

 

I turned off all my news notifications because it's too anxiety-provoking for me. I will get the news through my husband. I worry about the world, the economy, our kids of course (one is abroad). When will things be normal again? 

 

Want to be back in our happy cruise bubble on the Silhouette....

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sakigemcam ~ Thanks so much for the thoughtful reply.  WOW....you have had a couple of crazy weeks.  I was following your Silhouette cruise because we knew someone on the sailing.  I'm glad to hear that the crew did a great job.  They work so hard. Sorry you had to deal with the craziness at the Ft. Lauderdale airport.  I can't imagine.  I don't like crowds to begin with!

 

As part of our business we manage a lot of events.  This past week we cancelled or postponed 11 upcoming events (two large ones) in the next three months.  It's been tough to keep everything straight.  Fortunately, I am finding the airlines, hotels and event venues to be pretty darn good to work with through all of this.  I know it's not easy for them to lose all the business that is being cancelled. I am hopeful (I always try to find the silver lining) that things will eventually come back strong.  We are very worried particularly about the smaller businesses all the way around.  Many of the folks we work with regularly fall into this category and we are hoping and praying they can weather this storm.  

 

Good for you turning off your news notifications.  Apologies to your husband (I came out of the media many, many years ago) but the news is overwhelming and depressing at this point.  Who knew I'd find a way to make my husband not complain about having the Hallmark channel on!!!   

 

Hoping everyone gets a happy cruise bubble sooner rather than later!!!

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We are in the Fla Panhandle near the beach. Our Beaches were closed as are the restaurants, bars and nightclubs. There was a big discussion during the County Commision mtg on whether to close the beaches earlier and listened in. The hotel owners/managers spoke on the impact which made sense, but then went on about medical issues and that didn’t come across well....my thought was it was good they provided financial impacts, but they had no idea what they were talking about medical and infection issues. The Commission voted to close and the other counties east and west followed suit. We did an order out last night at our favorite restaurant just to give them some business, but they will probably be closing know since it’s not a in/out type place. 

 

Since we are retired, we’ve spent the time on the yard and my wife wants to attack the garage (oh noooooo!). Lots of Prime Video and Netflix’s! Lots of talking with the kids via video and so on. Fun. And or course, I’ve sent a few minutes on CruiseCritic....I miss cruising!! Doing a lot of reading also. Good Kindle books. I think when it quits raining I’ll sit out by the pool and read and pretend I’m on the Eclipse!! Heck, I recommend that to all. Go sit in the backyard (well, if you live down South!) and pretend you are at sea. Watch out though when your mate walks out....don’t hand them an empty glass and ask for a good Gin and Tonic.....that didnt’ go over too well.

 

Den

 

 

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Hi, Anne, nice to see what everyone is doing.  We live in a gated mountain community north of Atlanta, and our community is mostly retirees but also many who still work.  My husband had to fly to NH for a family emergency last week and because he was in multiple airports when he returned we self-isolated and have remained home bound by choice.  We don’t want to take any chance of bringing this thing into this community, where it could be devastating due to the general age.

We normally take care of our four year old twin grands but not for this two weeks of isolation. My husband is starting to get twitchy...today he was clambering around outside our very steep hillside cutting bushes away from the house.  And I am opening drawers and quickly slamming them shut....because once I clean out one, I become obsessed until every drawer in the house is done.  I admit to getting crazy with it.  When I see my husband hiding from me I know it’s time to dial things back.  🤪🤗

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Yes, I had to fly to PHX for my son in-laws throat operation and watched the kids. when i got home, I immediately went to the laundry room, put all my clothes in from the suitcase and all what I wore (I’m sure you love that word-picture stuck in your brain!) and then took a shower. Been home for 2 weeks. 

 

Den

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I work in a retail pharmacy. 

My husband was incredibly ill - symptoms starting about 2 weeks ago. Dr and I are pretty sure he had/has Covid 19 but we couldn’t get him tested due to shortages in our area and by this point it’s too late. He’s recovered for the most part but still coughing and has shortness of breath.  I quarantined him away from me as best as I could but I still had to take care of him. Several people at his work have tested positive since. I’m just hoping I’m not a carrier and spreading it to others but I don’t meet requirements for testing until I start showing symptoms (and it must be severe enough to require hospitalization) or can prove I’ve been in contact with someone confirmed positive. The complete lack of preparation and lack of testing kits and protective gear is truly disgraceful. They are only testing those seriously ill due to limited resources - this is something we could and should have had in place but instead we are reacting retroactively instead of proactively so there is no telling how far and wide it’s spreading. There are already multiple confirmed cases and deaths in the area I work in. 
 
People have been freaking out at the pharmacy and stockpiling on meds they don’t need for up to 6 months at a time causing shortages everywhere - this is on top of shortages we are experiencing due to India and China not allowing exports of things that we desperately need like inhalers so we are having to start rationing them. On top of that we have people requesting meds designed for patients with lupus and hiv because it’s being promoted as a “cure” so now these life saving meds are back ordered until the end of April. In addition we have not been provided any PPE. I purchased a box of flimsy masks that are not n95 (because we can’t get them - neither can the local hospital bc someone stole a ton of their supplies) weeks ago when several people coughed directly into my mouth. I’ve been wearing them along with gloves but I’ve gotten several glares from patients Who think we are overreacting. People don’t seem to be taking this seriously and are not appreciating the fact that we are risking our lives to assist them and instead coming into the stores to buy frivolous things like hair gel.
 
Our Italy trip is all but cancelled. I’m disappointed but honestly after what we are having to deal with on a daily basis it’s very low on my list of priorities.
 
So no I’m not ok. None of us in healthcare are. I’m honestly on the verge of a mental breakdown on a daily basis. I’m scared. I have constant exposure to sick patients and I know it’s only a matter of time before I’m infected. I cry myself to sleep basically every night I work. We are completely overwhelmed. And this is just the beginning.  
 
I say this not to cause alarm. Simply to put things in prospective. When you start to get cabin fever and get frustrated that your trips are cancelled please keep healthcare workers in your thoughts. We would love to be safe at home. But we are risking our health and the health of our families to serve the public. Please be kind and understand that there will be a longer wait time than usual. We are doing our best to care for everyone despite limited resources and staff. 
 
 
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We are in the north of the UK near Manchester.  We had a trip planned for Easter (April 5th) to Greece  to celebrate our 60th birthdays, but obviously, that is now cancelled. We  sail Celebrity regularly are due to sail Silhouette again later this year. We would love it to happen, but we are not optimistic.

 

The UK has now closed all bars, restaurants and gyms and most who can are mandated to work from home. It is Mother's Day today and many will not see their Mums today due to self isolation ( compulsory for the over 70's) or self distancing. 

 

We are not yet in lock down as Spain and Italy are, but it is coming....

 

Supermarkets and shops are open but panic buying has hit hard and items are rationed to 3 of each product, not due to shortages but due to idiots who are buying up everything they can get their hands on, and going back several times to top up.  We are trying to shop for elderly relatives and neighbours and who are now told not to leave their homes for 12 weeks. 

 

On the plus side the weather is fine and sunny here today. We have the family close, we are all well, working from home, and we are salaried so not personally financially impacted. We are warm, dry and have sufficient food and wine (!) to get us through.

 

If any of us get the virus we will self isolate in a spare bedroom and take all necessary precautions to stop it infecting others in the family and the wider community.

 

This is an interesting thread to give us all an insight into where others are and how this virus has impacted worldwide. What a scary thought that is, but we must try to remain upbeat and count our blessings.

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Lilikins

 

Your post puts so much in perspective for all of us. Our thoughts are with you and your story will stay with me as I sit and get a bit edgy over nothing. I feel so empty just sitting here and reading about such situations. You sound as if you are well aware of what needs to be done and doing your best so please don’t build up that you are somehow adversely impacting your fellow workers....you are doing your best as they are. 

 

My heart breaks but at the same time I know people such as you are doing what is needed for us. Be strong.

 

Den

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Thanks for starting this thread! I think that we’ve all come to realize how important it is to stay connected. 
 

I am writing from my apartment in Brooklyn, NY. We are on a “pause,” which means non-essential businesses will soon be closed. Basically, the order is to stay home. It’s eerie to see the city that never sleeps so quiet. I have been working from home for the past week. I am an event professional and our industry has been hit hard, just like the tourism industry. My employment is a bit uncertain at the moment, but I can’t think too much about that. One day at a time. 
 

My husband is a police officer with NYPD so he has been working as usual. It’s scary and confusing. I’ve not been in contact with anyone but my husband, but since he is out with the public every day, often in close proximity to others, I am concerned for our health. Thankfully, my husband has a habit of stocking up on household supplies, so we have plenty of disinfectant and toilet paper, without having had to buy any recently. My husband hopes my obsessive cleaning continues after this crisis. 😀

 

I love to cook, but rarely have the time to make anything other than a quick dinner. Meal prep prevails in my house! But I’ve given that up for now and have been cooking up a storm! It makes me happy to prepare a nice meal for my husband when he gets home from a long day at work. Our neighborhood is usually quite vibrant, with lots of bars and restaurants. We love going out to eat. Now that restaurants are limited to take out/delivery, we’ve been ordering from our favorite spots once or twice a week to support them as much as we can. The support for our small businesses has been incredibly inspiring and I’m so thankful for our community. I hope they all come out in the other side and I can’t wait to get back to our favorite places!!

 

Otherwise, I’m spending my time practicing my makeup skills with online tutorials and trying to do something that while a bit frivolous, brings me a lot of joy!!  And of course, I’m travel planning. We have two Celebrity cruises scheduled, one to the Bahamas on the Equinox in May and one to Alaska on the Eclipse in July. I will wait to see what happens with those sailings. In the meantime, I’ve got 4 potential itineraries to choose from in 2021. With any luck, we’ll be back sailing again soon!!

 

Thanks everyone for keeping things positive, and for keeping us all informed. Stay safe and healthy. Until we cruise again!

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First, thank you for all who have checked in here to share.  

 

Next, a huge thank you to Lilikins and Evita's husband who are continuing to give of themselves to keep us safe.  

 

Lilikins, I wish there were more that we could do to help you.  I'm so sorry to read how difficult it has been for you and others in situations just like yours.  Sharing definitely helps others to understand how real the situation is.  I hope people are listening. Please feel free to come back and chat anytime.  

 

 

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To all who read this - stay safe and healthy

 

We are in the “hot bed” of infection, namely New York where on the east coast there are thousands of cases reported and a death toll of over 300 souls. The news reported that it started in this area when a food worker was at an event in New Rochelle and returned to Rockland County(think TZ bridge which is now called Mario Cuomo bridge).  The virus has spiraled out of control here and into NYC that the health system is over capacity. If you watch CNN you will frequently see the present Gov. Andrew Cuomo doing a great job of explaining the dire situation that New York is in. There is a shortage of medical supplies and he publicly asks for help from the public and private to help provide what they can.

Personally, we are both over 70 (and healthy) and are just mostly staying home! Last week when I did venture out to the grocery store it looked like it was going out of business with completely empty shelves and cases. There was fresh milk, eggs and wrapped breads, but the meat cases and deli were bare. We were able to get meat and poultry from our local butcher to sustain us for a couple of weeks.

One of our neighbors stopped by to see if we needed anything and another neighbor provided us with fresh baked cake yesterday. Our usually active neighborhood is almost void of sounds of children playing, most are indoors. All the schools are closed till the end of the month and subject to reevaluation, all restaurants(can do take out and curb side),bars and all non essential businesses.

There are few more avid cruisers than us, we cruised seven times last year and had already booked six for this year (we already did a b2b on the Silhouette). Now the real question is what do we do with our b2b on the Summit in May, transatlantic in August and Caribbean in October?

 

Hal

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Hi everyone...hope you're all well.......we have to remain positive so we're told.  We live in Canada and it's alternately Spring and Winter lately..but the trees are budding and the daffodils and tulips are poking through the ground.  I walk around the house often during the day to try to see if they are progressing..LOL.  We live in one of the few gated senior golf communities in Ontario so being in 'our' age group we collectively have to be careful to follow the social distancing rule.  Unfortunately our returning snowbirds have to self isolate which is definitely harder for them.  Today was a sunny day so DH and I pulled out lawn chairs and sat in the garage door opening in the sun and pretended we were on our ship's balcony watching the waves...the pavement isn't a good stand in.  Our golf course won't be open until mid April but I have doubts about that.  The clubhouse is closed however they did a wonderful thing for we residents and opened the kitchen to us for delivery...very kind and also good for the bottom line..maybe the fees won't go up as much as we think they will after this shut down. Friday night I set the table extra nicely, put on some cool jazz and golden oldies, sipped? our wine and enjoyed a fine dining restaurant meal at home. March cruise was cancelled but still have the November one booked...will have to wait to see how long this goes on and make a decision to go or no go just before final payment in August.  Like others I've been baking and cooking far too much and will come out of this many pounds heavier methinks!  Cruise clothes won't fit....shopping to spur the economy will be in order!  Wishing you all health and happiness...Carole

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The weather her in the South East of the UK is glorious today. I am sitting in my study looking out at the trees coming into leaf and some lovely blossom is out already. We are practising social distancing here so we can still go outside as long as we observe the keep 2 metres away from anybody you see rule. I have just got back from a 10k run which was absolutely wonderful. It clears my mind and eases some of the tensions and fears that are surrounding me at the moment, as indeed are surrounding most of us at present.

 

As nice as it is here we should be in beautiful British Columbia right now seeing our son, daughter-in-law and wonderful grandsons. That trip along with all of our holiday plans is now on hold indefinitely of course. It will be many, many months before countries agree to have visitors once more I suspect. Certainly not in this calendar year in my view and maybe not until a vaccine has been found and administered to the world. I worry about them over there in BC of course. My son had recently trained to be a first responder in a rural community. I was proud of him for doing that on top of his normal day job because he wanted to put something back into his community. Now he will soon be on the front line full time I suspect. I hope and pray he has sufficient personal protection equipment. Meanwhile his wife will be sitting and worrying. 

 

He is not alone in our family in taking risks with this virus. This week the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the professional body for nursing here in the UK, wrote to all nurses who had retired within the last three years asking if they could come back into nursing to help the NHS attempt to get through the impending crisis. My wife falls into that category. We discussed this at length but at the end of it all the final response was 'once a nurse always a nurse, I'm going back'. I am so proud of her and so scared for her. Not only will she increase her own personal risk but she will see things that anybody would find distressing. 

 

The list continues. My middle son is a microbiologist and is currently working 16 hours a day conducting research into the virus. I don't think he is working on a vaccine more on analysis of the virus itself. He tried to explain it to me but microbiology and biotechnology are way above my head.

 

And the youngest boy was until recently a self employed IT consultant who no longer has a career to look forward to. So he is now stacking shelves in a local supermarket all night long, and believe it or not he is not the only one with a masters degree doing that. He doesn't need the money in the short term. He just wants to be helpful.

 

And as for me I am just running errands for some of the local at risk folk who are in self isolation for 12 weeks as from today.

 

I am so proud of my family and so furious with the idiots around the world that seem to think they know better than the experts and are continuing their stupid, shallow lives and only being concerned about themselves. This crisis is bringing out the best and worst of humanity. I wish I could wave a magic wand and get them to understand that they are contributing DIRECTLY to a healthcare crisis and by allowing the outbreak to peak too soon condemning more people to death and long term health problems than is necessary. Perhaps it is going to have to take some younger so called not at risk patients to die for them to get that there is no group that is not at risk. Or maybe we should identify the idiots and get them to make the decision which patients get the ventilators and which don't. For that is the decisions that healthcare professionals in Italy and Spain have had to make and which their counterparts in other countries are going to have to make soon unless we immediately get all people acting in accordance with the instructions they have been given.

 

Wherever you are I hope you keep safe and that your families do too. Keep dreaming of future cruises. We all need something to look forwards to to help us through all this. Me? I will be thinking of my grandsons and getting out in the beauty of BC with them.

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John, from another UK resident, please thank your wife for responding to the call, it is a very altruistic thing to do at this time of crisis.

 

We are all (mostly) doing anything we can to ease the situation, but the minority will cost society dearly if they don't wake up and do as they are told.

 

 

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11 minutes ago, evitacruiser said:

John, from another UK resident, please thank your wife for responding to the call, it is a very altruistic thing to do at this time of crisis.

 

We are all (mostly) doing anything we can to ease the situation, but the minority will cost society dearly if they don't wake up and do as they are told.

 

 

Thank you. I will pass on your thanks. You are right of course. The vast majority of people are doing the right thing and the acts of kindness and consideration are heart warming. 

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I’m in Ontario Canada. It’s snowing here and dull and dark. But I’m going to make myself go for a walk.
 

I’m a cashier at an office supply store. I have told them that I’m not available for any cash shifts but I would work in other departments. But so far I haven’t been scheduled. I take 2 different immune suppressing drugs so I’m trying to be careful. Honestly I’d rather be home. 
 

My husband is an industrial firefighter. I’m always worried about him so there’s really no difference now  🤷‍♀️ I just try not to think about it. 
 

We had our first death this morning in our small town. I really hope that this poor man makes others in our community realize the seriousness of our situation. I hope they close the stores soon including the malls. It seems crazy that they haven’t yet. 

 

They aren’t testing many people in Canada. I think if they ramp up the testing like they did in New York there would be a lot of very surprised people. I understand that they are short on tests but I also wonder if it has something to do with not wanting people to panic. Conspiracy theories lol. 
 

We don’t have a cruise planned until January. I sure hope everything is ok by then for more reasons than my silly holiday.  (But I want my silly holiday!)

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An update from New England: I have had no sense of taste or smell for 5 days now. I thought it was just some kind of annoying sinus infection, etc., and that it would eventually go away. Then this morning the New York Times includes in an article that for some people the only symptom is.....no sense of taste or smell. I have no fever. One ear is slightly clogged, had a little sinus discomfort last night. So I call my doctor's hotline and they say they won't test me because these symptoms are not on their official list and they are running low on tests. "But check back because they may show up" on their list. 

 

So now I'm waiting for the "regular" doctor's office to call me back because do I treat this as a sinus situation or as freaking COVID? I'm self-isolating anyway since our cruise return last Sunday, but geez, I'd like to know. And the timing wouldn't even make much sense bc as mentioned in my earlier post, Silhouette was immaculate and we were taking lots of preventive measures - it's the airport and the 2 flights that had me uncomfortable (even though I wiped our space down till it was raw). 

 

So, here I sit, working in limbo......I did hear this morning we had a death from the virus in our town of 29k, a 44-year-old woman. She did have some health issues and was significantly overweight. Two daughters 😞 Owned a local business. That's all I know because I don't read the news....

 

@HostessAnne, we are kindred souls - media members and I'm former events management. 🙂 

 

Hang in there, Celeb Cruise family. 

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1 hour ago, sakigemcam said:

An update from New England: I have had no sense of taste or smell for 5 days now. I thought it was just some kind of annoying sinus infection, etc., and that it would eventually go away. Then this morning the New York Times includes in an article that for some people the only symptom is.....no sense of taste or smell. I have no fever. One ear is slightly clogged, had a little sinus discomfort last night. So I call my doctor's hotline and they say they won't test me because these symptoms are not on their official list and they are running low on tests. "But check back because they may show up" on their list. 

 

So now I'm waiting for the "regular" doctor's office to call me back because do I treat this as a sinus situation or as freaking COVID? I'm self-isolating anyway since our cruise return last Sunday, but geez, I'd like to know. And the timing wouldn't even make much sense bc as mentioned in my earlier post, Silhouette was immaculate and we were taking lots of preventive measures - it's the airport and the 2 flights that had me uncomfortable (even though I wiped our space down till it was raw). 

 

 

 

 

 

This.   I had these exact symptoms about two weeks ago.   Sinus issues, nasal drip, NO TASTE OR SMELL for days and an annoying cough (which I still have to some degree)  NO FEVER at all, but I was unusually cold all the time (and for me that is totally out of the ordinary).  Felt like a truck hit me.   I too was unable to get tested.  I kinda wish I knew if I had it, I would worry less going forward,.  But, I hear the frustration in your voice.

 

@all Thanks for sharing your stories with us....stay healthy!

 

Laura

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2 hours ago, paulajj said:

I’m in Ontario Canada. It’s snowing here and dull and dark. But I’m going to make myself go for a walk.
 

I’m a cashier at an office supply store. I have told them that I’m not available for any cash shifts but I would work in other departments. But so far I haven’t been scheduled. I take 2 different immune suppressing drugs so I’m trying to be careful. Honestly I’d rather be home. 
 

My husband is an industrial firefighter. I’m always worried about him so there’s really no difference now  🤷‍♀️ I just try not to think about it. 
 

We had our first death this morning in our small town. I really hope that this poor man makes others in our community realize the seriousness of our situation. I hope they close the stores soon including the malls. It seems crazy that they haven’t yet. 

 

They aren’t testing many people in Canada. I think if they ramp up the testing like they did in New York there would be a lot of very surprised people. I understand that they are short on tests but I also wonder if it has something to do with not wanting people to panic. Conspiracy theories lol. 
 

We don’t have a cruise planned until January. I sure hope everything is ok by then for more reasons than my silly holiday.  (But I want my silly holiday!)

Hi fellow Ontarian....hope you continue to stay well, and sorry for the death in your town.  I've been following our PM and the Ministers coverage on this virus and so far have been very impressed with their sharing of what is required of us - and them.  Very cogent updates by our PM, thorough and objective, staying on topic, and separately at another time of day the ministers/doctors doing their own updates.  While writing this response to you I thought I had heard the Quebec rep during his update saying all stores etc are mandated to close by midnight tomorrow night. And just now Ontario's premier has mandated ALL non--essential businesses to close at midnight tomorrow night so that answers your query.   In the larger cities and in mine, those with significant signs of the virus are being tested and so far seems to be working well.  It would be better if the smaller locations could have the same testing through the public health system...is that a possibility in your area?  Everything changes day by day, hour by hour, and hopefully we'll all be able to share the same confidence we usually have in ordinary times in our health system.  Thanks to your fire-fighting hubbie...I had family members in the same 'occupation' and understand your concern but deserved pride in them as well.

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My wife, myself and our bodacious Sheltie puppy are self-isolating and doing fine.  We are newly retired living in the rural South and except for a very careful, weekly grocery run steering clear of others is boring but easy.  I know we're blessed, especially when so many others are facing serious medical, financial and emotional challenges.

 

I've made sure our neighbors are OK and never miss a chance to thank the folks we rely on (our grocery workers, our mail carrier, healthcare workers, etc.) for the sacrifices they're making.

 

I've tried to put this thing in perspective.  In June 1944 America's best were ordered to take Omaha beach in the face of withering fire from Hitler's best troops.  Today we're just being asked to stay home, wash our hands and cover our cough.  We can do that.

 

 

Edited by Wolf 8
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We live in suburban NY.

 

No work & no pay for me and dh and many others as most business and gov offices were ordered closed. Roads are  not crowded at all but not many places to go!

 

 Dtr took her child out of daycare  to be safe and to save money while she tries to work from home half time. Son in law is a first responder in NYC...kind of risky these days. Understatement!

 

Food sources stressed but okay on  most days. We do have food and household essentials for now and found some sterile gloves...but have no masks or Lysol spray 

 

Banks, post ofc, gas stations, drug stores,  and food stores plus take out  food are open..Most everything else is closed including schools   courts, dmv, drs offices for routine visits. Golf is closed, parks open but not playgrounds.

 

We know  one family that tested positive The grandpa is in the hosp with pneumonia. Our county exec is apparently in isolation b/c one of his key deputies tested positive for Corona. County held a donation drive today for masks, gloves and other med supplies.   Our 911 system is now  reserved for severe emergency calls..a good idea anyhow.

 

We are keeping busy but weather has been dreary for awhile..Today was record rain...so no walks outdoors. Still waiting for Celebrity to post refunds to our credit card.

 

On the up side, our spring  bulbs and shrubs are starting to bloom...it may get warmer and drier soon...and we are managing best we can inside...we are not sick or exposed yet... and we talk to friends and family daily. Very much enjoying the post your photos thread on Cruise Critic.. from very happy times!

 

Hoping the plague passes soon!

Best wishes to all....stay safe..

Edited by hcat
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Thanks for starting this thread and requesting we keep politics out of it.

 

We live in Victoria, BC, Canada and we often have ships moored at our port during the cruise season. I hope that we can get this thing under control. British Columbia has the second largest number of cases in Canada, we have 40 on Vancouver Island (it's a big Island). I am a little confused by the numbers being reported. Today they said we have 100 "recovered" cases but the number of cases went up by 70. So I have to wonder shouldn't the "recovered" patients be subtracted from the number of cases?

 

I work in a non-essential job and have kept working, until today. We have been doing the social distancing routine. Many of our crew have decided to stay home so we are down to less than half strength.

 

My wife works in health care and has been kept away from the general traffic in the clinic, she is scheduled for some delicate surgery in just over a week, so we decided that today would be our last work day for a while. She will be recovering for 6 to 8 weeks so she'll be isolated at home. I will go back to work after she goes in for surgery (assuming our shop is not ordered closed). My wife has accumulated monthes of sick time so will be paid while she recovers. I don't have sick time but have a little saved in case we are ordered to stop working. I would prefer to work rather than take the relief funds that the government is offering. We will continue to use "social distancing" and hope this pandemic can be contained soon.

 

We have a cruise and land adventure planned for January 2021. Cruise in Eclipse, Auckland to Melbourne and land travel in Oz. We have made most plans and accomodation reservations, even the Airfare. We are leaving all plans in place hoping that this will be sorted by next year.

 

Stay healthy and be kind to your fellow man; remember they will make more toilet paper.

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