The corona virus thread

[Tractionman]

We had severe winds the last couple of days, 70mph yesterday, so hot and dusty living in the cruiser. Now we have a heat wave coming so expecting 30 degrees over the week. Although to be honest it doesn't bother me until it gets over 35 (this time last year I was in the Western Sahara with 40+ temps)

Morocco has stated the lockdown will end on the 20th and are developing plans for a staged reopening of the travel restrictions. They've also been getting a lot of praise from other countries for how well they've managed the situation so far.

Couple of people here have managed to get ferry bookings arranged to France and Italy in a few weeks so things are looking a bit more positive. I've just been hounding my MP and the Embassy for updates.

Beer supply is looking good for the next few weeks as well and we've not had a party for 3 days so its about time for another one

Fill yer boots.....and yer chiller

 

[MarkW]

Are you aloud alcohol in Muslim country? Wind and sand can't be good for the Cruiser, I remember the scene in (I think) the Cannon Ball Run where the Rolls Royce got sand blasted in the desert with strong winds, no paint left on it whatsoever.

Yep, Morocco's quite laid back on the religion side, lot of local wines and 2 beers, nothing great but it will do. Supermarkets down in Agadir have a huge selection but its expensive here. A 33cl can is about a pound.

Sand and winds no ideal but toyo paint is pretty tough and dealing with the conditions is what my truck is for

September last year and my view while driving looked like this, 50 degrees and a raging sand storm

 

[clivehorridge]

I’m a self confessed antisocial git at the best of times. I like company very much but I don’t go out looking for it.
Living and working in Bucharest is a cross I have to bear, but my trips to the house in the country make it all worthwhile.

Then COVID-19 hit.

Government announced state of emergency and imposed a mandatory lockdown. My boss and my wife’s boss both sent everyone home to work from home, everyone happy.

So which home? 2nd floor apartment in the city or a house in the country? All the schools closed, so it was a no brainer, we isolated at the house.

There’s us 3 (11 yr old daughter getting interweb schooling) and my wife’s sister, plus a friend.

We’ve been here for 7 weeks now and for me it’s a dream come true.

BBQ in the evening, my favourite pastime out of the Cruiser is the garden, so it’s been pottering about in the garden every evening and weekend.

Bliss.

Do I miss going out? Erm, no.

What does amuse me is the decisions that have been taken here to safeguard the elderly, all those over 65 are only allowed out between 7 to 10 am and 7 to 10 pm. I call it my geriatric window.

How does that safeguard us? If those under 65 were made to stay at home between those hours, then I could see the point, but no, everyone is allowed out between those hours, putting us over 65s at risk.

Never mind, I go to the shop once a week, in the Cruiser (Cruiser grin) and the rest of my free time is spent in the garden.

I feel bad for those stuck in an apartment in the city, but that’s about it, what can I do about that?

Happy days for me, sorry for everyone else.

 

[Shayne]

Helen just added 3 more friends to my previous list , the parents of a 30 year old girl with cystic fibrosis's didn't making and shes still fighting on in hospital 5 weeks later .

The lock down is killing supergran , the Romania trip on here is the longest period she ever took off from work in her life . 9 hours night shift and 2 hours gym 5 times a week plus running around after kids and grandkids while doing all our shopping etc normally shes busy or asleep , shes climbing the walls and the only fix we have been able to come up with is she runs 4km to the supermarket and then calls me to collect her in truck when she has the shopping .

A few years as a hospital patient and mostly working from home since its no big deal to me from a personal point of view but business wise I've been jumping through hoops and walking hot coals trying to organize access and distribution to Asian markets , a one step forward two steps back struggle but finally the financial drain appears to have stopped . My accountant was at me to finish paperwork for end of year financial statements Monday i said just tell the tax man to look at last years and deduct it all for a clear picture of this year .

 

[Iwan]

Despite all the efforts of my local community with the lock down... it's here now in rural Mid Wales. I cautiously went to the shop today (as I've been doing since the end of February) to be informed by people who I kept a wide distance away from, to be told that "there's cases of IT here!" Well thats it I'm not going to the shop again for at least a year!

It shows that in a remote place that it takes time for it to get there and when this began I thought that it would take time. I don't want to loose any friends to this..

I think this is a bio weapon and this could lead to WW3.. This is the beginning.. Sad sorry state of world affairs! Which is way out our control..

Take care out there and don't trust anything new that comes into your house..

 

[jibberjabber]

Yep, Morocco's quite laid back on the religion side, lot of local wines and 2 beers, nothing great but it will do. Supermarkets down in Agadir have a huge selection but its expensive here. A 33cl can is about a pound.

Sand and winds no ideal but toyo paint is pretty tough and dealing with the conditions is what my truck is for

September last year and my view while driving looked like this, 50 degrees and a raging sand stormView attachment 165385

Bloody Hell.

 

[MarkW]

It was a bit challenging but too hot to stop, slight risk of landmines in that area as well. Driver of the other cruiser described it as f###ing epic when we finally found somewhere to camp

 

[jibberjabber]

It was a bit challenging but too hot to stop, slight risk of landmines in that area as well. Driver of the other cruiser described it as f###ing epic when we finally found somewhere to camp

So, you could be the 'Lawrence of Arabia' of the Land Cruiser Club, 'Mark of Morocco' and the block buster movie will be all about how 'Mark of Morocco' weathered the storm and battled the deadly virus, only to survive and return home to the UK with a life time of stories to tell the Grandkids. On the movie poster you will be wearing a bowler hat, a blue suede jacket and a Land Cruiser fan belt hanging from you belt.

Good Luck, hope you make it back soon, and in as fewer pieces as possible.

 

[Tractionman]

Helen just added 3 more friends to my previous list , the parents of a 30 year old girl with cystic fibrosis's didn't making and shes still fighting on in hospital 5 weeks later .

The lock down is killing supergran , the Romania trip on here is the longest period she ever took off from work in her life . 9 hours night shift and 2 hours gym 5 times a week plus running around after kids and grandkids while doing all our shopping etc normally shes busy or asleep , shes climbing the walls and the only fix we have been able to come up with is she runs 4km to the supermarket and then calls me to collect her in truck when she has the shopping .

A few years as a hospital patient and mostly working from home since its no big deal to me from a personal point of view but business wise I've been jumping through hoops and walking hot coals trying to organize access and distribution to Asian markets , a one step forward two steps back struggle but finally the financial drain appears to have stopped . My accountant was at me to finish paperwork for end of year financial statements Monday i said just tell the tax man to look at last years and deduct it all for a clear picture of this year .

Good to know your finances appear to be stable now Shayne, I feel so sorry for those people whose income has been shut off, through no fault of their own.

 

[Shayne]

They are mostly worried about ending lockdown for multi million pound companies and whichever way you look at it they employ the most people , so why not put the onus on them to test employees as a condition of allowing workers (requesting them) to return to work .

Gotta spend it to earn it is the principal of business and perhaps this would allow many smaller firms who simply don't have the space for social distancing in the workplace to get up and running again .

 

[Tractionman]

They are mostly worried about ending lockdown for multi million pound companies and whichever way you look at it they employ the most people , so why not put the onus on them to test employees as a condition of allowing workers (requesting them) to return to work .

Gotta spend it to earn it is the principal of business and perhaps this would allow many smaller firms who simply don't have the space for social distancing in the workplace to get up and running again .

True enough, and it is the employees of smaller firms or sole traders etc that are worst affected.
Generally, owners and their boards of directors of large/multi million pound concerns don't feel the pinch exactly like others. They are well insulated with savings, investments and other assets to ride it out, whilst still drawing their 'wages', and sometimes if still taking money out of the Company, the Company goes down, their lifestyle still doesn't change with what they have squirreled away, and the workers come up short again.

 

[Shayne]

True enough, and it is the employees of smaller firms or sole traders etc that are worst affected.
Generally, owners and their boards of directors of large/multi million pound concerns don't feel the pinch exactly like others. They are well insulated with savings, investments and other assets to ride it out, whilst still drawing their 'wages', and sometimes if still taking money out of the Company, the Company goes down, their lifestyle still doesn't change with what they have squirreled away, and the workers come up short again.

At least it gives smaller companies an option .

6 months or more with no income when outgoings continue means game over is very likely for many small set ups . Why squander your reserves delaying the inevitable when a no return investment might just let you break even while you ride out this storm . Its a big gamble few would want to take but fortune favours the brave and if you can cover the bills to stay afloat for 6 months or more you are at least left with something to build upon when its all over .

The more people return to work the more cash will flow , the lockdown remains in place but slowly and surely loosens its grip to coincide with economic growth , a new normal evolves so when the invention of a vaccine is announced the typical response will be "oh yeah well good" as it is with an injury that you notice stopped hurting months after it healed and was forgotten .

 

[Towpack]

My Brother, 50, came down with the virus just over 4 weeks ago, at least his GP and the people on 111 diagnosed it as such. His only symptom was a very bad cough, no fever, aches and pains or breathlessness etc. Whenever he’s had colds of Flu in the past it’s always his chest that seemed to suffer most so he’s had bad coughs before but this was the worst I’ve ever seen him. Some of his coughing bouts were so bad I thought he was choking. He isolated for a full 14 days and is now non contagious but still suffering coughing bouts, albeit less frequent, due to the damage to his lungs which could take several months to repair apparently.

 

[goodoldboy]

A close family member has had the virus but has more or less recovered.He suffers from bad asthma & had been working from home for a week when he was called in for an important meeting... 24 hours later & he was struggling for breath & running a high temp.He's pretty fit & seems to have had a mild version , lucky really.His wife works in a care home so she had to self isolate.
We live in a isolated part of one of the most sparsely populated regions of Europe & are very fortunate.We have a large property & are hidden away so life is pretty normal I go shopping once every 7 to 10 days & this will be reduced once the veg garden starts cropping - the first salads have been on the table for a week.
There have been few cases here & very few deaths something that could have been very different as this is a popular area for Spanish tourists.
The national situation is changing rapidly , kids are allowed out an hour a day & over 14s & up to the age of 70 can go out to do exercise twice a day .Masks will be mandatory on public transport from Monday & a limited opening of bars will happen from the 11th , at fist outside tables only.The detail for all this is extensive & is causing a lot of confusion as there is a good deal of vagueness in the wording & may add to the more than 700 000 fines given out so far.
In totally non related wildlife news we spotted a Cormorant on the large pond that's near the top of our land , quite a sight, , the dog was very impressed.

 

[jibberjabber]

I see the US are knocking on the door of 70,000

United States

Coronavirus Cases:
1,191,940

Deaths:
68,715

Recovered:
178,671

 

[Shayne]

Nearing half as many as federal europe , i blame those hillbillies myself .

 

[jibberjabber]

Nearing half as many as federal europe , i blame those hillbillies myself .

Beverly Hillbillies that is. And Rednecks are to blame.

 

[goodoldboy]

The numbers thing is confusing , each country seems to have different criteria.In Spain anyone dying without a positive test isn't on the official figures.Even different regions here have different methods & some have refused to release their figures for the old folks homes.But 70 000 is a grim statistic.

 

[Tractionman]

Beverly Hillbillies that is. And Rednecks are to blame. View attachment 165483View attachment 165484

Which one was in Deliverance ?

 

[jibberjabber]

Which one was in Deliverance ?

I auditioned for 'Deliverance' but I didn't get the part as my neck wasn't red enough, and I didn't look inbred.

The second picture is of me when I had Covid-14, it wasn't a dangerous virus, it just made you pull strange faces for a day or two.