COVID 19 and Work...

[karam]

I'm a consultant, I can work from anywhere with an internet connection. Our international business travels are cancelled but otherwise all is as usual. My job has advised that people should consider working from home unless they specifically want to come to the office. So far I am going to the office because it is quieter than home with the schools closed.

Just reading the bolded makes me chuckle, it is the purest way a consultant would give advice!

 

[karam]

No panic so far in Greece, thankfully.

Apparently it was chaos in shops on Saturday, a friend who owns a bakery said they were sold out at noontime, same for my butcher. My butcher is rationing a bit, which I appreciate, said that some crazies asked for 20 kilos of beef, half a pig, or 10 chickens but he refused in order to have enough to serve everyone. That's commendable, after all it is in his interest to sell out.

Apparently there was a rush of panic buying Monday morning which subsided by the afternoon.

Same deal on the supermarkets, it's actually very civilised, they have a person at the door counting how many enter and leave and stopping the flow sometimes, people outside waited without signs of stress or anger.

The supermarket did miss some items like the cheap toilet paper, some legumes, pasta and rice but was by no means empty. Fresh vegetables were gone too but these are perishable and I buy them as and when I need them.
Obviously no sanitizers to be found but no issue with cans, fresh or frozen or fresh meat.

I actually got much more relaxed seeing that there are no signs of shortage, my experience with 2015 and imposing of capital controls in Greece showed me that when you get past the first wave of madness, people's behaviour gets back into normal within a couple of days.

 

[musicman]

I’m a musician, and all free lance gigs have been cancelled. My church job has changed. We are releasing a worship podcast every Sunday in lieu of meeting in person. This means that church happens whenever myself (organist), the pastor, and the choir director can get together to record. Church this Sunday happens tomorrow at 5.

 

[davek]

I am part time at a gym till I reach full retirement. Gyms are closed in Ohio and I am out of work indefinitely. Didn't make enough to qualify for unemployment either.

 

[mikethompson]

My wife is a teacher and school has been cancelled for two weeks following March Break.

Everything in Ontario is essentially closed, at least the traditional places you take kids on March Break.

 

[Old School 3319]

I work in the engineering department at a tire manufacturing plant and we are still here. If you are high enough up the food chain you get to work from home. But my job is about 50/50 office and floor time so i am still here. There is some talk that the state of Illinois will shutdown us for a couple weeks but that is just rumor so far. I do not go to town for supplies very often so we tend to have things stocked up so the grocery thing has not affected my family. And we raise alot of our own food.

 

[madox07]

I am into food distribution, and I am also an associate professor at the University in town. Business has been booming in the food industry, especially the traditional trade sector, although after everybody is stocked up I expect that sales will fall. For now we are up and about, trying to do our best and supply stores with whatever inventory we have left and the little we can procure (flower is out of stock from mills, so is dry yeast, and canned meat inventory is dwindling). People will start running out of money, and will consume what they have regardless of whether this crisis deepens or not. The hotel and restaurant distribution chain, though, is bust. Most restaurants in town are closing down for the time being, my accounts receivables are frozen ... I don't see the upcoming economic recession with good eyes, and not only for the hospitality industry .. real estate undoubtedly will fall, construction, etc. My University classes are held online ... so that's going on for me at the moment, although most students from rural areas do not have the proper technology to log in ... we shall see, I am trying to stay optimistic.

 

[Old School 3319]

We have contracts with auto makers so i do not think we will shut down unless the close their plants down. I am kind of at loss with the food shortage. My family lives in a very traditional way, we do not go out to eat very often may once a month but usually only if its someone birthday so we have enough food for awhile. I find it hard to believe that people dont have toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning supplies at the house

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Jewelry stores that I do repairs for have all but come to a complete halt. If I have under a dozen repairs to pick up, I don't even make enough to cover the gas it costs to pick up. My own jewelry orders have stopped. The school that I coach speech and debate has closed. And, constant rain has kept me from getting the fields planted on time. The Spring Farmers market was called off until further notice, so I have boxes and boxes of greens and onions just setting... I may be donating these to homeless shelters.

My daughters have both been temporarily let go as restaurant and hair care has all closed up.

My son in Peace Corp has been recalled and is in the jumbled up mess of trying to get out of South Africa with no commercial flights. We are waiting day by day for the Government to tell us what their plan is for them, but we do know that we will have to go on a full quarantine lock down for 14 days when he returns, because they have no plans to keep them on bases like they have in the past. This is our most pressing concerns. He could arrive at any airport or military base in the US, and we will have to be ready to pick him up. I am most disappointed in how this mess is panning out.

My wife works for Shipt, and she has been busy as hell.

I have had lots of time to ride my bike and get some fishing in, but... that's not going to cover the bills.

 

[Old School 3319]

Jewelry stores that I do repairs for have all but come to a complete halt. If I have under a dozen repairs to pick up, I don't even make enough to cover the gas it costs to pick up. My own jewelry orders have stopped. The school that I coach speech and debate has closed. And, constant rain has kept me from getting the fields planted on time. The Spring Farmers market was called off until further notice, so I have boxes and boxes of greens and onions just setting... I may be donating these to homeless shelters.

My daughters have both been temporarily let go as restaurant and hair care has all closed up.

My son in Peace Corp has been recalled and is in the jumbled up mess of trying to get out of South Africa with no commercial flights. We are waiting day by day for the Government to tell us what their plan is for them, but we do know that we will have to go on a full quarantine lock down for 14 days when he returns, because they have no plans to keep them on bases like they have in the past. This is our most pressing concerns. He could arrive at any airport or military base in the US, and we will have to be ready to pick him up. I am most disappointed in how this mess is panning out.

My wife works for Shipt, and she has been busy as hell.

I have had lots of time to ride my bike and get some fishing in, but... that's not going to cover the bills.

God speed and safety for your sons return?

 

[bent1]

Sorry to hear that CosmicFolkLure. Wish I could help ya, my wife & I would buy some the greens & onions. prayed for your son’s safe return and business plight.

 

[3rdguy]

I am front line and the worse it gets the more I will be leaving home for it. Yesterday I had 3 calls with temps over 101. It is an uneasy feeling but this is what I signed up for. Be nice to go to the grocery store on my day off and be able to get basic goods. I wish stores would drastically limit people buying everything they can purchase of 1 item. Wife is freaking out, others around me are making it a point to hit restaurants and bars. I am operating in between.

 

[bent1]

You’re more of a hero than you know! People working in grocery stores/retail deserve medals at this time.

Indeed they do. Additionally, they work within distances closer than 6 ft of people, don’t have the time to wash hands, and have home’s that need stocking also. I thank these people in person, and take surveys so they get much needed recognition.

 

[hauntedmyst]

With the company I work for all of stuff is made in China and now they have us working from home. Things are definitely slower.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I'm lucky for now. Retired, and in a not congested area. And we're getting much needed rain, and I have plenty of housebound activities that lay waiting, such as taxes and some painting.

Bless all of you who are out there serving the rest of us.

 

[Old School 3319]

Jewelry stores that I do repairs for have all but come to a complete halt. If I have under a dozen repairs to pick up, I don't even make enough to cover the gas it costs to pick up. My own jewelry orders have stopped. The school that I coach speech and debate has closed. And, constant rain has kept me from getting the fields planted on time. The Spring Farmers market was called off until further notice, so I have boxes and boxes of greens and onions just setting... I may be donating these to homeless shelters.

My daughters have both been temporarily let go as restaurant and hair care has all closed up.

My son in Peace Corp has been recalled and is in the jumbled up mess of trying to get out of South Africa with no commercial flights. We are waiting day by day for the Government to tell us what their plan is for them, but we do know that we will have to go on a full quarantine lock down for 14 days when he returns, because they have no plans to keep them on bases like they have in the past. This is our most pressing concerns. He could arrive at any airport or military base in the US, and we will have to be ready to pick him up. I am most disappointed in how this mess is panning out.

My wife works for Shipt, and she has been busy as hell.

I have had lots of time to ride my bike and get some fishing in, but... that's not going to cover the bills.

Do you do any work by mail? I inherited a pocket watch that i know very little about and was going to take it to a jewlery store. but they are getting hard to come by

 

[briarbuck]

This is really bad. I have a gut feeling about half of these small business and restaurants will never open their doors again

 

[stevecourtright]

My heart goes out to everyone negatively impacted by the epidemic. I am hoping that my favorite bar can weather the storm. Personally I'm working from home - I could write my stuff (patents) anywhere really. Once I wrote an application from a hammock on the beach in Costa Rica...

And thank you to all the workers who are keeping the rest of us going (grocery employees, supply chain people, and medical folks come to mind)...

 

[Old School 3319]

As an "Old Man" I try to frequent small businesses. Maybe i am just set in my ways but if a man or a family works hard to make a living for themselves I respect that and will usually pay a little more just to help keep them going. I believe the art of customer service is becoming a thing of the past kind of like common sense but if I go some where and get good customer service I will always go back

 

[3rdguy]

This is really bad. I have a gut feeling about half of these small business and restaurants will never open their doors again

Wife runs a small business of about 11 employees. We started discussing this morning the order of who would get laid off 1st..