Corona Virus and Swinging

[findinganswers 356]

It seems whatever you do, see or read today, the Coronavirus is the topic and fear. We aren’t shaking hands, we aren’t kissing Hello, we are wiping everything down with disinfectant wipes. We are told to be careful of crowds, transportation on crowded trains and even Uber’s. People are cancelling vacations and some won’t go to restaurants. 

All that and we still meet friends for swinging. Are we more afraid of this pandemic than STDs? Do we take more precautions now? We shouldn’t touch others unless it’s for sex. 

Just wondering if your plans have changed. 

[NoAngels 303]

Mrs Angel mentioned the problem and we discussed. 

The virus passes through liquid droplets and contact. She said maybe we shouldn’t kiss and I know I rolled my eyes. 

[cplnuswing 4,711]

We don't have anything imminent on our swinging calendar, so sort of a hypothetical for us.  Good question though, and I don't really know what our answer would be.  I think it would depend on the situation.

• Meeting up with some old friends - absolutely no problem.
• Meeting some potential new friends for drinks/dinner - not really a problem.
• Visiting a swingers club - probably a no on that right now, can do that anytime.  Put that club in a city where there is already confirmed case(s), then definite no.
• Swingers cruise - if we won some sort of swinger lottery and someone gave us free tickets, thanks but no thanks.  If we had laid out a whole bunch of money and bought the tickets months ago, and there was no way to cancel without losing all the money, then that would be a dilemma.  If we had the option to cancel with a cancellation fee, then yes, that's probably what we would do.

I suspect just like other travel/leisure businesses, some clubs are seeing a dropoff in business, but nothing too extreme yet.  Swingers are probably like most other people, just in sort of a holding pattern of waiting and watching to see where this thing is going to go. Maybe have made a few adjustments, but not in full lockdown mode yet either.

[njbm 2,728]

We cancelled our lifestyle cruise to Australia and New Zealand scheduled for mid-March. We are on the older side. We did not want to risk getting quarantined far from home. Also, they could close their tourist sites. We got a credit for a future cruise and flights. 

[cplnuswing 4,711]

Smart move I think, that's exactly what we would have done, been happy to get the credit and then just wait and see how this goes and wait for better days to come.  Glad it worked out for you.

[Wornsilver 219]

COVID-19 is the latest in a constant series of fear mongering enterprises: Y2K, Anthrax, West Nile Virus, SARS, Bird Flu, Ecoli, the 2008 Financial Crisis/Great Recession; Swine Flu, BP oil spill, the Mayan Calendar, North Korea (now, that one is realistic), Ebola, ISIS and Russia. Nearly every year.

 

I'm worried about the little boy who cried "Wolf" too often.

[Fundamental Law 2,817]

31 minutes ago, Wornsilver said:

COVID-19 is the latest in a constant series of fear mongering enterprises

We respectfully disagree with this statement.

 

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is a novel pathogen that is demonstrably  highly transmissible and demonstrably has serious consequences in vulnerable populations. Unlike influenza for which there is a vaccine and antiviral therapy, there are currently no known effective medical countermeasures against this novel coronavirus.

 

Until further information becomes available from scientists and public health authorities, we think prudence is indicated. Indeed, earlier today a senior USG expert (Dr. Anthony Fauci) made strong and clear recommendations for older Americans, especially those with chronic health conditions, about avoidance of long flights, cruise ships and so on. 

[PeterJ 826]

I don’t know how to respond to a post that claims every medical, technological, financial and political threat to our nation (or the world)  is the product of a a shadowy cabal. So I won’t.

 

But while there is a lot that’s not yet known about Covid-19, in time we will. Currently knowledgeable people may disagree. One of my college roommates is a research professor on infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins. He thinks it would be perilous at this point to assume the world will not have a very unhappy experience. On the other hand another college friend of mine trained as a microbiologist (and while still a student was lead author of an important paper published in the journal Nature — which I assure you is a very BFD.) He’s quite sanguine about the threat of Covid-19, expecting that more data will show much lower mortality rates that are currently seen, and also that the advent of warmer weather will see a roll-back of infection rates as is the case with flu. He thinks my wife and I should expect that we can take our planned May trip to Ireland and France with little risk. (He believes there’s is a greater risk to the global economy than to health.)

 

These guys are experts in the field and they don’t agree about the degree of risk we have for a reprise of the deadly Spanish flu pandemic of a century ago, which would see millions of fatalities world-wide. I don’t disbelieve either of them. I do expect it won’t require the passage of too much time before we have pretty good clues about the direction.

 

I will say that when interventions in the face of potential public health calamities are successful there’s nothing to see. And that’s the success we should applaud. 
 

in terms of the personal implications for swinging, my wife and I have agreed that until the picture becomes clearer, there won’t be any sex outside our marriage.

[adamgunn 1,456]

I would slightly agree with Wornsilver, in that the current state of media tends to escalate fears rather than be balanced.

 

For those who are into history, we remember the yellow journalism of William Randolph Hearst around the turn of the 19th-20th century. For example he charged that a battleship in Havana harbor was intentionally blown up by the Spaniards (when it may have been an accident on the ship) and garnered support to incite the Spanish-American war. 

 

The current state of reporting, led by blogs and cable networks, is that they need to fill air time and gain viewers, so the negative aspects that will draw eyes are emphasized. In these media outlets, there isn't much time for thoughtful reflection and measured reasoning, which used to be the purview of 'journalism.'

 

So today the CoronaVirus is emphasized, and fears are stoked. 

 

(Note: I am not saying that the disease isn't a serious concern. It's just that you're unlikely to hear we'll have more deaths this year from the common flu than Coronavirus.)

[EastInWest 1,508]

We hit the strip club Treasures in Vegas on our way to vacation a few weeks ago. (Would not recommend, mediocre experience.) We won't be doing that kind of thing again for a bit or going to large, crowded gatherings with a large number of circulating new people generally.

 

We'll certainly continue to see friends/playmates in largely unaffected areas, but we live close to an active outbreak and won't be socializing with people from that area for a while or traveling through terminals in that city. We're seriously assessing if we want to do anymore flying at all until this has shaken out, I expect that within a week or a month every hub airport is going to be pretty sketchy, hygiene-wise.

 

I work close enough to this field to have a moderately informed opinion, feel free to ignore it: this certainly isn't the Spanish Flu, but outbreaks are placing a horrific burden on hospitals for equipment and personnel they often don't have. Taking some sensible steps beyond normal hygiene to modify your behavior to avoid spreading it is important right now until our system gets to where it needs to be to handle it, which may take a minute, and also is just considerate of the vulnerable and of first responders.

[SJBluebirds 176]

On 3/8/2020 at 3:13 PM, Wornsilver said:

COVID-19 is the latest in a constant series of fear mongering enterprises: Y2K, Anthrax, West Nile Virus, SARS, Bird Flu, Ecoli, the 2008 Financial Crisis/Great Recession; Swine Flu, BP oil spill, the Mayan Calendar, North Korea (now, that one is realistic), Ebola, ISIS and Russia. Nearly every year.

 

I'm worried about the little boy who cried "Wolf" too often.

This is different; Unlike those other things, Whole countries didn't shut down, as they have this week.

 

All schools in Japan are closed: elementary, high schools, universities, daycares -- all closed.

Italy has isolated its entire North.  No weddings.  No funerals (funerals!).  They've stopped all Masses -- During Lent! -- in The most Catholic country in the World.   The Italian industrial sector (for what it is) is effectively shut down, stopped.

 

That's not journalism -- Yellow, left-wing, whatever -- that's what's required to stop this.  This one is serious; not to be taken lightly.

Monitor your temperature on a daily basis -- watch for unexplained elevated temperature.  Wash your hands thoroughly and often.  Don't touch your face.

[PSULioness 754]

This should be a real concern not because of news reports but because scientists say so. When the NIH and CDC  doctors give reports that we should take precautions, I will listen to them over those who want to make political statements. I want to know why a congressman who made fun of the disease by wearing a gas mask to a vote on funding is now in quarantine. I will take the advice of real doctors not spin doctors. 

My husband travels and his company is now curtailing business travel. Italy is closed down. Israel is quarantining those entering the country. Ireland has cancelled St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Do you think they are doing this because CNN is blowing this up? 

We have curtailed our playing for now. Most of my friends who play have agreed that now is not the time to take chances and my friends are not in the high risk demographic. 

[RockNCpl 71]

If anyone wants to keep tabs on the numbers

 

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/?fbclid=IwAR0zAnmqgism07DU3q2p2BTu6AzRjnB8CoXVnY0Un6SfuLUrl6kZP3VM8Sw

[RockNCpl 71]

23 hours ago, adamgunn said:

It's just that you're unlikely to hear we'll have more deaths this year from the common flu than Coronavirus.)

The common flu infects millions and kills approx .1%. CORVID19 has killed approx 2%.  So, the common flu will kill more, Corona has killed a larger percentage. Still a small percentage though, and most cases were those already in ill health or are immune compromised.

 

I do believe it should be taken seriously, but, the media is spreading unneeded fear like a wild fire. 

[GoldCoCouple 4,014]

Those that have died have had compromised immune systems...either very old or some other medical issue that severely lowered their ability to fight a virus. Not that it shouldn't be paid attention to, but if you follow common health procedures (washing your hands, for instance), even if you do catch the virus, it will seem like a cold and you will recover in the same time as a cold. We are not concerned and think instead that how the media is allowing to run unchecked spreading panic like it is is...wrong, bordering on criminal. Do your own research, it will kill less people than the common flu will kill in a year and most of us do nothing for the flu.

[Wornsilver 219]

I guess I should have expected this to touch nerves. And get various opinions. Let's take Y2K for instance--maybe the media should be commended for its obsession that then caused people to examine computer programs so that they would be able to accept dates that had the numbers "2000." Maybe.

 

Preparation, anticipation and response are required for all kinds of emergencies. But don't you think some of these responses are extreme? Italy has reported a fatality rate of about 5%. When South Korea expanded testing, they found that the milder cases were not reported and that brought the fatality rate to 0.6%. It is too early to determine if you should cancel all your travel plans, stay indoors, work from home, cancel school, etc. Based on 26 deaths in the US, most of whom had severe health issues.

 

Italy has the oldest population in Europe, so that would contribute to their high number of cases/fatalities.

 

But a reaction causing a loss of trillions of dollars in value/wealth? Gosh, after 11 years of a bull market, it was waiting for a trigger. The effect on the travel and entertainment industries will be huge. I don't know when I have seen the death of 26 elderly persons in Washington state precipitate such a huge reaction.

 

I'm frankly amazed that contributors to this generally reasonable exchange would be reacting with enough fear so as to detract from their usual activities. Inovio has developed a vaccine, but it will take many months, years? to get it to the market. Is it really the "mystery" and the "super hero of diseases?" While the odds are greater than getting hit by a meteor, about like getting hit by a bus?

 

 

[GoldCoCouple 4,014]

Once this is over, everyone will see how silly this was and how they reacted. What I AM afraid of is when a real dangerous threat does rear its head, we will all say '...remember the corona virus/bird flu/sars/etc, you aren't going to fool me again' and that is when the zombie virus devastates society. Lucky for us, we are already ready for zombies.

 

Being into IT, I, of course, remember Y2k. Stopped my father from loosing a ton of money investing in a software 'cure'. Same thing as this, just a overhyped software virus instead of a flesh and blood virus...that will do the same thing (ie: not much). Just happy to still have the lights on and my car not thinking it was a 1900 buggy.

[cplnuswing 4,711]

We aren't the only ones having this conversation. Here's another opinion.

 

https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/03/open-relationship-coronavirus-advice.html

 

There's a twist there in that there is another person in the household who would be high risk, and so it brings in the element of your decisions vs risks to others. 

 

That is an interesting question.  Before becoming a husband and father, I used to have a hobby most would consider on the high risk end. I never really dwelled on it. I knew the risks and knew what I was doing and took all the necessary steps to make it as low risk as possible. Once I had more to think about though than just me, then my interest in it just faded away. It really wasn't a conscious decision, it just did.  The funny thing there is my main hobby since then is one that most people would consider extremely safe, and something happened and I had a week in the hospital and very nearly died from it.

 

I just say that to say risk assessment is a very individual thing, but what makes it even more a conundrum in something like this is the risk isn't limited to just yourself, your decisions may directly affect others.  I'm not saying that means any one size fits all answer is the only right answer for everyone, but just that these are complicated issues and we all deal with them in different ways.  Really, it's a lot along the lines of condom use vs bareback discussions we have here and the wide range of opinion on that subject.

[kittyswinger 254]

Swinging for us, suspended until further notice. Parallel mono, in effect! ?

[MrandMrsA 76]

Our friend is an infectious disease control nurse working for a large government agency. Last weekend we celebrated her birthday with dinner at a restaurant, dancing in a crowded club and to finish up - an orgy. When asked if she was concerned about Corona virus - she laughed and said that other than those with compromised immune systems, we should worry more about the regular flu and that this is just media hype.

 

We are signed up for a house party in mid April, we won't pay until the day before as to make a decision to attend pending spread of CV. We are not curtailing an other activities, LS or vanilla.

[Fundamental Law 2,817]

Individual concerns aside, the World Health Organization has (finally) declared the current situation to be a pandemic. The US case counts are probably just about a week behind Italy, France, Germany and other European countries, while case rate growth is fairly similar. 

[njbm 2,728]

We are no longer shaking hands, so Lifestyle activities are definitely on hold for us. We are over 60 years old, so we are in a higher risk category. We are from the better safe than sorry school. 

[Sunday 119]

On 3/8/2020 at 3:13 PM, Wornsilver said:

COVID-19 is the latest in a constant series of fear mongering enterprises: Y2K, Anthrax, West Nile Virus, SARS, Bird Flu, Ecoli, the 2008 Financial Crisis/Great Recession; Swine Flu, BP oil spill, the Mayan Calendar, North Korea (now, that one is realistic), Ebola, ISIS and Russia. Nearly every year.

 

I'm worried about the little boy who cried "Wolf" too often.

 

I don't know what's worse?  Over-reacting or under-reacting?

 

Neither extreme is good - neither one is reasonable - neither one helps the situation.

 

?

[PSULioness 754]

Just wondering if those who thought Covid-19 was just a political thing, hoax, or just a liberal media thing now have changed your mind. Events are being cancelled, not just Liberal events and schools are being closed throughout the country. Offices are having employees work from home with entire commercial office buildings on lock down. We are all susceptible to contact with strangers. 

I am not in the demographic of many on here as far as age, yet I am very nervous. 

[adamgunn 1,456]

PSU, I am in the demographic of those at risk, but I am not particularly nervous.

 

I am NOT downplaying the potential risks of the pandemic, and I support the efforts (such as canceling events) to stop the spread. But we still have a very small footprint of the disease.

 

I will continue to go to the store, to restaurants, etc. But I won't be getting too close to strangers, and getting close and personal with someone I don't know that I'd like to get close and personal with . . . well, that's not gonna happen for awhile.

[lcmim 1,008]

It is just possible, even most likely, that it is all of the above are true, a serious concern, overhyped political opportunism, and media self serving self aggrandizement.

The media folks really have cried wolf too often and this is an election cycle in an emotionally charged year.

 

I am definitely close to the targets bullseye. The two of us are trying to be prudent and we did cancel going to a hotel party this weekend. I mean what would the fun be in going when we aren't even shaking hands with strangers right now?

 

[GoldCoCouple 4,014]

Normally I do not support looking towards sports figures to find useful insight from their opinions (just because they can play a sport well, doesn't mean they are particularly 'insightful'), and I'm not a Patriots or Tom Brady fan, but I think he hit this nail on the head:

 

One of the worst days so far for Coronavirus was the 10th of February. On that day, 108 persons in CHINA died of Coronavirus. BUT, on the same day ... 26,283 people died of Cancer; 24,641 died of Heart Disease; 4,300 people died of Diabetes and on that day, Suicide, unfortunately took more lives than the virus did, by 28 times. Moreover, Mosquitoes kill 2,740 people every day, HUMANS kill 1,300 fellow humans every day and Snakes kill 137 people every day. Take a deep breath, and wash your hands.

 

--Tom Brady

[findinganswers 356]

With all due respect to your thoughts, Tom Brady is not someone I would look to for advice on a pandemic. 

I don’t know if the numbers quoted are even close to being true, even if they are what does that have to do with the transmission of Covid 19? Does it have any bearing on those that did die or the families who lost a loved one? Covid19 is highly transmittable and the only known way of stopping the spread is by avoiding contact with anyone infected. A major problem is very few people in the US have been tested and much more needs to be learned about this virus. 

Mad far as humans killing other humans, that’s a topic that should be discussed as well, it is preventable. 

[NC_Seniors 492]

Presented without comment ... https://fullfact.org/online/coronavirus-daily-deaths/

[Fundamental Law 2,817]

Perhaps we should be discussing virtual house parties and clubs...

[wifewantstotry 18]

We are about ten days behind Italy. There was a point in the president’s press conference today where he indicated that travel within the US will be restricted. The science is that the virus may not become symptomatic for up to 14 days, while the unknowing carrier is shedding virus among otherwise healthy folk, including those over sixty or with underlying health conditions that make them more susceptible to a bad outcome. Symptoms can last up to 37 days thereafter. As of yesterday, Italy had a 6% death rate among all victims. I haven’t checked today.  Here in Tennessee, there have been runs on grocery stores, and the governor has declared an emergency, as has the president nationally. Due to the relative inaction of responsible government officials until this week, there has been a relative lack of testing in the US. While it will get ramped up, social distancing is necessary to protect the medical system and keep it from being overwhelmed in the coming weeks. I strongly approve of the suggestion of virtual play for the next couple of months.  Here is my state government’s explanation:

[njbm 2,728]

We noticed lifestyle events happening tonight on SLS. I think one would have to be at the least highly irresponsible to host or attend such an event.  Even if one thinks that they are too young to have a bad outcome, they could spread it to older friends and relatives. 

[cplnuswing 4,711]

I agree njbm.  I understand the dilemma it must be if you are a club owner with bills to pay and employees that need their next paycheck to support themselves and their families.  I think one has to try to keep in mind that weathering a bad month or two is better than not doing your part to keep this from getting out of control.  If that happens, that is likely the end of your business for good because of the drastic changes to our society and economy that will take a good long while to recover from.

 

For the more "nonbusiness" type events like meet and greets, maybe it's just me, but swinging just isn't enough a priority in my life to make me want to risk anything over it.  It will be there in three months or whatever, so no need to push your luck on anything today and bring harm to yourself or others over it.

 

Did I get out today and go pick up some home improvements supplies that didn't absolutely have to be gotten right now?  Yes.  Did I forego any browsing around to see what was on sale, etc.  Yes, went right to what I needed, got it, and left. Did I stop by some of the other places I normally would have if this wasn't going on?  No.

 

Point being there is some middle ground between your normal life and hunkered down in your bunker.  We're not in a high risk group, but swinging just isn't a big enough deal for us for it to qualify to be included in that middle ground.

[Fundamental Law 2,817]

We concur. Let's assume concerns about transmissions extend through spring and summer. What can LS people do to sustain the LS? It's time to get creative beyond cruises, hotel takeovers and house parties. What would it look like if, for example, there was a commitment to 2+2 for 2 (weeks, or months, or seasons)?

 

[cplnuswing 4,711]

That's a great point, and I suspect we will see things move in that direction even if it's not a totally conscious decision.  Instead of scanning the upcoming event calendar on your favorite swinger website, I suspect some will be spending that time looking at profiles instead trying to set up a 2+2 for drinks/dinner meet.

 

I think clubs and events are a super important part of the swinging and don't ever want to see them fade away, but for the time being, I won't be surprised to see them taking a less prominent roll in the swinging big picture.

[PSULioness 754]

On 3/14/2020 at 9:31 PM, Fundamental Law said:

We concur. Let's assume concerns about transmissions extend through spring and summer. What can LS people do to sustain the LS? It's time to get creative beyond cruises, hotel takeovers and house parties. What would it look like if, for example, there was a commitment to 2+2 for 2 (weeks, or months, or seasons)?

Great advice. Our play centers on out of town friends and one very good local friend. Our out of town friends are not visiting and we aren’t traveling. Our local friend and another friend we do play with visited us the other night. We socialized watching tv, and having some wine. I was somewhat concerned how the night would play out. We had a normal friends over night and no play happened. We did plenty of chatting about restaurants, bars, theaters and most social events be canceled. We joked about the future and quarantining. We made a pact that the four of us will be the only ones to play. It was pretty easy to decide as our guy friend is the primary one we play with and other than us he is not a player. And she is primarily with him and us. Our friends are not it a committed relationship in a strict sense and now, until things globally change, have decided to not see others, except us. 

The next few weeks will be a strain on many of us with all the restrictions, my husband will not be traveling for business and I am working from home. 

I hope everyone stays safe. 

[GoldCoCouple 4,014]

FindingAnswers: I started out with the disclaimer "Normally I do not support looking towards sports figures to find useful insight from their opinions (just because they can play a sport well, doesn't mean they are particularly 'insightful'), and I'm not a Patriots or Tom Brady fan...", I just found the comment more accurate than not. We are now almost in a case of national panic because of this...and it is mostly hype.

 

As of March 13, in the US there were only less than 1700 confirmed cases of Coronavirus and only 41 deaths according to the Center for Disease Control

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html

 

Even if you want to take the Governments 'numbers', that number is only 3700 plus or minus cases with 57 deaths. My personal favorite quote was that the number of cases were up 14 percent from the previous day (but testing was INCREASED at least 10x's from the previous day). Now I don't want to slight those people who have died or have had loved ones die, my sympathies go out to all of them, but we are on the brink of a full out nationwide panic with schools being closed down (children, for whatever reason, are NOT getting the virus and when they stay home, the doctors, nurses, first responders, etc have no source of day care), bars and restaurants closed, runs on the markets for food and cleaning supplies, seniors being told ordered to stay home, and fear being allowed to run unchecked.

 

Orson Wells would have been proud...

 

 

[njbm 2,728]

It sounds like Italy has a triage situation going on. They do not have enough ventilators and they have to decide who lives and dies. We are in stage 2. The upcoming stages have occurred in Italy, Spain, Iran and China. We have to look at where we are heading and think ahead. 

[lovefest04 685]

I was just thinking if anyone had started a thread about this. Glad I came here this am.

 

I am, however, surprised by some of the posts. I agree that panic and denial are useless positions. But i don't agree with the idea that this is just another 'hoax'.

 

I'm also not concerned about myself. I am very healthy but I do worry about others.

 

There is a virus spreading, silently and invisibly throughout the world. It does kill people. Does it kill as many as other diseases, maybe not, but cancers, diabetes, heart disease are contained within the body of the infected/sick person, this is NOT. And the number of people who claim to be immune-compromised is FAR LOWER than actually are. The human race has been destroying it's natural immune systems for 50 years.

 

And, viruses mutate. So, next time might be worse, more virulent than now. And those that get covid-19 and survive or have no symptoms may not be so fortunate next time, and there will be a next time.

 

I think what's missing is that even if a person doesn't die from the virus, they can develop life long issues because of it. So, death is not the only measure of the long term effects of this virus. Plus, as with the flu, a new strain may develop every year or two making control of the problem more and more difficult. It's not hard to imagine a virus like Covid-19 becoming our new reality with deaths each year reaching 10's of thousands like the flu and at the same time never being reported in the media.

 

Regarding children: they do not appear to get the virus, but they do carry it. So, as with healthy adults, children may be vectors for spreading the virus without ever knowing they are infected. Potentially spreading it to another child that takes it home to their immuno-compromised parent or grandparent.

 

How is ignoring and playing down the spread and seriousness of Covid-19 not the same as anti-vacers and measles?

 

I think the real problem, is that we really don't understand the virus, have any plan for controlling the spread. We're flying blind and that's scary. So, taking precautions, thinking of how our actions might affect others and erroring on the side of caution seems to make sense.

 

 

 

[lcmim 1,008]

II realize that since this is about neither sex nor politics that that I am slightly off topic here.

I am fascinated by the way that simple normal things have changed in importance and practice.

 

For instance, it occurred to me that borrowing a pen from the desk when signing for orders is not an enlightened aseptic approach. Guess who will need to wear a pocket protector( remember those) for the first time in decades.

 

Any one else see these things going on?

[lovefest04 685]

We first 'got it' when we asked to have our coffee drinks put into our travel mugs. "Sorry, we can no longer do that, but we will put it in a paper cup and you can pour that into your mug." That was 2 1/2 weeks ago.

 

Yesterday, no seating in the coffee shop, take out only.

 

Just saw an old friend in the market, and she practically jumped away. Normally, we'd hug. So unless I've turned into a ghoul or look like a zombie?..nevermind I'll just chalk it up to the virus☠️, that feels better. 

 

Plus we have to rethink using our cards in those fancy point of sale readers. How many people have touched that today?

[enhancer 1,542]

There is only 8 confirmed cases in our province of Saskatchewan!  They have already closed schools for the rest of the year and told people that can work from home to stay home.  We have put our swinging life on hold for now, until things calm down.  Although we are both healthy due to our clean eating habits and daily exercise it is not worth it to us to take a chance of getting it and spreading it to others around us that are not so healthy.  Seems like a pretty selfish thing to risk other people’s health to get a little extra on the side.

[lovefest04 685]

What a great opportunity/excuse to live out a few fantasies with your own partner. We've had a great week so far.

[EastInWest 1,508]

Well, we made the right call coming back from our vacation a week early. It's gone from "no toilet paper" to "no frozen vegetables, no frozen fruit, no meat of any kind, no apples, only the worst brand of frozen pizza, bananas are rationed...", but we're pretty well set. We are curfewed like little kids and nearly everything social is closed, as is Ms. E's workplace. 

 

On the upside, I managed to get a new set of adjustable dumbbells before they went out of stock so we can work out at home together, we picked up plenty of red wine, and I have what works out to 240 mg of Cialis stockpiled courtesy of my insurance plan, enough for Mrs. E and I to bang more or less continuously for the...60 days, give or take. We'll be alright. Maybe we should self-publish smut or something while we have all this free time.

[Fundamental Law 2,817]

Remarkably, SLS is now planning a 'virtual social' in that site's chat room. 

[twohots4u2 187]

Unfortunately, self-serving politicians and some unscrupilus news media have promoted COVID19 as a political motivated hoax.    As a result actions that should have been taken in early Jan in the US were not taken, and now the virus is spreading in the US almost unchecked, and our medical system is not prepared to cope with it.  Because many people who have contracted and can spread COVID19 may not have symptoms for five to seven days, you have no way of knowing that the person you are playing with is a carrier on not.  To me, that is like playing Russian Roulette with five bullets in the chamber of a six chamber revolver.    

 

 

[GoldCoCouple 4,014]

 

Quote

Unfortunately, self-serving politicians and some unscrupilus news media have promoted COVID19 as a political motivated hoax.

We believe that politicians and news have promoted CoVid 19 to ruin the economy, blame the president, and making the public dependent on the government. Once again, the latest numbers:

 

• Total cases: 15,219
• Total deaths: 201

The flu has and will kill more people and we are not up in arms and sheltering in place from it. Some facts from John Hopkins Medical (there's a bunch of info here comparing the CoVid 19 to the flu):

Deaths

COVID-19: Approximately 13,592 deaths reported worldwide; 340 deaths in the U.S., as of Mar. 22, 2020.*

Flu: 291,000 to 646,000 deaths worldwide; 12,000 to 61,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.

 

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-disease-2019-vs-the-flu

 

And again from the CDC regarding the flu:

 

CDC estimates* that, from October 1, 2019, through March 14, 2020, there have been:

23,000 – 59,000 flu deaths

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/preliminary-in-season-estimates.htm

 

I know, don't let facts and the truth interfere with your panic. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a good thing and I do believe it really is something that is going on, but over 500,000 people will die from the flu this year and nobody gives it a single thought and in the mean time, we are destroying businesses and peoples lives based on fear. Don't take my word on it, check the facts out for yourself.

[lovefest04 685]

I think the panic is and has been driven by a total lack of action by those that the public sees as protectors of the public health. Not local folks but national. Let's face it the federal response and action was and continues to be pathetic.

 

Now we are stuck with excessive measures to try to contain or even understand the issues facing us. Since there is no testing, no understanding all we can do is imagine, and the imagination is a powerful thing. But for those 'at risk' they are freaked out. For all they know it's "coming from inside the house'. This is where the federal government should be stepping in, providing accurate coherent, clear information.

 

We have a population trained to be fearful of illness. A unforeseen result of the vaccine movement and the medical establishment that have both promoted fear from illness, that the solutions are external to us as organisms and that they are the answer to our woes. When they fail or are overwhelmed, people panic.

 

The comparison to other diseases is just wrong. I can't get cancer from shaking my neighbors hand, ditto for heart disease and diabetes. But I can get Covid-19 or the flu for that matter. But there is no current immunity or vaccine that provides a measure of control. "I can get a flu shot each year and be PROTECTED" forget the reality it's the PERCEPTION.

 

Until there is more information, more control and more measures for containment long term this thing is dangerous.

 

When comparing the flu to Covid-19 it not total numbers of deaths that's the factor. It's the percentage of deaths to cases.

 

Flu -  1 billion cases - death 646,000 worldwide = .06% death rate

Covid -19 -  351,731 cases - deaths 15,374 worldwide = 4.37% death rate. Let's say cases reach 100,000,000 (one tenth of flu) worldwide, deaths could reach 4,730,000. (600% more deaths)

 

Then add on top of that an economic meltdown. Markets hate uncertainty just as much as humans. Again, the pathetic federal response to what is an obvious problem has lead to fear and panic. The measure of fear in the markets rose from 15 to a record high of 88 or so in just a week or two. That's amazing. That's panic.

 

The media is not creating the problem, maybe they are helping to create fear, but there is actually real trouble in River City. Both in term of health and economics. And at this level, we need more than half baked partisan solutions.

 

respectfully

 

 

 

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"Let's face it the federal response and action was and continues to be pathetic".  What more would you have the feds do? The federal CDC has, in conjunction with the federal Surgeon General recognized the virus as a potential serious health problem and set many of the guidelines being followed by the individual states. The CIC (that would be the federal Commander in Chief in case you're confused) has ordered Navy hospital ships to either coast to assist our biggest cities. Would you have the Guard and Reserves activated? If you do that for medical personnel, where do you think they come from? I'll tell you where, the medical corps will come from your local hospitals, nursing homes, fire and ems stations, etc and mine. Do you want soldiers at each intersection? How would that help anything? And again, where will they come from? Would you like maybe 20% of your local police department sent off to guard a grocery store in a city three states away??  

 

In a system such as ours, the states hold every day power. They can follow federal guidelines to the letter or they can do more or less than recommended. The federal government can step in at the request of the states. So far, no state has made that request. The federal government can control the borders and they're doing so even though its something that a month ago you probably thought of  as a bad thing. The federal government can and has limited air travel as well and restricted foreign travel.  And the federal government has taken steps to repatriate and care for US citizens stranded on cruise ships and in other countries. 

 

What has led to "fear and panic" is the steady drumbeat of 'the sky is falling' stories all across the 24 hour news cycle. It really doesn't matter if you're watching CNN, Fox or the big 3 networks although the same basic spin comes from the big 3, their subsidiaries and affiliates and CNN. The media love nothing better than drama and crisis and since most of outlets are left of center and no friend of the current POTUS or his party they have an agenda well beyond simply informing the public. What we're getting is the 21st century version of the yellow journalism of the late 1800's. Its no public service.

[cplnuswing 4,711]

Pretty sure no one is going to convince others who have opposite opinion regarding the how's and why's of where we are at.  Plenty of other places on the internet to go debate that with people.  Please let's try to keep the discussion away from the politics and to the original subject, which is how is coronavirus going to influence your swinging.