Has Covid 19 really kept couples social distancing from each other?

[amaysngrace]

2 minutes ago, Gr8fuln2020 said:

I know of a few that continue to see one another. Why not? As long as there is a mutual understanding of risk, safety, they should responsibly interact. 

Exactly.  My daughter works in a hospital and lives home (she’s doing an online RN to BSN program) and has had exposure to people who are positive.  Every time another exposure happens I let my BF know.  

He still comes by and even ate dinner with us last week and sat right next to her.  He knows the risk and if he doesn’t he’s an idiot and I don’t want him as a BF anyway j/k 

He works with the public.  My son who lives here works with the public. My daughter works with known covid people.  I go out in public.  Any one of us could be spreading it to the others at any given time but nobody seems too worried about it in my household.  That could be my influence or it could just be that if nobody feels sick we don’t feel all that contagious.  

My daughter says the virus sheds the most if fever is present so if that doesn’t happen it’s not like we’re gonna bombard somebody with a high viral load.  

But there’s a risk in everything in life.  

[sothereiwas]

My family of 3 stay together at home pretty much 24x7 since school was switched to distance learning, with the only exceptions being when I/we go out to get provisions. Since it's no longer a crime to visit others, we did do a little socializing with some family recently but we did minimize close contact for the most part. 

So to answer the OP, in my case nope. 

[kendahke]

9 hours ago, FMW said:

If you feel safe to be in an enclosed vehicle with him, why would say sitting out in your backyard and chatting be unacceptable for you?

 

that was back in March when the death toll was negligible. Today, the death toll in my state is +2000.

As I said--I'm not ready to die.

We can talk on the phone.

Edited May 21, 2020 by kendahke

[FMW]

1 minute ago, kendahke said:

that was back in March

Gotcha.

[QuietRiot]

8 hours ago, amaysngrace said:

Exactly.  My daughter works in a hospital and lives home (she’s doing an online RN to BSN program) and has had exposure to people who are positive.  Every time another exposure happens I let my BF know.  

He still comes by and even ate dinner with us last week and sat right next to her.  He knows the risk and if he doesn’t he’s an idiot and I don’t want him as a BF anyway j/k 

He works with the public.  My son who lives here works with the public. My daughter works with known covid people.  I go out in public.  Any one of us could be spreading it to the others at any given time but nobody seems too worried about it in my household.  That could be my influence or it could just be that if nobody feels sick we don’t feel all that contagious.  

My daughter says the virus sheds the most if fever is present so if that doesn’t happen it’s not like we’re gonna bombard somebody with a high viral load.  

But there’s a risk in everything in life.  

I even watch my friends on FB...as soon as the govt opened a crack of letting things "get back to normal" they they were out on a boat, all crowded together taking a selfie...their faces inches from each other in front of the camera. And another photo of them crowded into a restaurant booth...3 on each side.  You have to bite your tongue not to make a "Judgemental" comment regarding their #NotLivingInFear" hashtag. Some of my friends solved this issue by taking a good long break from Facebook.

Edited May 21, 2020 by QuietRiot

[Redhead14]

7 minutes ago, QuietRiot said:

I even watch my friends on FB...as soon as the govt opened a crack of letting things "get back to normal" they they were out on a boat, all crowded together taking a selfie...their faces inches from each other in front of the camera. And another photo of them crowded into a restaurant booth...3 on each side.  You have to bite your tongue not to make a "Judgemental" comment regarding their #NotLivingInFear" hashtag. Some of my friends solved this issue by taking a good long break from Facebook.

Thank them for being our canaries . . .

[sothereiwas]

1 hour ago, Redhead14 said:

Some of my friends solved this issue by taking a good long break from Facebook.

I've been off Facebook for the last however long since it started minus about 70 days. I couldn't take it, from an infosec standpoint it's a nightmare. Do. Not. Want.

[amaysngrace]

3 hours ago, QuietRiot said:

You have to bite your tongue not to make a "Judgemental" comment regarding their #NotLivingInFear" hashtag. 

Today the cdc said it’s not as contagious on surfaces as was once thought.  

Maybe your friends feel if they’re wrong about that they could be wrong about 6 ft too.

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by amaysngrace

[QuietRiot]

5 hours ago, amaysngrace said:

Today the cdc said it’s not as contagious on surfaces as was once thought.  

Maybe your friends feel if they’re wrong about that they could be wrong about 6 ft too.

 

Yeah, I wasn't really buying into the surfaces thing from the start...as I know the nature of viruses are common. Once the droplet is dried up and evaporated...the virus is inactive or destroyed. I mean, if HIV cannot survive outside the body for so long, neither can the CV.  THere is a pretty limited lifespan to the virus once it lands on a surface (outside the body).

Edited May 21, 2020 by QuietRiot

[elaine567]

Quote

 

A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that coronavirus can live on some surfaces for up to three days and up to three hours in the air.

It can live up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless steel, according to the study.

 

Quote

No infectious virus could be recovered from printing and tissue papers after a 3-hour incubation, whereas no infectious virus could be detected from treated wood and cloth on day 2. By contrast, SARS-CoV-2 was more stable on smooth surfaces. No infectious virus could be detected from treated smooth surfaces on day 4 (glass and banknote) or day 7 (stainless steel and plastic). Strikingly, a detectable level of infectious virus could still be present on the outer layer of a surgical mask on day 7 
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(20)30003-3/fulltext#sec1

Drying out does not kill the virus, high humidity kills the virus.

Quote

the virus survives best indoors and in dry conditions, and loses potency when temperatures and humidity rise - and especially when it is exposed to sunlight

 

[Atwood]

I’ve been in a relationship for a few years and I have now not seen my partner for over 2 months. We live with our parents. 

We both have one parent with underlying health conditions which are on the high-risk list. It’s a very hard decision, but because my partner is an essential worker, we decided it isn’t worth risking him passing it onto me (and then me passing it onto my parents). We miss each other, we’re lonely, we’re each other’s safe people and we were just getting ready to move out and take our relationship to the next level. Our health and our families are more important than that right now and meeting up with each other right now would be irresponsible and selfish. 

[QuietRiot]

59 minutes ago, elaine567 said:

Drying out does not kill the virus, high humidity kills the virus.

 

THere's an update to that:

 

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/05/21/cdc-novel-coronavirus-does-not-spread-easily-from-touching-surfaces-objects/

It is not spread as easily via surfaces as we once thought. So you can pretty much stop wiping down your door handles all the time.

Edited May 21, 2020 by QuietRiot

[elaine567]

They are not actually saying that and give no research to back that up but are still saying
"Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces."
If they are so sure the risk is minimal then why bother to wipe down surfaces?
Truth is with infectious virus proven to persist on some surfaces, then no-one really knows how likely it is to infect a person or not...

From the CDC page.

Quote

From touching surfaces or objects. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about this virus.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html

 

[gaius]

10 hours ago, Redhead14 said:

Thank them for being our canaries . . .

I wish people would stop saying that.

We're not in a mine and we're not looking for gas leaks. Whether they catch it, don't catch it, get really sick or stay asymptomatic, none of that tells us anything we don't already know.

What it does do however is create the possibility of a new infection. Which means another walking human bomb for anyone who's really high risk. And it also provides another chance for mutation. The more infections, the more likely a mutation. Which aren't always toward being less deadly. It wasn't the initial virus in 1918 that was the main problem. It mutated into something worse after it infected so many people.

At some point one infection in one animal mutated into the strain that could infect humans. If that one infection hadn't occurred we wouldn't be dealing with this problem. So don't compare all these imbeciles who are not only putting others at risk but buying us all a mutation lottery ticket to canaries, because that's an insult to the poor bird.

[Redhead14]

37 minutes ago, gaius said:

I wish people would stop saying that.

We're not in a mine and we're not looking for gas leaks. Whether they catch it, don't catch it, get really sick or stay asymptomatic, none of that tells us anything we don't already know.

What it does do however is create the possibility of a new infection. Which means another walking human bomb for anyone who's really high risk. And it also provides another chance for mutation. The more infections, the more likely a mutation. Which aren't always toward being less deadly. It wasn't the initial virus in 1918 that was the main problem. It mutated into something worse after it infected so many people.

At some point one infection in one animal mutated into the strain that could infect humans. If that one infection hadn't occurred we wouldn't be dealing with this problem. So don't compare all these imbeciles who are not only putting others at risk but buying us all a mutation lottery ticket to canaries, because that's an insult to the poor bird.

Gaius, I understand all that but they are going to do whatever the F they want and they are going to refuse to take even the simplest measures to at least try to help in any way.  I, for one, will be sitting back and watching them cause more lock downs and hoarding and rifts.  And, yeah, now that you mention it, I agree that calling them canaries is an insult to canaries  

[Gaeta]

Suddenly our government decided we can gather 'outside' up to 10 people but from no more than 3 families at the same time. Many of us think it's too much too fast. That means I can invite 2 of my brothers with their wives and kids as long as we don't pass 10 people. Then the following day I can visit my daughter and her boyfriend, brining along my bf, my teen as long as we don't pass 10 people, and the following day another group of people ...etc etc. I mean, we still have the army in our nursing homes cause the situation is out of hands. I am going to stand by and watch the following 14 days before I start taking my guards down.

[Redhead14]

15 minutes ago, Gaeta said:

Suddenly our government decided we can gather 'outside' up to 10 people but from no more than 3 families at the same time. Many of us think it's too much too fast. That means I can invite 2 of my brothers with their wives and kids as long as we don't pass 10 people. Then the following day I can visit my daughter and her boyfriend, brining along my bf, my teen as long as we don't pass 10 people, and the following day another group of people ...etc etc. I mean, we still have the army in our nursing homes cause the situation is out of hands. I am going to stand by and watch the following 14 days before I start taking my guards down.

Stand watch for more than 14 days . . . stand watch for as long as you can.  As long as there are hosts out there, the virus will always be around. 

[Redhead14]

I made arrangements to spend a little distanced time with my children and my SOs children the past two weekends because they have been observing guidelines closely too and I feel like right now is the time when the risk is the lowest it can be.  Things are opening up on a grand scale this weekend and my daughter is going back to the office to work (she's high risk too because of Type 1 diabetes.  Her company is taking good measures to protect everyone, thank God).  But my point is that, now that everything is opening up, the risk will be too great and it will be a very long time before we can spend any time together. 

[QuietRiot]

8 hours ago, Redhead14 said:

I made arrangements to spend a little distanced time with my children and my SOs children the past two weekends because they have been observing guidelines closely too and I feel like right now is the time when the risk is the lowest it can be.  Things are opening up on a grand scale this weekend and my daughter is going back to the office to work (she's high risk too because of Type 1 diabetes.  Her company is taking good measures to protect everyone, thank God).  But my point is that, now that everything is opening up, the risk will be too great and it will be a very long time before we can spend any time together. 

I was reading on a message board somewhere....that their bosses cannot wait to call everyone back into the office building. He's a major Trump supporter and think this Covid is all hype nonsense. Chances are, heads will be rolling and resignations will be happening for those who aren't aligned in his beliefs.

I know one person that has expressed he's the only person that is taking it seriously, while the rest of his office co-workers think it's all malarky and glad they are back in business. 

This is seriously dangerous when it comes to this new work place belief.

[OatsAndHall]

I haven't seen my girlfriend in nearly two months as she's a nurse and I'm a teacher. Both of us deal with the public on some level and we can't risk infecting one another so we've been doing the LDR thing. It sucks but it's manageable. I would certainly call us "established" given our relationship pre-COVID and how we've handled the LDR. But, we both agreed that it was best to err on the side of caution given our professions.It wasn't an easy decision to make and it hasn't been without it's hardships but we've made it through as I'm almost done with the school year.

One of my co-workers, on the other hand, is also dating someone in the medical field and spends every weekend with her. A part of me is envious of him for being able to see his SO but he runs a huge professional risk by seeing her. She is at high risk of coming into contact with the bug and if she does, not only would he have to be quarantined, he'll also have to tell our boss WHY he was quarantined. That would kick off a seriously nasty chain of events; the school district will have to inform the entire community that a teacher is in quarantine and that all material he sent out to students (A LOT) is potentially contaminated. They have been thorough with contact tracing around here and this community will be furious WHEN  they find out he potentially picked up the bug from his PA gf... He runs the risk of infecting the entire community... If that happens, he will be looking for another job in a hurry.

Fair or not, it's the reality of the situation.

Edited May 22, 2020 by OatsAndHall

[QuietRiot]

17 minutes ago, OatsAndHall said:

I haven't seen my girlfriend in nearly two months as she's a nurse and I'm a teacher. Both of us deal with the public on some level and we can't risk infecting one another so we've been doing the LDR thing. It sucks but it's manageable. I would certainly call us "established" given our relationship pre-COVID and how we've handled the LDR. But, we both agreed that it was best to err on the side of caution given our professions.It wasn't an easy decision to make and it hasn't been without it's hardships but we've made it through as I'm almost done with the school year.

One of my co-workers, on the other hand, is also dating someone in the medical field and spends every weekend with her. A part of me is envious of him for being able to see his SO but he runs a huge professional risk by seeing her. She is at high risk of coming into contact with the bug and if she does, not only would he have to be quarantined, he'll also have to tell our boss WHY he was quarantined. That would kick off a seriously nasty chain of events; the school district will have to inform the entire community that a teacher is in quarantine and that all material he sent out to students (A LOT) is potentially contaminated. They have been thorough with contact tracing around here and this community will be furious WHEN  they find out he potentially picked up the bug from his PA gf... He runs the risk of infecting the entire community... If that happens, he will be looking for another job in a hurry.

Fair or not, it's the reality of the situation.

Wait...aren't your students not distancing learning at this point in your state?

[QuietRiot]

Also you can forget about dating any hair stylists...you know...now that they've opened back up again.

[OatsAndHall]

24 minutes ago, QuietRiot said:

Wait...aren't your students not distancing learning at this point in your state?

Distance learning still involves sending out paper material to kids who don't have the best access to the internet. Some districts and teachers don't have access to online material so everything has to be done via packets each week. So, an infected teacher could become a vector that infects a lot of people if they're not careful. I lucked out and only had to send out around 30 packets per week but that's 30 families I could have potentially infected. Even without seeing my gf, I was extremely cautious with those packets; I washed my hands constantly, wiped down every surface I touched, wore a mask, etc..etc..

And, cases were low enough in our area to open up school for the last few weeks. So, I've had four-five students in my room every day as well as 10-25 students in the building at a time. I'm not paranoid about COVID but I certainly take it seriously when it comes to protecting the students and the community.

Edited May 22, 2020 by OatsAndHall

[QuietRiot]

10 minutes ago, OatsAndHall said:

Distance learning still involves sending out paper material to kids who don't have the best access to the internet. Some districts and teachers don't have access to online material so everything has to be done via packets each week. So, an infected teacher could become a vector that infects a lot of people if they're not careful. I lucked out and only had to send out around 30 packets per week but that's 30 families I could have potentially infected. Even without seeing my gf, I was extremely cautious with those packets; I washed my hands constantly, wiped down every surface I touched, wore a mask, etc..etc..

And, cases were low enough in our area to open up school for the last few weeks. So, I've had four-five students in my room every day as well as 10-25 students in the building at a time. I'm not paranoid about COVID but I certainly it serious when it comes to protecting the students and the community.

Let me ask you this...how would they know who he was in contact with or how he would have gotten Covid. He could say that he probably got it on a grocery run or any other essentials run outside of seeing his girlfriend.

This would involve delving into his personal life. This would be near impossible to prove , unless the school board installed espionage equipment around his house and in his car.

ALso, a new update suggests that Covid 19 isn't spread easily via the means on envelopes and inanimate objects as badly as we had once thought. 

https://www.pennlive.com/coronavirus/2020/05/coronavirus-does-not-spread-easily-from-touching-surfaces-or-objects-cdc-now-says.html?fbclid=IwAR0n4DIKIBFppHmia4Z-GOXCXErR3K4TmOvOA3ohR5pgKwHJ_31u6nEufWw

It basically goes down to being in too close contact with other humans (less than 6 feet) and also as a result of touching your hands and face with unclean hands. Whenever I touch items that had been touched by others...I always wash my hands after completing the task. 

So those that were so worried about that packages from UPS, sitting for hours on your door step for a few hours, you don't have to open it like a bomb squad task force.

Edited May 22, 2020 by QuietRiot

[OatsAndHall]

10 hours ago, QuietRiot said:

Let me ask you this...how would they know who he was in contact with or how he would have gotten Covid. He could say that he probably got it on a grocery run or any other essentials run outside of seeing his girlfriend.

This would involve delving into his personal life. This would be near impossible to prove , unless the school board installed espionage equipment around his house and in his car.

ALso, a new update suggests that Covid 19 isn't spread easily via the means on envelopes and inanimate objects as badly as we had once thought. 

https://www.pennlive.com/coronavirus/2020/05/coronavirus-does-not-spread-easily-from-touching-surfaces-or-objects-cdc-now-says.html?fbclid=IwAR0n4DIKIBFppHmia4Z-GOXCXErR3K4TmOvOA3ohR5pgKwHJ_31u6nEufWw

It basically goes down to being in too close contact with other humans (less than 6 feet) and also as a result of touching your hands and face with unclean hands. Whenever I touch items that had been touched by others...I always wash my hands after completing the task. 

So those that were so worried about that packages from UPS, sitting for hours on your door step for a few hours, you don't have to open it like a bomb squad task force.

 

This state is doing an excellent job of contract tracing. If his gf popped positive or was exposed, anyone she came into contact with would be quarantined and tested, including him. And, it wouldn't matter how he was exposed; the education field is all a matter of public perception. Contact tracing would show that he was potentially exposed to it by his gf and that information (outside of names) is in the media. He could be as vague as he wanted to be with how he potentially contracted it; the media would release enough information for the community to make the assumption that he got it through his gf. During this whole mess, two teachers in this state have popped positive and it was reported in the media; their names obviously weren't released but the headline wrote "______ High School Teacher Positive For COVID."  The teaching profession is always big game for the media; we have to be careful.

Yes, I've read the reports that you posted, long before you posted them... Those reports just came out; the information we had over the last two months was that the bug lived on surfaces for long periods of time and could be passed through them. It doesn't matter at this point as we actually have students IN THE BUILDING. We're practicing social distancing (etc..etc..) but we're still in contact with students.