Sunday, March 8th, Spring Forward - Daylight Savings Time Change
Wednesday, March 11th, The Ides of March - First New Moon of the Year - Trump Speech to Close All Travel To Europe (except Britan and Ireland)
Friday, March 13th, Friday the 13th - Originally, day of the hunt of Knights Templar, in modern parlance, a sign of bad luck - Trump's Speech to Declare National Emergency
TBH, I don't really know what to make of this week. It started off normal. but by Friday, many grocery stores have been cleared of all toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer, hand soap, pasta, rice, tuna, and other various items depending on the store.
In some ways, it's easy to understand some purchases, and others are more difficult.
I think the biggest shock will come when many of these products just are not sold any more because China's manufacturing has been shut down for the past 2.5 months during the COVID-19 outbreak. The last cargo container ships that left China three months ago are arriving at the West Coast ports. My family that lives in Los Angeles says the lack of cargo ship containers is a known issue.
This will mean that for the next 2 months, items that you need from the store may become less available. For example, I really, really, really hope that you have stocked up on your prescriptions, as 90% of pharmaceuticals are made in China. Also, hard drives, flash memory, and other computer peripherals are no longer in stock.
At this point, it's really a matter of keeping the computer and TV running, which is where I come in.
So, if your computer is giving you problems, I can remotely fix the problems over the internet using remote control software. During the month of March, I am running a special, $45/hour, for remote computer work.
[Update March 22, 2020: Shelter-in-place]
By now, I hope that you are practicing social isolation. It makes a difference.
Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1
https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMc2004973
The issue is the COVID-19 has a 3 hour life, in aerosol form, when sneezed or coughed into the air. The means that enclosed public spaces, such as airlines, super markets, etc., are ripe breeding ground for infection.
The virus can last:
- Plastic: 7 to 72 hours
- Stainless Steel: 5.5 to 72 hour
- Cardboard: 24 hours
- Copper: 4 hours
- Currency: Strangely, they didn't test for cash
This is an issue that affects all ages. Though it is reported that the elderly are hardest hit, the young are not immune. The underlying cause of death with most infected patients is the presence of a co-morbidity, such as COPD, diabetes, heart disease, and any other lung aliment. In comparison, during the 1918 Spanish Flu, living beyond 60 years old was considered a rarity.