Closures and travel restrictions due to Corona Virus

[Dutch_12078]

6 minutes ago, Twotoes said:

I was to spend the month of April as a volunteer at Andersonville Civil War Prison and POW Memorial but the NPS closed it and I was canceled. I was scheduled to be a campground host at Shenadoa NP in VA for May and June but just got an email from the park that the Governor of VA has issued a stay at home order till June 10 so the camp grounds will not open. Not sure where I will go now. 

Yep, it's hard to say what will still be open tomorrow these days. We feel very fortunate that we were able to stay one step ahead of the closings and make it to our own site in the Adirondacks with out any problems. That Virginia order was signed by the governor just a few hours after we left the state.

[Ray,IN]

2 hours ago, Twotoes said:

I was to spend the month of April as a volunteer at Andersonville Civil War Prison and POW Memorial but the NPS closed it and I was canceled. I was scheduled to be a campground host at Shenadoa NP in VA for May and June but just got an email from the park that the Governor of VA has issued a stay at home order till June 10 so the camp grounds will not open. Not sure where I will go now. 

An aside; We visited Andersonville/Camp Sumpter 3 years ago. We toured everything, but I can never return. The Vietnam POW building overwhelmed me, they even have pictures of the type torture endured by John McAain that destroyed his shoulders.

 

[Vladimir]

Governor Inslee and Washington state is special.

I have spent the past 14 days in self-quarantine at my second home since I believe I was exposed to the virus in Arizona.

Around my second home are "second homes" of the rich and famous.  Yeah, I was country before country was cool.

They are coming over from King and Snohomish Counties....the original epicenter of the outbreak in the US every two or three days.  Drive over here for a couple of days.  Go back to King County for a couple of days, then drive back over to Chelan County and their FIVE  ICU beds.

I called the Governor's Office and they were aware of the problem with 30,000 plus second home owners driving over.....It is DAY SIX since I called and nothing has been done.  Even Governor Cumo in New York objected to  closing the roads so the second home owners being able to leave New York...I guess after they left it was no longer his problem.

It is a real problem for rural areas.  Sun Valley is totally wrecked by the virus and their ONE ICU hospital bed.  Yeah, they flew in on their private jets and then flew out when they got sick, but the locals DON"T have private jets.

Good luck finding a place to stay if your a full-timer.  Your choices are between a caring community with medical resources and toughing it out on your own in the middle of somewhere.

This thing is serious.  It is going hit a couple of weeks later out west than back east.  See how New York goes....so goes the west two weeks later.

IF we had a stay in place order that was actually enforced....(but notice in Washington state that is NOT happening) there might be a chance of slowing this thing down. 

For full-timers....avoid catching it at all costs.  I would not be surprised if the County Sheriff starts checking ID's and asking why somebody from King and Snohomish County wants to visit Chelan County in the midst of all this.

 

[Barbaraok]

So Vladimir, you thought you were exposed in Az,  you made the trip north (possibly to infect others) and then complain because others are doing the same within the state?      

[agesilaus]

What difference does it make where he is, so long as he isolates himself in his RV??

[Barbaraok]

He's complaining about people going to their second homes, which is what he said he did.  

[Twotoes]

I volunteered in Sun Valley two summers ago for the US Forest service. Friends who live there said exactly the same thing. The rich who have cabins there are flying in on their private jets and infecting the whole area. A friend in VT who is a ski instructor said the same thing is happening there. Rich people from NYC are driving up and infecting the area. STAY AT HOME MEANS STAY AT HOME NOT TRAVEL TO YOUR SECOND HOME.

[Jaydrvr]

I dare say every single one of those travelers will tell you they're staying at home when they're at their second home, which is not really a problem if they don't go out in public at either home. Jay

[sandsys]

10 minutes ago, Jaydrvr said:

I dare say every single one of those travelers will tell you they're staying at home when they're at their second home, which is not really a problem if they don't go out in public at either home. Jay

How do they get from one home to the other without going out in public? Don't they need to buy gas for the trip and duplicate supplies for the second home? We certainly did when Dave's family had a cabin up north.

Linda

[Jinx & Wayne]

We had plans to travel west and then return to Florida via the northern tier and down the east coast.  Late in February we concluded the COVID-19 was going to be a widespread problem and bought a lot of supplies.  We are both in vulnerable categories.  The problem wasn't going to go away  For us that means laying low for 12-18 months until an effective vaccine is available.  In early March we located a park here in Florida that is reasonably close to medical, supplies and outdoor activities.  We moved in 4/1 and are in a 14 day quarantine per park rules.  The park has since closed to new people. Golf, fishing and bike riding are still on the menu, so long as we are careful. 

I am surprised to see people who are obviously over 65 ignoring social distancing on the mistaken assumption that their friends could not possibly carry the virus.

The major planning effort right now is where to go if a hurricane looks like it will roll through.

Some days I feel like the wolves are watching from just beyond the firelight.  It is going to be a long haul.

[Zulu]

10 minutes ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

I am surprised to see people who are obviously over 65 ignoring social distancing on the mistaken assumption that their friends could not possibly carry the virus.

Yep. The 70+ couple staying in the park model next to us are still going to Happy Hour with their friends.

[2gypsies]

34 minutes ago, Zulu said:

Yep. The 70+ couple staying in the park model next to us are still going to Happy Hour with their friends.

I questioned a group daily happy hour.  The answer given was "Oh, we know each other. We're like family".  What they don't know is who they have all been in contact with at other places.

[docj]

1 hour ago, 2gypsies said:

I questioned a group daily happy hour.  The answer given was "Oh, we know each other. We're like family".  What they don't know is who they have all been in contact with at other places.

It's so sad to hear about people acting like this.  This pandemic is going to take a lot longer to get under control and many more people will get sick and even die because people can't understand what it means to "stay home" and "socially distance."  I saw a cute meme the other day in which one dog was telling another that these humans are failing obedience school because they can't master "sit" and "stay"!

[sandsys]

13 minutes ago, docj said:

I saw a cute meme the other day in which one dog was telling another that these humans are failing obedience school because they can't master "sit" and "stay"!

Love that!

Linda

[agesilaus]

We are divided into the 'stay at home bunch until a vaccine is distributed, meaning another year" and the 'this can't go on much longer without destroying the US economy and innumerable people in the process'. No amount of discussion will move anyone from one way of thinking to the other.  Fortunately the US government is being run by folks in the second realist group and the president is working on pulling us out of this mess.

There is good news, Germany has found in limited testing that 15% of the population has been exposed and developed antibodies. Most of them never knew that they had the WuFlu. 15% of the US population is roughly 20,000,000 people, that drives the mortality rate down aroun 0.3 or 0.4% They are rolling out testing here in the US in next few weeks to do the same.

Most of the country away from some big urban centers are not much affected. Whole states have very few infections. If the constitution permitted and it probably does not the best thing we could do is really isolate the plague centers. Shut down the airports and roads into those spots.

Edited April 11, 2020 by agesilaus

[Barbaraok]

6 hours ago, Zulu said:

Yep. The 70+ couple staying in the park model next to us are still going to Happy Hour with their friends.

Give them a wide berth.  We’re at our park model in Mesa.  Dave’s recovering from quadruple bypass ( walked 1/2 mile yesterday!) and right now don’t see us leaving for the summer.  Maybe a run north IF parks open in summer, but otherwise, we’re hunkered down.  I don’t go into any store, do pickup of groceries and take out.  Others in the park staying for summer (most have rented park models) because of medical care and no other home to go to.  We wave and ‘shout’ across the street, offer to do things for each other, etc.    if they could open pools with reservation time, I’d be delighted.  Closed pools to prevent congregating.  

[Barbaraok]

3 hours ago, agesilaus said:

 

Most of the country away from some big urban centers are not much affected. Whole states have very few infections. If the constitution permitted and it probably does not the best thing we could do is really isolate the plague centers. Shut down the airports and roads into those spots.

Those rural areas are full of people in poor health with little medical care or backup.  It will not be pretty when a lot start dying.   Viruses don’t care about politics.  Lack of testing means no one has any idea of what is to come.

Edited April 11, 2020 by Barbaraok

[Pat & Pete]

6 minutes ago, Barbaraok said:

Those rural areas are full of people in poor health with little medical care or backup.  It will not be pretty when a lot start dying.   Viruses don’t care about politics.  Lack of testing means no one has any idea of what is to come.

You're right , but , you left out the rest of the country which is in the very same or maybe even a more crowded boat .

And , testing only gives a short term picture . Like from the table to the door type short term .

[Randyretired]

56 minutes ago, Barbaraok said:

Those rural areas are full of people in poor health with little medical care or backup.  It will not be pretty when a lot start dying.   Viruses don’t care about politics.  Lack of testing means no one has any idea of what is to come.

While some rural areas such as in the South may be "full" of people in poor health I don't think that fits many parts of the nation.  The farmers and ranchers I have lived among are some of the healthiest people I know.  Certainly they are getting older without a lot of new blood.  Where we are, people are keeping their distance and social activities are canceled.   It is a lot easier to avoid people in the rural areas as they go about their business. Here in the high country of Colorado they usually fly covid patients to Denver or Grand Junction.  Better health facilities and the patients tend to do a lot better at lower elevations.  

[Randyretired]

Some counties in rural Colorado have all but closed off the entire county.  While they don't stop people driving through, they have limited the county to residents only.  All county roads are for residents only except for essential deliveries.  Even people with 2nd homes but not residents have been ordered to leave.  Visitors are not welcome.

Edited April 12, 2020 by Randyretired
Clarity

[Jinx & Wayne]

We can argue about whether there is a realist in Washington or a Pollyanna who ignored the problem until the cows come home.  What is the point of that argument?  Those things already happened.  It is a waste of time in the context of what to do now. That issue will be resolved in November. 

Right now we have to figure out how to reopen the economy without killing a couple of hundred thousand people.  I don't think we can say with any confidence that any part of the country is without the virus.  There isn't enough testing.  It has been spreading out from major airline hubs and along major transportation routes.  It is likely everywhere, we just don't know.  We need to know if we are gong to get the country rolling again.  This is like fighting a battle without even a map or a view of the battlefield.

The economy needs to reopen but we need to be very vigilant and shut down outbreaks early.  That means we need reliable information about where people are getting sick..  Kinsa thermometer data seems to be providing realtime intelligence about where the virus is emerging by identifying who has a fever and where.  I ordered a Kinsa thermometer this week and will start participating. 

What we do know is that younger people die from it at a lower rate.  They are also the ones who do most of the work of the country.  The vulnerable people need to continue to hide from the wolves.  That means I will hide out until there is a vaccine.

BTW, for the folks whose happy hour is okay because the people are like family, you might explain that the greatest transmission of the virus is among families.

[Velos]

Whether we like it or not this is a very valuable though extremely painful learning experience for all of us.  If we take steps today.. make changes.. it won't be for naught.  Time is priceless and nonrenewable invest your time in what you value to get the most return on it. 

The first thing many may say in a disaster is I wish I would have ______________ or the "government" should have done_____________? 

I believe each of us is responsible for ourselves and the "government" is us.  We need to concentrate on what we have control of;  which is how we take care of ourselves, our families, our community and how we react to others.

We can take this opportunity to learn from what has happened and take action to prepare for the next event.  If it never happens in our lifetime I thank the man above and we will have had less stress in our lives knowing in addition to our prayers we rowed our own boat to the other side.  

How many had emergency supplies?  Challenging for full timers with no home base but at least a go bag  if you should have to exit your RV on short notice.

If you have a go bag or emergency supplies do you rotate them every 3 or 6 months?  Nothing is worse that having a disaster and grabbing emergency supplies that are expired, damaged or incomplete.

Check lists are boring but free up your mind to be in and enjoy the present and provide confidence when an emergency occurs.

During these stay at home orders do a search of this forum for check lists. There are many creative and experienced contributors here. With everyone here reading this on some type of internet device you can save your check lists there.  If you can access them on your smartphone then the next time you have to wait in line for an appointment, to pick up something or a repair you could invest your time in reviewing your lists to make sure they are up to date and if not add a reminder on your calendar or email to take care of it.

Today is a day of hope and renewal and I am grateful for my blessings.  I am thankful for all our first responders and healthcare workers. My hope for all who read this if for you and yours to be safe.
Happy Easter.