The COVID 19 outbreak. Does it mean MORE backpacking this year?

[W I S N E R !]

Some things just sound better analog…The sound of the needle hitting the vinyl, a little crackle in the background of a Glen Miller track…it does the trick!

“Corona virus is killed in warmer temperatures, like even 80 F.”

Sorry, I don’t like baked bananas, I’ll take my chances…

[d k]

If 80° killed the virus, it would die in the human body.  Come on now.

[jscott]

Everyone finds their favorite person who has “a” set of statistics that confirms a pre established hypothesis–or fantasy, more likely. And then crowds go running after this new set of numbers.

No stats–no numbers–tell the story accurately at this point in time.

Craig, how are you feeling? I’m playing a lot of guitar and getting better! I just saw my teacher. Spring is brilliant and there’s a sweet smell in the air lasting well into the night and early morning. There’s even some rain in the forecast, which we sorely need. I’ll go out walking into the rain and be glad.

[Jerry Adams]

80 F on surfaces?

98.6 F in your body it does well?

I dunno, good point, very logical

I forget where I read that.  They are extrapolating from other Corona viruses.  This particular version they don’t really know.

Probably, it survives longer on surfaces if it’s cooler

[Edward John M]

Might be confusing 80C with 80F, it happens all the time. Most organic stuff starts to degrade after 48C and 68 is food safe for cooking [ not for holding, we used to have to keep our food holding areas above 85C] so I well believe 80C as a safe sanitisation temperature. Hot wash for dishes and plates etc but a bit warm for showers and hand washing

[W I S N E R !]

@jscott: doing well enough.  Reading a lot, hanging with my son who’s home becasue Berkeley went online.  Got a nasty cough that was preceded (two weeks ago) by what I presume was stomach flu and a fever.  The cough showed up about 3 days ago, I’ve stayed away from work since Wednesday and will be out tomorrow too…

I was advised by a colleague to stay away.  While I don’t need to be convinced of that, I was informed that students are launching some pretty heated and targeted social media campaigns “outing” teachers that have come to school sick.  I don’t need any part of that drama.

I’m making preparations to switch to online ed, trying to wrap my head around the platform (Canvas) and potential lessons.  Been on the computer all day testing things in the event of a closure.  We go on Spring Break at the end of next week.  I think there’s a good chance we’ll be closed by this Monday though (I don’t have insider info here, just speculation based upon things really ramping up in the messaging about closures in LA County).  If not, I’m expecting to be closed the week we should be returning.  Who knows what beyond that.

It’s a mess in the schools.  Lots of conflict between districts, admins, parents, teachers, the unions, etc.  It’s all uncharted waters, nobody really knows what their obligations are.  People in the community are outraged the schools aren’t closing but that order comes from the health dept., not the district.  Parents are beginning to pull kids out.  Schools have cancelled group events across the board…and yet somehow having 200 kids a day pass through a classroom is not a group event.  Many schools are lacking basic cleaning supplies and don’t have good hygiene protocols in place (there are simply not enough supplies/custodians to adequately clean); some parents and teachers are beginning to file grievances and threaten lawsuits over unsafe working conditions. (Not speaking solely about my school/district here, it’s the LA County in general)

 

[jscott]

Craig, I got a weird stomach flu (hard to tell what it was) that went into remission, and then came back a week or 10 days later. I felt punk. It tried to get into my respiratory system both times but failed. I never had a drippy nose or wet cold. This seems to match the description of the bug, except it often develops into a cough and worse. Who knows what I had?

Take care and needless to say take it seriously.

Oh geeze, that’s all schools need, law suits.

The tutoring program I just started 6 weeks ago at Albany middle school has been cancelled.

[Kattt]

Well. Not well. Chris is having a sore throat and feeling ill right now, first time in years. he is not at all a hypochondriac either.

[W I S N E R !]

What’s a little frustrating is watching the response of public K-12 vs. private schools and colleges.  ALL of the private schools and colleges in my vicinity have cancelled classes; they moved quick.  Meanwhile public schools wait for the gears of bureaucracy to slowly turn…

LA Unified and most surrounding public districts have cancelled events of 50 people or more.  And yet somehow a class that sees 200 people per day or a campus that puts 2000+ students into the halls, through the cafeteria, and a handful of restrooms at the same time is not considered a public event…

 

 

Good luck up there Kat, hope everyone stays well.

[Jerry Adams]

My heart goes out to everyone.  Do the best you can.

In China and South Korea things seems to be turning around.  Northern Italy new cases have dropped.  The worst of it may not last that long here.  We have the advantage of seeing what happened there so can take more aggressive action now.

Part of the success to turning things around is aggressive testing, too bad we still don’t have tests widely available.

[Jerry Adams]

No, it’s 80 F.  The virus quickly dries out outside of the body.  Inside the body there’s plenty of hydration available.

Based on other Coronaviruses.  Uncertainty about this new virus.

Based on my remembrance of what I read somewhere.  Quick google search didn’t help

[d k]

Maybe on the list of fake tips about coronavirus?  It mentions that one.

 

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/12/21177262/coronavirus-tip-fake-list-stanford-hoax-covid-19

[d k]

Best I could find was that at 30 degrees C (approx 86 F), survival on hard surfaces was 8-24 hours for related coronaviruses.  Survival at 20 degrees C was longer.

[Jerry Adams]

Good point, even though Corona viruses don’t survive well at warm temperatures like 80 F, people shouldn’t assume that putting stuff at 80 F will kill Covid-19

It would be good if experts could figure this out more definitively and give good advice what to do with groceries you buy from the store.  Frustratingly unuseful information:

https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-issues/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-frequently-asked-questions

“Q: Is food imported to the United States from China and other countries affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), at risk of spreading COVID-19?
A: Currently, there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with imported goods and there are no reported cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods.

Q: Are food products produced in the United States a risk for the spread of COVID-19?
A: There is no evidence to suggest that food produced in the United States can transmit COVID-19.

Q: Can I get sick with COVID-19 from touching food, the food packaging, or food contact surfaces, if the coronavirus was present on it?
A: Currently there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19. Like other viruses, it is possible that the virus that causes COVID-19 can survive on surfaces or objects. For that reason, it is critical to follow the 4 key steps of food safety—clean, separate, cook, and chill.

Q: Should food facilities (grocery stores, manufacturing facilities, restaurants, etc.) perform any special cleaning or sanitation procedures for COVID-19?
A: CDC recommends routine cleaning of all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops, and doorknobs. Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label. CDC does not recommend any additional disinfection beyond routine cleaning at this time.

View the EPA-registered disinfectant products on the Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 list that have qualified under EPA’s emerging viral pathogen program for use against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Restaurants and retail food establishments are regulated at the state and local level. State, local, and tribal regulators use the Food Code published by the FDA to develop or update their own food safety rules. Generally, FDA-regulated food manufacturers are required to maintain clean facilities, including, as appropriate, clean and sanitized food contact surfaces, and to have food safety plans in place. Food safety plans include a hazards analysis and risk-based preventive controls and include procedures for maintaining clean and sanitized facilities and food contact surfaces. See: FSMA Final Rule for Preventive Controls for Human Food.”

So, maybe we should worry more about touching the doorknob getting into the store, or surfaces at the checkout stand?

[HkNewman]

 

”do social distancing even if you’re not sick”

If this hasn’t been obvious yet I don’t know what to say.

It’s still being ignored in many areas of the US.  Besides record-breaking Spring Break to/fro Baja and Mexico via Southern California,  families are still forming lines at Florida’s Disneyworld.  From HBO news..

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/v74q7b/people-are-still-going-to-disney-world-during-coronavirus-and-the-park-is-not-closing

If someone in a high risk group needs social distancing, they’ll need to do it themselves.

[Kattt]

 

In Siena, Tuscany, someone in a quarter started signing a traditional song of their city and people joined from their own windows. This is so…Italy. Disaster  brining people together-at a distance. I miss that.

 

https://corrieredisiena.corr.it/video/coronavirus/1524243/siena–le-contrade-si-affacciano-alle-finestre-e-improvvisano-cori-per-scacciare-il-coronavirus–il-video-verbena-palio-rione-paura-inno-palio.html

[Jerry Adams]

nice story Kattt, some good things could come from this mess

[Kattt]

It’s a video Jerry.

[Jerry Adams]

uh oh, I’m digging that hole again

nice video that talks about the story of people singing in Italy : )

[Sam C]

The city of Wuhan has population of over 11 million.  The entire metropolitan area I believe is close to 60 million people, so, something to think about.

 

I am a bioinformation working in biotech.  My wife is a clinical microbiologist at the NIH.  Not saying that either of us are experts on any of this (we are not) but it is certainly entertaining to see how non-scientists think about this sort of thing.  I’m pretty sure that Ray Jardine is making an extra buck or these.

As for hiking; all of my big plans are not until the summer and really towards the end of summer.  So, nothing has been affected thus far.  I try to day hike at least once weekly and that is likely not to change.  I still plan on going to Trail Days this year.  I’ll likely do more car camping with the wife and generally spending more time out-of-doors doing things instead of bars, restaurants, and movies.

[Kattt]

The video does not talk about anything Jerry.  Why do you reply to a post without even knowing what it is…

[jscott]

I should sing more. It encourages social distancing.

Italians tend to be warm and want to gather in times of distress. They’re like birds singing from their balconies to let the others know they’re ok. (with Italian men it’s a form of sexual display–good luck with that now, Antonio!)

I know nothing about Italy but I figure Jerry wanted company in his beagle hole.

[Kattt]

Oh, someone who watched before posting!!
Italians have had some rough times even just in my lifetime. I am glad I am not there but I also feel like I am missing something . This probably makes no sense …

[Jerry Adams]

I responded to the text that you posted, didn’t need to click on the link : )

[Kattt]

“nice video that talks about the story of people singing in Italy : )”

 

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