You can get a lot of stuff delivered here but at the start of lockdown it was over-innundated with requests for supermarkets. People were trying to book at midnight or 2am when slots were coming up for 4 weeks time and finding they were getting filled too fast! The government did something where if you were advised to shield you could claim a free food box or get priority delivery slots. I was never classed as extremely vulnerable, only high risk so we didn't want to take away slots from those who needed them when it's so close to us and Niall is very sensible. I do worry each time he goes out though. I hadn't been out since 11th March when I went for a meal with a couple of friends for my birthday. First time back out was early July to visit our friend and we've only been twice. It's hardly high risk; our friend never goes out either, only to drive his mum to the shops and it's just a case of us running down to his car, 5 minutes in there with him, then a few hours at his house with no one else but him and his mum (and his 2 cats). Of course we can get anything we want bar food through Amazon if we feel the need for it. Niall only goes out for the food shopping. Anything coming in gets quarantined and not touched for 3 days just in case. Now everywhere is opening up again it's mixed messages from the gov. Go out and support the economy (masks are mandatory from tomorrow) but also stay safe and don't go out if you don't have to.

Could Shiny find something else easily enough? I can't blame her for wondering that if she's feeling pressured and at risk.

Yeah you can get stuff delivered to your door here as well but like Pevil said it was completely overloaded in the beginning. I remember logging on to two of these supermarket sites and every page change would have a 30% chance of timing out, and besides that almost everything that was fresh food or long lasting was completely sold out anyway. Even goddamn potatoes. So I ended up creating my own supermarket routine that seems to have served me well so fat, so eh. I just shop only once a week with a clear purpose, during off-peak times (after 20h), in a supermarket that isn't in the center and has broad aisles that allow me to keep my distance for the most part. And now that it's mandatory to wear masks for other people than myself I'll feel even better about it.

Satis, I can't believe your boss would do something like that. I also don't understand WHY. What is the added benefit of locking you and your colleagues into the same room for 8 hours a day? It's not like you weren't getting shit done from home before. Absolute madness. I don't disagree with Shiny but yeah it's a horrible decision to have to make. I honestly wouldn't know what I'd do in your place. Like Pev, my employer has been more than kind to us on this front and doesn't expect us to go back at all until it can be guaranteed that it's mostly safe. But given the state that Texas is in right now that is clearly not the case for you or your employer, so what the fuck. Anyway, glad to hear Shiny's ok, and that you are as well.

Some scenes from 4th of July btw





Over here in France masks are now mandatory in all indoor settings and some towns are even making them mandatory in some busy public outdoor spaces. Granted, those are mostly the tourist towns where a lot of people are gathering, but still, hope that doesn't become a thing here. Don't feel much for wearing a mask in the streets.

The fucktards of Twitter are out in abundance again.

Yesterday was day 1 of mandatory masks in shops. Now shop staff aren't expected to enforce this but police can if they're there and fine someone £100 but it's supposed to be a last resort. Also there are exemptions for kids under a certain age or people with hidden illnesses that can't wear them. So of course the selfish lot are out in full force doing #nomaskselfie in shops. Apparently masks are muzzles and are the first step to the holocaust. Yes, it's been compared to that because jews were made to wear yellow stars (masks) first, then declare themselves then it was the gas camps. Bear in mind this is being posted on social media. Y'know, that place where everything is read, analysed and used to make decisions about your life, send personalised adverts etc. But masks are the big worry here. The saddest comment I read was "I feel safe without one, therefore I will go out without one". Completely failing to grasp the point of a mask being that it protects other people, not you (though personally I fail to see how they're less protective with incoming than outgoing droplets but whatever). So either too stupid to grasp that fact or just genuinely someone who doesn't care about anyone but themself. Not even their own friends and family.

Yeah i noticed several pictures on Reddit as well, most of them from the USA, of people acting against the mandatory wearing of masks.

It's also becoming more and more a political statement, which is sad.

It is very sad. I am no government supporter, I genuinely believe every politician is corrupt and even if they start with the best of intentions, they eventually go for what benefits them. Which is why I believe Covid is real; it's costing them money to put these lockdowns in place. I find it so sad to think a month ago everyone was "Black lives matter! We all matter! Be kind to people!" and now we're going "Well I'm alive so fuck the rest of you".

I saw people comparing mask wearing to cigarette smoking and saying if we have to wear masks, ban smoking as well. Well yes but (and please not I'm not a smoker, never have been and think it's disgusting), smoking will kill you second hand, like Covid, but I need to be around a smoker a lot, lot more than I do someone infected with Covid before I will "catch" the cancer from them. Also smoking is banned inside public places in the UK... as is not wearing a mask. No one is saying you must wear a mask out in streets, it's only in shops. Where you also can't smoke.

Same with the muzzles analogy. Muzzles stop a dog hurting others but they can still breathe and bark. Masks stop us infecting others but we can still breathe and talk. Someone here has clearly thought "this'll make a great image for an anology" without actually bothering to think it through. The trouble is, no one else will bother to think about it either, they'll just go "yeah!!! Masks R Muzz3lz! U R all sheep!" and if you don't think about it, it does sound like a scary thing to have the government doing to you!

I think it should be pretty clear by now that the Venn diagram of people who vehemently refuse to wear masks and of the most ignorant people in society is pretty much a circle. Regardless of your political views, it really takes only a basic understanding of how this thing spreads to realise that it's a minimally invasive way to prevent many infections, and to protect yourself and those around you. I certainly prefer wearing a mask for a short period of time when I'm out and about over another lockdown, apocalyptic hospital scenes or a collapse of the supply chains. But those consequences are too far downstream for an idiot to see anyway.

Prediction: if and when we have a vaccine for this thing, the same idiots will be refusing en masse to take it in the name of freedom. Which is not to say you can't be skeptical or a bit fearful of a vaccine, especially one that might have been rushed - my point is that they would refuse out of principle, regardless of how safe the vaccine may or may not be.

Anyway Belgium is putting the screws on again after a resurgence of the virus in several parts of the country, especially in and around Antwerp. People are asked to reduce their social contacts to 5 people and the amount of people who can attend events is further restricted. In the province of Antwerp there is a curfew between 23.30h and 6h every day and everyone who can has to work from home. So pretty strict stuff.

I happened to be travelling through some of the worst hit towns this weekend for my nephew's birthday, but I wouldn't have done it if I had known earlier on that it would get so bad. Spending 2 hours on a train with lots of strangers isn't really the best recipe to avoid getting corona. I paid extra for first class (so less people) and moved seats whenever someone started talking around me so I took all the precautions I could, but it's never going to be zero risk of course. Will be happy when it's the weekend and I don't show any symptoms yet! Will be checking in on my family in the meantime too.

Yeah, I'm on curfew here as well, although the village i'm in had 0 cases the last 2 weeks. I get it that they have to draw a line somewhere and the province is logical, but it's still kinda strange. We're pretty far from the hotspots and there are several places much closer that don't have the extra rules since they're in another province.

But i'm rather satisfied with the much stricter rules, most Belgians can be called creative when it comes to interpreting rules and laws anyway, so don't give them too much room to manoeuvre.
And my wife just started working again after 3 weeks of vacation, normally speaking she had to go 2 weeks to Brussels by train now. Which isn't the best and safest experience in these times. Luckily that 's off the boards now, back to working from home 100%!

Only downside is that i'll be playing less Terraria probably, since she'll find things for me to do.

Lol J yeah that sucks! I feel I have to work more with Niall home so I don't look like I'm a complete skiver haha (I'm really not that bad anyway but obviously if there's a witness I'll feel worse).

With you on the intelligence Ox. I love the argument of "There's no evidence masks help". Well there is evidence both for and against actually and I haven't been keeping up on it so don't know if it's settled one way or the other but it's not a huge ask to wear a mask for 30 minutes or an hour out of your day whilst you're shopping so what do you have to lose? I mean if I found a mushroom that didn't have a big picture on the internet saying "BEWARE! POISONOUS!" I wouldn't think "ooh no evidence it'll kill me" and eat it.

I think as well everyone (understandably) gets caught up on the death toll. Obviously I don't want to catch it and die. But y'know what? I hate getting a normal cold. It sucks. I've never had the flu and from what people who have had it say, I definitely don't want it. So even if I got a mild version that was over with in 2 weeks and no lingering effects, I still don't want it! I don't want to feel shit for 2 weeks.

Fingers crossed again you're not diseased Ox. I'm on lookout this week as our friend visited but he's generally as stay at home as us so he should be clean. Plus we left the door open as long as we could so it was ventilated, didn't touch or get too near each other etc.

So far so good! Trips were on Saturday and Sunday last week (and only the Saturday one was really dicey) so that means I'm almost a week in and still not sick. I guess it's possible I'll be one of those people with an ultra long delay incubation period but let's assume not for now. None of my family have gotten sick since either so likely it's fine.

My next venture outside was going to be today but it happens to be the hottest day of the year (37 freaking degrees) so the party people and idiots will be out in full force to buy food and booze, so I'll skip it for now.

Anyway, Fauci seems to be pretty optimistic about a vaccine not being too far away so let's hope he's right.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-heal ... SKCN24G2ZY

Not that I have particular faith in the Trump administration, but if I have to choose between trusting China or them then I will go with the US, heh.

I have a feeling like many people in Belgium are getting tired of the situation and stopped caring, even normally smart and sensible people have told me they will break some of the rules (reducing the social circle, mainly). I think the length of the measures are really weighing on the more extraverted people, and I also think that a lot of people feel that it's unfair they are being pushed into these measures again because some idiots fucked it up for them. So those people had their summer fun and did what they wanted, and because of them August is a lost cause for others. I get it. I'm still staying clear as much as I can though.

Yeah the trouble is it's the people who were getting pissed off with it from early on who broke the rules and are now causing the second lockdowns which is leading to even more people getting pissed off and therefore breaking rules... it's just gonna be a spiral now into giving up. Plus how long can they really keep going in and out of lockdowns? Or what extents do they enforce it? E.g. our police can fine people £100 for not wearing masks in shops (dropped to £50 if you pay within 7 days) but it's a last resort. And to some people £50/£100 isn't that much so they'll go "meh whatever" and risk it. But you can't start handing out fines in the thousands or jail sentences, it would be silly.

Well I wore my mask last weekend. We need more guidance on the damn things! I had trouble with it because since my surgery I struggle to breathe through my nose sometimes. So walking to the car and even being in the car I was needing to breathe through my mouth a lot but then it was sucking the mask up against my mouth and nostrils and making it tough to breathe. The only way to fix it would've been to hold the mask but of course you're not supposed to touch the outside of it as that partially defeats the point of it. I need a little contraption to hold it away from me whilst it's still fairly airtight around the edges. I don't know if a better fitting one would work better, or one with more structure perhaps.

How is everyone doing? Hope you're all still safe and well.

This perhaps? Sorry couldn't resist .

I like it Peltz! Could drape the mask in front of it and it stops me biting too

Glad to hear you're good J but that must be hard with the surgery coming up, I'm assuming no visitors allowed? I know that's the case here. I assume if all goes well he'll regain some of his hearing? It really is incredible what they can do these days with surgery, I can't even imagine the skills it takes to do something like that.

Not with certainty, but good chances his hearing will become normal. Not that we notice that he's really suffering from it now, i think he has like a 30% loss on one ear.

With luck he doesn't have to stay, if he does need to sleep there, one of us can stay with him. Since he's only 9 one of the parents can come with him. He hasn't decided yet which one.