The Great Toilet Paper Rush of 2020

[Art Blade]

curfews are the only way to stop people from spreading the virus right now, and most countries have ordered curfews in more or less strict ways. If the spread can't be stopped, the health systems will collapse.

just as a reminder, check the worldwide spread here:
https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

as of now, 382,108 confirmed infections. When I first checked that site not long ago, it was "only" about 200k. Since the numbers are increasing exponentially, it won't take long to hit the millions UNLESS people stop their social contacts outside the family.

[nex]

That's scary, ours went up from 402 last night to 554 this morning

[fragger]

nex, Warne gained some newfound respect from me for doing that. I have to say I never liked him much, I always thought he was a bit of a ratbag, but he certainly gets a tick for that.

Here, pubs, restaurants, sporting events, concerts, and pretty much anything that results in people gathering close together are being cancelled, shut down or closed. I really think it's going to be the only way to slow the spread. Such efforts are having varying measures of success in other countries. Our government is considering extending the lockouts to other areas and introducing fines for those who ignore such restrictions. It shouldn't have to come to that, but since there are always those types think they know better who blithely ignore the restrictions and insist on getting out in public in close proximity to other people, it has to be done. The old "it won't happen to me" mentality rearing its head. If reason won't w0#k on them, maybe monetary punishment will.

The gov is also doubling payments for welfare recipients and working out financial aid plans for those who can't go to w0#k, i.e those for whom working from home is not an option, like traveling tradespeople, service staff, retail employees (in certain capacities), and so on and so on. In Australia, all full-time and permanent part-time workers are guaranteed four weeks of sick leave on full pay per year, but it's becoming obvious that this thing isn't going to be over in four weeks, so measures are being discussed to help these people out.

I have no problem confining myself to home as much as I can. I have plenty of ways to entertain myself

[fragger]

... But it didn't take long for the other shoe to drop. Now they are giving the police the power to fine anyone $1,000 on the spot if they see them within one-and-a-half meters of another human being.

I'm all for fining selfish idiots with "don't tell me what to do" attitudes who willfully put others at risk by defying safety guidelines simply out of self-centered obstinance, but this is going too far. People can barely get that far apart in a supermarket aisle, but they still need to go there to buy things. There will be times when getting closer than that distance to somebody else will be unavoidable, even if it's just in passing, or only for a second.

What if an old lady falls over in the street? Will people be willing to help her if they think there's a chance they'll get slugged a grand for doing so?

This is not a humanitarian measure, it's a belligerent one that carries a potential to abrade the fabric of society and make people enemies of one another.

I knew it wouldn't take long for the pollies to start overreacting and take "social distancing" to ridiculous extremes, but I thought it would take longer than a couple of days. Just when I thought they might be doing the right things for once, they go and do this

[fragger]

I never thought I'd see Sydney like this.
If it was like this all the time, I might still live there -
without the underlying cause, of course.

[mandru]

For a place I've always thought of as full of life that's pretty stark. 

[fragger]

I went to the supermarket today, and guess what I saw? Shelf after shelf of toilet paper. I guess the hoarders have filled up their houses to the point where they can't store any more.

I hope they see all that TP available for sale and realize just how sublimely stupid they've been. All their panic buying, for nothing. All the scrambling over one another and all the fighting and scuffling, for nothing. All the pushing old ladies out of their way and raiding one anothers' shopping trolleys, for nothing. And all the hassle they've caused the rest of us only to have TP coming out of their ears while there's now plenty of it available in the shops for sensible people to buy.

If I knew a TP hoarder, I'd so rub it in

[Art Blade]

yep

the other day I made a different and definitely even more annoying experience. I went to the supermarket which has got two entries with a couple of metres between them. On the inside that space is filled with shelves forming a corridor between those two entries. The left entry is also facing a chemist's shop (located inside) and next to it a machine for bottles/cans with refundable deposit. The right entry makes you pass a baker's before reaching the supermarket's main area that is next to that deposit machine. With those social distancing rules in place, there were queues for the chemist's, the deposit machine, the baker's and all of them pointed to the supermarket like in a triangular order. Now, I went in to deposit bottles and wanted to continue to the supermarket when I realised there was a queue reaching back to the right entrance, so I retraced my steps and got to the back of that queue which at that point happened to form an L-shape with the end of it between the two entrances.

I was at the angle of that L when a young guy with hoodie, sunglasses and mask enters through the right entrance, passes right in front of me through that social distancing gap and bypasses all the rest of the queue behind the L-angle. I was instantly pissed off, told him that the queue was behind me (meanwhile several more people long) but he ignored me. I don't know what I said but it must have been something like "do you think you can bypass the queue just like that?" but I remember clearly that he replied," yes, that's what I think." And all of that in front of a security guy who was obviously supposed to keep the numbers of people inside within a limit. I told that guy how he just waved through someone skipping the queue and that he should consider how to manage the queues. He said the queues were also for the chemist's and that he didn't see anything. I'll spare you the rest but looking back at the people in the queue and they looking back at me I was really surprised nobody said a thing.

So what pisses me off is that being the one respecting social distancing and the idea of how a queue works and being social enough to go back to the end of the queue makes me pay for being social and considerate and some antisocial dimwit who just gives a damn about the others, gives me a very rude reply and walks right in, even getting waved through by the "security" guy who rather than telling him to stop and go back, starts to discuss why he isn't responsible. 

[nex]

That really pisses me off as well, lucky I know the owner of the Supermarket I go to very well and if something
like that would happen at his store he'd firstly go kick the security guard's *bleep* and secondly give that
customer a lecture he'd never forget and warn him if he does something like that again he would be kicked
out of the store.

[mandru]

Sounds like a little Turkish Revenge was in order while the line hopper's back was turned. 

[Dweller_Benthos]

Thing is, that type of behavior happens whether there's a plague or not. There will always be jerks like that.

Yep, I'm calling it a plague from now on, might as well use the term that fits.

[Art Blade]

damn straight, it is. I never thought I'd see anything like a plague in my lifetime, not in front of my doorstep.

[PZ]

Yeah, jerks like that are in every day life. My son was on Costco some time ago (before the pandemic) and some big fat biker slob was trying to cut the line. Naturally being the somewhat aggressive kid he is he called the man out on it. Tempers escalated, but the fool realized he was in over his head and backed off. The rest of the people clapped.

[Art Blade]

 

I was very, very close to doing something like that but for multiple reasons I decided against it. One of which was the virus itself, who knows whether or not that jerk actually had the virus and getting up close and personal was the last thing I wanted in these times.

[fragger]

I think I like your son, PZ He doesn't take any nonsense from anyone, by the sound of it. I greatly admire that attribute.

I've struck people like the ones we're talking about too from time to time, and I can't help myself, I have to call them out. That usually results in me being ignored, insulted, flipped off or threatened, but I feel like I have to do it. But what also annoys me was like Art said, when onlookers just clam up and say nothing. Some backup would be nice. If everyone else spoke up, it might have an "ensemble effect" and actually shame or embarrass the offender. But when only one person speaks out and is answered with belligerence or aggression while nobody else utters a peep, the offender feels as though he or she has "won" and their behaviour will never change.

It possibly wouldn't change anyway, but maybe if all onlookers "ganged up" on them enough times, they might start to get the idea.