Social distancing / quarantine support thread

[Liou]

Status update:
... I'm not sure what's going on actually? I think we're still in "curfew, limited everything, neither here nor there" mode. It doesn't help that speculation articles on "maybe lockdown" or "maybe not lockdown" are much more abundant than actual confirmed information.
I know that I'm going to work, and that I'm allowed to do that!

Which leads me to the real, serious news update here.

We have new Plexi shields on the circulation desks.
Initially, we only had the crappy old Plexi, which people kept leaning around to speak to us anyway, and which I ended up doodling on - still needs more doodles. The paper witch hats I had stuck on them at head height around Halloween stayed for a few more weeks, and it was highly amusing to lean at the right height to see the hat perfectly level with someone's head, can't deny.

So, we had a relockdown in November, followed by another click-and-collect phase - now with extra tongue-in-cheek fast food imagery -, a re-unlockdown, and then, new Plexi shields finally found their way to us.
The new shields are sitting next to the older shields, sideways, preventing people from leaning into our personal space while they get their books scanned.
They are very neat.
They have slots on the bottom.
Tiny tiny slots.
Slots exactly wide enough to insert the width of one A4 sheet at a time.
Not wide enough to shove in a pile of illustrated kids' books in all shapes and sizes, or a big ol' SF series, or a supply of comics for a family of six.

Other problem: people are not Used to these shields. Therefore, they are Invisible.
Oh, the pain of getting people to notice things in public places.

What happened: people would leave their books on the corner of the desk, on the other side of the Plexi shield. The wrong side. Where we can't get them.

I suppose they expected us to bat through the slot with our little paws.

SPOILER: Click to show

Solution:

I printed and cut out a Cookie Monster face, tailored it to the slot on the returns desk, and added a speech bubble saying "YUM YUM BOOKS HERE". I taped that to the Plexi shield.

Book-ie Monster.

So far it's working.

Even if it doesn't work I still think it's improving the desk.

(I'm used to having Silly Craft Time at work when it's almost holidays okay)

[Lizica]

We should have a sea shanty song night in the Discord voicechat sometime

[Celestial]

I saw a post about the recent surging popularity of sea shanties explaining it as us all being stuck in a confined space for a long time with no set end date dreaming about the time we can go ashore to enjoy the pleasures out there, and honestly, best explanation. I feel this on a deep, spiritual level.

[Gelquie]

My state just expanded access to the vaccine, given how vaccinations for the current tiers had been slowing. This tier includes more people I'd been worried about, and also teachers! There was a lot of push-back for delaying teacher vaccinations given how much push there was to return to in-person education (something I've been on the fence about; on the other hand, augh, plague vectors, what are you doing; on the other hand, there are absolutely kids falling through the cracks, and not always just academically), and thankfully, my state listened to those concerns. (I just wish they did it sooner, given their timeline for when they wanted to start. ...Anyway, I still have concerns, but if they're absolutely set on in-person education, then expanding vaccinations to the people involved in that is the right move.)

Anyway, I was really happy to see that, as I was just recently wondering when the next tier would be able to get vaccinated. I know I'm probably not gonna be able to get the vaccine before summer given where I land in the demographic. So I'm hoping more people get vaccinated to reduce the Covid bounce-off points! (Like bumper cars, but less fun.) And I'm particularly hoping more of my family can get vaccinated, especially my mom (she's a borderline case; old enough to have problems, not old enough to qualify; meanwhile she's still the one going out doing things, augh). I hope they get vaccinated for their sake, but also before I have to move back with family while I'm in transition mode; since I probably won't be able to get vaccinated before that time, it'll be nice to have a bit more security on that front.

Given the speed of things in my state, I'm vaguely hopeful that at least most of the family members I've been worried about will be vaccinated before I return. There's only one who I don't think will qualify before I return, but they're a shut-in anyway.

(I definitely have to nudge them in that direction though. My family has a tendency to put these things off for minor reasons or "I just didn't get around to it". I'm no better, lol. But this is important enough that I try to at least swing the conversations that way; the more they hear and talk about it, the more they process it, the faster they get to it.)

[Celestial]

There's a lot of debate over here about whether to vaccinate teachers as part of the priority group. I am hopeful that they will, especially because schools (at least in Scotland) are returning in 11 days. Or at least, partially. Years 1-3, plus older pupils who need to complete exams. Which is great news for us, because Dormouse is a ball of excess energy who is bouncing off the walls.

Vaccination is also nicely on track. There was a lot of criticism of Scotland at first because their rollout was slow, but now that care home residents are almost all universally vaccinated (something like 98%) the rollout has sped up to the point where there are concerns over supply. It's hoped that all adults over 50 will be done by early May, and everyone who can (i.e. not kids) will receive their vaccine by summer. So that's something to look forward to. It's only a question of waiting and hoping that no spanners get thrown in the works.

Lockdown will probably be eased before then, at least to a degree. Or I really hope so, because I am going a bit nuts. We just have to see what happens with schools...

[Gelquie]

SO. Uh.

Alaska has been doing fairly well for vaccinations. Last week, the tier was expanded to those 55 and older, essential workers, people who may be higher risk (those defined as higher risk were already allowed), etc. Despite this opening, after a week, about 1000 appointment slots were still open.

What I expected: They'd open up another tier of vaccine appointments to meet demand.

What we got: "Vaccines are open to everyone 16 and older, so long as you're a resident or working here!"

My reaction: Wh-wh-what?

I'm a little concerned that they moved too fast, but I guess it's also kind of an experiment to see how it works? And Alaska has been doing really well at vaccinations.

I'm undecided if I'll get one immediately. I don't think it'd be right if I got one before my mom has a chance to get one, especially since I'm kind of a homebody anyway. But maybe in the next few weeks? I wanted to get the vaccine course before I moved out anyway, and during that time I'll be more out and about and doing all the Life Change things, so that would just make sense.

(I think I'll also wait a little bit just in case the system gets overloaded and the state decides "yanno what, nevermind, we're going in phases again." xD We'll see, though!)

I guess it's more complicated for me because I still don't really have my car, and thus would have to walk at least 2 miles to get mine. And those are in crowded stores, so... yay, I guess. But I'll do what I gotta. Or maybe something will open up at a closer place. We'll see.
Or I'll get my car back before I have a chance and it'll be a non-issue.
Dunno! Playing it by ear.

[Huntress]

So today marks exactly a year from our first lockdown, and as of today we officially have the highest infection rate in the world. We seem to be a bit neck to neck with Czechia there, but their numbers are going down and their lockdown is also properly hardball compared to our continued nonsense, so odds are pretty good we'll secure the gold medal in the next few days.

Lots of shocked pikachus in the government. As of yesterday we also got Proper Lockdown 2.0 (finally), in the sense that all shops are closed save for grocery stores, pharmacies, optics stores and petstores/vets, oh and one-on-one services are also still permitted, aka you can totally go get your hair or nails did if you so desired. Elementary schools finally went on distance learning as of yesterday. Restaurants are takeout only. Ah, and the medical system is close to buckling and probably will buckle full Italy-in-spring-style.

In short, things are in Very Deep Smelly Doodoo, as one might expect when you're blessed with a government that spent all of summer heatedly debating gay rights followed by an emergency government change with the new PM being a dithering Fluttershy whose stated approach was "let's please all take care of one another and all try our best to keep the country open". The entire planet has been either locking down hard or suffering the consequences, it's a very specific small-nation arrogance to think that ours is somehow magically different or better.

BUT IT'S OKAY because the police should get the rights to issue fines to antimaskers by May (couldn't pass a relevant act earlier because gayness was a hotter topic) and the PM hopes that the new restrictions will turn the numbers downward. Also vaccinations are happening somewhere, only wrought by a million technical and logistical issues because preparing for vaccine rollout before actually getting said vaccines is for sissies.

In short, *angry flail*

I mean, our family is doing a-okay, all things considered. Fraze is distance-teaching, Traveler has already been kept home for the past two weeks because we didn't like the rising numbers and now the official word is a strong recommendation to keep kindergarteners home. Mental health will be the only issue to tackle, and in our homebound state that's a primary thing we can tackle anyway. Been baking a lot. Should finally get on the bandwagon and give sourdough a try.

s'just that - a year ago, I could feel that we were in this together. Everything was locked down, everyone was struggling with fears and doomscrolling and finicky sourdough. Now it's gotten to the point where I take a look at international news and it's varying forms of vaccine rollouts and hopes for easing restrictions and overall light at the end of the tunnel, whereas not only is our tunnel only getting darker for the time being, I also have zero faith left in the government to do what needs to be done, because ratings and the economy are still more important. The people who are willing to be reasonable have already been reasonable for a year and the people who argue their antimask-rights and go around partying will not be swayed by gentle pleading. So it's full speed into learning the hard way. And it's a lot harder to do the right thing when it's plain that there's no one at the helm and we have to pinball through all the icebergs before someone's finally forced to make the uncomfortable decisions all other countries have been making months ago.

but hey, local elections are coming up this fall. Gonna be voting with a vengeance.

[Gelquie]

Vote with a vengeance indeed, Huntress. Your government sounds... like something I wouldn't say in polite company. ='D

A lot of it sounds reminiscent with how the government of the US handled things last year, before we voted with a vengeance and got an administration who actually came up with and followed through on a plan. Though we still have our anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers who care more about groupthink, but it really helps to have good leadership to help smooth things out.

Which is to say that while we're starting to do better, I also find a lot of those frustrations familiar. And all I can say is: *Hugs.* I'm so sorry. And stay safe.

It sounds like you have a good lockdown plan, at least, and a handle on mental health. I'd give advice, but to be honest, mine's not doing so great, so I'd be more likely to take tips. Sourdough does sound tempting though, but probably impractical for me right now. Still, I should come up with more projects to do between thesis edits. Would be a great way to use more stuff that I don't know how I'll get through before I move.

[Celestial]

Scotland's currently working through vaccinating all under-65s who have a health condition that makes them vulnerable, physical or mental. Didn't think that included me. Sure, I got some health conditions but none of them make me vulnerable to the human malware.

I thought wrong.

My apppointment is this week. I got my letter today.

I am very ?? over this. At first I thought this was a mistake. The only reason I can think of is my autism diagnosis, because they do include learning disabilities within the "vulnerable" umbrella. Feels like I am taking away a vaccine from someone who needs it way more. But such is the whim of the health service here.

Not going to refuse though. I am going to do my part.

[Gelquie]

As of today, I'm considered fully vaccinated, taking into account the 2-week immunity time period.

And today, I'll also be seeing one of my family members for the first time.
(It's to help me move, but I hope it's more than that.)
And a few days after this, I'll be moving and seeing family members for the first time in over a year.

It's... really weird. But from the messages my helper family member and I are exchanging, it sort of feels like gradually working back into a family dynamic, and out of my isolation period.
It's really weird. But not a bad kind of weird, I hope.

Still, everything's been over messages or phone so far. This'll be the first time in person. And I'm still going "do I still need to wear a mask around them? Should I, just in case one of my moving-required excursions made me pick up something (even though I masked and distanced as much as possible)?".

Inevitably, once I move in with family, I'll probably have to be maskless around them at some point, after a bit of a rest period. Or I don't know when it'll be.

Most of my family is vaccinated. Some fully, some in part due to side effect concerns, one not because they were unlucky enough to get Covid and only recently recovered. (They were thankfully very good about wearing a really good mask whenever they needed to leave their room, and between that and the vaccinations, no one else in the household was infected.) Still, there's some wiggle room I need to be careful about. And now I need to share space with them.

Brb, re-learning how to socially mask around other people.

[Celestial]

Related to the social stuff, I have discovered lately that I have developed a brand new anxiety around crowds. I mean, I have always been anxious around them, but now I feel like I have to relearn how to deal with a crowd from scratch.

Part of it is the awareness of the risk of catching Covid. It is fairly minimal at this point, and I have never been too scared of the disease itself. But it is also the thought that these people might see me as a threat to their health. I do everything I possibly can in a crowd, but I always worry that maybe someone thinks I got too close, or that if I cough or clear my throat, people will judge me.

Ah, to have a social and communication disorder and have to reintegrate into society after months of isolation. 8D;

Incidentally, cases have plateaued here and are rising a tiny bit. This is giving me huge panic because winter sucked and I cannot go back to that.

[Gelquie]

Celestial - Ah, yeah, this has definitely not done favors for social anxiety and autism. ='D I also think I'm going to have to relearn. So much. But I have to keep on top of my social skills every day anyway, I guess. I'm just gonna try and take it a little at a time.

I am the type to get a little judgemental if I see someone flouting safety rules (because I am so tired of those people and they deserve to be judged, imo >>; yay for living in an area with high "BUT MY FREEDOM" rates that lead to case and hospitalization spikes). So in case it helps, I'll say from that perspective: I only really judge people if they're doing something obvious, like not wearing a mask when they're indoors and around other people, and not doing something that would obviously preclude a mask, such as eating something. If someone got a little too close in passing or coughed a little once, I'm likely to let it go or chalk it up to a mistake or allergies and not think much on it further. Or if I'm really inclined, I may gently signal "yo, your mask fell", in case it is a mistake or if I feel that'll resolve the situation better. I do still avoid people because it could be anyone, but that's just in general, nothing personal. So long as you're generally following the guidelines, I don't think people are going to linger much on little brief things.

I don't know if that helps, but I thought I might offer it, in case it does.

...*Casually looks up the ASL sign for "mask" because I've been wondering for a while.*

Also, *hugs for the case rate changes.* I feel that. Cases spiked here for a time (it seems to be doing better now but we'll see) and it is disheartening to see.

[Celestial]

With social skills, thankfully I had family, D&D people and local friends who I could safely meet outside during the worst of it. So they could have been much, much worse deterioration. I don't feel like I can't carry on a conversation: in fact, after so much isolation, I crave talking to people (!!!). But I am more anxious and am finding myself doing more mimicking in order to mask and blend in, which...is not great, and am trying to combat it. *big hugs for you too* I hope you manage to slowly but surely get back to socialisation, even if it takes a bit. I think everyone is a bit rusty with social skills, even neurotypicals.

People who blatantly flout regulations definitely deserve all the judgement. I've done my best to follow them, and certainly I don't do really egregious stuff like not wearing a mask indoors (I've forgotten once or twice when I went into a shop but immediately caught myself) and I give people all of the space I possibly can (which I do anyway because I hate strangers touching me, even by accident, but still). It does help to hear though. I doubt it will rid me of my anxiety, because yay, brain weasels love to burrow in, but it helps. <3

We've not had a spike so much as a steady creep. Which, makes sense. Places have opened up and that creep was part of the parcel. It was predicted. There does not seem to be a corresponding hospitalisation and death rate creep, which was what our experts said to watch for. However, there is a ton of concern about the variant from India and people growing careless. And I still remember what happened in September when cases spiked hard, and especially December. My mental health has absolutely not recovered from that, but what is worse, now I have hope that the worst is behind. And it is most painful when that hope is snatched away. I do not think my mind will survive a third wave. Hence why I fear.

[Liou]

Belated good luck getting back into socialising.

I'm in a different boat where I spent most of the past months working with the public, in a place with serious barriers and measures et cetera because a lot of our users are vulnerable, and especially, in a place where I have the authority to make people comply with safety rules.
So my social skills have had to adapt to
1) speaking around several barriers and using a lot of upper-facial expressions,
2) being a listening ear for a lot more people going through a lot more crud, and being one of their only possible conversation partners in one of the only still-open communal spaces (wasn't going to include this point but it has been a lot)
and 3) realising that I do not have the authority to make people outside my workplace comply with anything, and frankly, judging them is only more tiring for me, so as long as I'm protected, I won't chase after anyone else while I'm not paid.
So what's weird for me is seeing a lot of people relax after I've been trained to be super vigilant x'D

[Lord Hayati]

the second vax shot is no joke. feels like I'm made of lead.