What the Lockdown in Paris looks like

[Mooseman]

Our friend @trailblazer075 is a Public Safety Officer in Paris (one level lower than armed Police) and he sent me some pictures while he was on patrol on the bike. They are in the eye of the storm with cases and deaths still piling up, they are on a total government ordered lockdown. No walking, no gatherings, nothing except for getting essentials like groceries. This is the middle of the afternoon and Paris is a ghost town. Normally, the streets would be bustling with Sunday traffic, cafés full of patrons and streets full of tourists. They will be like this until April 14th and will be a total of 4 weeks if it's not extended further.

France waited too long before bringing in any measures and are now suffering the consequences. News I saw was that they were using their famous speed trains as ambulances.

 

[BrianF]

Shitty times we live in. I wonder how much longer we have until this is Canada.

 

[Mooseman]

I hope that we got ahead of it. This week will apparently be crucial since it's been 2 weeks since our isolation procedures kicked in.

I'm more afraid for the US. Late to the game and still some not taking it seriously. Saw a video of guys that were at a racetrack in Florida on the weekend and together again the next day looking at the damage to the car. They even boasted "went to the track before a lockdown comes down". Each state, county and city are making their own determinations on closing down and making social distancing an order. Some are still wide open. I am really afraid for our friends down south and I have a few relatives down there too.

France and other European countries waited too long and they're paying for it today.

 

[Blckshdw]

Even worse than that, there was a mega church in town that went against the order and held a big service yesterday, claiming they are an essential service, so they're staying open. They say they have a number of sanitizing machines to kill any germs if someone coughs or sneezes, but they sound like ozone machines, which you obviously can't run with a building full of people.

 

[Mooseman]

Just watch if that doesn't become a cluster within 2 weeks and they would have spread it even further. We just got news that a particular religious group that just came back from NY to one town in Quebec just tested positive. Not just one, 20 of them. They travelled just before the travel restrictions so they're not totally at fault. Now this whole town and group is on edge for a large cluster to break out.

Stay home!

 

[Blckshdw]

That pastor was arrested earlier this afternoon. Due to multiple services, they are estimating there were between 400 and 500 people to pass through the church yesterday.

 

[xavierny25]

Wish I could get around a little more but there's no point of putting myself at risk.
Looking north on Park Ave.

And this is South on Park Ave. The whole city is pretty much a waste land.

 

[gpking]

This is what social distancing looks like in West Virginia. I don't see a single soul!
(Yeah, it's exactly what it looked like before).


Jokes aside, I work at a level II trauma center in a nearby city and I might as well just stay home to get the same amount of socialization. The whole medical center is a ghost town. Pretty much any patient that was supposed to come for something non-life-threatening is staying home.
It's so deserted that we shut down a whole surgical wing just to dedicate space for quarantine and sealed off half of the ICU for the same purpose. Those projects are the only substantial work I've had for the last two weeks. (I'm just thankful to have a job to go to every day in spite of the boredom).

This is unfortunately what the American media won't tell or show you. It's all about fear mongering by showcasing overrun city hospitals that weren't prepared, and pointing out people who are doing stupid things. (Pretty much the polar opposite of what the Chinese media/gov has done).
Meanwhile, it's just been business as usual for those of us in healthcare. We're ready when the ill or injured come.

 

[Kelly@PCMofNC]

"No walking, no gatherings, nothing except for getting essentials like groceries. " Same here now (NC). Only essential travel permitted. Hoping this flattens the curve!

 

[Mooseman]

We shall see this week if we were able to flatten it here after 2+ weeks, this week will be telling us if all this isolation and distancing helped.

 

[TollKeeper]

My sister in law just got Furloughed. She is a RN for a big hospital in Springfield IL. She could travel for work to Chicago, or St Louis, but she doesnt think that would be prudent.

Personally speaking, my work is essential. I am a truck driver. For the last week we have been hauling fuel to Salt Lake City, because the fuel plant in Salt Lake got damaged during the earth quake. Plant is supposed to be up and running as of yesterday.

Still hauling fuels to Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado. Work has slowed some, because no one is traveling.

 

[trailblazer075]

hello, it's true, they use high-speed trains to hospitalize patients from the northeast to the southern regions where there are fewer patients.
the peak of the epidemic is not yet reached, the number of deaths is doubled every day.
It's a disaster.
above all stay well confined in your houses and stay there.
I wish you to stay healthy as well as your family.
friendly Tonio

 

[gpking]

My sister in law just got Furloughed. She is a RN for a big hospital in Springfield IL. She could travel for work to Chicago, or St Louis, but she doesnt think that would be prudent.

Sadly, a lot of clinical staff are not working at my facilities either. I personally witnessed a whole unit getting told not to come back to work tomorrow. I can't even imagine how that feels.

We are starving for patients and furloughing our staff, but the media will only talk about NYC. Or, locally, how Maryland is now letting those with expired or out-of-state medical licenses practice. I think it has scared a lot of people away. I hope nobody thinks we are too busy to help them and loses their life.

On a positive note, I fueled up for $1.65/gal today. That's the cheapest gas I've ever bought in my life.

 

[trailblazer075]

Last saturday pictures from Paris

 

[Mooseman]

This will probably be the only time where you can get these pictures without people in them. Just incredible.