Corona Virus

Grab your bear can or camp chair, kick your feet up and chew the fat about anything Sierra Nevada related that doesn't quite fit in any of the other forums. Within reason, (and the HST rules and guidelines) this is also an anything goes forum. Tell stories, discuss wilderness issues, music, or whatever else the High Sierra stirs up in your mind.
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SSSdave
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Re: Corona Virus

Post by SSSdave »

Wandering Daisy wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 9:19 am ... The craziest thing is that while schools are shut down, our dear Mayor of Sacramento, is going to eliminate downtown parking fees to encourage people to eat out (so these small businesses stay afloat)! Eating out is EXACTLY what will spread the virus...


Restaurants and other retail businesses where their locations allow such might still function in limited ways given appropriate weather by setting up chairs/tables/products outside and taking customer orders outside. On a skiing board I posted such information on a huge COVID-19 thread and am now seeing a few resorts that are trying to stay open doing just that by say moving ski rental operations outside and doing so likewise with limited food services. So businesses need to think creatively. Saw another news story where a supermarket is taking orders and then delivering them to customers that pick up/pay for those orders outside.
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Re: Corona Virus

Post by ERIC »

Snowtrout wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 10:21 am Eric, this is all I know right now.

Email I received:
During our school closure, all students including any children under the age of 18 will be able to pick up packaged lunch, and breakfast for the following day. This will begin Wednesday, March 18 and continue every subsequent Monday through Friday at each school site through the entirety of the school closures. The times for meal distribution at the school sites are yet to be determined and information will be coming soon. All staff should report to work based on their normal schedule and will be provided more details by their supervisor.
Again, thank you SO MUCH for sharing what you know. Understandably, they're probably still trying to figure it out for themselves. There really isn't an easy solution as near as I can tell. Strange times, but we'll get through it.
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maverick
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Re: Corona Virus

Post by maverick »

Quick info:
Make your own sanitizer: mix 1 gallon water + 5 tablespoons of bleach, or 1 quart + 4 teaspoons of bleach.
This is what we use, and is what is suggested by our health department.
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

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Re: Corona Virus

Post by creekfeet »

Initially I was surprised to see how many people here work in education, but it makes sense that Sierra enthusiasts would choose a profession that leaves their summers free. Anyhow, I'm a teacher myself and our school is basically in the same situation as all others described here. We're closed down for at least a month, and our students will be learning "remotely", whatever that entails. I was kind of hoping to take advantage of the closure to explore some new places, but apparently we still need to be available, so I'll have to stay local. But at the very least, it seems like this is as good a time as any to hit up places like Muir Woods that are normally more akin to going to Disneyland than the wilderness.

Also if anyone's curious, I spoke with a couple different ranger friends of mine about the possibility of national park closures. According to them, as of now there's no plans to shut them down.
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Re: Corona Virus

Post by SSSdave »

Both Vail and Altera corps that now own or control most of the nation's ski resorts, announced this afternoon that they are shutting down all their resorts for at least a week. Practically, most are unlikely to open as the disease is increasingly spreading as testing increases and the usual end of resort season tends to be mid April. Additionally many of the smaller independent resorts are following suit as they may be otherwise overwhelmed by patrons of the large resorts, causing the virus to spread. Thus my April 2 trip out to Denver ain't going to happen and at least I likely won't be charged for the $149 I spent on an April 3-day pass. Still expect to eat my $200 non-refundable airfare.

Lots of Tahoe skiers are of course very disappointed given the huge cold powder storm now dumping, though understanding. This is now a deadly serious world wide human crisis in our very interconnected world with its global economy. Sort of feels like the day after JFK was shot or after 911. I do have backcountry gear so might drive up to one of the Snow Parks as have a season permit, though trying to skin up slopes in 4 feet of new snow is ridiculously strenuous haha.
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Re: Corona Virus

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I'm expecting this virus will interrupt our normal lives for months. In fact, the current school and workplace shutdowns are designed to slow the spread, which will make the epidemic be less serious, but last longer. But we need that spread to reduce the peak loads that are coming to the hospitals. Backpacking does seem like an ideal recreation in a time of "social distancing", but I worry that our national parks may be shut down, because they are big attractions and people do crowd together at the main sites (think Yosemite Valley and the trails that lead out from it).

Here in Santa Clara County, the health department has ordered all schools to close for the next three weeks and has prohibited gatherings of more than 50 people, which means that all normal entertainment venues (including the libraries!) will be shut. I'm predicting a lot of bored kids in a few days.

Since I'm retired, I'm normally "socially distant" anyway. My wife (still working) and I spend more time with our daughter's family than anyone else. Fortunately, both my daughter and son-in-law have jobs where they normally work from home anyway. So far, my granddaughter's small daycare is staying open. If they shut, I expect to be called up to active duty :-).

Anyone who can do the math can see that we are in for a rough ride since the infections seem to be doubling every 3 days or so. Although my wife and I are fit and in good health, I do worry a bit because we are both in the over 65 higher risk category.

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ironmike
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Re: Corona Virus

Post by ironmike »

Y’all need to get your minds prepared for full on lockdown of all societal norms. Get ready for what Italy or Spain are doing: quarantine. Maybe even martial law. It’s coming because of our late national response to the pandemic. Even optimistic models by CDC indicate almost a half million deaths in the US alone. Not time to whine about schools or restaurants closing. Time to hunker down, focus on family, and keep safe. Not being alarmist...look at 1918...there are close parallels.
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Re: Corona Virus

Post by Fly Guy Dave »

I am also in the education field and it sounds like many of the policies and practices that other districts are implementing are exactly the same in ours. Food pick up for those in need, remote learning, etc. Another issue is that not all students have access to technology or the internet at home. It is a safe assumption with the IB (honors) kids I teach, but in other regular classes, not so much. This is another very clear example of the haves and have nots and the failings in society and how they become apparent in schools. The real drag is we're supposed to fix all of this and we're not equipped or trained to do so. I'm hoping that some lessons (albeit hard ones) will be learned from all of this and it will result in some serious changes in the future. Looking for a silver lining, I guess.
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Re: Corona Virus

Post by seanr »

^^^Well said, Fly Guy Dave. I spent a decade as a middle school teacher at a predominantly low income school where my oldest daughter now attends. My wife is administrator of before, after, and summer school programs serving mostly working and low income families. I now work for the Public Health Department. I keep telling my manager that we and most organizations will be stressed by this, but learn and grow from it. I hope we as local, state, and federal government take away valuable learning as well. I also hope that those of us who are left mostly with simple choices like how to pass our personal time and where to go on a hike truly recognize and understand how privileged some of us are to not face tougher choices and circumstances....it is an understatement to state that our selfish failures on the federal level politically are being highlighted.
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Re: Corona Virus

Post by freestone »

It may be interesting to see how Covid19 affects the 2020 PCT herd. In the past, it seems like there are always a few journal entries on hikers coming down with viral infections. Backpacking seems like a very socially distancing thing to do but its easy to forgo all the precautionary measures that are needed to stay viral free. Even car camping in Yosemite could be risky but have not heard of any National Park restrictions yet.
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