Please stay at home - a report and my beg from Germany

Hi buddies,

I watched the news of different countries in different languages today, cause I wanted to see how the news are interpreted worldwide.

Germany seems to be taken as a good example how to lower the numbers of infections right now, so I want to make clear that this was a wrong information spread by the news on the weekend. The number of infections is still rising, the curve is not flattened.

The institut which is responsible to count all cases of covid had made this statement and it was spread all over the world. The mistake was: They did not notice that over the weekend, not every city reported the new numbers of infections. So there were cases missing. The number will be corrected on Wednesday.

Besides this, please notice that our official partial lockdown, our self-quarantine, has just started on Monday! The effect of this action will be seen in 7 - 10 days. Its absolutely not possible to have flattened a curve with a quarantine with just 2 days.

Tests here need 5-7 days to deliver a result. Only the severe cases get tested. The dark number of infections is much much higher.

I am writing this post because we need to be aware, that staying at home is the only thing, we can do, and the effects cannot be seen quickly. It is a long term process. To spread the news, that there is a quick fix and maybe we can return to work quickly and the hole topic isn't "that bad" is so dangerous for all of us. I am really concerned seeing leaders of countries not taking it seriously.

If you are good in sewing, you might start to sew masks and collect them and send them to people who need them. Here where I live, we now sew masks for the hospitals. We don't have masks any more. Its not only about not being infected - its for people in healthcare who can wear the masks in order not to infect patients. My area is in need for masks for the palliative care for children with cancer. Everyone here is sewing right now.

If you are interested, I can share a link how to sew the masks. The key is that they are made of cotton, but inside has to be a fleece and some thin wires.

Its important to know whats really going on and I hope you will not panic now, - instead just look on countries like Italy, France, Spain and Germany. Lots of newspapers offer websites in English, so you could read them in English.

Take care everyone. Thank you for staying at home (as much as it is possible) and helping each other. 

Marigold

PS: I know that these news are especially hard for you guys still tapering or in withdrawal. My heart goes out to you because the fear will hit you much harder than people like me, who are some years off benzos. But I want to encourage you and tell you, you cannot feel your inner strength right now, it is not possible in withdrawal, but this does not mean, it does not exist. You are strong, you are brave. You do what you have to do, you hold your dosage, you practice strategies, yes, freak out from time to time - but in some years, you will look back and realize how strong you really were.

Sending you a hug!

Thanks for the warning.  Hopefully people will listen to you and listen to the experts, the doctors and epidemiologists.  Not those whose ‘instincts’ tell them this will be over soon and everything will go back to normal. That will not happen...even if the stay-home order is lifted, those who understand the disease will continue to stay home until a vaccine is found.

I’m making masks, too..there’s now a shortage of elastic online to add to the shortages in immune supplements and toilet paper. My elastic order just came so today I’m sewing all day.

Doing something to be proactive helps with the anxiety this brings.

Thanks for the warning.  Hopefully people will listen to you and listen to the experts, the doctors and epidemiologists.  Not those whose ‘instincts’ tell them this will be over soon and everything will go back to normal. That will not happen...even if the stay-home order is lifted, those who understand the disease will continue to stay home until a vaccine is found.

 

I’m making masks, too..there’s now a shortage of elastic online to add to the shortages in immune supplements and toilet paper. My elastic order just came so today I’m sewing all day.

 

Doing something to be proactive helps with the anxiety this brings.

Challis, it is great you also sew masks! The fleece I was talking about is put in and changed every day (or hour if needed), so you can wash the mask at 60 degrees, but you need the fleece to be changed. I will post pictures of the mask from the inside and outside. I only have a picture on facebook and I cannot link it here

We do not have elastics here either, we sew bands at the sides and knot them together behind the head.

Old cotton fabrics have never been as useful as today!!