Tony and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in Vegas with Tana, Zach, John, Petula, Johnny and his friend Kevin, who fit right in during the trip. We had a blast with memories we will never forget! But as the saying goes, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.......
The start of a new school year looks a little different than normal. Casey and Lexi started their Senior year of college with some online classes and some small in person classes. Yes, COVID is still here. Wearing a mask is now required whenever you are inside ANY and EVERY business. But after about a week and a half of classes and some Frat parties where no masks were worn, about 150 cases showed up on UNC campus. So all classes got moved to online. At Wilmington, Kyle has most classes online except a small lab class for Chemistry that is in person. And since classes for them started about a week later than Chapel Hill we won't be surprised if/when that lab class gets moved to online also. Thomas goes to school only on TH. Oh yeah, and all college, high school, middle school and elementary school kids have to wear a mask all day. They sit one child to a table, everyone is spread 6 feet apart, even when walking in the hallways. And Thomas goes only on TH because the kids are sent alphabetical so they all don't go on one day, they are all split up each day so not to crowd the schools. The kids say it's lonely being there. Sports kept getting pushed back and pushed back. Fall sports won't start now until Nov. 4th so each season gets pushed back and shortened. Winter track got completely canceled and Football got moved until February 8th of 2021. It is crazy what is still going on in our country. Masks everywhere, people 6 ft apart and back away when you walk past them, some people still afraid to go out to a restaurant, the COVID cases are thankfully declining. Small business's are struggling, mental illness and suicide is at a high right now, child sex trafficking is through the roof, yet we still are not allowed to have church, send kids to school full time, masks are mandatory, professional sports are being played with no fans allowed. Is it all worth it? When any of you look back and read this I wonder after the many years what the outcome of it all will be and how it will have changed us all. Right now I admit I am sick of it all, I think it is over played. However, I am grateful to God for our health. None of us have had it so far. Some cases of it are mild with little to no symptoms, others of course are very bad. So one of us may have had but not aware. All we can do right now is live our lives the best we can.
COVID-19 is caused by a new coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in people and many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people such as with MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and now with this new virus (named SARS-CoV-2).
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is a betacoronavirus, like MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. All three of these viruses have their origins in bats. The sequences from U.S. patients are similar to the one that China initially posted, suggesting a likely single, recent emergence of this virus from an animal reservoir.
Early on, many of the patients at the epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China had some link to a large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. Later, a growing number of patients reportedly did not have exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread. Person-to-person spread was subsequently reported outside Hubei and in countries outside China, including in the United States. Most international destinations now have ongoing community spread with the virus that causes COVID-19, as does the United States. Community spread means some people have been infected and it is not known how or where they became exposed. Learn more about the spread of this coronavirus that is causing COVID-19.
Being under the stay at home order:
In 4 Weeks, 22 Million Americans Have Lost Their Jobs
A series of strict measures to fight the coronavirus outbreak has been introduced by the government. They are aimed at stopping the spread of infection by making people stay at home unless absolutely necessary.
Shopping for basic necessities such as food or medicine
To exercise
Seeking medical assistance, or to avoid injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm
Providing care or assistance to a vulnerable person, providing emergency assistance, or donating blood
Traveling to work or to carry out voluntary services, where it's not possible to do these from home
Attending the funeral of a member of your household, or a close family member (or in some circumstances, a friend)
Fulfilling legal obligations, such as attending court, satisfying bail requirements or participating in legal proceedings
Accessing critical public services including childcare or education, social services, or victim support
Allowing children of separated parents to move between both households
Moving house where reasonably necessary
Religious ministers are also allowed to visit their place of worship.
When outside your home, you should keep a safe distance of 6ft or more from anyone who is not a member of your household.
What's been closed under the restrictions?
Many businesses and venues have been ordered to close. These include:
Pubs, cafes and restaurants - although food delivery and takeaway are still permitted
Cinemas and theaters, libraries, community centers, and places of worship
All shops selling "non-essential" goods - this includes clothing and electronics stores, and hair, beauty and nail salons
Indoor and outdoor leisure facilities such as bowling alleys, arcades and soft play facilities
Communal places within parks, such as playgrounds, sports courts and outdoor gyms
Hotels, hostels, bed-and-breakfasts, campsites and caravan parks (excluding those providing accommodation for key workers, permanent residents and the homeless)
Shops that remain open include supermarkets, pharmacies, petrol stations and post offices.
However, in households where people are self-isolating, or where a vulnerable individual is being shielded, no work should be carried out except emergency repairs to remedy a direct safety risk to the household.
What other measures are being taken?
All gatherings of more than 10 people have been banned by the government. The only exceptions are:
Where the gathering is of a group of people who live together - for example, a parent can take their children to the shops if they can't be left at home alone
Where the gathering is essential for work purposes - although workers should try to keep all meetings to a minimum
In addition, the government has stopped weddings, baptisms and other religious ceremonies, apart from funerals.
The police have been given powers to make sure people follow the measures.
If you leave your home or gather in public for any reason other than those allowed, the police may instruct you to go home or disperse. They may also instruct you to stop your children from also breaking the rules. They also have the power to take you home, arrest you or fine you.
The coronavirus has hit the U.S. and with the stay at home order in place, here is what our daily life looks like: Lots of working out in the garage gym!!
Dad's working from home office, always messy.
Games, games, and more games!
Roscoe loves having everyone home!
Lots of cooking, and the kitchen is always a mess.
Barbershop in the garage, Casey is the new barber!
More working out!
Gas prices have dropped, with Harris Teeter fuel points I got it for .99 cents a gallon! Right now it's 1.79 a gallon, still pretty low!
COVID-19 closed all the colleges and k-12 schools in most states. All my boys are now home, working online to finish up the year. This is crazy?!! What is happening!!??
