Corona virus has struck photography!

My wife is a teacher.... and NC is very strict on number of days kids have to attend each year. Our schools are closed for the next three weeks to students - but not for teachers. They are rapidly trying to get e-leaning up and running, but many of her kids come from economically challenged families... meaning little access to technology at home. Its going to be interesting.

Wilt wrote in post #19026152
Have you considered that it will be the teachers CREATING this home instruction?! So they will not necessarily have 'free time on their hands'

I didn't know that the teachers had this duty. I couldn't intuit it from your previous post. Presumably the kids will still have their textbooks to study?

OhLook wrote in post #19026299
I didn't know that the teachers had this duty. I couldn't intuit it from your previous post. Presumably the kids will still have their textbooks to study?

Yes, but teachers have syllabus that they follow and they deliver the content of the book in a manner in which students comprehend...it is a study plan. It is how a substitute teacher is supposed to pick up in the absence of the normal teacher (not to say that all regular teachers do what they SHOULD do!).
So the teachers need to tape EVERY class that they intend to have during the prolonged absence. And a 1st grade teacher has a far more challenging task than 6th grade teacher. Not sure how a Kindergarten teacher pulls this off with remote training with the very short attention span inherent to 5 year olds, trying to get them to read and add and subtract (yes this is Kindergarten content now!).

Wilt wrote in post #19025982
Owain Shaw,
What happened, to change your plans?

1. Restrictions on flying to UK from countries on the continent
   
2. No flights available from Spain to UK due to flight cancellations
   
3. Personal precaution
   

Of the three: personal precaution. Neither flights, nor movement of people, were restricted at the time I made my decision, however it was apparent that such measures might not have been far away. My trip was meant to last a week, and with how quickly the situation was changing, I imagined that it could be very different in a week's time, and that perhaps I would be unable to travel back to Spain - or have considerable difficulty doing so. I also decided that it was probably not the most responsible thing to do given the nature of my trip - it was important to me personally but not strictly necessary.

Spain is now on lockdown with restrictions on movement. There are not currently restrictions on flying to the UK from Spain, but flights are already being reduced and cancelled. It's entirely possible that my planned flight home will be cancelled between now and next Friday. I believe my decision was the correct one.

I haven't left the house since Saturday, and it will be between my partner and I as to who pops out to take out the rubbish and recycling today. Later this week we will probably need to top up on some food items.In case anyone is interested: as an outlet for my creativity, yesterday I made a short film of my observations on the mundanity and boredom of life under lockdown. I've uploaded it to YouTube where I now have a channel.

It probably helps if you understand Spanish to pick up on the things happening in the background of some clips ... but it's still 12 minutes where very little happens!

Thanks for the detailed response, Owain. News is often so provincial that we do not get a good idea of what is happening abroad, which is why I asked for the explanation behind your change of plans. Major centers of activity like Italy get a bit of coverage, but not much detail. Spain and France get little news, apart from the fact that major tourist attractions like the Eiffel Tower have closed. So what is actually happening to the daily lives of residents in Spain or France is largely not presented! From day to day, we don't necessarily hear about what is happening in New Rochelle NY, apart from the fact that the National Guard was mobilized (to get groceries to residents?)

It sounds like your circumstance in Spain is very much similar to our situation in the San Francisco Bay area of California.

• Many larger tech companies are allowing employess to work from home, reducing traffic.
  
• Many (but not all) school districts are closed, causing many parents to take time off from jobs to watch children.
  
• The governor has urged that seniors >60 yr. to self-isolate in their homes, and not go out, as they are more prone to serious effects from infecion.
  
• The governor has asked for 'gatherings' of >50 be suspended, and those >10 <50 to always use 4-5 'mitigations' to reduce the chance of infection...maintain distance of 6' (2m) between all individuals, use of disinfection wipes of surfaces, etc.
  
• Airlines are reducing flights, primarily due to severe reduction of passenger loads...flights with only 40-50 passengers are common!
  
• Mass transit systems are reducing numbers of runs, numbers of cars, etc. due to significantly reduced daily traveller load
  

Schools in our area now closed indefinitely, as of this morning. All spring activities cancelled.

Wilt wrote in post #19027887
Thanks for the detailed response, Owain. News is often so provincial that we do not get a good idea of what is happening abroad, which is why I asked for the explanation behind your change of plans. Major centers of activity like Italy get a bit of coverage, but not much detail. Spain and France get little news, apart from the fact that major tourist attractions like the Eiffel Tower have closed. So what is actually happening to the daily lives of residents in Spain or France is largely not presented! From day to day, we don't necessarily hear about what is happening in New Rochelle NY, apart from the fact that the National Guard was mobilized (to get groceries to residents?)

It sounds like your circumstance in Spain is very much similar to our situation in the San Francisco Bay area of California.

• Many larger tech companies are allowing employess to work from home, reducing traffic.
  
• Many (but not all) school districts are closed, causing many parents to take time off from jobs to watch children.
  
• The governor has urged that seniors >60 yr. to self-isolate in their homes, and not go out, as they are more prone to serious effects from infecion.
  
• The governor has asked for 'gatherings' of >50 be suspended, and those >10 <50 to always use 4-5 'mitigations' to reduce the chance of infection...maintain distance of 6' (2m) between all individuals, use of disinfection wipes of surfaces, etc.
  
• Airlines are reducing flights, primarily due to severe reduction of passenger loads...flights with only 40-50 passengers are common!
  
• Mass transit systems are reducing numbers of runs, numbers of cars, etc. due to significantly reduced daily traveller load
  

Not too much is outright prohibited, apart from gatherings >100 or >250 depending upon which county in the state. Unlike some countries, there are no police patrolling and discouraging folks to 'go home' unless absolutely necessary.

You're very welcome. Glad to have been able to inform a little about the situation on the ground here. You're quite right about the peculiarities of news coverage. I normally manage to stay fairly well informed about at least two countries because I follow Spanish and UK news. Were I to only follow Spanish news, I would know very little about my country of birth. Were I to follow only UK news I would know perhaps even less about my country of residence.

Our situation is similar, although a little more strict.
-Schools have been closed nationwide since last Friday. (In areas like Madrid where there is the highest concentration of cases, schools closed two days earlier.)
-Shops, bars and restaurants are all closed with the exception of food stores, drug stores, tobacconists, and restaurants offering take-away or home-delivery only.
-Where possible people are encouraged to work from home, but travelling to work is one of the few permissible reasons for breaking lockdown.
-Lockdown has been in force since Sunday 00:00. People are allowed to leave home only to travel to work, to buy food/medicine, to care for sick relatives, to walk a dog/pet, to throw out the trash.
-Flights and all forms of intercity transport have been reduced. Land borders have just been closed with the exception of transport, returning citizens or residents or force majeure.
-Mass transit such as Metro or Commuter trains are still running to facilitate people who still need to travel to work.

The police are patrolling streets and ordering those not complying with lockdown, or without good cause to be out, to go home. At the moment people are just being warned, but can be fined if they continue to disobey orders. The military's emergency response unit has also been deployed to thirteen cities as of today.

Wilt wrote in post #19026152
Have you considered that it will be the teachers CREATING this home instruction?! So they will not necessarily have 'free time on their hands'

As a teacher trying to figure out how to create home instruction for Technical theatre,. er,. it's daunting to say the least.

Owain Shaw wrote in post #19027974
Our situation is similar, although a little more strict.
-Schools have been closed nationwide since last Friday. (In areas like Madrid where there is the highest concentration of cases, schools closed two days earlier.)
-Shops, bars and restaurants are all closed with the exception of food stores, drug stores, tobacconists, and restaurants offering take-away or home-delivery only.
-Where possible people are encouraged to work from home, but travelling to work is one of the few permissible reasons for breaking lockdown.
-Lockdown has been in force since Sunday 00:00. People are allowed to leave home only to travel to work, to buy food/medicine, to care for sick relatives, to walk a dog/pet, to throw out the trash.
-Flights and all forms of intercity transport have been reduced. Land borders have just been closed with the exception of transport, returning citizens or residents or force majeure.
-Mass transit such as Metro or Commuter trains are still running to facilitate people who still need to travel to work.

The police are patrolling streets and ordering those not complying with lockdown, or without good cause to be out, to go home. At the moment people are just being warned, but can be fined if they continue to disobey orders. The military's emergency response unit has also been deployed to thirteen cities as of today.

Things got stricter around the San Francisco Bay surrounding counties very quickly, as of about 12pm Pacific Daylight Time Monday. Things are to be much more in lockdown, with banks and restaurants (take out orders only!) and grocery stores exempted. and 'essentials'...most everything else is closed.

"Officials are directing the public to stay at home as much as possible, with certain exceptions, like to go out and get food at supermarkets, pick up prescriptions at the pharmacy, buy gas, go to the bank and check up on relatives.

"You can go for a walk and walk your dog and go on a hike with people in your household, and even with someone else, if you stay six feet away from that person, Dr. Grant Colfax, the San Francisco director of health, said at a press conference.

"Other certain essential activities are exempt, like essential government and business services or essential public infrastructure construction, like housing. Essential activities are defined below.

What kinds of businesses are now ordered closed?
All bars and nightclubs
Gyms and recreation facilities
Essential businesses are urged to remain open. A list of them are below.

Are restaurants and cafes ordered closed?
Restaurants and cafes can remain open for takeout and delivery.

How big can gatherings be now?
All public and private gatherings of any number of people outside a single household or living unit are now banned, with certain exceptions listed below.

What kind of travel is banned?
All travel, including by car and public transit, is banned except for essential travel or essential activities, as defined below. Public transit riders should try to stay six feet away from others.


"The order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. It’ll continue until 11:59 p.m. on April 7, unless rescinded earlier or extended."

Why would travel by car be banned? Can't take a drive to get out for a bit?

digital paradise wrote in post #19028194
Why would travel by car be banned? Can't take a drive to get out for a bit?

I do not understand the spirit of that one! I can tell you that the volume of cars on the road is reduced, but there are still plenty of cars.

Personally, I am finding that a nice walk to get some fresh air and see others - albeit from a few feet away- is really important. It’s way too easy to get sucked into the “virtual” world of endless updates on this crisis as it unfolds, with mostly terrible news. Sure, stay informed, but it’s all too much at some point. Go take a breather, wave to a stranger, pet a passing dog...and yes, then go wash your hands - again!

Wilt wrote in post #19028103

[quoting] All public and private gatherings of any number of people outside a single household or living unit are now banned, with certain exceptions listed below.

Wilt, I'm getting my lockdown news from sfgate, and it doesn't answer my question: Do two or three persons constitute a gathering? "Any number of people" would suggest so, but "You can . . . go on a hike with people in your household, and even with someone else, if you stay six feet away from that person" implies that I can visit my neighbor at her home, for instance, if we stay six feet apart.

OhLook wrote in post #19028220
Wilt, I'm getting my lockdown news from sfgate, and it doesn't answer my question: Do two or three persons constitute a gathering? "Any number of people" would suggest so, but "You can . . . go on a hike with people in your household, and even with someone else, if you stay six feet away from that person" implies that I can visit my neighbor at her home, for instance, if we stay six feet apart.

As far as I know, >10 is a 'gathering' when those 10 are not all residents at that location. So a family of 11, two parents, two grandparents, and 7 children who usually reside at that address would not be a 'gathering'.
You are right about a room of 11 people, maintaining 6' distance from each other is a 'gathering' that is practicing ONE of the multiple 'mitigations' that are required...simply maintining distance is not sufficient to qualify.
Just talking to your neighbor is not prohibited. and maintaining 6' is complying with good practice...I don't know what enforcement, if any, would result from your failure to maintain that distance.

New Zealand Police have in custody, two seperate tourists that arrived here and refused to self-isolate for two weeks as per rules in place since Sunday, and will deport them. Good riddance really.