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Here in Minnesota try finding toilet paper. Paper towels you can get. I lost my job for two weeks. It is surreal. The drive throughs at restaurants are backed up. The schools are closed for 8 days. At least I got my fiancee and his best man my German shepherd with me.

(I don't know much of what's going on outside the US, so what follows is mostly US-focused.)

Good things:

• Crafters/makers, especially those with sewing machines and/or 3D printers, have been organizing to help produce more medical masks and respirators to assist with shortages. One effort being run by the Providence medical system (at least in some locations) will actually provide materials and instructions for masks to anyone with a sewing machine and willingness to sew at least 100 masks for them.
  
• A lot of things are happening to help folks financially at the time, from forbidding evictions to allowances for payment delays on various bills to expanding aid programs like unemployment to money that is supposed to be sent out to all citizens below an actually comfortably high income level.
  
• A guy came up with a way to turn a couple buckets into a portable handwashing station, and he is supposed to have released the instructions to make more online for anyone else. He also intends to turn his truck into a water tank to go around periodically refilling the ones he's placing out.
  
• Some folks started a thing inviting people who need supplies but are stuck at home to set out a bottle of Corona beer in front of their homes, with a list of what they need. Others have apparently been joining it helping to get those supplies to those people. I don't know where all it will work.
  
• More free stuff continues to go up online, and more online media services are expanding their libraries extra, such as things going up sooner than intended.

In more personal news...

As of today, Oregon's joined the sort-of-enforced stay-at-home thing. More businesses and organizations are required to close and folks found violating the order in some ways can actually be charged with a minor felony. I also saw a local convention that isn't until August cancel.

Michigan is now in the 'stay at home' guild of sorts too. Not much will change for me personally, but it's still interesting. My dad has lost hours, and if he loses any more stops, he will probably be told to stay home, which we can't really afford. I do hope the government gives out some monetary aid or halts bills like they have in other countries. (I know in some states they are getting aid but not in mine as far as I know)

I think it's been approved for $1200 (one time payment) to be sent to everyone (or at least everyone who filed taxes for 2018...?) who makes under $75k, with more being considered? Don't know when that's supposed to happen, though. There's also been beefing up of unemployment funding, and I'm not sure if it's national or by state, but at least here anyone who is making less than they'd get through unemployment (so anyone underemployed, basically) qualifies. Again, not sure when stuff comes through, there's apparently a virtual "line" for applications being processed. Certain businesses are actually employing right now, too.

One of my dads friends died lastnight. Apparently he got home and told his cousin he lives with he didn't feel good and then went to bed distancing himself from people but they went to check on him and he was dead.

Sorry to hear about that Mercy * Gives her a hug *

Yes, they are. PA is in a non-essential closure so closures in Philly at least are being forced to close unless they can prove they are essential. It’s starting to happen in my area of central PA.

I am near a large farming community and our feed stores are still open but operating on a “we will shop for you” basis. Maybe your store has an Instagram or Facebook page? I followed a lot of my frequent haunts and they are all doing regular updates.

FWIW I stocked up on about three months of supplies for my cats. I can ration my supplies but I do not want to have to ration hers.

If you live close to an Asian or Hispanic grocery they may still have some?

Maybe there’s a way to have a virtual graduation party with some friends and a favorite professor?

My job was originally scheduled to open next week, but I don’t think they will (and hope they don’t). All hospitals in my area have pre-screening tents.

My class is virtual until the end of the semester and they cancelled the first half of our summer classes. The college is talking about a pass/fail grade which will affect GPA and transfer credits.

I couldn’t have a better Professor to ride the storm out with though. She is simply awesome.

update 0.2 : I have a feeling that my school are going to start online school tomorrow , Plus to be honest I actually have a good feeling that peak of COVID-19 is coming really soon folks .

New York State is pretty messed up -- you say you're from "New York" and everyone assumes you're from NYC (I'm not, I live on the other side of the state), but things are bad there. I saw a map this morning that pins us somewhere around 10,000+ cases, which most of us saw coming. I've been social distancing since before our governor made it a legal mandate, and thankfully, my job has allowed me to now work completely from home. I've been shut up inside for over a week now, and we're still okay on groceries, so we're really trying to limit our interactions with the outside world.

It's just me and my mom here, but my sister, who is very severely disabled and lives in a group home with other mentally and physically handicapped adults, was rushed to the hospital a few hours ago. They were worried she had it, and my mom's a nervous wreck. We still don't know what's going on, but my mom is barred from the hospital since they're doing their best to contain the spread of the virus. They swabbed her to test her for it, but now they're holding her in isolation for two days while we wait for the results.

It's definitely crazy times to say the least. I know I'm usually a hermit on this site, just because I'm generally pretty quiet, but I do hope all of you are able to stay in, stay safe, and stay healthy.

Convention I was signed up to work finally put in an official delay, and I was able to "cancel" my tickets due to circumstances (I have to reschedule them for some time before the end of the year, or the $400+ I paid vanishes into thin air). I can't go to the con on its new dates, unfortunately, but working on figuring things out.

In the meantime, my second job has had to close all in-person services, and I'm not set up for other stuff and don't really feel up to it, so... I mean, not that I get much through that, but further out of work in more official terms? Working on stuff though.

I was wrong: It's baby chickens.

America Stress-Bought All the Baby Chickens

At least I'm ahead of the curve on this one! Got a broody hen sitting on a clutch of eggs right now!

Thankfully we got our own chickens here, so we have plenty of eggs. We just don't have cartons for the eggs we collect. Ran out of them.

My state got the alert Friday that we're all on 'Stay at Home' orders until May 4th, or longer depending on how things go. I'm out of work for the indefinite future as a result starting this Monday. On the one hand, I'm relieved, because I just finished my first MS treatment, so my immune system is all screwed up and can't fight squat with zero B cells. Being around people right now is not a risk I need.

On the other hand.. a 60k bill before insurance kicks in is a lot to swallow, and I need the money. Being out of work for a month or more.. There aren't enough words for how much I hate all of this or how scared I am. I can't visit my dad or my brother. I can't check on my grandparents beyond a phone call, and it sucks. This all just.. sucks..

So I tested positive for C19. Has anybody else here test positive?

I’m quarantined in my house with my cat and am able to work from home, but it really sucks.

I had to do a questionnaire for the health service answering who I was in contact with through the month of March and all the places I’d gone to. It was hard remembering.

So far it’s been a mild case. Like a cold. I was sick worse with a cold late last year. I’ll keep you all posted.

I hope it remains mild for you.

I haven't been tested, nor had reason to seek a test yet, but it's affected people I'm connected to. A coworker has it and said it feels like her lungs are on fire. A friend from another job, her mother with lung cancer was infected, and recently was finally able to be taken off a ventilator. A high school friend had a neighbor die from it.

Get well soon.