Quarantine Life

pilif12 said:I’d love to hear from someone actually stuck in home quarantine about what the reality is like. For starters, if you're isolated, your whole family is effectively grounded too, right? Who brings the groceries, how do they handle the bills, and how does a doctor even decide when you're finally cleared to rejoin society?

Well, I can give you a little firsthand perspective on that misery, since my wife and I have been hunkered down since yesterday. We had contact with my brother—who's showing symptoms and just waiting on his test results—so we're playing it safe and staying locked in until Tuesday, once he clears both his first and second tests.

If that comes back positive, we’re looking at an automatic fourteen-day stretch, where some health official issues a formal order so our doctor can sign off on medical leave. Even though we’ll technically be "free" on Tuesday if everything stays negative, we already have to act like we're serving a full two-week sentence.

It was just me who had the exposure, but per the rules, my wife is automatically quarantined along with me, regardless of the fact that she didn't get home from work until later. Even the cats are part of this bubble. Since we live in a multi-generational house, we've basically barricaded ourselves on our own floor to stay physically separated from my parents and grandmother. My parents or a buddy who lives nearby will probably drop off supplies, but since we usually do a massive Costco run around payday, we've got enough food and essentials to last us the month.

If they end up extending our isolation, I'll probably just ask someone to drop off some fresh produce or maybe some tobacco if we run low. They asked if I had anyone to help with deliveries, and since I said yes, I didn't bother asking if there were any exceptions for specific items. Honestly, I won't be leaving anyway, so it doesn't really matter. If someone shows up at the door, I just spray the entrance and the door itself with disinfectant fifteen minutes beforehand and again after I grab whatever they brought.

We don't deal with doctors coming over, nor do we go to them. If the person testing turns out to be positive and we start feeling sick, we just call the public health line, emergency services, or our family doctor—she was kind enough to give me her private cell number. As for work, we've already agreed that we're definitely staying home Monday until that second test is in, and if the isolation gets extended, we'll see if long-term remote work is an option.

So, yeah, that's the situation. 😁

pilif12 said:I’d love to hear from someone actually stuck in home quarantine about what the day-to-day reality looks like. For starters, a) their family is also confined to the house or apartment. How does anyone get them groceries? How are bills handled? When does a doctor actually show up to clear them to end the isolation?

In my neighborhood... there's a couple living alone. He just got back from a trip to Italy and has to self-isolate... monitoring his health for the next few days, and if symptoms pop up, he calls it in.
Since they have their own separate space, he stays one floor above her, so she just leaves all his groceries and supplies right at his door or hangs them on the handle.
They're following the rules to the letter.

Edit... my other neighbor just lost his mind. He went out specifically to grab some salt and sugar—just a pound or two because he ran out, not like he was building a bunker—and couldn't find a thing anywhere. 😛
I suspect everyone who saw this latest wave coming two days ago cleared out the shelves, likely using up their social security checks over the weekend.
I'm planning to wait until after the weekend passes before I head out for my usual grocery run.
And since delivery services aren't operating on weekends, it’s hardly a mystery why the stores are empty.
Personally, I find these measures reasonable; they aren't overly drastic, so it's best to just accept them, get through it, and then I'll be back to my regular shopping routine in a few days.

Police will be enforcing self-isolation orders:

Božinović explained how the police are compiling data on everyone under isolation orders and how they plan to monitor compliance.

"We'll also be acting on citizen tips," he noted, adding that the police are prepared to issue fines starting from $2.75 to anyone failing to follow their isolation requirements.

And what about their husbands, wives, and kids? They’re right there at home with them, staying close by, so they can basically move around however they want, right? 🤔

Adam Doyle63 said:Well, I can give you a little firsthand perspective on that misery, since my wife and I have been hunkered down since yesterday. We had contact with my brother—who's showing symptoms and just waiting on his test results—so we're playing it safe and staying locked in until Tuesday, once he clears both his first and second tests.

If that comes back positive, we’re looking at an automatic fourteen-day stretch, where some health official issues a formal order so our doctor can sign off on medical leave. Even though we’ll technically be "free" on Tuesday if everything stays negative, we already have to act like we're serving a full two-week sentence.

It was just me who had the exposure, but per the rules, my wife is automatically quarantined along with me, regardless of the fact that she didn't get home from work until later. Even the cats are part of this bubble. Since we live in a multi-generational house, we've basically barricaded ourselves on our own floor to stay physically separated from my parents and grandmother. My parents or a buddy who lives nearby will probably drop off supplies, but since we usually do a massive Costco run around payday, we've got enough food and essentials to last us the month.

If they end up extending our isolation, I'll probably just ask someone to drop off some fresh produce or maybe some tobacco if we run low. They asked if I had anyone to help with deliveries, and since I said yes, I didn't bother asking if there were any exceptions for specific items. Honestly, I won't be leaving anyway, so it doesn't really matter. If someone shows up at the door, I just spray the entrance and the door itself with disinfectant fifteen minutes beforehand and again after I grab whatever they brought.

We don't deal with doctors coming over, nor do we go to them. If the person testing turns out to be positive and we start feeling sick, we just call the public health line, emergency services, or our family doctor—she was kind enough to give me her private cell number. As for work, we've already agreed that we're definitely staying home Monday until that second test is in, and if the isolation gets extended, we'll see if long-term remote work is an option.

So, yeah, that's the situation. 😁

That’s quite a lot to take in, but this part caught my eye:

And the cats too.

It seems rather odd that amidst all the various advice and guidelines, there was such a strange emphasis on avoiding contact with pets and wildlife.

I mean, only a complete fool would go out of their way to touch wild animals, but still... 🤔

Animals don't catch USA.

Which implies your cats are either stuck in quarantine with you or simply being deprived of your attention.

Anyone got tips on what to do with all my trash if I’m stuck in isolation, just me alone in the apartment? Let me know. 👍

I'm not even officially quarantined—don't really need to be—but just being safe, you know? I've got some stuff I gotta deal with over the next few days, things I absolutely have to get done... otherwise, I'm doing alright.

Once I wrap everything up, the plan is to lock myself down for about two weeks, then head out to visit family—it'll be right around Easter by then. Assuming someone can actually come pick me up... if they even let people drive around.

My folks were born in '39 and '42, so they've got those typical "old age" health issues, even though they're still super active.
Just playing it safe.
I can't risk losing them.

I'm thinking about just piling the garbage out on the balcony. 🤔
What else should I be worried about?

Quick question about food delivery—do you guys think it's okay to ask them to just leave a pizza or whatever else right at the doorstep or maybe out in the front yard?

A close friend of mine is currently in quarantine after flying back from an international trip. "Luckily," she lives alone, so there won't be any issues with transmission, and I actually beat her home to it by dropping off all her essentials at her place before she even landed—I have a spare key, so it was easy. If she ends up needing anything else, either I or another friend will just grab it and hang it on her doorknob.
I’ve got elderly folks in my immediate circle that I simply refuse to risk exposing, and honestly, I’m not exactly putting my own immune system's strength in the "guaranteed" column right now either.

electricsurfer47 said:Quick question about food delivery—do you guys think it's okay to ask them to just leave a pizza or whatever else right at the doorstep or maybe out in the front yard?

Me? I’m planning on cooking... honestly, I don't even want to touch my own damn doorknob.

I mean, I can't be sure about that—just thinking about whoever handled those pizza boxes, you know? They could easily pass something along, and then if I test positive, it's all messed up because of them...🤔

Quincy:

I mean, I seriously can't even count how many times I got calls from all sorts of government agencies—just making sure I was actually up to speed and knew exactly which hospital to head to, plus checking if they had staff who could actually speak English...

Pretty decent write-up, honestly. Real actual quarantines... 👍

So, I had a friend fly in from Istanbul this past Saturday, and she breezed right through everything—no issues, no questions asked, just total freedom. Then, get this, another friend of mine flies in from the exact same place on Sunday, and despite being perfectly healthy, she gets slapped with a mandatory fourteen-day quarantine. It’s absolutely maddening. Both women are completely fine, yet one gets a pass while the other gets sidelined by these arbitrary rules. It just goes to show how utterly absurd and nonsensical the whole situation has become lately.

When people say you can't leave the house—does that mean you're stuck inside entirely, or can you still hang out in the backyard where you aren't bumping into anyone?

I've got plenty of acreage out here—garden, woods, orchard... I'm not bothering a soul, and honestly, being out on my property beats sitting cooped up indoors any day

Just a quick heads-up, I’m not actually in isolation or anything, just asking... don't want any trouble

Brian Torres2 said:Quincy:

I mean, I seriously can't even count how many times I got calls from all sorts of government agencies—just making sure I was actually up to speed and knew exactly which hospital to head to, plus checking if they had staff who could actually speak English...

Pretty decent write-up, honestly. Real actual quarantines... 👍

I saw it firsthand, it was pretty intense 👍

restlesssailor42 said:When people say you can't leave the house—does that mean you're stuck inside entirely, or can you still hang out in the backyard where you aren't bumping into anyone?

I've got plenty of acreage out here—garden, woods, orchard... I'm not bothering a soul, and honestly, being out on my property beats sitting cooped up indoors any day

Just a quick heads-up, I’m not actually in isolation or anything, just asking... don't want any trouble

That’s a fair question. I’d assume you could wander around a fenced-in yard—the whole point of these measures is avoiding contact with others. It probably comes down to common sense... there's a big difference between sitting in a massive yard fifty feet away from the street and standing right at the gate chatting with everyone passing by. 😁

lonebadger6 said:That’s a fair question. I’d assume you could wander around a fenced-in yard—the whole point of these measures is avoiding contact with others. It probably comes down to common sense... there's a big difference between sitting in a massive yard fifty feet away from the street and standing right at the gate chatting with everyone passing by. 😁

That’s the real kicker, though—will they enforce this literally and slap you with a massive fine just because someone spotted you walking through your own yard, or will they actually look at context and whether you're actually bothering anyone

restlesssailor42 said:When people say you can't leave the house—does that mean you're stuck inside entirely, or can you still hang out in the backyard where you aren't bumping into anyone?

I've got plenty of acreage out here—garden, woods, orchard... I'm not bothering a soul, and honestly, being out on my property beats sitting cooped up indoors any day

Just a quick heads-up, I’m not actually in isolation or anything, just asking... don't want any trouble

It seems to me that there shouldn't be any issue at all given your specific circumstances.

On a related note, the NY Rangers has actually set up a dedicated hotline to provide assistance and support to those who are currently self-isolating.

I didn't fully grasp how this new subforum was laid out until just now, so here I am finally catching up. It turns out our contact wasn't actually someone who had been exposed—he hadn't even seen them since Christmas—so he basically just spiraled into a panic for no reason. Since there was no actual risk, we aren't legally required to quarantine.

Jeffrey Fisher5 said:That’s quite a lot to take in, but this part caught my eye:

And the cats too.

It seems rather odd that amidst all the various advice and guidelines, there was such a strange emphasis on avoiding contact with pets and wildlife.

I mean, only a complete fool would go out of their way to touch wild animals, but still... 🤔

Animals don't catch USA.

Which implies your cats are either stuck in quarantine with you or simply being deprived of your attention.

The cats live with us, so they've actually been getting way too much attention over the last few days.

-Sanjar- said:So, did you guys actually call the local health department or what?

Well, we did, but since we weren't in any high-risk areas and hadn't actually been near anyone infected—just someone who might have been—the health officials pretty much hung up on us immediately. I wouldn't have even bothered calling myself, but my wife got a little worked up. We ended up staying home for four days just to be safe, following our primary care doctor's recommendation. Since it was all just a false alarm, thankfully we're officially cleared today; we're working from home so we aren't going anywhere anyway, but we aren't under any legal mandate, just practicing some voluntary self-isolation for as long as feels right.

EDIT: P.S. A friend of mine came back from his seasonal job in Austria a few days ago, he's been staying put, and the police actually stopped by to check on him today. Since there aren't many people in quarantine around town, the police are doing rounds and checking up on folks even if they haven't reported anything. It's a good thing.

Carol Lopez23 said:It seems to me that there shouldn't be any issue at all given your specific circumstances.

On a related note, the NY Rangers has actually set up a dedicated hotline to provide assistance and support to those who are currently self-isolating.

Well, here’s part of the answer to my question—looks like there might actually be an issue after all...

https://www.nytimes.com/article/government-relief-funds-misuse-scandal

restlesssailor42 said:Well, here’s part of the answer to my question—looks like there might actually be an issue after all...

https://www.nytimes.com/article/government-relief-funds-misuse-scandal

Well, goodness gracious, it looks like I’ve just caught wind of the news myself.