COVID Buddy-check thread

[NaffNaffBobFace]

Today I found out the first people I know directly have tested positive for COVID-19.

They live a few towns over in one of the only places in the county that has a Hospital, and one of them works in there in a non-related area so I suppose it was only a matter of time - that's practically being in an epicenter. They report they are doing okay which is a blessing.

COVID - it crawls across the globe. Stay home and obey the distancing because even if you do, as my friends did, no one is exempt from its touch.

 

[Blind Owl]

Today I found out the first people I know directly have tested positive for COVID-19.

They live a few towns over in one of the only places in the county that has a Hospital, and one of them works in there in a non-related area so I suppose it was only a matter of time - that's practically being in an epicenter. They report they are doing okay which is a blessing.

COVID - it crawls across the globe. Stay home and obey the distancing because even if you do, as my friends did, no one is exempt from its touch.

Glad they are doing ok. Yeah, the risk being a health care worker, or the family of a healthcare worker, is quite high. My wife takes pretty extreme measure to protect our family when she comes home from work, but there's still no guarantee that it won't end up in or house.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

Glad they are doing ok. Yeah, the risk being a health care worker, or the family of a healthcare worker, is quite high. My wife takes pretty extreme measure to protect our family when she comes home from work, but there's still no guarantee that it won't end up in or house.

From what i have been told my friends found breathing while sat on the sofa watching TV to be a bit like you'd expect to be feeling after running a marathon, but otherwise they are good and seem to be coming out of the other side of it so that's good but I wish you all the luck in the 'Verse that it doesn't make an appearance in your home.

In the UK testing has only just started for health staff who are not made so ill by the pathogen that they become patients (testing has previously only been those sick in hospital and highest level of key workers like, I assume, Politicians) so my friends were already over the worst of it before they were diagnosed.

 

[Blind Owl]

From what i have been told my friends found breathing while sat on the sofa watching TV to be a bit like you'd expect to be feeling after running a marathon, but otherwise they are good and seem to be coming out of the other side of it so that's good but I wish you all the luck in the 'Verse that it doesn't make an appearance in your home.

In the UK testing has only just started for health staff who are not made so ill by the pathogen that they become patients (testing has previously only been those sick in hospital and highest level of key workers like, I assume, Politicians) so my friends were already over the worst of it before they were diagnosed.

Yeah man, we can only hope and pray it doesn't end up here.

Jesus, the UK just started testing on healthcare workers? That's fucked man.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

Jesus, the UK just started testing on healthcare workers? That's fucked man.

Yep. Bought to you by the same people who made Brexit happen.

 

[Sky Captain]

I only have a three day supply of beer left, OMG! But seriously, to share a food tip: We found a local-farm-run business that specializes in home delivery of food boxes each week. It is an easy way to order fresh meats, vegetables, and even bakery goods from local farm-to-market providers. This is an especially good way for folks (like my mom) -- with medical conditions that make it especially high risk from them to go out and about right now -- to get food without having to go to higher populated places like grocery stores. Its also be a way to support the local farming coop community. We hadn't tried this before, but doing so now i'm discovering local food providers and brands that are awesome that I wasn't aware of before. Delivered right to the house. For those of us old enough to remember this …. yes, the milkman will still deliver! Cheers!

 

[Blind Owl]

I only have a three day supply of beer left, OMG! But seriously, to share a food tip: We found a local-farm-run business that specializes in home delivery of food boxes each week. It is an easy way to order fresh meats, vegetables, and even bakery goods from local farm-to-market providers. This is an especially good way for folks (like my mom) -- with medical conditions that make it especially high risk from them to go out and about right now -- to get food without having to go to higher populated places like grocery stores. Its also be a way to support the local farming coop community. We hadn't tried this before, but doing so now i'm discovering local food providers and brands that are awesome that I wasn't aware of before. Delivered right to the house. For those of us old enough to remember this …. yes, the milkman will still deliver! Cheers!

This is awesome. Good for you. Our local breweries are doing this too, so yeah, we're good!

 

[Vavrik]

This is awesome. Good for you. Our local breweries are doing this too, so yeah, we're good!

Wait a sec, you can get local breweries delivering? If you can get LCBO to deliver, it's goddam time for me to move back to Canada. I can get Canadian beer OK down here, if I can drink it... but I CAN drink whiskey! And the stuff they have down here isn't my favorite.... even my wife prefers Canadian whiskey when she's not drinking Tequila.
EDIT: I could use a real hamburger too, geesh.
Edit Edit: and Poutine!

 

[vahadar]

I only have a three day supply of beer left, OMG! But seriously, to share a food tip: We found a local-farm-run business that specializes in home delivery of food boxes each week. It is an easy way to order fresh meats, vegetables, and even bakery goods from local farm-to-market providers.

Omg no beer, how can you survive ;) I found a similar local fresh vegies solution here and i'm glad they still do some delivery from the farm! I hope this kind of business will prevail after the end of the crisis and that people will buy more localy. It is astonishing to see that even in Paris you can find some farms within 15-20km that can supply very high quality food (like tomatoes that SMELL and taste tomato, not those spanish odorless tomatoes... nothing against spanish, just their cheap tomatoes ;) ).

 

[HungryForButts]

I don't usually post in forums. I'm a lurker in most places, even in the Discord. But hi, I guess. I'm pretty far from my family so I figured I guess I'll drop the lurk for a bit.

On Friday, my Grandfather passed away from a very sudden run in with COVID19. He was living in a nursing home because dementia had him thinking very often he was about 40 years younger. He was 90. I would not say he was in great health for his age, but other than the dementia, he was doing fair. Monday, 4/13 he became symptomatic. Somewhere between then and Thursday, the nurses swabbed him because he had gone from coughing to pneumonia in days, no fever by the way. He passed in the late morning of Friday 4/17.

I did not even know he was sick until I was told he died. I am quite upset by this. I am his oldest granddaughter. First grandchild. I guess my parents were thinking not to worry me, but in doing this they took away my chances of reaching out to him. Oh, well.

Furthermore, I have learned that the nursing home relaxed their strict "no visitors" policy at some point, and my father, uncles, and grandmother had been visiting him. The most recent physical visit was the evening before he died, 3 people were in his room. Reckless. My father is planning on returning to work, as well as my mother, after the diagnosis returned to us on Monday that Grandpa was COVID19 positive. Why are they doing this? I don't know. My parents "don't want anyone to know" - like it's some dirty secret. Meanwhile they are putting other people at risk simply because continuing to work is more convenient for them.

Through all this I'm still trying to process that he died alone, I never said goodbye, and that my family is not taking this seriously after knowingly being exposed. I live several states away. I am safe. But my parents were lifelong smokers with some serious health complications. Grandma - who is now devastated at losing her husband of 60 years can't have any visitors herself - also has dialysis every week. I am stuck states away, where I understand is safest, but I feel helpless as my natural instinct is to bake loaves of bread, cookies, pies, whatever, and as an introvert I was always quite happy with leaving things on doorsteps. I can't do that from here and I'm afraid for my parents getting it next.

 

[Sraika]

I don't usually post in forums. I'm a lurker in most places, even in the Discord. But hi, I guess. I'm pretty far from my family so I figured I guess I'll drop the lurk for a bit.

On Friday, my Grandfather passed away from a very sudden run in with COVID19. He was living in a nursing home because dementia had him thinking very often he was about 40 years younger. He was 90. I would not say he was in great health for his age, but other than the dementia, he was doing fair. Monday, 4/13 he became symptomatic. Somewhere between then and Thursday, the nurses swabbed him because he had gone from coughing to pneumonia in days, no fever by the way. He passed in the late morning of Friday 4/17.

I did not even know he was sick until I was told he died. I am quite upset by this. I am his oldest granddaughter. First grandchild. I guess my parents were thinking not to worry me, but in doing this they took away my chances of reaching out to him. Oh, well.

Furthermore, I have learned that the nursing home relaxed their strict "no visitors" policy at some point, and my father, uncles, and grandmother had been visiting him. The most recent physical visit was the evening before he died, 3 people were in his room. Reckless. My father is planning on returning to work, as well as my mother, after the diagnosis returned to us on Monday that Grandpa was COVID19 positive. Why are they doing this? I don't know. My parents "don't want anyone to know" - like it's some dirty secret. Meanwhile they are putting other people at risk simply because continuing to work is more convenient for them.

Through all this I'm still trying to process that he died alone, I never said goodbye, and that my family is not taking this seriously after knowingly being exposed. I live several states away. I am safe. But my parents were lifelong smokers with some serious health complications. Grandma - who is now devastated at losing her husband of 60 years can't have any visitors herself - also has dialysis every week. I am stuck states away, where I understand is safest, but I feel helpless as my natural instinct is to bake loaves of bread, cookies, pies, whatever, and as an introvert I was always quite happy with leaving things on doorsteps. I can't do that from here and I'm afraid for my parents getting it next.

...well, shit
that's really sucky :(

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

I don't usually post in forums. I'm a lurker in most places, even in the Discord. But hi, I guess. I'm pretty far from my family so I figured I guess I'll drop the lurk for a bit.

On Friday, my Grandfather passed away from a very sudden run in with COVID19. He was living in a nursing home because dementia had him thinking very often he was about 40 years younger. He was 90. I would not say he was in great health for his age, but other than the dementia, he was doing fair. Monday, 4/13 he became symptomatic. Somewhere between then and Thursday, the nurses swabbed him because he had gone from coughing to pneumonia in days, no fever by the way. He passed in the late morning of Friday 4/17.

I did not even know he was sick until I was told he died. I am quite upset by this. I am his oldest granddaughter. First grandchild. I guess my parents were thinking not to worry me, but in doing this they took away my chances of reaching out to him. Oh, well.

Furthermore, I have learned that the nursing home relaxed their strict "no visitors" policy at some point, and my father, uncles, and grandmother had been visiting him. The most recent physical visit was the evening before he died, 3 people were in his room. Reckless. My father is planning on returning to work, as well as my mother, after the diagnosis returned to us on Monday that Grandpa was COVID19 positive. Why are they doing this? I don't know. My parents "don't want anyone to know" - like it's some dirty secret. Meanwhile they are putting other people at risk simply because continuing to work is more convenient for them.

Through all this I'm still trying to process that he died alone, I never said goodbye, and that my family is not taking this seriously after knowingly being exposed. I live several states away. I am safe. But my parents were lifelong smokers with some serious health complications. Grandma - who is now devastated at losing her husband of 60 years can't have any visitors herself - also has dialysis every week. I am stuck states away, where I understand is safest, but I feel helpless as my natural instinct is to bake loaves of bread, cookies, pies, whatever, and as an introvert I was always quite happy with leaving things on doorsteps. I can't do that from here and I'm afraid for my parents getting it next.

Welcome to the Forum, Hungry.

Thank you for sharing your expiriance, please accept my sincerest condolences.

These are strange days and people even now after so much news and evidence has been presented are acting irrationally in the face of the unknown. It is clear that the enormity of it all has not fully sunk in to all people, and falling back on a familiar routine may be many peoples reaction.

Please don't blame yourself for being far away. It's not the distance of being several states away that makes you safe, it is your following the advice to isolate and following the rules on lockdown and social distancing, which to your credit it is obvious you have done even in the face of other loved and trusted people in your life not doing so.

Until a country can provide a safety net for its citizens to take away peoples reasons for making choices like continuing to work (bills, loan payments, mortgage) people will still make bad decisions for reasons which at the time seem important and justified but in the fullness of time will be clearly unimportant. You can see right now what some cannot, but don't feel guilt for the actions of others even if they are family. They have their justifications and until those justifications can be taken away or postponed until after the pandemic, it is their choice to make and their path to walk.

You may be sorely tempted to jump in a car and get over there, it's the hardest thing in the world watching people you care about putting themselves in harms way knowingly or otherwise, but don't. Continue doing what you have been doing, following the advice, keeping distance and not spreading the pathogen. You are doing it right, you are on the right path.

 

[Vavrik]

I don't usually post in forums. I'm a lurker in most places, even in the Discord. But hi, I guess. I'm pretty far from my family so I figured I guess I'll drop the lurk for a bit.

On Friday, my Grandfather passed away from a very sudden run in with COVID19. He was living in a nursing home because dementia had him thinking very often he was about 40 years younger. He was 90. I would not say he was in great health for his age, but other than the dementia, he was doing fair. Monday, 4/13 he became symptomatic. Somewhere between then and Thursday, the nurses swabbed him because he had gone from coughing to pneumonia in days, no fever by the way. He passed in the late morning of Friday 4/17.

I did not even know he was sick until I was told he died. I am quite upset by this. I am his oldest granddaughter. First grandchild. I guess my parents were thinking not to worry me, but in doing this they took away my chances of reaching out to him. Oh, well.

Furthermore, I have learned that the nursing home relaxed their strict "no visitors" policy at some point, and my father, uncles, and grandmother had been visiting him. The most recent physical visit was the evening before he died, 3 people were in his room. Reckless. My father is planning on returning to work, as well as my mother, after the diagnosis returned to us on Monday that Grandpa was COVID19 positive. Why are they doing this? I don't know. My parents "don't want anyone to know" - like it's some dirty secret. Meanwhile they are putting other people at risk simply because continuing to work is more convenient for them.

Through all this I'm still trying to process that he died alone, I never said goodbye, and that my family is not taking this seriously after knowingly being exposed. I live several states away. I am safe. But my parents were lifelong smokers with some serious health complications. Grandma - who is now devastated at losing her husband of 60 years can't have any visitors herself - also has dialysis every week. I am stuck states away, where I understand is safest, but I feel helpless as my natural instinct is to bake loaves of bread, cookies, pies, whatever, and as an introvert I was always quite happy with leaving things on doorsteps. I can't do that from here and I'm afraid for my parents getting it next.

First, welcome to TEST! I'm sorry about your loss, not exactly a good time.

Second, if you make extra bread, cookies, cakes or even pies - and find you can't store it all (yeah right) you can always send it here... I'll gladly help with "disposal".

Third, your parents may not have much of a choice in returning to work. We're seeing that all over here in Texas. People are running out of options. It's a gamble, but I get it, and I wish there was readily available PPE for people who have to work, but it is what it is.

 

[Blind Owl]

On Friday, my Grandfather passed away from a very sudden run in with COVID19. He was living in a nursing home because dementia had him thinking very often he was about 40 years younger. He was 90. I would not say he was in great health for his age, but other than the dementia, he was doing fair. Monday, 4/13 he became symptomatic. Somewhere between then and Thursday, the nurses swabbed him because he had gone from coughing to pneumonia in days, no fever by the way. He passed in the late morning of Friday 4/17.

I did not even know he was sick until I was told he died. I am quite upset by this. I am his oldest granddaughter. First grandchild. I guess my parents were thinking not to worry me, but in doing this they took away my chances of reaching out to him. Oh, well.

My God. I am so sorry to hear this. My heart breaks for you.

Furthermore, I have learned that the nursing home relaxed their strict "no visitors" policy at some point, and my father, uncles, and grandmother had been visiting him. The most recent physical visit was the evening before he died, 3 people were in his room. Reckless. My father is planning on returning to work, as well as my mother, after the diagnosis returned to us on Monday that Grandpa was COVID19 positive. Why are they doing this? I don't know. My parents "don't want anyone to know" - like it's some dirty secret. Meanwhile they are putting other people at risk simply because continuing to work is more convenient for them.

My wife is a nurse, and the strain that actions like these are putting on health care systems is enormous. I understand that some people may feel like going to work is more important than stopping a pandemic, but lying about exposure is, as you said, putting people at risk. Here in Canada you can be charged for that. I understand that they may have their own reasoning, but I can't say that I in any way agree with any reasoning that threatens others.

Through all this I'm still trying to process that he died alone, I never said goodbye, and that my family is not taking this seriously after knowingly being exposed. I live several states away. I am safe. But my parents were lifelong smokers with some serious health complications. Grandma - who is now devastated at losing her husband of 60 years can't have any visitors herself - also has dialysis every week. I am stuck states away, where I understand is safest, but I feel helpless as my natural instinct is to bake loaves of bread, cookies, pies, whatever, and as an introvert I was always quite happy with leaving things on doorsteps. I can't do that from here and I'm afraid for my parents getting it next.

Feeling helpless is a very normal reaction in a time like this. Frustrated, lost, loss: all very normal. I pray that you at least have open enough lines of communications to grieve with your family, if even from afar.

 

[Blind Owl]

Wait a sec, you can get local breweries delivering? If you can get LCBO to deliver, it's goddam time for me to move back to Canada. I can get Canadian beer OK down here, if I can drink it... but I CAN drink whiskey! And the stuff they have down here isn't my favorite.... even my wife prefers Canadian whiskey when she's not drinking Tequila.
EDIT: I could use a real hamburger too, geesh.
Edit Edit: and Poutine!

Hahaha, I know right? Now I'm starving. And thirsty.

I hope this kind of business will prevail after the end of the crisis and that people will buy more locally.

100% man. I know we are working on this!

 

[SpudNyk]

I don't usually post in forums. I'm a lurker in most places, even in the Discord. But hi, I guess. I'm pretty far from my family so I figured I guess I'll drop the lurk for a bit.

On Friday, my Grandfather passed away from a very sudden run in with COVID19. He was living in a nursing home because dementia had him thinking very often he was about 40 years younger. He was 90. I would not say he was in great health for his age, but other than the dementia, he was doing fair. Monday, 4/13 he became symptomatic. Somewhere between then and Thursday, the nurses swabbed him because he had gone from coughing to pneumonia in days, no fever by the way. He passed in the late morning of Friday 4/17.

I did not even know he was sick until I was told he died. I am quite upset by this. I am his oldest granddaughter. First grandchild. I guess my parents were thinking not to worry me, but in doing this they took away my chances of reaching out to him. Oh, well.

Furthermore, I have learned that the nursing home relaxed their strict "no visitors" policy at some point, and my father, uncles, and grandmother had been visiting him. The most recent physical visit was the evening before he died, 3 people were in his room. Reckless. My father is planning on returning to work, as well as my mother, after the diagnosis returned to us on Monday that Grandpa was COVID19 positive. Why are they doing this? I don't know. My parents "don't want anyone to know" - like it's some dirty secret. Meanwhile they are putting other people at risk simply because continuing to work is more convenient for them.

Through all this I'm still trying to process that he died alone, I never said goodbye, and that my family is not taking this seriously after knowingly being exposed. I live several states away. I am safe. But my parents were lifelong smokers with some serious health complications. Grandma - who is now devastated at losing her husband of 60 years can't have any visitors herself - also has dialysis every week. I am stuck states away, where I understand is safest, but I feel helpless as my natural instinct is to bake loaves of bread, cookies, pies, whatever, and as an introvert I was always quite happy with leaving things on doorsteps. I can't do that from here and I'm afraid for my parents getting it next.

That's terrible news, I hope that the rest of your family will be OK.

 

[AntiSqueaker]

Backstory: I work as a Butcher. I normally like my job. I like working with my hands, like helping people get good cuts of meat and help em cook it well.

But man, fuck this past month, holy fuck.

We've been settling down now- "only" down to 300% of normal business. When the first big spike of panic buying set in (when it was declared a National Emergency) we did more sales than Christmas and Thanksgiving combined. We know Christmas and Thanksgiving are coming, we can prepare and order for it, have extra stuff ready to go, make sure we're overstaffed and shit.

Surprise.

I'm just tired of the Karens freaking out about the usual day to day shit. Like holy fuck there's a global pandemic going on right now ma'am, I don't give a shit that your 25$ a pound tenderloin isn't as thick as it usually is. I don't wanna be here, and I don't want you in my face spewing your germy breath on me.

I see people in here every day just buying snacks and shit. One person, one trip, once a week should be the rule, not once a day for your munchies folks.





And I'm tired of my job not taking this seriously. I'm at serious risk here- not as much as some others, but I deal (directly and indirectly) with hundreds of people a day. I'm glad to still have a job and continued employment, but all my job has given me is 2 50$ gift cards, to the store I work at . They're doing the absolute bare minimum then acting like they're saints for it.


Mostly I'm just tired. It's hard not to get a little bitter at the "stay at home and watch TV all day lol" memes when all this has done for my workload is take away one of my days off and make me do 3x as much in each day.

 

[Blind Owl]

Backstory: I work as a Butcher. I normally like my job. I like working with my hands, like helping people get good cuts of meat and help em cook it well.

But man, fuck this past month, holy fuck.

We've been settling down now- "only" down to 300% of normal business. When the first big spike of panic buying set in (when it was declared a National Emergency) we did more sales than Christmas and Thanksgiving combined. We know Christmas and Thanksgiving are coming, we can prepare and order for it, have extra stuff ready to go, make sure we're overstaffed and shit.

Surprise.

I'm just tired of the Karens freaking out about the usual day to day shit. Like holy fuck there's a global pandemic going on right now ma'am, I don't give a shit that your 25$ a pound tenderloin isn't as thick as it usually is. I don't wanna be here, and I don't want you in my face spewing your germy breath on me.

I see people in here every day just buying snacks and shit. One person, one trip, once a week should be the rule, not once a day for your munchies folks.





And I'm tired of my job not taking this seriously. I'm at serious risk here- not as much as some others, but I deal (directly and indirectly) with hundreds of people a day. I'm glad to still have a job and continued employment, but all my job has given me is 2 50$ gift cards, to the store I work at . They're doing the absolute bare minimum then acting like they're saints for it.


Mostly I'm just tired. It's hard not to get a little bitter at the "stay at home and watch TV all day lol" memes when all this has done for my workload is take away one of my days off and make me do 3x as much in each day.

My friend, first and foremost, thank you for being out there, serving people as you do. At the moment you job is thankless and exhausting. You are right, you are at risk, and to add to that, you have to deal with people who are scared, crazed, and ungrateful. I don't begrudge you that. People are out of their minds right now, and the way some are starting to act is not cool. Not one bit.

I can only hope for your sake that your company is taking steps to keep you safe, and that at some point you are rewarded for you hard work and dedication. I know it's not worth a damn cent, but please know that you, and every other person who is out there keeping the food on tables, the essentials delivered, the power and water on, teaching kids, and taking care of the sick (and anyone else I missed): You are all appreciated. Not everyone is out of their minds, and there are those of us who want you to know that we see and appreciate all that you are doing, and the risk you are putting yourself in.

Stay safe brother, stay healthy. Feel free to vent your guts out here if you need to. Cheers my friend.

 

[vahadar]

I don't usually post in forums. I'm a lurker in most places, even in the Discord. But hi, I guess. I'm pretty far from my family so I figured I guess I'll drop the lurk for a bit.

On Friday, my Grandfather passed away from a very sudden run in with COVID19. He was living in a nursing home because dementia had him thinking very often he was about 40 years younger. He was 90. I would not say he was in great health for his age, but other than the dementia, he was doing fair. Monday, 4/13 he became symptomatic. Somewhere between then and Thursday, the nurses swabbed him because he had gone from coughing to pneumonia in days, no fever by the way. He passed in the late morning of Friday 4/17.

I did not even know he was sick until I was told he died. I am quite upset by this. I am his oldest granddaughter. First grandchild. I guess my parents were thinking not to worry me, but in doing this they took away my chances of reaching out to him. Oh, well.

Furthermore, I have learned that the nursing home relaxed their strict "no visitors" policy at some point, and my father, uncles, and grandmother had been visiting him. The most recent physical visit was the evening before he died, 3 people were in his room. Reckless. My father is planning on returning to work, as well as my mother, after the diagnosis returned to us on Monday that Grandpa was COVID19 positive. Why are they doing this? I don't know. My parents "don't want anyone to know" - like it's some dirty secret. Meanwhile they are putting other people at risk simply because continuing to work is more convenient for them.

Through all this I'm still trying to process that he died alone, I never said goodbye, and that my family is not taking this seriously after knowingly being exposed. I live several states away. I am safe. But my parents were lifelong smokers with some serious health complications. Grandma - who is now devastated at losing her husband of 60 years can't have any visitors herself - also has dialysis every week. I am stuck states away, where I understand is safest, but I feel helpless as my natural instinct is to bake loaves of bread, cookies, pies, whatever, and as an introvert I was always quite happy with leaving things on doorsteps. I can't do that from here and I'm afraid for my parents getting it next.

Hello HungryForButts, please accept my sincerest condolences, it is a hard time and i hope the best for you and your family. I'm not good at comforting but your story moved me, just know that there are some souls elsewhere feeling sympathy for you and what you are enduring now.

 

[Aramsolari]

I don't usually post in forums. I'm a lurker in most places, even in the Discord. But hi, I guess. I'm pretty far from my family so I figured I guess I'll drop the lurk for a bit.

On Friday, my Grandfather passed away from a very sudden run in with COVID19. He was living in a nursing home because dementia had him thinking very often he was about 40 years younger. He was 90. I would not say he was in great health for his age, but other than the dementia, he was doing fair. Monday, 4/13 he became symptomatic. Somewhere between then and Thursday, the nurses swabbed him because he had gone from coughing to pneumonia in days, no fever by the way. He passed in the late morning of Friday 4/17.

I did not even know he was sick until I was told he died. I am quite upset by this. I am his oldest granddaughter. First grandchild. I guess my parents were thinking not to worry me, but in doing this they took away my chances of reaching out to him. Oh, well.

Furthermore, I have learned that the nursing home relaxed their strict "no visitors" policy at some point, and my father, uncles, and grandmother had been visiting him. The most recent physical visit was the evening before he died, 3 people were in his room. Reckless. My father is planning on returning to work, as well as my mother, after the diagnosis returned to us on Monday that Grandpa was COVID19 positive. Why are they doing this? I don't know. My parents "don't want anyone to know" - like it's some dirty secret. Meanwhile they are putting other people at risk simply because continuing to work is more convenient for them.

Through all this I'm still trying to process that he died alone, I never said goodbye, and that my family is not taking this seriously after knowingly being exposed. I live several states away. I am safe. But my parents were lifelong smokers with some serious health complications. Grandma - who is now devastated at losing her husband of 60 years can't have any visitors herself - also has dialysis every week. I am stuck states away, where I understand is safest, but I feel helpless as my natural instinct is to bake loaves of bread, cookies, pies, whatever, and as an introvert I was always quite happy with leaving things on doorsteps. I can't do that from here and I'm afraid for my parents getting it next.

My deepest condolences. All my best to you and your loved ones at this tough time. All us Testies may be weird and dysfunctional but we're also Family.