Buena Vista Arbor Care trimming a towering tree at Willamette Community Church on Monday.
Monday was Day Eight of the Oregon Corona Shutdown, but work continued in various places and ways, especially outdoors, as I noticed on my afternoon ride on the bike.
Looking for signs of life on a ride through parts of Albany Monday afternoon didn’t turn up much — until I got to the central neighborhood around the former Albany High School, which for many decades now has been the home of a church, now called the Willamette Community Church, and the school associated with it.
There, some huge trees in front and behind the venerable building were getting a trim, administered by a crew from Buena Vista Arbor Care.
A couple of blocks away, at Fifth and Railroad, a crew of the Asplundh Tree Service was doing the same on smaller trees near the corner, as you can see below.
Much of the private-sector service economy has ground to a halt because of the measures intended to slow down the virus’s spread. So I was encouraged to see that the jobs of these people, working outdoors, have so far been spared. (hh)
More tree work, on Fifth Avenue near Railroad Street, on Monday afternoon.
What makes a landscaping business in Oregon “essential” to sustaining or protecting life, but in Michigan it is “non-essential”?
Asking for a friend.
Ask Michigan
You get what you pay for. Haven’t you learned anything?
First, Ignore Gordon, you’ll live a happier life. I know.
It might help if you get a better idea about the scope of this pandemic’s demands.
We all would like to get tested. There are roughly 330 million people in the United States. If you wanted to test every person in the US in 100 days then they need to do an average of 3.3 million tests per day, and then you have to worry about those that passed the test, but may have caught the virus after then. We’re a long way from that kind of testing capacity.
What you need to do is follow the advice of the epidemiologists and medical professionals. We’re late to the virus response game because of the lack of Federal action, but we can get through this. States taking the lead as had to is one of the strengths of our system.
Stay home when you can. Practice social distancing.
Go for a bike ride or walk when you can
This Covid-19 “thing” may seem like no big deal to those who are lucky enough to be “stuck” at home, but for me, an “essential” worker, it is starting to become very REAL. Coming to terms with the fact that it’s not an if I get it situation but a when will I get covid-19 and who will I infect? For sure the ones I live with and if I can’t stop my grandmother from coming over, her and my grandfather also. (she’s incredibly stubborn and not afraid to die so she says) In the initial panic of consumers, I was completely constantly surrounded by a literal mass of customers with no disregard for others for 10-12 hr shifts . My crew would work until they had no product to put on the shelves. Now we limit the amount of customers and that has made a giant impact on sales but also social distance. And yet people find it necessary to bring an entire family that ranges from babies to teens to go on a shopping trip. We have had customers come in and tell us they have been diagnosed with covid-19 and have been discharged to make room for others at the hospital. Just hitting the store and heading home to quarantine til it’s over they say. I work in South Salem where the daily number of infected people is climbing at a very dangerous rate. The Salem transit system is down due to 6 drivers testing positive. We weren’t allowed to wear face masks until YESTERDAY! Reason being, the CDC told people to only wear a mask if you’re sick. My work said the mask may turn off customers, thinking they make us work while sick! For an Employee Owned business we sure aren’t looking out for the employees. 0 pay compensation with a risk that is increased every day. PLEASE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY HH READERS, ALBANY CITIZENS, AND FELLOW OREGONIANS!! If you continue to treat the store as field trip for your family, you WILL get sick, you WILL infect others, and some of those people including you just may die.
Rachel
Thanks for taking time to write.
Sound advice and obervation
Well stated, Rachel.
Thank you for doing your part & not being a COVIDIOT.
I’d venture to guess you work at BiMart.
The real question is after doing all you can do to save life, how much money are you willing to borrow per corona death? We are borrowing trillions to save worst case 200,000 folks, mostly at the end of their lives, how does that make sense? ” I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today” is what your are saying. If we are having the next generations pay then let’s borrow for the benefit of the living not the dead.
“””We are borrowing trillions to save worst case 200,000 folks”””
Worst case 200,000 (sometimes stated as 240,000) only if the most rigorous social distancing is followed. That’s part of what the borrowed trillions are needed for. Without the social distancing, the number will be MUCH worse. This is from the President’s own team, not some socialist wackos.
You must have known (or did you?) how cold-blooded & insensitive your remarks are during a Global Pandemic.
Can you enlighten us as to the price of one’s life ?
Mine ?
Yours ?
Hasso’s ?
I’ll bet that you think your life is worth far more than anyone else’s & you would be willing to pay any price as well as trying to convince others of your personal cause (i.e., ensuring your existence).
Maybe you are a follower of Dan Patrick, Lt. Gov. of Texas, who publicly stated he’ll give his life in exchange for the U.S. economy and encourages others to join him by not following expert advice/mandates. Sounds like a Jim Jones death cult to me.
Meanwhile, a day or two later, the Texas alpha governor had the sense to issue a state lockdown.
Be the first in the COVID front line, I’ll gladly let you have cuts.
You must know more than Dr. Fauci & other experts that the cap is 200,000 U.S. deaths when this is all over, with the optimism that everyone is following ALL guidelines, which clearly hasn’t happened, hence 45 states currently in full or partial lockdown. Dr. Fauci has stated that he doesn’t know for any certainty. They’re guesstimates based on models that change hourly.
The money borrowed not only saves lives by supporting hospitals & their dire needs, but is also used to boost the economy by saving businesses.
The benefit of saving lives, near the end or not, is that we prove we are worth it.
How do doctors deal with situations that call for triage?
What I’m saying is we are at war and there will be casualties. At what point do you stop borrowing money, 10 million per death, 25 million per death, or unlimited amounts? Are you willing to throw the country into a place where the cure is far worse than the problem? In the last depression how many died due to starvation? I hear you saying, you are willing to sacrifice everything, even your kids and grandkids future for right how. We are not paying for anything right now and will continue to spend because we never pay for the consequences of our decisions. Let’s keep some powder dry if this is just the end of the beginning. History shows, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”, God bless you.
Not all old people. I just heard from my niece yesterday that her husband’s cousin and her husband who lived in California, died last week from Covid-19. They were both in their early 50’s and left a teenage daughter.
Have you ever been to Michigan?
You would think there would be a greater amount of corona deaths among essential workers? If you work at a grocery store or any other place that has remained open, your job is essential but you are not. If you feel your job is essential then shouldn’t you decide to work or not? No other generation would have traded lives for our way of life but it appears the baby boomers are.
So, it appears that you upset about decisions made by others. HMMM
I’m 70+, so I ‘m BOOMER. No choice in my conception or birth, just fact.
Realize this — my parents’ generation fought a HOT WAR, sweat, bled, and died so subsequent generations could prosper, (if they made the right choices).
The past owes nothing. The present owes the past. The future owes both.
For the past 20 years it’s been crisis after crisis and trillions on top of trillions all to avoid a tough vote. The same people making all the decisions have given us freedom from religion, offshored our jobs, and think nothing wrong with infanticide. You talk about our parents generation, the generation that sacrificed in times of World War, and lived through the depression, they knew of sacrifice. They build a life and a country better for their kids and grandkids. So you’re telling me this generation is willing to suffer to the same extent as the greatest generation? I’m not saying we should suffer but this generation isn’t willing to suffer even a little. We should all pray for our country and all the brave souls we have and that came before us, so we in our hour would do them proud. 2 Chronicles 7:14
Egad
Such a dark, pessimistic view
Complicated by mixed logic.
There’s reference to some generation not taking on sacrifice. There’s discussion about how much to pay to save a life. Then comes the Biblical reference that seems to point to Divine intervention.
Unhappiness is the only clear thing.
I don’t share your views.
The facts are in one generation we went from the greatest creditor nation to the greatest debtor nation. In one generation our whole federal budget will be consumed by federal mandates and interest on the debt. I just don’t think any other generation would borrow against their grandkids future to better themselves. You probable think deficits don’t matter and I don’t agree with that. I have a million mark banknote to prove my point. I’m for spending money but would back it up with my wallet. I find hope in God’s promises and you can too.
Ray K
Regarding how Doctors deal with triage
My brother-in-law is a surgeon. He completed residency at level 1 trauma center. He joined the Service (to repay for support) in time t be deployed to the sand. Military triage was difficult for him. Can’t say that he accepted it, simply implemented and endured.
An uncle, also a surgeon, had a different viewpoint — When the Man upstairs blows the whistle, the game is over. Step back.
“Military triage was difficult for him. Can’t say that he accepted it, simply implemented and endured.”
By dealing with triage, I didn’t mean on a personal-emotional level. My question was aimed at the “implementation” of how they go about making the very hard decisions as to who lives and who dies. Should those same very hard questions be asked now? If not, why not?
Here’s some real world happenings vis-a-vis triage at hospitals in current situation:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/health/coronavirus-hospital-ethics-ventilators-invs/index.html