DarloRich
Veteran Member
that is good news. I think lots of companies are paying for not investing in remote working!
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Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Support/advice
- Thread starter DarloRich
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that is good news. I think lots of companies are paying for not investing in remote working!
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It's been a strange one in the past week really.
Monday of last week I planned to come home anyway before the whole lockdown thing but because I thought I'd be back in a couple of weeks, half my life is still in Sheffield.
I haven't managed to get any work done as I just haven't had a proper space to do it in, so I've ordered myself a desk to put in my room and that'll hopefully kick things forward and I can tackle the mountain of assessments awaiting me.
My mental health has been up and down a fair bit in the past few years and usually my way to deal with it, if it feels rather bad, is getting away for the day and doing something I enjoy. Naturally, I can't do that right now so it's just a case of busying myself where I can. I'd have nabbed one of those retail jobs, but my Dad is high risk due to his cancer meds (which are actually working) so I'm playing it safe with that.
Needless to say this wasn't how I expected my university experience to end, as I graduate soon.
Monday of last week I planned to come home anyway before the whole lockdown thing but because I thought I'd be back in a couple of weeks, half my life is still in Sheffield.
I haven't managed to get any work done as I just haven't had a proper space to do it in, so I've ordered myself a desk to put in my room and that'll hopefully kick things forward and I can tackle the mountain of assessments awaiting me.
My mental health has been up and down a fair bit in the past few years and usually my way to deal with it, if it feels rather bad, is getting away for the day and doing something I enjoy. Naturally, I can't do that right now so it's just a case of busying myself where I can. I'd have nabbed one of those retail jobs, but my Dad is high risk due to his cancer meds (which are actually working) so I'm playing it safe with that.
Needless to say this wasn't how I expected my university experience to end, as I graduate soon.
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
That could be worse; I'm aware of one major contract services company in India which didn't see their lockdown coming and had no laptops at all for 30,000 staff. They're having to move all the desktops into the staff homes...
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Laptops are a brilliant resource for any business as they effectively provide a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for each user. Even if they fit Kensington locks and keep them locked to the desks in normal circumstances there are strong arguments for companies choosing them instead of desktops.
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
I'd agree with that.
I'm working at home which is keeping me occupied - and sane!
I'm in a similar boat, it's been a struggle to try and force myself to do any work despite some looming deadlines, partially because of a sort of "end of term" feeling which would have been this week anyway. I'm still in my uni accommodation so I'm still able to occasionally do some work, whereas if I'd gone home I know I wouldn't have done any (plus the parents had started redecorating before this all began so space is very much at a premium!). Like you I'm graduating this year and it wasn't that long ago that I was trying to find out what day my ceremony would be so that my parents could try and plan a rather hectic couple of weeks between mine & my sister's graduations + helping at my mum's workplace's graduation ceremonies, but needless to say that's all been binned now! It's all just a bit sudden and surreal really, to go from relative normality to massive uncertainty and a weirdly rushed ending within the space of a week.
And as for my mental health, hahaha, aha, ha. Let's just say that there'd have been better times to loose interest in one of your main hobbies and feel completely disconnected from a large number of friends.
ValleyLines142
Established Member
Amen. I'm doing a Masters in Transport Engineering and Planning, and I have two assignments in on 23rd April (which were actually due this Thursday but have been extended due to the obvious circumstances), but I require the use of junctions software which is only available on the computers on campus, so I'm struggling really. Our lecturers have just said do what we can from home, but it's easier said than done.
Furthermore, I know many students have their preferences as to where they find it best to study. My best friend much prefers working from home; I'm the complete opposite. I end up being disturbed by my parents (not on purpose - just from day to day life in the house/them doing their thing) and I don't have a decent space in the house to work, only at the dining table and my mother doesn't have the greatest taste in dining room furniture and my bum goes numb after half an hour!!
Still, we can pray for a miracle!
GaryMcEwan
Established Member
Well I'm no longer shielding for 12 weeks as I've just been furloughed. Things can only get better as they say.
DarloRich
Veteran Member
Surely you are still shielding just now not working!
GaryMcEwan
Established Member
Technically not as an employee as I've been furloughed. I'll still be shielding as a normal punter now.
The one positive I can say is that we've all been given licenses to use Adobe Creative Cloud software (Premiere Pro, Photoshop etc) until June to ensure that we have reasonable tools at our disposal.
Unfortunately for those doing Radio and TV final assessments, TASCAM audio recorders and those massive Panasonic TV Cameras, are obviously not at their disposal.
Unfortunately for those doing Radio and TV final assessments, TASCAM audio recorders and those massive Panasonic TV Cameras, are obviously not at their disposal.
We have a piece of coursework due this Thursday which we need to use ABAQUS for, but it seems that half the people on the module are unable to make it work at home and they're currently trying to come up with some other way for people to access it. The module convener has said that he'll waive the deadline/update it once he knows what's happening but it's currently still showing as due this thursday - but I can't really blame him as everyone is having to adapt to the situation on the fly!
My decision to go in on a saturday to do this piece of coursework a week before everything went into shutdown seems like an increasingly good one!
ValleyLines142
Established Member
Annoyingly, I was contemplating going in to uni before it was completely closed but I was a little apprehensive; some students are messy/dirty at the best of times and I wasn't sure whether it would be clean! Furthermore I didn't want to take the risk travelling.
I think it's important to note that you are still an employee and you still have a contract of employment. Furloughed just means that your employer can now claim 80% of your usual salary from the Government to pay you and cannot make you do work until the end of the furlough. But otherwise you retain all the same rights as any other employee.
Busaholic
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Contact with the police two days running, but absolutely fine in both cases. Yesterday late afternoon I decided I'd venture to Sainsbury, my largest supermarket, for first time since 'lockdown'. The place was virtually empty, no problem getting a trolley, which is often an issue as they're not well organised in getting them back from the recesses of the car park. More checkouts open than usual, and maximum one person in front. No screens for staff, or any attempt to distance themselves from customers, and clothing/other goods section open as usual, which I was surprised at. On way back, what has from all accounts become a standard police checkpoint just east of Penzance Station was in operation, wound window down, indicated shopping, said 'Sainsbury's' and waved through by friendly copper.
Today, 10 a.m.ish my regular walk with my dog in Morrab Gardens: parked my car at side entrance, put ramp down from back for my elderly dog to descend, left it down and back of car up, walked into gardens. Immediately came across female PC and male PCSO walking through, apparently handcuffed, as they were walking so close together. Unbelievable! Exchanged 'hellos', then they walked out past my car and would have spotted that I'd travelled there in it, but there was no comment (to be fair, the PCSO has seen me staggering around Penzance on my stick and probably knows more about me than I do myself!)
Today, 10 a.m.ish my regular walk with my dog in Morrab Gardens: parked my car at side entrance, put ramp down from back for my elderly dog to descend, left it down and back of car up, walked into gardens. Immediately came across female PC and male PCSO walking through, apparently handcuffed, as they were walking so close together. Unbelievable! Exchanged 'hellos', then they walked out past my car and would have spotted that I'd travelled there in it, but there was no comment (to be fair, the PCSO has seen me staggering around Penzance on my stick and probably knows more about me than I do myself!)
cactustwirly
Established Member
Dw I'm in the same boat as you, I'm supposed to graduate sometime in the summer, idk when yet.
I was really gutted to end my time at uni like I did, and to leave early, but what can you do really?
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
We were meant to move on Friday. At 5.30pm on Thursday the removal company were good to go; by 7.30pm the Manx Government had told them they couldn't. So now we're stuck paying rent on a house we can't live in and a house we can't move from.
Not gonna lie, I'm struggling with frustration right now. I already think the rules are overblown and rather stupid, and now these overblown and stupid rules are going to leave me a good few grand out of pocket.
It's not helping that every time I go on social media or turn on the TV it's full of people who think the police should be allowed to kneecap you for going more than 200ft from your front door. I feel like I'm going mad.
Could be worse; we could be homeless. Here our police nick homeless people for not self-isolating.
At least the Netflix F1 series is good and Guenther Steiner has taught me some new swearing.
My phone has a sense of humour at least. Autocorrect changes self-isolation to self-immolation. It seems tempting.
Not gonna lie, I'm struggling with frustration right now. I already think the rules are overblown and rather stupid, and now these overblown and stupid rules are going to leave me a good few grand out of pocket.
It's not helping that every time I go on social media or turn on the TV it's full of people who think the police should be allowed to kneecap you for going more than 200ft from your front door. I feel like I'm going mad.
Could be worse; we could be homeless. Here our police nick homeless people for not self-isolating.
At least the Netflix F1 series is good and Guenther Steiner has taught me some new swearing.
My phone has a sense of humour at least. Autocorrect changes self-isolation to self-immolation. It seems tempting.
To be honest you’ve been pretty forthright with your views on here this last week and at times it’s been difficult to know where you’ve been coming from.
Having read this (and thank you for being so honest about your situation) I can see what you’ve been struggling with.
I don’t envy you in having to sort all of that lot out and I hope it all works out for you in the end.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
Thank you.
It will be fine- we have the savings, thank goodness- but it's all a stress. And it's going to cost. But as I said, at least we can stay here in the short term, otherwise I'd be carrying my sofa across town! It could be a lot worse.
Back across we've just rented our house there out to a restaurant owner, so who knows if the rent will be paid to us this month. Watch this space.
I don't do great stuck in the house at the best of times, so doing it in a new country where everything is almost but not *quite* the same is challenging.
Yes, there’s so many people that I know that have just had the rug completely whipped out from under their feet by this situation, and none of us could have seen this coming six months ago.
It’s astonishing really and everyone is dealing with it in different ways.
That said I don’t think I’ve spoken to anyone at all that genuinely doesn’t give a monkey’s (and I’ve spoken to a lot of people this last couple of weeks)...
This is life changing stuff, and all we can do (and I do know that I’ve been banging on about it) is try to empathise with each other even if we don’t always understand where each other is coming from because everyone’s situation is different.
What’s big is big for you, and what’s big for others is big for them. That’s how I choose to see things...
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
Aye. My mother in law is 81 and in a care home, and my own parents are over 60 and certainly my dad is "at risk". So I'm not exactly oblivious to the risk from Covid-19, and I understand nearly everyone is worried about one aspect or another of what's happening. It's all just a mess.
As long as you have external monitors at the proper height and decent ergonomic keyboards
It is incredibly frustrating, and it's fine to vent those frustrations. I was just beginning to emerge from what was a few very dark months, both in terms of the lack of daylight and having suffered a double bereavement not long before Christmas. I've gone from having to force myself to go out and seek human contact to forcing myself to stay in and avoid it! The option of going to the pub for a few beers is gone, and I'm now limited to going to the shops for essentials. It's also incredibly draining on the limited financial resources that I have due to the higher prices in the small shops, and I can't justify taking the bus into town to get cheaper groceries. (I've already had the "oh poor you" talking-to on another thread, so you needn't bother!) Yes, these are extreme circumstances and we have to adapt, but it doesn't change the fact that I feel very cooped-up and, dare I say it, a slight sense of injustice that this has happened just as the fog was beginning to clear.
I'm lucky in that I'm a five minute walk away from the beach, and being in a village I'm not too far away from open space. I have been aiming to take a half-hour walk at least every day and so far I've been fairly good at sticking to it. In the shed I found a load of packets of seeds and there was already a stockpile of compost from when Lidl had it on offer last year, so it looks like I'll be taking up gardening!
Despite everything, I think I'm now in a reasonably stable place. I'm waiting for a life insurance policy to pay out and once funeral costs are cleared off I'll be in a better position financially. I'm acutely aware that there will be others in very precarious situations and count myself fairly fortunate in that respect. I'm looking forward to purchasing a couple of big-ticket items when I eventually get the chance to do so - if I don't go completely loopy with cabin fever in the meantime, that is!
I'm lucky in that I'm a five minute walk away from the beach, and being in a village I'm not too far away from open space. I have been aiming to take a half-hour walk at least every day and so far I've been fairly good at sticking to it. In the shed I found a load of packets of seeds and there was already a stockpile of compost from when Lidl had it on offer last year, so it looks like I'll be taking up gardening!
Despite everything, I think I'm now in a reasonably stable place. I'm waiting for a life insurance policy to pay out and once funeral costs are cleared off I'll be in a better position financially. I'm acutely aware that there will be others in very precarious situations and count myself fairly fortunate in that respect. I'm looking forward to purchasing a couple of big-ticket items when I eventually get the chance to do so - if I don't go completely loopy with cabin fever in the meantime, that is!
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Indeed.
cactustwirly
Established Member
Does your university not have an academic license you can install at home?
My dissertation requires specialist software for data analysis, but we can download it on our own computers, through the academic license.
It does, although I've not had to try and use it having completed the tasks before shutdown. However, there's been reports that the download link for it is broken, and that people are unable to run it if they have a Mac. I've made plenty of use of university licensed software (including MS office!) though, plenty of MATLAB use for my final year project, and Solidworks in years previously, but unfortunately not everyone can take advantage of these.
DarloRich
Veteran Member
How are we all doing today? it has been a tough one today work wise but otherwise fine
I hope this thread is the right place to write this. It may even help someone else. I'm in the moderate risk group due to being on an immunosuppressant biologic and I couldn't figure out what the difference in advice for the high risk group and moderate risk group was. I finally know what is the difference between them in terms of COVID-19 advice.
In short if your in the high risk group you will get a letter and there is support avilable for things like shopping
If your in the moderate risk group you won't get a letter and there isn't any official support.
In short your on your own. But rest assured it is recommend you don't leave your house or garden for both risk groups!
So who decides which group one falls into? Your rheumatology department.
Some departments are sending letters to all patients. Others are targeting some and the reminder are sending out none. So it is a postcode lottery as to which group you'll end up in.
No idea which line my department is taking. I know they are not writing letters for employers but that might be something separate.
I was watching an webinar from the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society and they said follow the advice of your local health specialists as they know you.
On the positive side at least, those in the moderate risk group don't need to stay 3 steps away from someone else in their household, when inside and early research indicates that those on bioligics, such as Humira, may not be at a greater risk than people not on bioligics. So the advice for the moderate risk group has built in caution due lack of worldwide data. I live alone so the 3 steps rule difference is personally irrelevant in my situation.
If ones employer needs a letter, to show why they shouldn't travel into their work place, then it is recommended you speak to your GP as rheumatology departments are having staff redeployed to other parts of the hospitals that they work for. I've had a text message from the department I am under saying they are not sending letters for employers due to a lack of staff and can't answer e-mails or phone calls.
NASS did say there isn't much advice for the moderate risk group, so in some respects this group is in the hardiest position. They may feel they don't want to go out to work. Ut they may be struggling to get a letter to help them.
On a positive note, they did say whether you go out to exercise is your choice. If you are in an area where the place is extremely quiet, you might consider it to be low risk.
When I was out on Sunday I managed to stay 2ms away from people most of the time. Just once I was aware of people caming behind me. I tried my best for 2 hours. Perhaps I should have put a note on me saying please strictly social distance yourself from me as I'm in thr moderate risk group. Would need to be fair large or they might need to come 3 steps closer to read it!
On top of this my Stoma Care Nurse thought it was OK for me to go out for exercise but seriously social distance myself and avoid shopping if I can. I can indeed avoid that as I have others to do it on my behalf.
The moderate risk group advice from NASS is not to exercise and only go shopping if you really don't have anyone else to go for you.
I'd have thought one might get more space with exercise than shopping but perhaps that's because I live in Guildford and not London.
Of course one needs food to survive and if the government snd/or your rheumatology department are not prepared to give you the help then so be it.
Hopefully more data will become available and the advice can be relaxed for the moderate risk group.
In short if your in the high risk group you will get a letter and there is support avilable for things like shopping
If your in the moderate risk group you won't get a letter and there isn't any official support.
In short your on your own. But rest assured it is recommend you don't leave your house or garden for both risk groups!
So who decides which group one falls into? Your rheumatology department.
Some departments are sending letters to all patients. Others are targeting some and the reminder are sending out none. So it is a postcode lottery as to which group you'll end up in.
No idea which line my department is taking. I know they are not writing letters for employers but that might be something separate.
I was watching an webinar from the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society and they said follow the advice of your local health specialists as they know you.
On the positive side at least, those in the moderate risk group don't need to stay 3 steps away from someone else in their household, when inside and early research indicates that those on bioligics, such as Humira, may not be at a greater risk than people not on bioligics. So the advice for the moderate risk group has built in caution due lack of worldwide data. I live alone so the 3 steps rule difference is personally irrelevant in my situation.
If ones employer needs a letter, to show why they shouldn't travel into their work place, then it is recommended you speak to your GP as rheumatology departments are having staff redeployed to other parts of the hospitals that they work for. I've had a text message from the department I am under saying they are not sending letters for employers due to a lack of staff and can't answer e-mails or phone calls.
NASS did say there isn't much advice for the moderate risk group, so in some respects this group is in the hardiest position. They may feel they don't want to go out to work. Ut they may be struggling to get a letter to help them.
On a positive note, they did say whether you go out to exercise is your choice. If you are in an area where the place is extremely quiet, you might consider it to be low risk.
When I was out on Sunday I managed to stay 2ms away from people most of the time. Just once I was aware of people caming behind me. I tried my best for 2 hours. Perhaps I should have put a note on me saying please strictly social distance yourself from me as I'm in thr moderate risk group. Would need to be fair large or they might need to come 3 steps closer to read it!
On top of this my Stoma Care Nurse thought it was OK for me to go out for exercise but seriously social distance myself and avoid shopping if I can. I can indeed avoid that as I have others to do it on my behalf.
The moderate risk group advice from NASS is not to exercise and only go shopping if you really don't have anyone else to go for you.
I'd have thought one might get more space with exercise than shopping but perhaps that's because I live in Guildford and not London.
Of course one needs food to survive and if the government snd/or your rheumatology department are not prepared to give you the help then so be it.
Hopefully more data will become available and the advice can be relaxed for the moderate risk group.
In order to minimise the number of trips to the shops I need to do I've been finding myself eating / drinking stuff that is well past its "use by" date. For example I finished a carton of semi-skimmed milk 4 days after is use by date and consumed the last slice of a loaf of brown bread also 4 days after its use by date and I did not taste or experience anything untoward.
DarloRich
Veteran Member
I have drunk skimmed 10 days after the use by date. No issues.
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