Covid 19 Check-In

[Todd Hackett]

Hawaii County, with about 185,000 people, has had 114 confirmed cases, I think three or four hospitalizations, and no COVID-19 deaths. We're an island, which makes it easier to manage. People are generally wearing masks in businesses, but less so outdoors. Some are distancing well, others not so much, but the population density is low so it's easy to keep distance.

Life for me isn't very different (other than the mask when required), but the local economy is taking a huge hit since there's virtually no tourism. Arrivals (tourists as well as family and returning residents) still are required to quarantine for two weeks, so not many people are coming. I was scuba diving from a commercial boat today, and it was full to their new COVID capacity, which was still around a dozen guests plus crew. Masks were worn most of the time, but obviously taken off before going in the water. The operator is doing better than some other tourism-related businesses, but they are still only running the boat between once and three times a week, which makes it hard to cover expenses, let alone make up for the shutdown that lasted several months.

[Paul R.]

Here in Ballarat all seems to be ok just a few cases no deaths, but we are only 100 K from Melbourne , they are having a bad time there.
Things are quietand everyone is wary, a few masks around, a lot of the shopworkers are wearing them.Hope nothing worse will happen.
Paul R.

[Jeff Young]

We had our peak in Ireland back in April, and things have improved a lot since then.  However, opening back up was producing some ominous signs, so the govt just recently got serious about masks indoors (having previously only required them on mass transit).

The whole thing has been remarkably apolitical here, even more impressive given that we had no government when it started.  The “care-taker” Taoiseach (ie: head of previous govt) was a medical doctor, which clearly helped, and the govt formed just a few weeks ago is a coalition with the previous, so there’s a good degree of continuity as well.

You’d think I’d be getting a lot done, but it is remarkably hard to focus….

Cheers,
Jeff.

[nickgully]

In central Denver, we're keeping busy.

I started a new job in early March, and instead of going into the office, it is all remote.

Besides work, we're keeping our two little kids occupied, and building a playhouse out back for them.

Most people in the city are following the rules when it comes to mask safety.

From time to time, I get a few minutes trying to upgrade an HOn3 C-21 and C-16 to DCC / sound / keepalives. When all the wiring and tech get frustrating, I take out a pair of LaBelle boxcars (SN and UC&N) that I am enjoying the classic pace of.

[ComoDepot]

I think it is helping us with our turnout for work days, people are desperate to do something and it has been hot on the Front Range. I went camping down at the Sand Dunes and the campsite was full and we only got on for a night due to a cancellation. Seemed a lot of Texas plates, seems New Mexico is more locked down so they are coming up here.

We have a work day Saturday but are pretty spread out, 2 tracks going north ish, a gang cutting ties, Kate being worked on, Turntable being adjusted and a few other small issues. Might get a group to clear out the bushes where the trestle needs to be rebuilt. That is about 300 yds away from the head of the track.

[John Greenly]

It's good to hear from you all!  

Our county in upstate NY (about 100,000 population)  has had just about 200 COVID cases,  and the two deaths back in April were people transported to our hospital from NYC (4 hrs away)  during their time of catastrophe.  People here are generally pretty good about masks etc.  and the county health dept.  has done a good job of tracing when cases have appeared.  My lab at Cornell is back in operation with grad students,  technicians and myself working with elaborate precautions that are certainly far safer than the average supermarket visit.
But we are all worried about the huge influx of students to Cornell and Ithaca College coming very soon.  They are both reopening with reduced numbers on campus and intensive testing and contact tracing, but Cornell's own expert modeling expects 1000 cases this fall.      

I agree with Jeff, it's been hard to focus on getting things done.  But I've used the last two weeks to have cataract surgery done on both eyes.  I'm completely thrilled with the results.  I've been spending a lot of time outdoors, just marveling in the beauty of the world that I haven't been able to see in a long time.  My distance vision is so much sharper and brighter, with colors, especially the blue end of the spectrum, much more vivid,  that I can hardly believe it.  I got both  eyes corrected so that I can read at a fairly close distance without glasses, and I'm very relieved to find that with a magnifying headset I can see for close work even better than I could before with my naked eyes (I was so nearsighted that without glasses my focal point was less than three inches from my eye).  

The night sky is now a great pleasure for me, and I've been getting out to look at the comet- hope you have too.  I bet it's beautiful seen from Como!  But wherever you are, no matter how good your eyes are, the camera is better.   Here are a couple of photos from Sunday night.  





Cheers,
John

[SteveG]

Down here in Texas, the first attempt at re-opening backfired, but the governor's policy is data-driven enough that the necessary restrictions are being re-imposed (mandatory masks, bars closed, restaurants back to 25% interior occupancy from 75%) and it's starting to show in new cases/hospitalizations dropping again. The testing positivity rate, which the governor had used as a metric for monitoring the reopening, though, is still higher than it was in April--14%+ versus 13%--and nowhere near the brief period of under 5% that was used to justify the re-opening.
I'm still finishing up workshop setup before I start on layout benchwork. Current project is to build a support table for a 50W laser engraver/cutter, which should prove very useful for cutting wood or styrene for structures or car sides, especially for passenger equipment not otherwise available:



The support table needs to accommodate a water chiller and an air filtration system, so it's a mini-engineering problem in its own right.
First layout module will be the Como roundhouse area--I've got the Model Masterpieces kits for all 6 stalls of the original stone structure (plus the boilerhouse and turntable), and will probably condense the wooden structure extensions down to another 9 stalls, which should still give me a full half-circle. I've got two of the coal dock kits, which would let me do all 10 bays, but may stick with 8 (1 kit's worth), and drop one of the turntable approach tracks, to produce a slightly condensed but still recognizable version of the original.
At least that's the plan.

Steve Guty
Lakeway, TX

[Robert McFarland]

Why doesn't somebody come out with a kit for the building that became the "Stone Garage"?

[jim pallow]

    Quiet here in Guernsey, WY.  With 8,500 people and two stoplights in the whole county (4.2 people per sq mile) social distancing isn't difficult.  4 cases in the county so far.  It's bound to get worse as few wear masks, "freedom" you know.  Stay healthy all. :) Jim Pallow

[Robert McFarland]

As close as it is to trackage and railroad structures at Como it would fit right in.

[ComoDepot]

Would be cool with a billiard table internal set up.