Corona Virus

How any solution involving kids is going to work Sandi, I don’t have a clue I suspect we’ll end up ducking the issue and tell everyone to carry on working from home until this blows over - luckily for us the WFH has worked well and hasn’t harmed our business
I have heard that a lot of the businesses in Canary Wharf (bank head offices etc) have told their staff they won’t return to the office until next year

 

I agree with that @Smilinjack im going in again today to see how we could arrange the seating to comply with the 1 metre rule, and to be honest it’s like a huge Chinese puzzle
I just can’t see how it can possibly be done outside of making sure people come in, sit down, and don’t move so 2 metres there’d be no chance
Kitchen area has to be a no go zone!
More importantly how can anyone possibly use the toilet? And yes the toilet is the one I’m losing sleep over

 

I agree with you completely about current changes related to COVID are not being driven by science or medicine, @Smilinjack. In fact, in our country, the current administration does and says things that are at odds with both. Science and medical advisors are ignored or refuted or replaced. And the most basic scientific and medical recommendations are simple really--physically distance, wear a mask, wash your hand and keep them away from your face.

But...yesterday there was a presidential election rally in Phoenix just up the road from Tucson less than a hundred miles. It was at a mega church (indoors) and about 3,000 were in attendance standing shoulder to shoulder, very few of whom wore masks Trump included. This occurred just two days after the Phoenix City Council put a mask/face covering requirement into place for businesses and citizens because of the surge in cases and a looming hospital bed/ICU shortage. So right on heels of this new mask requirement, neither our Arizona governor (after being tasked with responsibility by the feds) nor the Phoenix mayor (after a handoff of the responsibility by the governor) had the cojones to require masks and social distancing for this event or to cancel it under the current circumstances. I'm afraid that this public health crisis that is crushing both our economy and lives has been turned into a political opportunity for some at the expense of many.

 

If you are looking to politicians for some intelligent direction on subjects like this you are a fool. Sorry to be so blunt, but you pretty much have to look out for your own well being. In the working world it was my experience that you also had to be your own advocate. Businesses want only what is for thier own benefit. There were times when working as a maintenance engineer I would have to tell an employeer "I am not going to do that". I found the best way was to man up and say no without going to a union. even though I was a union member, I found it better to carry the burden yourself. I was once fired for doing this, only to be reinstated [ with full back pay] when I presented the situaltion to the state disability dept. to get my benefits. As for kids ? If my kids were still of school age they would NOT be going back to school this year. I know my grandkids are not. ...J.D.

 

This has to be one of the most useless Corona Virus signs I’ve seen - these stairs are about 2 foot 6 wide!!

 

We resolved the returning to work puzzle today
Things were going well until commenting how nice it was on a hot day to have air conditioning, AIR CONDITIONING f#ck that just made all the partitioning and segregation planning pointless
So we decided to stay at home and review again at the end of July
Any challenge easily overcome by sitting down and do nothing

 

I raised the question of air conditioning when my work were planning the return to work of a small number of essential workers who couldn’t work from home (including me) and was told that a risk assessment of the workplace has been carried out and distancing and hygiene measures had been implemented to adhere to government guidelines.
No answer to my question. I was just told that it had all been assessed and ratified by the Unions and Health & Safety dept. for us to return.

 

The HSE view

https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/equipment-and-machinery/air-conditioning-and-ventilation.htm

 

Not sure I get that advice, seems to be turn off recirculation system, but if single room/stand alone unit operate as usual as it’s 100% recirculation
Surely that’s going to spread the virus if present??

 

Did almost 30 years in office building maintenance. The subject of distancing in the workplace gets to be a mute point in an air conditioned space. You ALWAYS share the air you breathe. You always get the office "bone head" that wants HIS OFFICE to have the thermostat. What he fails to realize [ or is talking too loud to hear what the engineer is trying to tell him] is all the air is returned to a central filter bank and recylced, hopefully with some makeup air from the outside to raise the oxygen level. WHAT social distancing ? ...J.D.

 

Yes that was my concern. From the work I’d done in the past with HVAC engineers, I was led to believe that Air conditioning systems only draw in approximately 8 to 10% fresh outside air.

 

The standard here USED to be 10%. They have raised that a bit, but being retired, I am not up on the current air quality standards. It is a catch-22 situation. The more makeup air you take in, the more air that you paid DEARLY to cool has to be wasted to the outside. The building will only hold SO MUCH air volume. This becomes a political football in office buildings. Example is a building I worked for a little over six years [see photo]. You have TWO air handler systems for [if I remember correctly] 1.7 million square feet of office space. You really share your air with everyone. ...J.D.

 

Made me want one now!

 

My tax dollars hard at work........

 

Yep.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-53175459

 

We need a sad face rating emoji.

 

The fact is Covid will be with us, and was with us for a long time. How to respond? WHO hasn't a clue.