Your response, Lucille, was better than mine. Mine came from cynicism because I've had my car broken into twice. Along with my neighbors. I don't leave anything in my car but fixing a broken window gets old. I'm a bit jaded at the increase of crime in my neighborhood.

Sephia you have every right to be upset at criminal behavior.

Exchange the San Francisco Bay Area for the Seattle area and it's precisely as Sephia said.

Lots of homeless "outreach", little care about the crimes. Authorities look the other way as they pass mounds of stolen property in the camps. Nearby neighborhoods have experienced a huge jump in property crime.

And watchme, how are they going to contain the Coronavirus with homeless living on the streets and in the woods? This is just one tiny street in downtown Seattle.

I've seen that street in Seattle. That's why I really don't like visiting there, but I must do so several times per year for work-related meetings. The homelessness and its related stench are just awful. :-(

I live in a safe are but there is rising property crime. More people are setting up cameras, of course that only lets you see your stuff being stolen. There are quite a few people that have decided to clean the 'stuff' out of their garage so that one or two cars can fit in, there are far few breaking and entering of garages.

For anyone living in camps, there will shortly be fewer of them as they succumb to Covid. I am sad for anyone dying that way.

I was wondering too. We don't have alcohol anywhere but liquor stores/bars. Yesterday there was a run on the only Liquor store we had--rumor on Facebook the Governor was shutting us in. Crazy!! Drugs--I have to agree the pushers will continue to do their thing. I wonder if in the end a solution will be found.

Lordy!! I've lived in Seattle and its immediate environs all my life and the impression you might get from some of these comments is that it is wall-to-wall homeless camps. It is not! In fact, you can travel much of the city and not see any at all. Just the same as many other large, metropolitan cities. The homeless are there, certainly, but the problem is not as pervasive or as all-encompassing as some of these comments would have you believe.

Since underlying health issues have an effect on the severity of the coronavirus infection, even for young people, I'm wondering how an addict with a run-down immune system, toxic liver, damaged lungs, etc. might fare? Will mortality be higher in that group?

Many of our drugs are home grown right here in distant growing areas and in home labs.

I was talking to my daughter. She also brought up the subject of the drug addicts. She said that drug crime will increase. The money is drying up for the addict. She says there is functioning addicts that are out of jobs. They supplement their income normally by stealing in addition to their work. Now that their legal income is gone they will ramp up their illegal income. Even though we live in a low crime area, she is taking her hand gun out of lock and key. I plan on doing the same.

"Just the same as many other large, metropolitan cities."

Okay, sure.

'Even though we live in a low crime area, she is taking her hand gun out of lock and key. I plan on doing the same."

Very rational. If anyone violates your 2 meter safe zone, shoot 'em.

Elmer, you can't even be civil in trying times. You should be ashamed of yourself. Do you actually have anything usefull to say on the OPs subject?

There out for home protection. If you don't like guns then fine don't have one.

The homeless aren't likely to travel or mingle at political rallies or cruise ships. They may be the lucky ones.

You may have a point Michael. Alcoholism is such an insideous & heart breaking addiction. My twin brother is an alcoholic and will certainly end up hospitalized (or dead) without access to liquor.

"There out for home protection. "

They're out for home protection? You said you live in a low crime area.

I'm glad you think these are trying times, I agree. A few days ago you didn't think so nor have much concern for your own well being or anyone else's.

Be safe. Self quarantine as much as you can, practice social distancing and keep your guns locked up.

“Philadelphia is home to the worst urban opioid crisis in America. More than 3,000 people have died of drug overdoses here in the last three years, and the city health department estimates that tens of thousands of Philadelphians are addicted to opioids.“ copied from newspaper.

Its a mess here. However, when I was in Seattle last fall I was taken aback by the homeless situation. We drove from the city toward Snoqualmie Falls and there were encampments all along the highway. Here The homeless live in boxes and sleep under newspapers on the sidewalk, but there they had tents. It was like they were creating little tent cities. It was very strange. Not pointing a finger at Seattle ( which we loved) since we’re not doing much better here.

There's a Facebook page titled Seattle Looks Like Sh!! - you have spell out that word. There's another page titled Seattle Looks Like THE SH!!.

If you want to see for yourself, look at the first one I listed.

Don't take my word for it, see for yourself. And a problem is that this problem spills out of Seattle into surrounding areas. I'm 20 min south of Seattle and have 100 homeless people living in the woods across the street from my house. 100 people by the city's police count about five months ago.

I'm sure my city has its fare share of homeless. Ours tent cities are generally hidden from the general public. I don't know if that is the way the homeless want it or the only way the administration will leave them alone. The few tent cities I seen were along the rivers behind industrial buildings. I just noticed one this week while driving cross town. A route I took a hundred times before to my sons house and never noticed the tent city. The traffic was very light on the highway and I got a chance to look around. It was on the hillside overlooking the river. I guess you can say the homeless have the river front properties.

Back in 05 we were riding from Miami airport to the docks and were astonished at the homeless cities and the amount of homes with bars on the windows and doors.

Elmer, get your fact straight. I didn't say I wasn't concerned about my own well being or any one else. I said 60 to 80% of the people are going to get the virus anyway social distancing or not. I said if I get it, I get it. The odds are good both of us will get it eventually anyway. They just don't want to overwhelm the hospital system. What a hypocrite you are. I'm lucky if I'm in a grocery store once a week. Yet you have to go every day or two to the grocery store because it beneath you to only eat anything but fresh food. Just who is doing social distancing? It's not ok for me who wants to dine out at at local restaurant once a week where the tables are sanitized, served on sanitized plates and the customers are stationary. But it is ok for you to go to an over crowded grocery store every day with dirty grocery carts or baskets , people hands touching merchandise and putting it back, and people crossing paths several times in the aisles. Just guess who is more likely to spread the virus and it isn't me?

What about the person who posted they go every few days because they only eat fresh fruits and vegetables or the person who threw out two adequate desks to run to Cosco to buy new ones or the person who is running all over to garden nurseries or the posts I see of people running to Walmart, Sam's club, and Costco willy nilly. I don't even belong to Sam's or Costco and I haven't been in Walmart for weeks. Oh, wait they are practicing social distancing because the stores are permitted essential business and they use hand sanitizer. Of course you can't spread or acquire the virus in an over crowded essential business. Lol Why do you think they are all hiring? Because business is booming with people "social distancing ". What a bunch of hypocritical fools.

Good night!

If I get sick it will be definitely in the grocery store or Target/Walmart type places. It won't be socializing with horses or other riders.

I stopped at my favorite drive in today to get a sandwich. I have no desire to do take out from sit down restaurants. Who knows what they are practicing out of sight. One of my favorite mom and pop diners was taking extraordinary measures to keep every clean and and as germ free as possible. Can't say the same for the chains that are open for drive up service.

Today I saw hordes of hikers in large groups at a park. No social distancing there. Kids still running through stores lying on the floor etc. Parents still plopping their kids in the food part of grocery carts. Carts in stores still filthy. Back in the day they got washed every night at grocery stores.

https://www.rd.com/food/fun/things-supermarkets-arent-cleaning/

I'm with you on those thoughts, watchme.

We haven't braved the public shopping/eating scene since last Thursday.

Most restaurants are careless year round and this will not change that lazy attitude.

Our local Kroger has a power steam wash contractor washing down carts at night but that's not good enough. By 10 AM those carts are touched a thousand times!

OT to the thread title, but I'm wondering why Kroger, and other stores, don't have the employees who retrieve the carts from the corrals spray all the handles with 70% isopropyl alcohol, which evaporates quickly, or other disinfectant. They could use a garden sprayer. My local Kroger keeps wipes at the entry, for everyone to clean his own cart. Maybe they are also doing extra cleaning--I don't know because I haven't been there recently. ;)

It's not the handles of my cart I worry about. I can wipe them and/or wash my hands. But take a good look at the main part where your purchases go. They are filthy. Especially the plastic ones. Look at the conveyer belts. look at what people are using for reusable bags. Anything from old backpacks to filthy totes they brought back from their last cruise. LOL

Nice that Kroger is attempting to clean their carts. They are the exception I think.

But before this virus I was out late at night. The trucks would come to blow vacuum and steam clean the walkways at various stores and shopping centers. However the carts were set out of the way into the street and ignored. Why not steam clean the carts at the same time?

When the students of all ages return from Spring Break and fill those positions at fast food drive thru, carry out, grocery stores, etc. Then what?

Just a little anecdote regarding big cities, crime, drugs and homeless people.

Monday the 9th, husband and I took a very RARE road trip from NYC up to Binghamton.

Upstate NY is truly beautiful. Each time I see it again I’m in awe.

We had a reservation to stay overnight. Believe me I was already being diligent about germs. I usually am anyway. I figured, my luck, we finally go someplace and now I have to be paranoid. I brought Clorox wipes, alcohol etc

We walked into the lobby. This is a well known chain of hotels. Reviews were the same for this one as any of the others(obviously they were total lies) One young woman sitting on the floor, strung out. What looked to me like a homeless man... cancelled, we left. Saw a cap from a needle on the ground as we walked back to the car. Found another place which was thankfully clean and acceptable.

I started “googling”. Homelessness, crime rate and addiction is out of control. Everywhere. Of the 10 worst cities in NY state nyc was nowhere near the top of that list. (Don’t ask for sources. You’ve got all day if you’re interested.)

It is a sad reality. I feel bad for anyone going through this. I keep thinking of that young girl in that lobby. It breaks my heart.

My Whole Foods has two employees wiping down carts all day long. The carts are coated metal and they do not "look" dirty.

I wouldn't trust the employees. I'd rather do it myself because I'm more important to me than I am to them.

I take my own bags to the grocery store and put my purchases directly in them so they never touch the cart. Unfortunately the conveyor belt is filthy, too. Maybe I should put an empty bag on the belt? IDK. Im sure the scanner is dirty too. I just use hand sanitizer when I get back in the car.

I would not trust grocery delivery. I don’t know who picked the items off the shelf, or if they just coughed on their hand. I don’t know who packed the bag, the van etc.

We will limit the amount of times we go and wipe everything down before it comes in etc. Trying to be super diligent. I shop for my 91 year old mother. For the time being I’m the only person in contact with her.

This is one scary ride!

So sorry to read about Seattle. I went there in the late 80s when my brother lived in West Seattle. I was enchanted by the Emerald City. It seemed so clean, too. Possibly because it is so frequently washed by rain!

"There's a Facebook page titled Seattle Looks Like Sh!! - you have spell out that word. There's another page titled Seattle Looks Like THE SH!!."

Well, there ya go!! Facebook is such an authoritative source that of course everything reported there is accurate and a true picture of what's happening!! NOT!!

Seattle is a big city - 84 square miles within the city limits and much more assigned to "greater Seattle". Population approaching 4 million. Yes there are homeless camps........but they are not everywhere nor nearly as pervasive as some idiotic Facebook page would have you believe. There are dozens of attractive and well-kept neighborhoods with no sign of any homeless activity. And most of downtown Seattle is the same. It is still a beautiful, scenic city with a vibrant, healthy economy.

If you travel north from downtown, the neighborhoods are very urbanized, generally well maintained and reflect a moderate to high income level. If you travel south, neighborhoods are less urbanized, more rural/open and interspersed with industrial parks and facilities and reflect a lower income level. Homelessness is more obvious there than at the northern end.

jupidupi, you have nothing to feel sorry about!! Seattle is still a beautiful city that attracts 40 million visitors a year, many of them cruise ship passengers (or did, before COVID 19). Its difficulties are no worse than those of any other large city and in many ways, it is much better.

And for god's sake, do not rely on some Facebook page for an accurate depiction of life here!!

"Elmer, get your fact straight."

My facts are straight and I can help you get your facts straight too.

In the thread "Do You Have Meals Planned", I described last Monday what we do "In normal times" and also now. I don't expect you or anyone else to track or tally what anyone has to say but the "facts" were there. Most of what you said about me is wrong.

I haven't been to a restaurant in over 2 weeks. Haven't been to a grocery store in one week. We're eating the flotsam and jetsam, odds and ends, we found in two very picked over stores that had been attacked by hoarders. We would have chosen little of it "in normal times" but these aren't normal times. We're doing fine, thanks for asking,

We also haven't left where we are in about 10 days, other than that one grocery trip and also for daily exercise during which we stay far away from others. Most people do the same.

I also don't have a flippant attitude about what's going on as some seem to cling to. I'll follow public health directions and try to do my part.

" Elmer J Fudd

" Maybe I'm not in the mood for spaghetti on Tuesday? "

Maybe not this week. Or this month.

That's why we never buy more than one day ahead. We'll be doing a bit more ahead buying now but not much. We prefer fresh food and never freeze anything."

You posted this this past Monday the 16th in "do you have meals planned...". Tell me how haven't you been in a grocery store in a week? You also posted somewhere that you eat out 2-3 times a week. So you haven't eaten out since the 8th. Restaurants in most places didn't shut down until the 16th.

As i said a hypocrite.

Read the rest of the same post and also the preceding one. Or don't, I don't care. Nothing is inconsistent except your reading comprehension and propensity to insult.

That is the full post. The proceeding post you just stated what you normally do. This post came after that. You are slipping up . You can't remember what fabrication you told to whom and when.

I try to have comments and attitudes that are consistent, thoughtful, truthful and properly spelled. Try it! Your insinuation is another insult but I consider the source and it doesn't bother me.

Bye bye.

Your the master of putdowns and insults. Please don't sell yourself short. Lol

So you haven't eaten out since the 8th. Restaurants in most places didn't shut down until the 16th.

Elmer and I differ dramatically on the concept of food storage. But we are different people with different backgrounds. However, from the very start it seems he and I have been on the same general page about the virus. We both consistently agreed that there were a lot of unknowns and that any sense of complacency was not justified. I would find it difficult to believe that he would wait for restaurants to shut down before avoiding them.

I roll my own smokes and stocked up. Also have backup ecig

SamKaren Your resident dj

I agree, we have been rather like-minded regarding the epidemic and its development. It hasn't been puzzling for either of us, Even though we're in a state that was one of the first to impose business closures and self-quarantine, my wife and I withdrew from public contact a good week before anything was suggested or ordered. What was coming down the pike was easy to see with reference to what was happening abroad.

Lucille, we can stay away from discussing food storage practices in normal times. Which we're not in now but I still won't hoard food. The supply in stores seems to be returning to normal (even though shoppers habits haven't quite yet). We'll go grocery shopping in a few days and will take advantage of the pre-opening Seniors Only hours most stores offer. The available times are on different days, and I think Whole Foods is everyday, so I'm not worried about it. Yet.

samkaren, since we're all in a "thinking about personal health" mood, maybe now would be a good time to think about quitting smoking?

I did it several decades ago. It was an awful experience, the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm on the backside of that now, not a hater and not an evangelist like ex-drinkers or ex-smokers can become. I rarely if ever mention it, though smokers are much more rarely encountered these days. It's something to think about.

Okay, yeah, sure, gardengal. But a picture tells a thousand words, don't ya think? If people want to check out a Facebook page, they can see for themselves.

"Well, there ya go" right back at ya! :>)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) It doesn't make one iota of difference if the homeless problem is confined to a single block, a single area or the whole city. The question is why are they exempt from this "state of emergency'". Why are they allowed to roam the streets spreading the virus? Up until now local governments claim they can't force them off the street due to their civil rights. Well now is the excellent opportunity to do just that. If businesses can be closed and people told where they can and cannot congregate then so should the homeless be told what they can and cannot do.

But the bottom line homelessness creates a lot of jobs for people who wouldn't have jobs if the problem were actually fixed. Gotta do something with all those sociology degrees. Not everyone gains a professorship. Homeless outreach groups enable, they fix nothing. Developers get large building contracts lumping homeless in with low income seniors politically. It is the cities' opportunity to get the addicts and thieves and lifestyle homeless off the streets and into mandatory shelters. If they truly wanted to fix this, this is the perfect opportunity to cull the real homeless from the vagrants. But they don't want to. The homeless industrial complex has grown too big. It's continuing economy matters more than lives of people or the country's economy.

Watchmelol, I can't imagine anyone 'wanting' to be homeless or vagrant. Surely no one aspires to being poor or hungry or cold or an alcoholic or drug addict. There has to be more to it.

They are given shelter vouchers. Won't use them. They want to continue their "free" lifestyle. Does mental illness and addiction play a role? Of course. But they chose to not accept the help that is offered. Society can't make the choice to remove them from the street for their own good but they can make the choice to be there. Recently tiny homes were constructed as a way to assist the homeless. 40 units with a community kitchen, showers etc. Weeks later only 8 were occupied. A similar social experiment failed in Seattle when they allowed drugs and alcohol to give them a chance.

Elmer, I agree that now is the time for cigarette smokers to quit. Covid-19 is a disease that attacks the lungs. Surely it's going to be worse for someone whose lungs are already compromised by smoking. I had a cousin who was denied a space on a kidney transplant list when his doctor discovered that he continued to smoke. When the hospitals become filled to overcapacity and doctors have to do some difficult triaging concerning who will get a bed and who won't, people who have purposely damaged their own lungs will probably not get those beds. Yes, it's hard to quit, especially in stressful times. But millions of others have done it. Time to stop being a wuss and be responsible about one's own health.

I was reluctant to say anything about smoking but I did. I'm not a sinner turned saint or evangelist. I never say anything about it. When I smell cigarette smoke now (which, as I said, is infrequent), I'm neither repulsed nor envious, so long as it doesn't hit me when I'm eating.

Funny enough, even when I was a smoker, I disliked smoke filled rooms. Especially in restaurants. Now, there mostly aren't any, which is how it should be. Now the repulsive smell in restaurants is women wearing too much perfume, often a cause of my changing tables when possible. How can we ban that?

As an X-Smoker I understand the challenges with quitting but the cost alone is outrageous. Like Elmer, I'm not repulsed (quite the opposite) & admit I love the smell of someone lighting up. It truly is a time waster and certain is not healthy. I miss it actually 😏. It bugs me that the Gov't allows cigarettes & alcohol to be sold, knowing how addictive it is, then hike up the cost. Surely the must know there are people who will buy cigarettes over milk for their children. That's how addictive it can be.