COVID-19 updates comments and concerns

[GoktimusPrime]

This may sound a bit odd, but I think it could be argued that home entertainment things like movies, TV shows, toys, games, puzzles, sports equipment etc. are essentials as a lot of people, especially children, are getting really bored at home. Even the PM said that his wife bought some puzzles on the weekend for their kids to solve.

I'm not that concerned (atm) about social distancing at less essential stores because they're honestly like ghost towns. Stores that sell higher essentials are obviously more crowded. As I said before, the last time I did grocery shopping I found the supermarkets all had people in them, but the toy store and aisles were all deserted. Even staff were really sparse (not surprising).

RE: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Obviously the lower tier needs prioritise the higher tier ones, but that doesn't mean that the higher tier needs should necessarily be ignored (so long as it's not at the expense of the lower tier needs). So let's flip the pyramid upside-down and work from bottom up, focusing on the needs relevant to this COVID19 situation.

• 5th Tier: PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS = the need to be alive and physically healthy. As the lowest tier need this is obviously the greatest priority. This is why things physical isolation and distancing are important. None of it is fun, but it all services the most basic need to live. All other needs do not matter now if accessing said needs would compromise the Fifth Tier.

• 4th Tier: SAFETY NEEDS = here we're looking at financial security and mental health/well-being needs. A lot of people are now experiencing diminishing or lost work, which impacts their financial security. Many people are finding social isolation difficult and it can impact on mental health. Continuing to work is fine so long as it doesn't compromise the Fifth Tier. As griffin said, a lot of blue collar workers are probably suffering now because they are unable to continue working without compromising Tier 5, whereas many white collar workers can continue to work from home. It allows us to maintain our Fourth Tier need without compromising the Fifth Tier. But this isn't possible for everyone (e.g. essential service workers etc.) - but practices have been put in place to minimise compromising Tier 5 (e.g. wearing protective equipment and washing/sanitising hands etc. at work)

• 3rd Tier: SOCIAL BELONGING = Maintaining social contact is important for many people to stay connected. Servicing the Third Tier is fine so long as it doesn't compromise the Fifth Tier. Mass gatherings do service the Third Tier, but they sacrifice the Fifth Tier, so they are currently not acceptable/permissible. Connecting with people electronically can service the Third Tier without compromising the Fifth Tier.

• 2nd Tier: SELF ESTEEM = here we're looking at the topic of freedom, and yeah, we are sacrificing a lot of our liberties in order to protect the Fifth Tier. Having freedom is fine as long as your freedom is not compromising Tier 5. Places of worship have now been shut down, but people are still free to practise their faith remotely (e.g. online services, video sermons etc.) or just privately at home. I know someone who's doing their Bible studies via video conferencing online, so their Second Tier need is maintained without compromising the Fifth Tier.

• 1st Tier: SELF-ACTUALISATION = This covers things like entertainment - games, music, sport, toys, movies, books, TV etc. Again, I don't think that there's anything wrong with servicing these First Tier needs so long as they don't compromise the Fifth Tier. And online shopping gives us the ability to service this First Tier remotely, but also I personally think that buying entertainment stuff IRL or exercising outdoors is fine as long as you're diligently following social distancing (and minimising your time outside) - again, as long as your actions don't impact on the Fifth Tier.

So as per Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy, we can see that the higher tier needs are lower priorities compared to the lower tier needs which are higher priorities. I think that servicing or maintaining higher tier needs is fine so long as they do not compromise the lower tier needs.

[popculturepooka]

Saying you need constant NEW toys would really hold much water as an argument for needing to go out to buy them though.

In terms of mail delivery, when NZ hit stage 4, they strongly suggested that mail and parcels be for essentials only and non-essentials to be avoided. Although stores selling non-essentials, even online, should be closed.

[griffin]

Even though I was recently advocating toys being a necessity, particularly for keeping children entertained while being locked in their homes for many days on end, it can be a stretch to say they are a necessity for adults... but knowing a bit about mental disorders, and how isolation can make them worse, and how simple things like toys and games can help, I would not be one to advocate prohibiting access to them by people of any age.

The priority thing that many people need at the moment is financial support, and it seems to be taking too long for it to be getting to the people who need it most.

We've created such a consumerist society, with successive governments that have kept wage growth low to prevent inflation eating into corporate profits, it has meant that a significant number of people were under the poverty line, or just barely above it by living paycheck-to-paycheck... leaving them with no savings to fall back on when there is an emergency, relying more and more on credit cards, payday lenders, and buy-now-pay-later schemes that they can't afford. (consumerism has made us forget that if you don't have savings to use on a non-essential item, especially on something that doesn't need replacing yet, don't take on debt that you may not be able to afford to pay back if you suddenly lost your job)

[GoktimusPrime]

Unless you're new to toy collecting, we all have existing toys in our collection to play with! I don't see the point of collecting toys if you're not going to play with them.

[valkyrie_76]

Just wondering, should I leave TF's that I buy here in a brick and mortar shop in their packaging for a few days or is it okay to open them up? Only asking because it looks like convid-19 can live up to 72 hours on plastic.

Phew Im alright then.........I dont open my stuff for months or years

[reillyd]

I am wondering, is keeping the sightings threads open really a smart thing right now?

It's encouraging people to go out and "hunt" when they should be staying home or only heading out for essentials. Definitely not toys.

Am I the only one who sees toys as 'essential'? Most of my daily exercise is hoofing it on foot across shopping centres, and it gives my mood a lift to have a hobby.

I'm certain there would be lots of parents who are stocking up on toys to keep their kids indoors too.

[reillyd]

Sorry missed Goktimus's post. Glad I'm not the only one!

[VERT]

I still duck in and have a quick look. I do it when we need to shop for food. Cause it's just next door to Coles anyway. And yes it does keep me sane.

[GoktimusPrime]

Bear in mind that when people are talking about finding SARS-CoV2 "surviving" on surfaces many hours or days later, they're not necessarily talking about the virus in a viable (and thus harmful) form. Usually they're finding viral particles; basically finding the viruses in non-viable and harmless forms because they've been outside of a living host for too long. The viruses have broken down to the point that they're no longer able to attach onto host cells.

A research study published on 17/3/20* found that while SARS-CoV2 can remain viable in aerosol form for up to 3 hours (another reason why I wear a mask!❋) and on surfaces for up to 72 hours (wash your hands!), no viable coronaviruses were detected on metal surfaces after four hours and twenty-four hours on cardboard. So in terms of toy packaging, at most the virus will only remain in viable form on the cardboard for up to 1 day, after when it breaks down into harmless viral particles.

Having said that, if you're still concerned just go ahead and disinfect the box before opening it. That's what I did when I picked up Gulf today. I literally took a can of spray-on disinfectant with me to the shops, and straight after purchasing the toy I stepped outside of EB, put the toy down on a nearby table, then sprayed it with disinfectant (and sanitised my hands for good measure). The EB staff also offered me a plastic bag (so I could've carried it out without touching it if I really wanted to).

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*17/3/2020 research study, New England Journal of Medicine by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Princeton University
❋That and because I'm always touching my face, so wearing a mask provides a physical barrier between my hands in face. But there are some grubs out there who still don't cover their freaking mouths when they cough

[Autocon]

How long is it taking to send parcels across the country now?