Oh joy. A Paris metro worker is hospitalized with COVID

[Recursion]

http://www.leparisien.fr/societe/coronavirus-une-employee-de-la-ratp-contaminee-05-03-2020-8273040.php

Welp, this will get ugly

[jimfields33]

1. Has the French President done a terrible job?

It seems it terrible over there. Even worse then in the United States which is amazing considering who our president is.

[Recursion]

2. The problem is it was all over north Italy before anybody knew anything

And by then there isn't really a point in quarantining because people have already been travelling all over Schengen for the past 2 weeks spreading viruses without knowing it. Macron's mostly just let the actual health officials speak other than the occasional "be aware but don't panic" stuff.

[DFW]

3. I take the Paris Metro twice a week

Last time was two days ago. Lots of people speaking Italian right next to me.

This is not comforting!

[Recursion]

4. Oy -- Line 6. Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower

Time for some preparatory absinthe...

[DFW]

5. For me, lines 4 and 3, but even so.........

[Recursion]

6. I meant the guy who tested positive worked on Line 6

I stick to the 1. No drivers = no strikes.

[DFW]

7. Ah, I see

Nope, but I don't imagine the drives never see each other. If one is sick, there are others.

But it is so densely populated here, I figure we'll all get exposed sooner or later. I assume I already have.

As it is, my wife is stranded in Israel because Israel has forbidden flights by the airline (Austrian Airlines) she was traveling on to get there. I already called a friend who is ex-Mossad and has ties to the Israeli military, and he said he could get her home (I didn't bother asking how), but not the rest of her group. I know my wife well enough to know she would never agree to special treatment like that, so I told my friend it was a group of about 20 people or don't even bother. He sighed and asked if they are all of German nationality (they are). He said he'd make a few phone calls. I'm not expecting magic, but it was David Ben Gurion himself who is reputed to have said, "he who does not believe in miracles is not a realist."

Update on that--he called back, and El Al will get them to somewhere in Europe where they can get back to Düsseldorf. That was quick!

[Recursion]

8. Best of luck!

I had heard that El Al was shutting down Europe entirely.

[DFW]

9. Sounded like it

Maybe they can get them as far as Istanbul. Or even Amman or Helsinki. Anyplace with flights to Germany would do at this point.