Another heartbreaking side effect of COVID-19

[sheshe2]

Yes the massive death rate and the incomitance of this 'Resident to handle it.

We also have:

. An increase in spousal, child and elder abuse.
The Help line numbers are posted everywhere

. Children in poor areas that relied on a meal at school going hungry.

. Food banks closing, not enough food or help to keep them afloat.
So many have relied on seniors as workers. My mom did it for a dozen years, she is 94 now and obviously can't do it and other seniors are at to much risk.

. Suicides increasing.
Some due to financial problems and some to despair. One of the most heartbreaking that I read about, a young doctor, she treated virus patients. She was surrounded with the sick and dying without proper gear to treat them and protect herself. She to contracted the disease. She killed herself.

There are help hotlines out there. I have seen them on TV and my town has a sign up with a number to call.


The physical and emotional toll that this is causing America has been made worse by an Administration that does not give one damn about any of us. Fact is, they don't care if we die, more for them.

One bright side of all of this? We all see who has a heart and soul. The acts of kindness I have read about, some I have seen first hand. They give me hope.

[DURHAM D]

1. About food banks...

Every Saturday night in my town they do a non-perishable food, personal hygiene items and paper products collection.

Because gas is cheap we are encouraged to drag main and drop off items. There are several pickups parked along Main Street and the helpers are from various civic organizations. We can not get out of our cars or pickups. The helpers will get it out of the backseat, trunk or pickup bed.

It is then distributed by the Salvation Army and a couple of local churches.

[sheshe2]

5. We did it here a couple weeks ago.

Sadly I just don't have much to give.

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. Employees being called back and losing their unemployment benefits like my son who

has to reapply for his prep cook job at Applebees for less pay and hours. He's been at that location for 15 yrs, working the last 6 yrs 7 days a week to make his 40 hrs. Thanks Gov Abbott. He had to reapply and will probably only get a few hrs a day at a reduced hourly wage. If he doesn't go back he's screwed. If he goes back, like he has a choice, he's screwed. He won't make enough to survive. Rotten Republicans.

[smirkymonkey]

3. That just infuriates me!

The republicans are using this horrible tragedy to exploit workers and bully them into accepting inferior and dangerous working conditions and lower pay, all while risking their lives just to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. It's sickening! I hope all these greedy bastards burn in hell for eternity!

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. I'm pissed!

[I_UndergroundPanther]

7. We could stop playing along with capitalism..

If we collectively took control of the means of production and cut out profits it would change our world for the better. Who says we have to play by rich assholes exploiting us and our world rules they want us to follow.? If we work together,already people are doing just that, our lives would change for the better.and the CEOs landlord companies ,banks, who cares about them.

[SammyWinstonJack]

9. I'm on board with that.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

10. Yes!

the future could be now.

[Neema]

6. So many different effects on so many different levels. I have a friend who found out

her husband was cheating on her right before the stay at home orders went into effect. She wasn't as upset about the cheating itself because she was already contemplating divorce. They get along fine and are good friends, but not really married in any other sense at this point, and definitely want different things out of life. She really just wants him to be happy and she wants to be happy as well, and they don't have kids to worry about. Anyway, just as she was getting things in order to sit down and have the talk with him, COVID hit.

She has her own business and she hasn't lost any clients, but her current projects are are hold for at least another month. She isn't completely without income, but she's not currently bringing in much. Which of course makes it difficult to plan to move out and start a new life.

So she's stuck. She decided not to tell him that she knows because it would make things too awkward. And given her financial uncertainty, she doesn't know if she'll be able to move out immediately even once the orders are lifted in her state. She wants to make sure all her projects get restarted before she determines where she's going to move and what she can afford.

In the grand scheme of things, she feels lucky to have stayed healthy so far, to have a roof over her head and food in her fridge, and to have a decent enough relationship with her husband that she's not in fear by any stretch. But it's still so difficult to put a huge life change on pause because of a huge, traumatic worldwide event crashed into the middle of it. And I can't even really help her in any way other than be a sounding board. I can't give her a place to stay or even a hug.

It makes me wonder how many variations on this story are happening all over the world. I'm sure books and movies will be written about it for years to come.

[Initech]

8. Things are going to get worse before they get better.

We will come out of this stronger but it's going to take some time. At some point this thing will be a thing of the past, and until then we have to see it through.