Scenes From China

[g5000]

https://www.advisorperspectives.com/commentaries/2020/03/06/chinese-coronavirus-changeup.pdf

Here in central Shanghai, the usual rush-hour traffic kicks off at 8 am and remains nose to tail until 9 am when the streets become curiously empty. So, leaving Browning Towers yesterday, I took a shared bike (RMB 1.5, USD 0.21) and cycled around my local neighborhood.

I can report 70% of street-side shops and businesses are open, however, 100% of the restaurants and 50% of the hotels are closed. Like mine, all residential compounds are gated and closed except to residents with huge piles of deliveries waiting outside for collection under makeshift awnings. Everyone, and I mean everyone, wears a mask, and on a bike, breathing through an N95 mask is no easy business.

I stopped at my local Starbucks to find it open, but all the furniture was stacked and swept to one side and a barista took my temperature before serving me. Seeing that my fellow customers were heavily wrapped delivery guys (Deliveroo, Sherpa etc.) I realized my usually cozy Starbucks was open for takeaway only. I mention this as Shanghai with 42 confirmed cases has not had any meaningful increase in virus cases for some weeks. Wuhan, where the new cases are declining but still averaging about 400 a day is only 460 miles away. Clearly, the numbers in Shanghai are static because of the level of precaution the local community is happy to make.

I returned to my compound, the street-side gate security took my temperature and waved me through, and I finally I arrived home with my coffee.



All those factories, restaurants, and hotels are closed. That is going to impact employment, demand, and outstanding loan payments significantly.

 

[g5000]

I can only imagine the riots which would occur if the US government tried to quarantine cities or towns.

 

[RodISHI]

https://www.advisorperspectives.com/commentaries/2020/03/06/chinese-coronavirus-changeup.pdf

Here in central Shanghai, the usual rush-hour traffic kicks off at 8 am and remains nose to tail until 9 am when the streets become curiously empty. So, leaving Browning Towers yesterday, I took a shared bike (RMB 1.5, USD 0.21) and cycled around my local neighborhood.

I can report 70% of street-side shops and businesses are open, however, 100% of the restaurants and 50% of the hotels are closed. Like mine, all residential compounds are gated and closed except to residents with huge piles of deliveries waiting outside for collection under makeshift awnings. Everyone, and I mean everyone, wears a mask, and on a bike, breathing through an N95 mask is no easy business.

I stopped at my local Starbucks to find it open, but all the furniture was stacked and swept to one side and a barista took my temperature before serving me. Seeing that my fellow customers were heavily wrapped delivery guys (Deliveroo, Sherpa etc.) I realized my usually cozy Starbucks was open for takeaway only. I mention this as Shanghai with 42 confirmed cases has not had any meaningful increase in virus cases for some weeks. Wuhan, where the new cases are declining but still averaging about 400 a day is only 460 miles away. Clearly, the numbers in Shanghai are static because of the level of precaution the local community is happy to make.

I returned to my compound, the street-side gate security took my temperature and waved me through, and I finally I arrived home with my coffee.



All those factories, restaurants, and hotels are closed. That is going to impact employment, demand, and outstanding loan payments significantly.

They had some bank runs and protests over there but those leaked videos got deleted pretty quickly.

 

[OldLady]

I can only imagine the riots which would occur if the US government tried to quarantine cities or towns.

G, are you trying to panic us? They had what -- 80,000 sick people ? -- we've got 500, after a month?

 

[g5000]

I can only imagine the riots which would occur if the US government tried to quarantine cities or towns.

G, are you trying to panic us? They had what -- 80,000 sick people ? -- we've got 500, after a month?

No, I am not trying to panic you. I just think the study of how individuals, mobs, and governments react in times of crises is very interesting.

These are the kinds of situations which give rise to demagogues who take advantage of the rube herd's fears.

 

[sparky]

"Fema Prison Blues"


I hear the train a comin'
It's rolling round the bend
Ain't seen no anti-vaxer since I don't know when
I'm stuck in Fema prison, and time keeps draggin' on
But that train keeps a rollin' on down to camp Antone

When I was first infected my doctor told me son
"Always wash yer hands boy, to pass this on ain’t fun"
But I spat on a man in Reno just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowing, I hang my head and cry

I bet there's sick folks shackled inside them fema cars
They're probably rethinking of hangin’ cheesy bars
Well you know they had it coming, got no insurance fee
But those people keep a croakin'
And that's what we can’t see

Well if they freed me from fema prison
If that fema train was mine
I’d keep ‘em all up dancing, serve corona with a lime
Far from Fema prison, that's where we want to play
And I'd let that fema whistle blow my blues away

~S~ (w/apologies the the man in black)

 

[Crixus]

I can only imagine the riots which would occur if the US government tried to quarantine cities or towns.

No one would listen.