Since there is no way to know whether you would survive infection, even if you were healthy before (e.g. there could be some condition that you were unaware of), it seems a crazy risk.

Grace, try wrapping any cotton items in a dry towel. It helps a lot with the drying time. This is how I wash my woollens (I need to start ASAP) and anything delicate. They last much longer that way.

I would get on the phone to that service, gracious, and see if they can arrange some kind of delivery for you. Businesses like that are hurting, and have been getting creative about ways to keep going.

One thing I noticed when I moved to this area is the lack of services (and manners) that one might expect to find in a more urban setting. The lady laughed at me when I asked about delivery two-and-a-half weeks ago. In fact, she said that drop-off service is not essential, and that she is thinking of closing the counter completely. I said that drop-off is essential for people who cannot wash their own clothes, and I was met with silence.

Too bad, she would have made a killing off me. I would forego food to pay for clean clothes, even.

That's a good idea. Any tips on washing cottons by hand? Pants, shirts, etc.

Wash cotton and wool in cold water, with delicate detergent. When I can find it, I use Castile soap, or even shampoo, which is delicate because it goes on our head. I don't leave clothes in the water for too long, and rinse them by squeezing them under running water. Anything I wash only by hand will last much, much longer. I use the towel method with woollen sweaters (I do it every year at the end of the colder season). The towel will soak up the water, and will help your garment keep its shape. I have a small drying rack, which I put in the bathtub. If you have a larger one, you can wash more than one item at the time.

Update on my situation:

Someone suggested I try the county Office for the Aging because they have volunteers to do various things for the elderly, and perhaps they might extend their services to the disabled-but-not-elderly-yet. So I thought I would call. I left a voicemail message pleading my case (I'm in an apartment complex reserved for the elderly and disabled, their office has brought care packages to these apartments in the past, and I'm part of the vulnerable population confined at home under Matilda's Law). We'll see if anyone responds.

My 80 year old sister tells me that a worker at the grocery store nearest her seniors-only building has tested positive. Last time she got her own groceries was two weeks ago, but she's pretty sure many people from her building have been there more recently. This could get bad; many of the deaths here have been in nursing homes, and while her place is not exactly a nursing home, it's the next thing - they all have their own apartments, but there's nobody under about 75 in the place, and lots of people in poor health. My other sister, who is just a little younger and has a husband well into his eighties with a couple of different health challenges, also shops there.

This brings it closer to home than I'm happy with. Oh well, it was bound to come.

I am very sorry to hear that. Hope they manage to keep things under control, although it's not easy. As far as I am concerned, we haven't yet been affected, but things are not good in other parts of the US. On the other hand, a couple of friends of mine in Milan have lost a close friend, a 42-year-old man who coached an American football team. This disease does not spare people who are younger and in good shape, if their luck runs out.

Well in the last day I found out a former coworker (who still works in my building) probably has it, my aunt definitely has it, my uncle probably has it, and my high school friend possibly has it (she is a health care worker and was exposed to a coworker who tested positive).

Also, a friend I know online knows someone who died of it.

And this morning my son woke up throwing up. Luckily it was mostly water and that's the only thing he has (no fever or anything) and we haven't been anywhere, so it's probably just his poor handwashing, but it was enough to make me concerned. I've probably taken his temperature 50 times already this morning!

Things for my family are pretty much the same – at the same time weirdly different.

My immediate family is small – 5 people . We all still have our job & we still see each other daily. My husband & I own/operate a dairy farm (cows). Our youngest daughter is a registered veterinary technician, but still lives at home & helps on the farm as needed on her days off from her vet tech job. Our other daughter & her husband (& their little one) have a dairy goat herd & also help us daily on our farm.

For all of us, being bored due to being couped up inside is not a problem. We have lots of space and can go outside anytime we want. Our work keeps us all busy and has us out of the house as much (or more) than we are in. April through late October/early November are our busiest months -- we will be outside much more over the next 7 or so months as our workload increases.

We are limiting our trips off the farm as much as possible. We try to combine the grocery shopping with trips to town for other farm supplies. (It isn’t always possible.) When equipment breaks we have to go out to get the parts needed to fix it – more often than not it has to be fixed now (rather than later). The nature of our work also depends on other people visiting our farm for essential reasons to the operation of our farm – vet, people delivering feed & other farm supplies, our milk is picked up every other day, etc. to name just a few.

As with almost everything else, our normal routine changes rapidly (almost daily) these days. More rules & protocols to follow and everything takes longer than usual to do as a result.

We live in an area that covers a wide range of agriculture that supplies our food – dairy (cow & goat), beef, pig, poultry & egg farms, cash crop (wheat, corn, soybeans, etc.), ginseng, apple orchards, potatos, pumpkins & melons, and various other fruit and vegetable farms. At this point many farmer’s have major concerns ... some cash crop farmer’s are trying to figure out what crops they should be planting; vegetable farmer’s don’t know if they will have enough workers to get their (full) crop in and harvested; the farmer’s who have berry patches (blueberry, strawberry, raspberry), orchards & ginseng don’t know if they will have enough people to do the day the day work between now & harvest time &/or pick the crop when the time comes. (Asparagus farmers are especially concerned as asparagus harvest is only a couple of weeks away and so far most do not have nearly enough workers to harvest their full crop.)

A glimmer of hope and proof that social distancing seems to work:
Our Headlines today
"Daily number of coronavirus cases in Hong Kong drops to four"
I posted here before that our deaths to date number 4. We have been following the rules since Jan as we had learned from the SARS outbreak. Today's news may be a sign that we are getting better. So please , stay home!

I've been going out and driving around all by myself, which is still allowed here. Just to be out of my place and see some life. They asked us to stay off the highways though, especially this long weekend. an accident - and it seems there always are accidents on the highwsy on long weekends - would involve close contact with other people, plus possibly take up mecical resources. Makes sense to me. With traffic as light as it is, the chances of a serious accident in the city are pretty low, but it's different at higway speeds.

Lots of people out on the streets walking this weekend as its finally starting to look a little like spring. Almost everyone I Saw keeping their distance, though. The only people I noticed in groupd were obvious parents with their little children, or some couples hand in hand. Quite a few people obviously having a visit, but walking along talking to each other from opposite sides of the road!

I think I might visit my sister this week - I can sit on her front step and she can stay inside, and we can chat through the screen door. Be pretty easy to be about ten feet apart.

Oh there are still lots of people out on the roads here. Going to work it was empty, but the traffic outside my neighborhood seems only down slightly from normal.

We are not permitted to go out for drives in our cars, we would most likely be stopped by the police and asked the nature of our journey, it needs to be either medical, essential shopping, travelling to and from work or deliveries. Unless it is work you are only permitted out of the house or two hours each day, and that includes getting to work and back, obviously that cannot be policed though, it is a matter of trust.

Two hours sounds lovely to me Sue. We are only allowed out once a week for food shopping. No shortages though. I have been stopped many times by police asking where I am going. Only the supermarkets closest to your house.

No going for a spin in the car here either, unless it's for necessary shopping, a medical emergency or work. And the time limit for an outing for exercise (jog/walk) is 1 hour and within a radius of 1km from your home. No cycling. If all goes well by 11 May things should ease up a little. Here's to hoping everyone will be sensible!

No, no restrictions on driving here at all.

I wonder if it's because we're so much less crowded here in western Canada than in Europe, or if it's just due to the virus not having really hit us too hard yet, and those restrictions are coming?

I'm not too worried that I'm doing anything dangerous, as I'm not getting out of my car or interacting with other people when I drive. And lord knows they'd like us to be buying gasoline - our oil and gas based economy has essentially collapsed.

Is anyone else scared about the news that there will be a second wave of this in the fall?

That is nor 'normal people', I am 72 and with underlying health problems so need to avoid people at all times so have to get a neighbour to shop for me.

My-neighbour-who's-a-saint (NHS nurse practitioner) did some shopping for me last week and of course the day afterwards I managed to get a delivery slot with one of the supermarkets - it was with great joy that I was able to phone her and ask "want any shopping?"

I've registered with the community helpline which is a national network of volunteers organised by local authorities - close to a million people have volunteered to do things like fetch medication, pick up bits of shopping, etc. and I have to say that so far everyone has been very helpful and very efficient.

Still lighter traffic than normal on the roads here in Western NC, but enough cars on the road that you wouldn't notice anything truly unusual was occurring. The most noticeable difference is the empty parking lots and closed store fronts. So these people are going somewhere, Im just not sure where.

Just got the stimulus check in the bank today, direct deposit.

I'm still employed, thankfully my employer is paying the two of us left on hourly payroll for 40 hours, even though we have not worked more than 35 for the last two weeks.

Fearful about unemployment, the friends I have who have had to go that route have not seen the mythical $600 increase since applying over a month ago. The official line is that it is coming and will be back-paid. I am interested in this because I might have to file for unemployment here soon if our business continues its slow agonizing death spiral.

Cases are increasing by a few each day here in my county, up to 38 now with 1 death. An adjacent county has 4 deaths and about 40 confirmed cases!

Its funny what people are hoarding... garbanzo beans (?) and dried beans in general, though pintos are in ready supply, dried rice, soy milk (?) ramen noodles (all flavors except shrimp). I went to an Asian market that is still open and they had 25# and 50# bags of rice for sale, and plenty of them... most of the folks here are probably unaware of that and wouldn't go into it anyway because, well, its Asian, and in general the average Bubba living here is that subset of the greater population that thinks that East Asians are maliciously walking around giving the virus to us all. So that's a hidden gem and supply source for me!

My parents are both older and immuno-compromised but they are faring well. I check on them several times daily and make sure they are keeping up with their body temperatures.

What a crazy time! I hope you all are well.

I found out today , we have been 14 weeks in lockdown! If I wasn't loony before I sure am now.

I've noticed that driving from near Stafford to Sterling for work. I can drive freeway speeds westbound on 66 at 5:30, so that's nice, as normally, westbound 66 at that time of day is a parking lot!

I have wondered whether public transport might not be a big factor. Most of the areas in France which have been hardest hit, apart from a region where a large religious assembly was held early on and a ski area, are in the big metropolitan areas which are heavily dependent on public transport. It could help explain why California, which is heavily car dependent, has a much lower rate than the big metropolitan areas in the East. It would also help explain why minorities are harder hit in the US and many European countries.