Talked to two people at two different downtown companies. (Major oil companies). Neither is a decision maker, but they both were on calls in the past 24 hours with the decision makers discussing this issue.

Long story short, we're probably days away from major companies telling people to work from home. That decision hasn't been made yet, but it's very quickly headed that way. (And this was before SHTF this evening)

CoachRTM said:

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Talked to two people at two different downtown companies. (Major oil companies). Neither is a decision maker, but they both were on calls in the past 24 hours with the decision makers discussing this issue.

Long story short, we're probably days away from major companies telling people to work from home. That decision hasn't been made yet, but it's very quickly headed that way. (And this was before SHTF this evening)

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At a major
Meetings on going but very fast ramping up of home testing etc. originally it was Incase this happens we have a few weeks to prepare to all out trying to get ready at a moments notice. Once one case is in the schools or business campuses then it's wfh time. My understanding it's no longer if but when and that time frame is getting squeezed by the day.

Curious if the office building landlords also implement building restrictions or closures, forcing companies to make the decision. Thinking of Brookfield, MetroNational, CBRE etc...

TX04Aggie said:

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Curious if the office building landlords also implement building restrictions or closures, forcing companies to make the decision. Thinking of Brookfield, MetroNational, CBRE etc...

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It may come to that. What we got from Brookfield today:

Quote:

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Brookfield Properties has opted to activate our Influenza Pandemic Response Plan in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and to mitigate the spread of the virus. In our continued commitment to our tenants and visitors, we have developed the guidelines below to ensure effective communications on landlord and tenant roles, responsibilities, and expectations.

1) What has Brookfield Properties done in response to COVID-19?

• Reviewed and activated our internal Influenza Pandemic Response Plan
• Increased cleaning on frequently touched surfaces at our properties, based on cleaning contractors' pandemic cleaning protocols
• Where possible, installed hand sanitizer dispensers throughout common areas, in all public washrooms, and at security / concierge desks
• Met with building suppliers and contractors to request they review and update their pandemic plans
• Implemented "Prevent the Spread" posters and screens to remind people of health and hygiene best practices
• Continued monitoring of status of COVID-2019 via the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and local public health agencies
• Implemented our internal pandemic communications plan for Brookfield Properties employees including but not limited to:
• Limiting travel of employees to/from high risk countries
• Requiring employees who have returned from high risk countries to self-quarantine and contact HR

2) What is expected of our tenants?

• Review your pandemic and continuity plans and ensure they contain contingency plans for:
• Appropriate quarantine, travel, and telework options for employees should they be required
• A depletion of services in the building
• Office location(s) and/or building closures
• Advise building management immediately of any presumptive and/or confirmed COVID-19 cases within your premises, whether employees, visitors, service providers etc.
• Advise building management immediately should you elect to evacuate your premises
• Continue to monitor official sources (e.g. WHO, CDC) for updates on the status of COVID-19
• Develop employee education and awareness programs

3) How will the building be disinfected?

• Building cleaning staff will disinfect frequently touched common area surfaces such as but not limited to sinks, faucets, handles, push-plates, railings, doorknobs, counters, elevator buttons, lobby chairs, lobby tables, etc.
• Building cleaning staff utilize disinfecting products effective against pathogenic micro-organisms

4) What can tenants expect from Brookfield Properties going forward?

• Brookfield Properties will take every reasonable effort to keep our properties operational and open for business
• Brookfield Properties will ensure all building service providers and suppliers have a pandemic plan in place
• Brookfield Properties will not be screening visitors to the building
• Brookfield Properties will be screening contractors upon check-in and entry to the building
• Brookfield Properties will ensure common spaces are operational and cleaned in accordance with CDC's recommendations
• Brookfield Properties will ensure any location(s) advised by local health authorities to have been visited by an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 are closed and disinfected in accordance with CDC's recommendations
• Brookfield Properties will continue to provide cleaning services for tenant space and will endeavor to accommodate any additional or specialized tenant cleaning requests should the situation arise where building cleaners are no longer able to take on new requests, Brookfield Properties will immediately advise tenants
• Tenants will be responsible for procuring any desired Personal Protective Equipment (e.g. gloves, surgical masks, etc.) for their employees or visitors
• Brookfield Properties will advise tenants of any confirmed COVID-19 case within the building

The most up to date information can be obtained from The Center for Disease Control website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Management Office

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CoachRTM said:

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Talked to two people at two different downtown companies. (Major oil companies). Neither is a decision maker, but they both were on calls in the past 24 hours with the decision makers discussing this issue.

Long story short, we're probably days away from major companies telling people to work from home. That decision hasn't been made yet, but it's very quickly headed that way. (And this was before SHTF this evening)

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I'm at a major and we have a call this afternoon about it (I'm on it...not a decision maker), wouldn't be surprised if we're working from home next week

Yeah, thinking it will be a chain reaction.

No company is gonna take the heat.

What will an oil major sending out a work from home notice say to operators and others? That's my concern with my workplace. Most of our guys are on the shop floor assembling machines in close proximity to others. If company comes out and says mandatory 6' distancing there is definitely a certain type that is going to probably want to be allowed to stay home since that means they can't do their jobs safely. Or they'll ask for gas masks.

rilloaggie said:

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We got a standard "Wash your hands" type email from Transwestern either last week or Monday. We will see if they follow it up with any more serious plans. They are quick to email when a pair of ducks nest in the flower beds so I am sure they have their top Brendas on it!

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I don't mean to derail, but I'd love to hear this story if you don't mind.

k2aggie07 said:

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What will an oil major sending out a work from home notice say to operators and others? That's my concern with my workplace. Most of our guys are on the shop floor assembling machines in close proximity to others. If company comes out and says mandatory 6' distancing there is definitely a certain type that is going to probably want to be allowed to stay home since that means they can't do their jobs safely. Or they'll ask for gas masks.

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I'm waiting to see how all this gets handled, too. Operators are highly trained employees. More than a few out sick or on quarantine (or even just refusing to come to work), and you can quickly have a major staffing issue. I'm hoping shutdowns don't happen, but it certainly seems like a real possibility at this point.

Most ISDs are on spring break this week. CISD said they would update Friday and I am not expecting my kids to be going back to school next week. I am assuming most others will be the same. After that we can expect the companies to follow suit.

Ghost91 said:

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rilloaggie said:

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We got a standard "Wash your hands" type email from Transwestern either last week or Monday. We will see if they follow it up with any more serious plans. They are quick to email when a pair of ducks nest in the flower beds so I am sure they have their top Brendas on it!

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I don't mean to derail, but I'd love to hear this story if you don't mind.

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My office is on Highway 6, just south of Buffalo Bayou. I can see the construction at the dam from my window. We have several nasty ass Muscovy ducks that are always running around crapping everywhere. I've been working in the building since October and I know I've gotten two memos from Transwestern letting tenants know to leave the ducks alone. I found the email...

[url=https://ibb.co/ctkDqSs][/url]
share pic online

TurkeyBaconLeg said:

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I got one BIG freaking question today.

So, the guy in Montgomery County that was the spark that the Houston Mayor used to cancel the rodeo IS NOT A CONFIRMED CASE OF CORONAVIRUS!

He is a "Presumptive" case until the CDC confirms.

I would assume that today they would have the results back from the CDC? How F-ed up would it be if this Montgomery County guy doesnt really have Coronavirus?

Do you think they will tell us?

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We will never hear from him again.

Do they tell us that the 10 cases from Egypt have all left the hospital dead or alive? Nope?

wessimo said:

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Presumptive means he tested positive at the Houston lab. All positive results are sent to CDC for confirmation. The probability that this is a false positive is low.

I have suspicions that the call to cancel the rodeo was made based on additional info on community spread that has not been made public yet.

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So where the hell are the results of the CDC Confirmation?

Community spread is here.

Bluto06 said:

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Community spread is here.

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That is from yesterday and still says "presumptive positive"

TurkeyBaconLeg said:

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wessimo said:

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Presumptive means he tested positive at the Houston lab. All positive results are sent to CDC for confirmation. The probability that this is a false positive is low.

I have suspicions that the call to cancel the rodeo was made based on additional info on community spread that has not been made public yet.

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So where the hell are the results of the CDC Confirmation?

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CDC is slow. Takes 2-3 days.

Jack Cheese said:

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Bluto06 said:

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Community spread is here.

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Get outta here with these facts. TurkeyBaconLeg is mad as hell about the rodeo and needs to just have his tantrum.

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No. I am questioning the process. Why even use the term presumptive if we are going to treat all the positive tests as conclusive? Have there been cases of a positive test being wrong?

Why the hell even have a test at this point? Just assume everyone has it and cancel everything. Seriously.

Jack Cheese said:

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It's been explained on this thread. There are 2 stages to the test.

Your straw man arguments are not helpful, and you're being a drama queen about the rodeo.

"Flatten the curve". Look it up.

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Ok we flatten the curve. Cancel all schools. Then people have to take care of kids. Are they allowed to go to daycare, or do they have to be in an environment with less than 10 people.

Can we go to the grocery store? There could be 1 carrier in there that spreads it to everyone in the store then they take it home with them.

I think there is an issue, but cancelling everything is an overreaction. On top of people out because this week was their spring break, we now have to short staff because of the unplanned days off this Thursday and Friday for people with kinds in those districts.

Jack Cheese said:

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It's been explained on this thread. There are 2 stages to the test.

Your straw man arguments are not helpful, and you're being a drama queen about the rodeo.

"Flatten the curve". Look it up.

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Flatten the curve makes a lot of sense.

But, I just don't know why we are bothering with this "presumptive" language then. Warranted or not, the panic has set in. Yesterday with all the cancellations marked a point of no return. I seriously think that if we are going to go down this path, we should just assume everyone is infected or will be infected and shut down the country.

Stop messing around with testing and treat the worst cases and let the rest of us survive off of our own immune systems the best we can.

That is what is going to happen anyway.

Bondag said:

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Jack Cheese said:

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It's been explained on this thread. There are 2 stages to the test.

Your straw man arguments are not helpful, and you're being a drama queen about the rodeo.

"Flatten the curve". Look it up.

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Ok we flatten the curve. Cancel all schools. Then people have to take care of kids. Are they allowed to go to daycare, or do they have to be in an environment with less than 10 people.

Can we go to the grocery store? There could be 1 carrier in there that spreads it to everyone in the store then they take it home with them.

I think there is an issue, but cancelling everything is an overreaction. On top of people out because this week was their spring break, we now have to short staff because of the unplanned days off this Thursday and Friday for people with kinds in those districts.

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I think a big issue with the schools right now is, at least for the ones on spring break right now, everyone coming back from traveling to who-knows-where.

When school dismissed last week, the only concerns were people who may travel to China, Italy, South Korea, etc. The policy was that anyone who traveled to those areas would have to self-quarantine.

Now, there are concerns about people who may have traveled to Seattle, NY, California, and other domestic locations.

Our school hasn't cancelled, but I fully expect it to do so. It buys them at least a week where people can stay home and see if they have symptoms rather than returning to schools asymptomatic and spreading the illness before they feel sick.

And if people choose not to stay home and spread the virus elsewhere, at least no one can blame the schools.

Apparently we live in a society where many parents are unable to provide even the basics for their children. From a NYTimes article on NY schools:

Quote:

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New York City has the largest public school system in the United States, a vast district with about 750,000 children who are poor, including around 114,000 who are homeless.

For such students, school may be the only place they can get three hot meals a day and medical care, and even wash their dirty laundry.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/07/nyregion/nyc-schools-coronavirus.html

Because of that:

Quote:

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That is why the city's public schools will probably stay open even if the new coronavirus becomes more widespread in New York. Richard A. Carranza, the schools chancellor, said earlier this week that he considered long-term closings an "extreme" measure and a "last resort."

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Gator03 said:

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Apparently we live in a society where many parents are unable to provide even the basics for their children. From a NYTimes article on NY schools:

Quote:

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New York City has the largest public school system in the United States, a vast district with about 750,000 children who are poor, including around 114,000 who are homeless.

For such students, school may be the only place they can get three hot meals a day and medical care, and even wash their dirty laundry.

---

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/07/nyregion/nyc-schools-coronavirus.html

Because of that:

Quote:

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That is why the city's public schools will probably stay open even if the new coronavirus becomes more widespread in New York. Richard A. Carranza, the schools chancellor, said earlier this week that he considered long-term closings an "extreme" measure and a "last resort."

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NYC has turned into an old money/artist/welfare colony. The financial sector manages the old money and invests it in the hinterlands to earn a handsome return that can be taxed astronomically and still buy luxuries and entertainment. The taxes are then recycled into the welfare and patronage systems to keep the power structure happy. There's very little base industrial value creation going on in places like this, it's all being farmed out.

The hinterlands are the golden goose in all of this, to the extent that money goes to awful, unreliable places, well, you have supply chain disruptions and systemic political risk.

Houston Community College has its Spring Break next week. Faculty and staff were just notified that the break has been extended to the following Wednesday --- just as A&M has decided. A "survey" was sent to all students Wednesday, asking them to describe their online/Internet abilities. My department head recommended that I remove everything that I might need for the rest of the semester from my office in anticipation of a shutdown. She also sent a "gentle reminder" that we should anticipate working remotely from home and to be creative in the way we might convert "live classes" to online class.

I'm getting married in Spring on March 28. 147 people RSVP'd yes. Should I be getting nervous about being able to still have it? Is wedding "insurance" a thing? TIA