In the last week, Houston therapist Kara Smith has had to field several questions about COVID-19.

One client asked if everyone who contracts the virus dies; another asked if she will suspend her practice. A third asked if the virus can be passed to pets.

I am seeing a wide range of reactions to this pandemic, said Smith, a licensed clinical social worker. As stories arise, such as the cancellation of the Rodeo and the remainder of the NBA season, clients anxiety levels are rising. Many clients are worried about losing their jobs, especially those in the supply chain, oil and gas, or travel and leisure industries.

But people who do not normally seek mental health services are feeling an uptick in anxiety as well, partly due to a sudden sense of loneliness and isolation, as working from home and social distancing become more prevalent.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Not feeling well? Here are some practical home remedies

Mental health, self-care practices one can do alone from home

For your body:

Eat more nutritional foods

Drink less caffeine

Eat less sugar

Exercise

For your mind:

Deep breathing

Mindfulness

Journaling your thoughts, body sensations and emotions

Play games

Do a crossword puzzle

Read a book

Limit exposure to coronavirus media to one or two times per day

Yoga

Learn something new

Discover new music

For your spirit:

Read religious, spiritual or metaphysical literature

Watch a religious, spiritual or metaphysical video or listen to a podcast

See if your place of worship will offer online streaming or religious services

Connect with nature (go outside, care for a houseplant, look out the window at nature)

Spend time with your pets

Meditation

Reach out to someone outside your household at least once a day. It is important for us to stay connected to others during this time.

Source: Kara Smith, Houston licensed clinical social worker

What are people the most afraid of? Other people, Smith said.

The most difficult thing for most of my clients to do is to trust that other people are protecting us as much as we are protecting ourselves, she said. As we hear stories about people who were asked to self-quarantine going to crowded places, the ability to trust those around us to do the right thing decreases.

These heightened feelings are normal, and its important to understand the difference between anxiety, obsessive compulsive patterns and coronavirus news-induced feelings of panic.

Dr. Elizabeth McIngvale is the co-director of the Houston OCD program and president of the Peace of Mind Foundation, a nonprofit organization with the goal of helping people who suffer from various types of obsessive compulsive disorder.

Certainly during this time, we see a lot more increased fear responses and anxiety, McIngvale said. What were seeing are more patients who arent normally at our clinic. Were really seeing anxiety and panic take over and be part of the general population at this point.

Anxiety levels spike in a general population during times of uncertainty, like when theres a hurricane in the Gulf. But with a virus like COVID-19, which is spread person-to-person and takes days to show symptoms, there is an extra level of fear. Constant news updates, mile-long lines at grocery stores and supply shortages can contribute to a collective feeling of urgency or panic.

Theres this added level of responsibility that if Im not cautious enough, I can catch it, spread it and itll be my fault, McIngvale said. Youre going to definitely see that people are making decisions based on risk.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Four hacks to help you sleep better

Measures to slow the spread of coronavirus have extended much further than wash your hands for 20 seconds. Most large gatherings have been canceled, and companies are encouraging their employees to work from home if theyre capable. This weekend, the House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which mandates employers provide paid sick time to employees who qualify.

Americans crave communion with others, and self-isolation can play into a greater feeling of anxiety, and in some cases, depression.

As people isolate more and socialize less, they are more prone to feelings of loneliness and restlessness, if not anxiety and depression, Smith said. If people are asked to remain at home for days, it may also bring up trauma memories of Hurricane Harvey, leaving people feeling trapped, isolated and helpless.

The best thing to do is take better care of ourselves in body, mind and spirit, Smith said.

McIngvale and Smith both recommend limiting exposure to coronavirus media to one or two times per day because constant exposure can increase feelings of anxiety and panic.

Also, find a credible source, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or a trusted media source,, and only get information from there. Pay attention to recommendations and guidelines, but try to avoid the rest if youre feeling uneasy.

Finally, use the appropriate amount of caution, but dont overdo it.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Quarantined? Take the time to declutter your home

When anxiety is taking over, we start to see 20-second recommended hand washes turn into multiple hand washes and an inability to leave the kitchen because theyre stuck washing their hands, McIngvale said. When is it a normal response or when is it (obsessive compulsive) or anxiety taking over?

Social distancing can also affect people who rely on in-person communities, such as Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous, to stay accountable in their recovery from drugs and alcohol. A good alternative is In The Rooms, an online support group website with video meetings.

Many therapists, including Smith, offer video therapy appointments in lieu of in-person visits. Its important to stay accountable and on top of your mental health even if youre under quarantine, McIngvale said. At area hospitals, telemedicine apps are being used in as many consultations as possible, especially those not related to coronavirus.

Anxiety and a little bit of uneasiness are normal during this time, McIngvale said. But most people should return to functioning. If its consistent and affecting your life, seek help before it causes any major disruption.

julie.garcia@chron.com

Twitter.com/reporterjulie

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Julie Garcia is a features reporter at the Houston Chronicle focusing on health, fitness and outdoors.

Originally from Port Neches, Texas, Julie has worked as a community journalist in South Texas cities since 2010. In Beaumont and Port Arthur, she wrote feature stories and breaking news before moving to the Victoria Advocate as an assistant sports editor writing about high school sports and outdoors. Most recently, she worked at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in areas spanning city and county government, new business, affordable housing, breaking news and health care. In 2015, she covered the Memorial Day floods in Wimberley, Texas, and in 2017, she was a lead reporter covering Hurricane Harvey as it affected the Coastal Bend region. These experiences have pushed her toward exploring environmental journalism and climate change.

A textbook water sign, Julie is an advocate for people feeling their feelings and wants to help people tell their stories. When not at work, shes probably riding around in her Jeep looking at all the tall buildings.

Have a story to tell? Email her at Julie.Garcia@chron.com. For everything else, check her on Twitter @reporterjulie.

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How to keep your mental health in check during the coronavirus pandemic - Houston Chronicle

Ive been stuck inside ill for the last couple of weeks. During this time, I thought to myself what would I do if I was stuck at home and had to entertain my kid as well?, wrote Vicky Blyde, a parent from the UK.

So she started writing a list of ways to keep a child of infant school age occupied without simply putting the TV on. Full disclosure: Id also shove the TV on, Blyde wrote.

As more and more schools are closing and I see more of my friends are self-isolating with their families, I hope this list is helpful to some of you!

Blydes suggestions include cooking and baking together, making models from rubbish, making paper planes, building dens, carrying out basic home science experiments, making paper chains from old magazines, dressing up, putting on a fashion show and setting treasure hunts.

Image: Origami is among the suggestions from UK mum Vicky Blyde

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Mum shares list of child-friendly activities, to help self-isolating families - Positive News - Positive.News

With the current coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) upon us, youve likely heard health officials, celebrities, and even the friends you were supposed to go out for drinks with tonight, stress the need for social distancing. But as a relatively new phrase, there maybe some confusion over what it means and why it's important for us to follow right now.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines social distancing as remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible. Its the reason many colleges are finishing out the spring semester online, Broadway shows are on hiatus, and cinemas are only allowing half as many people in as usual.

The best way to better protect yourself from developing COVID-19 are things you can do right now: wash your hands, avoid large crowds, and stay home if you feel ill.

It's all in an effort to try and minimize the number of germs that pass from one person to another. Anytime we interact with other people, we exchange microbes bacteria or viruses, says David Larsen, Ph.D., M.P.H., an epidemiologist and assistant professor of public health at Syracuse University. Each interaction carries a probability of a transmission, and in the case of an outbreak of an infectious disease, if you decrease those interactions, you can decrease the probability of transmission events. Essentially, if a person practices social distancing, they can protect themselves, he says, but if an entire community practices it, you can possibly stop a virus in its tracks.

In fact, theres a graph circulating online that features two bell curves: one that goes up and down steeply past a horizontal line indicating the capacity of our healthcare system (illustrating the current track were on), and one whose rise and fall is more gradual and doesn't surpass that horizontal line (illustrating what might happen with more protective measures in place).

Since our healthcare industry can handle only so many severe cases at once, if COVID-19 spreads too quickly, well be in big trouble: Experts say that 10-20% of people with the disease may require hospitalization. With that number of hospitalizations, you can overwhelm the system and get into situations where theres insufficient care available for all the people that need it, says Larsen. We want to avoid being in a position where doctors are trying to decide who gets a ventilator, where theres not enough available for the people who need it to continue living, which is happening in Italy. Healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, technicians, etc.) may also start to get sick, bringing down the quality of care and triggering a rise in fatality, he notes. If you wait for the curve of the graph to rise before you take precautions, it could be too late to make a difference, but the right precautions can "flatten the curve."

But even if you're feeling fine, or aren't in the group of higher-risk people, practicing social distancing is important. One problem with COVID-19 is that some people, especially those who are younger, have only mild symptoms or none at all. New science suggests that people can spread the virus before they are symptomatic, says Larsen. Theres whats called a latency period between the time when you are infected and when you exhibit symptoms. This means that someone who seems pretty healthy could infect others without even realizing they carry the virus.

Unfortunately, testing isnt widespread right now so we dont know exactly who has COVID-19, which makes it more difficult to contain. It is believed that one positive person can transmit the virus to two or three other people, which results in those two to three affecting more people, says Peter Gulick, D.O., professor of medicine at MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. The mild or asymptomatic are high-risk as they are not sick enough to know to stay away from crowds, whereas those who feel sick usually visit a doctor or ER. We can mitigate the spread if we disassemble the crowds.

Remember: If youre exhibiting symptoms, call your doctor and let them know and decide on a course of action, says Dr. Gulick. Even if you dont have symptoms, but youre an older adult or a person who has heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes, youre at a higher risk of developing life-threatening complications from COVID-19 and should follow these precautions from the CDC.

However, social distancing doesn't mean you can't leave your house, or have fun with friends. It's important to remember to practice it within reason. We need to do things, we need to go out and be human, says Larsen. We need food and we need social interaction to be healthy. But voluntary things like attending large events, large gatherings, and voluntary travel we should try to decrease those.

Instead of going out to drinks with friends, try doing a virtual hangout where every can still interactive with one another. And rather than taking a spin class at your gym, go for a jog outside. Remember, you're not just doing this for yourself, you're helping your entire community, especially people who are at higher-risk for serious illness from COVID-19, including older adults, and those who have serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by say, working from home, or if you're experiencing anxiety over the coronavirus, there are certain things you can do to keep yourself healthy, including: eating well, getting enough sleep, and communicating with friends and family via phone and text.

For helpful resources regarding coronavirus, visit: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Coronavirus Disease 2019 fact page and The National Association of County and City Health Officials' directory of local health departments.

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What Is Social Distancing and Why Is It So Important During the Coronavirus Outbreak? - GoodHousekeeping.com

Give your mum the gift of a lie in or a sex toy. Photograph: Alamy

Mothers Day has got weird. Hasnt it? As I remember it, next Sundays celebration has traditionally been a morning of handmade cards rashy with glitter, a proud bunch of tulips and perhaps jammy toast in bed. Of course these traditions have evolved Ive been aware, as age has come, of the increasing number of afternoon tea deals and heavy marketing of heavy perfumes, neither of which offer much change from a hundred pound note. Soaps stand in for apologies, hand creams are purchased in lieu of a conversation about the past. Here is a bath bomb, signifying regret. This year however, I am conscious of a shift.

A ping, an email: The case for buying your mum a vibrator New sex toy retailer offering 25% off Mothers Day gifts. I dont think of myself as a prude, though yes, I can see the appeal. I can see the appeal of identifying as such, and so being free to ignore the sweaty sexualities of others, their glazed little eyes when somebody says angina. Prudishness has much going for it, but I am a modern woman, able to contemplate and acknowledge the private shadowlands of my fellow passengers evenings without judgment. But Christ, not my MUM. Lovely lady, but she is, always has been and must always remain sexless, thank you. Its not appropriate to gift a vibrator to the woman whose genitalia one once emerged from. Its not appropriate, and its not nice.

Among the other mad and maddening suggestions for Mothers Day ideas Ive tripped up on this week were a list of Instagram captions to pay tribute to your mum, helpfully divided into funny (Cheers to the woman who gave up wine for nine months, just for me), cute, song lyrics and quotes (A mothers arms are more comforting than anyone elses, Princess Diana). The idea here being that a person can copy and paste her love from a pre-approved selection, only one typing finger necessary to @ literally the person who created her. Im struggling to imagine something that requires less effort. Blinking, perhaps. Raising a buttock for a muted fart.

More creative, yet just as baffling is the new scheme in Hull providing small thank-you cards for strangers to give to mothers they see breastfeeding in public. Again, weird. Why should a passerby be thankful a stranger was feeding their child? If the card came from the suckling kid hanging off her chafed tit on a cold March morning I could perhaps see the logic.

Elsewhere, the Daily Mail has published a list of self-help books to give as Mothers Day gifts, which, call me old-fashioned, I would very much take as a passive-aggressive snipe from an unappreciative whinger whos neither paid me back for last years loan nor, clearly, is willing to listen to my advice on eyebrow plucking. And finally, in the window of Boots (which last year did a Mothers Day promotion on intimate feel condoms, and has this year added a rack of Berocca to their seasonal display) a sign urging customers to celebrate Mothers Day by purchasing menopause hero products for them, including discreet bottles of Durex lube. Happy Mothers Day Mummy, just a little something to help your boyfriend guide himself in more smoothly, Xx.

Could the new Mothers Day marketing have been inspired by the campaigns around International Womens Day, which fell with a pinkish clank a fortnight earlier? It is certainly familiar, this soggy combination of commodified female pleasure, misplaced branding and expensive mindfulness. We have become accustomed to being sold our feminine celebrations wrapped in empowerment, accustomed to every female emotion being price-tagged, sugared and sold back to us as feminist. For every occasion women have come to expect a slogan T-shirt telling us how fierce we are, and in every gift bag a book explaining, actually, how we could improve. This is how such celebrations are marked now, in cupcakes and sweet things to help the medicine go down.

The history of Mothers Day can be plotted back to ancient Greece, where they honoured Rhea, mother of many mythological gods who tricked her husband into swallowing a stone rather than their baby; then through to the Roman festival Hilaria, dedicated to another mother goddess, Cybele. In the 1600s, mothers were celebrated in England on the fourth Sunday of Lent, and the day was made official in 1872. Far be it from me to sigh at the modern world it has treated me well; I have two pairs of Uggs but even I can see a disconnect between the gentle honouring of women who bore us, and the sparkling confusion of politicised boredom.

I will fight for the right of women to have afternoon teas at fancy hotels, and to wear a Badass Mama shirt, and for Dior to decorate their catwalk with feminist platitudes (Womens love is unpaid labour) in order to sell high-heeled boots. But personally, this Mothers Day I am hoping to receive the gift of a lie-in, and I will be giving daffodils. My mum can sort out her own vagina.

Email Eva at e.wiseman@observer.co.uk or follow her on Twitter @EvaWiseman

Excerpt from:
Mother's Day marketing is not what it used to be - The Guardian

But the constant spring of information, precautions and warnings, whether it's straight from the CDC or some recirculated, dubiously-sourced post on Facebook, can take a real toll on your mental health.

A pandemic is a rather abstract villain, so it may help to sit down and really consider what specific threats worry you. Do you think you will catch the coronavirus and die? "The fear of death taps into one of our core existential fears," says Bufka. "But you have to think about what your fear is, and how realistic it is." Consider your personal risk and how likely it is that you will actually come in contact with the virus.

Of course, you could have other, more practical fears. "Some people may worry about what would happen if they were moved into self quarantine, or if they're not able to work. They're wondering if they would have access to groceries or childcare," says Bufka. "Again, people have greater abilities to manage hardships than they think they do. Think about a plan. Consider options if you can't telework. Do you have savings? Do you have support?" Being prepared for your fears will help keep them in scale.

Since action can allay our anxieties, you may want to also consider what you can do to help others who may be more affected by the outbreak than you. Service workers, medical workers, hourly workers and people in the restaurant or entertainment industries may have their livelihoods paralyzed or have to put themselves in disproportionate danger. "It will be important for us as communities to think about how to support these individuals whose lives are going to be disrupted," Bufka says. "How can we even this burden and support those who have less options?"

People are going to talk. But if you want to run to a friend to discuss the latest outbreak cluster or your family's contingency plans, try not to create an echo chamber. "If you are overwhelmed, don't necessarily go to someone who has a similar level of fear," Bufka says. "Seek out someone who is handling it differently, who can check you on your anxiety and provide some advice."

If you can't seem to get a handle on your thoughts, professional help can be an option. "It doesn't need to be a long-term thing," Bufka says. "It means you can get some guidance for this specific situation."

In short, don't get so wrapped up in thinking about the coronavirus that you forget the essential, healthy practices that affect your wellbeing every day. "In times of stress, we tend to minimize the importance of our foundation when we really should be paying more attention to it," Bufka says. Make sure you are:

Practicing mindfulness, meditation, yoga or other forms of self care can also help center you in routines and awareness, and keep your mind from wandering into the dark and sometimes irrational unknown.

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How to keep coronavirus fears from affecting your mental health - CNN

Jacinda Ardern with a print-out of the Spinoff 'Flatten the Curve' visual by Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris. (Photo by Dave Rowland/Getty Images)

With the exception of arrivals from the Pacific islands, those coming from every country in the world will be required to self-isolate for a fortnight. It follows the cancellation of the remembrance service scheduled for tomorrow in Christchurch and confirmation of a sixth positive Covid-19 case in New Zealand, a man who had been in the US.

The Spinoffs coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by Spinoff Members. To support this work, join Spinoff Members here.

The New Zealand government has announced a step change in measures to limit the spread of Covid-19, with arrivals from all countries required to self-isolate for a fortnight upon arrival in New Zealand. The measures go into effect from midnight tomorrow, with the Pacific region exempted. Australia is not exempted.

New Zealand will have the strongest restrictions in the world, said Ardern.

In effect, the change means incoming passenger numbers will reduce to a trickle, but the government believes that the public health imperatives outweigh the economic and social implications.

At a media conference in Auckland, Ardern said New Zealand had not seen the volume of cases experienced elsewhere, but needed to flatten the curve.

We must go hard, and we must go early.

The decision will be reviewed in 16 days, and applies only to passengers, not freight. Ardern also announced there will be exit controls applied to those travelling from New Zealand to Pacific islands. No one who had been out of New Zealand in the last 14 days, in casual or close contact within anyone confirmed as having Covid-19 or showing symptoms of illness would be permitted to travel.

Announcements on guidelines for social gatherings, new support measures for people in self-isolation and a business support package will be announced in the next few days.

Previously the requirement to self-isolate applied only to arrivals from South Korea and Italy, as well as New Zealand citizens and permanent residents who have been in mainland China or Iran. A blanket ban on foreign nationals travelling to New Zealand from China and Iran remains in place.

As of midnight Sunday every person entering New Zealand, including returning New Zealand citizens and residents, will be required to enter self isolation for 14 days. Everybody, said Ardern.

The Pacific are exempted from this measure, but they are the only ones. Anyone from these countries, though, will be required to self isolate should they exhibit any Covid-19 symptoms on arrival in New Zealand.

(The Pacific is defined as the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu & Wallis and Futuna.)

The announcements follow a meeting of the Covid-19 Cabinet Committee, set up to coordinate and direct the government response to the outbreak, as well as a full Cabinet meeting.

At the media conference Ardern held aloft a print out of the gif created for The Spinoff by Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris.

The goal is to ultimately flatten the curve. That doesnt mean you have no cases. It means the pace at which you receive them is at a rate such that you can make sure people are cared for in the places they need it most, be it with mild to moderate symptoms at home, or be it in critical care if required, said Ardern.

The decision meant New Zealand would have the widest ranging and toughest border restrictions of any country in the world. We are also encouraging New Zealanders to avoid all non-essential travel overseas this helps reduce the risk of a New Zealander bringing Covid-19 in, said Ardern.

She also announced that all cruise ships would be directed not to come to New Zealand until at least the end of June.

We do not take these decisions lightly, we know these travel restrictions will place a significant strain on the aviation industry and anticipate some routes will reduce or cease for a period of time, she said.

More than a million passengers passed through the border at Auckland International Airport alone in January.

The changes come on a day marked by an intensified New Zealand response to the outbreak.

Early this afternoon a planned service to mark a year since 51 people were killed at prayer in two Christchurch mosques was cancelled. Organisers said the event, which had been scheduled for 3pm tomorrow at the Horncastle Arena, would not go ahead owing to the risk of Covid-19.

Just moments after the announcement, the Ministry of Health revealed that New Zealand had its sixth confirmed case of Covid-19, with a 60-year-old man, who had recently returned from the United States, testing positive in Auckland.

The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said they had taken a pragmatic decision to cancel the Christchurch event. Were very saddened to cancel, but in remembering such a terrible tragedy, we shouldnt create the risk of further harm being done.

In a statement, she said: The advice we received for this event, is that based on people travelling from different parts of the country and from overseas, if there was a case it could be difficult to trace those who had come into contact with that person, so we are taking a cautious approach.

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said: My understanding is what changed was very much a focus on this not being a ticketed event and the risks around traceability. So if there was a case then it would be harder to trace all the contacts that were made. That was probably exacerbated because it is hard not to embrace people at a remembrance service. I think if it had been something else it would be much easier to stand back, but your heart naturally goes out to be people and there is a desire, a need to embrace, and that creates a risk situation.

The health of the community comes first. We were gathering tomorrow to commemorate the worst possible events you could imagine. It would have been worse to have added to it: the fear that it could have acted as a vector.

Spokespeople for the Al Noor and Linwood mosques said they accepted the decision had been made in the public interest, and would hold small gatherings tomorrow for their own communities and Muslims visiting the city. Al Noor spokesperson Tony Green said they would be small events with known members and a few invitees.

The Pasifika event which was to have taken place in Auckland this weekend was yesterday cancelled, but a range of other events, including the St Patricks Day parade on Queen Street and Super Rugby games, have proceeded.

Tomorrows scheduled service in Auckland has also been cancelled.

The sixth positive test for the coronavirus involves an Auckland man in his 60s who recently returned from the US. He did not require hospital treatment and is in self-isolation at his home.

The Ministry of Health said that because he did not become unwell for more than three days after returning home, they do not believe anyone else on his flight is a close contact.

In a statement, the ministry said: Once he became unwell, the man did everything right. When friends in the US alerted him to their possible link to a Covid-19 case in the US, on Wednesday he phoned ahead to the GP and told them of his travel history and his symptoms.

The man was then assessed in his car by his GP, with the GP wearing appropriate protective equipment, and a test swab taken.

A handful of close contacts who were at a church service he attended at 8.30am on Sunday 8 March at St Marys church in East St Papakura shortly before becoming unwell are being contacted and put into monitored self-isolation.

New research suggests that some people may be able to transmit Covid-19 virus for up to three days before they display symptoms. Writing in The Spinoff yesterday, microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles said: This is in line with influenza and several other viral infections. Its obviously a worrying development as it does mean that people may be more infectious in the early stages of Covid-19 than we initially thought.

As well as the six confirmed cases, there are two other cases considered probable officials believe they have had Covid-19.

Health officials are currently scaling up the ability to contact trace individuals who have been able exposed to others with Covid-19, in anticipation of further positive cases.

The ministry statement said: With regard to concerts and other large gatherings we have coming up, including this weekend the ministrys advice is to please stay home if youre unwell.

In Australia, official guidance is that no public events with more than 500 people in attendance should go ahead.

The White House has performed a handbrake turn in its own approach, with President Trump in recent days banning travel from continental Europe for 30 days and declaring a national emergency as the number of positive cases spiral.

Meanwhile New Zealand First minister Tracey Martin has gone into self-isolation. This follows her recent engagements in Washington DC with Peter Dutton, the Australian minister of immigration, who announced yesterday that he had tested positive for Covid-19.

Anyone feeling unwell should ring Healthline on the dedicated Covid-19 number: 0800 358 5453 or ring their GP.

This story was updated at 4.30pm to include the prime ministers announcements.

The Spinoff politics section is made possible by Flick, the electricity retailer giving New Zealanders power over their power. With both spot price and fixed price plans available, you can be sure youre getting true cost and real choice when you join Flick. Support us by making the switch today.

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Covid-19: All arrivals to NZ must self-isolate for 14 days. Heres what you need to know - The Spinoff

A GROWING community is hoping to build a volunteer bank of people who can offer assistance to those self-isolating in their area, across the island.

The proposal is open to anyone, although particular emphasis has been place on people who are elderly, vulnerable or alone.

Help could include getting essential supplies, a friendly phone call or generally assisting people during this difficult time.

The total number of people testing positive for coronavirus rose to 1,140 in the UK yesterday, with a second case confirmed on the Isle of Wight.

If you are part of an organisation that could help coordinate the community response, or an individual wishing to help, please get in touch with IW Coronavirus Community Help Facebook page by clicking here.

Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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Original post:
Isle of Wight community are you able to assist those vulnerable and in self-isolation? - Isle of Wight County Press

Smartphones, buzzers, even yogurt chess has nearly seen it all in both live and online tournaments. And just as in baseball, technology only makes it harder to root out.

Until the sports world ground to a halt last week over the coronavirus outbreak, perhaps the biggest issue looming over professional sports in the United States was the Houston Astros cheating scandal. The revelations of their scheme led Major League Baseballs commissioner, Rob Manfred, to deliver a stern warning to all 30 club owners that there was a culture of cheating in the game.

But baseballs malfeasance sign-stealing or otherwise has nothing on chess. At prestigious live tournaments and among thousands of others playing daily online, cheating is a scourge.

Whether its a secret buzzer planted in a shoe, a smartphone smuggled into the bathroom, a particular flavor of yogurt delivered at a key moment or just online players using computerized chess programs chess has perhaps more cheating than any other game in the world.

Of course it is a problem, said Leinier Domnguez, the Cuban-born player currently ranked No. 1 in the United States. Because with all the advances in technology, its always a possibility. People have more chances and opportunities to do this sort of thing.

In both chess and baseball, both real and rumored instances of cheating have been around for decades, but an explosion in technology and data over the past 10 to 15 years has made the problem much harder to curb for both.

The Astros scheme, which helped propel them to the 2017 World Series title, involved illegally deciphering the signs of opposing catchers via a live video feed and then banging on a trash can to signal the next pitch to the batter. M.L.B. is now grappling with how to prevent similar electronic-based schemes in the future.

In chess, players at live tournaments are now required to leave their phones behind and pass through metal detectors before entering the playing area. Some have even been asked to remove clothing and been searched. And some tournaments now put players behind one-way mirrors to limit visual communication.

But, like the Astros, many chess players still try.

Just last year, a grandmaster named Igors Rausis was caught examining a smartphone in a bathroom stall at a tournament in France. In 2015, Gaioz Nigalidze of Georgia was barred for three years by FIDE, chesss global governing body, and had his grandmaster status revoked for the same offense.

FIDEs anti-cheating commission has recently stepped up its efforts to combat the problem. The group met last month and resolved to give financial support to national federations that need it to help them root out cheating, and will share detection techniques with online chess platforms. They are currently investigating 20 cases.

The cheaters have been winning for a long time, Arkady Dvorkovich, the president of FIDE, said in a telephone interview from Moscow. But in the last few months we showed our determination to fight it and I think people realize it is serious.

In 2013, Borislav Ivanov, a young player from Bulgaria, was essentially forced into retirement after he refused to take off his shoes to be searched for an electronic device that might be used to transmit signals to him. A device was never found Ivanov reportedly refused to remove his shoes because, he claimed, his socks were too smelly but he retired shortly after the tournament.

Dominguez said he did not think the top 20 players in the world cheat: It would be too risky to their reputations, he said. But he was at the 2012 chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, when accusations flew that the French team had used an elaborate cheating scheme. The French team was accused of sending text messages to teammates, who would then stand in prearranged spots in the gallery. Their location was supposedly the signal to a young, unproven player, Sbastien Feller, for the next move.

Feller denied the accusations but was suspended by the French chess federation, which said it discovered numerous suspicious texts. That penalty was later overruled by a French court.

Dominguez was not playing Feller, but saw the furor at the time and its effects even on clean players.

One of the dangers is that you get a bit paranoid about these things, Dominguez said. Maybe in baseball as well. You feel insecure and lose focus on your game.

There are players who cheat by sandbagging intentionally playing poorly in order to qualify for a lower tournament and win the prize money. There are some who create fake accounts online, build up the stature of that account, and then beat it in order to improve their own ranking. Sometimes opponents agree to an outcome and share meager prize money.

In 1978, Viktor Korchnoi accused Anatoly Karpov of cheating with blueberry yogurt. After Karpov received purple yogurt from a waiter during the game, Korchnoi worried that the flavor was a signal from someone on the outside.

Korchnoi later claimed his accusation was a joke, but officials took it seriously, ultimately mandating that the same snack would be delivered to both players at a predetermined time.

It sounds crazy, said Gerard Le-Marechal, a full-time monitor and anti-cheating detective for Chess.com, one of the worlds largest online chess platforms. But its a legitimate concern because there are so many ways to help a player.

Le-Marechal is one of six people employed by the website to combat cheating. They rely on sophisticated algorithms of statistical data, and Le-Marechal says he gets ping alerts throughout the day about cheaters many amateurs, some professionals and even the occasional grandmaster.

During a 40-minute telephone interview, at least three pings could be heard in the background, and Le-Marechal said all were alerts for cheating.

Daniel Rensch, a former junior champion and one of the owners of Chess.com, said his cheat-detection team had consulted for live tournaments to help stop cheating. There is little doubt, he said, that haptic buzzers have already been used.

The idea is that, while one person plays, another watches from a remote location and simultaneously pores over potential moves on a computerized chess engine. Then the accomplice would signal the best upcoming moves to the player via the haptic device that taps (or buzzes) a coded signal for the player.

A top player does not necessarily need to be told the exact move. In some cases, the prearranged signal could simply be: There is a winning move here. Grandmasters are skilled enough to find it.

Buzzers have also fueled plenty of speculation in the Astros scandal. Though they were found only to have cheated in the 2017 season, many suspected they continued beyond then in part because of a video that showed second baseman Jose Altuve telling teammates not to rip off his shirt after hitting a home run during the 2019 postseason.

Altuve and the Astros denied the accusations, but it has done little to quell rumors and questions: Could baseball players effectively use haptic devices?

One hundred percent, Rensch said, and it would not even be that complicated.

During his teams investigations, Rensch said, a knowledgeable source indicated that tiny electronic earpiece receivers, the size of a peppercorn, were being used to cheat in chess. The insidious miniature earbuds, which are marketed online to students for the expressed purpose of cheating on exams, are so small that they cannot be detected.

But Rensch is more concerned with the scourge of online cheating on his platform. Ever since the IBM computer Big Blue beat the world champion Garry Kasparov in 1997, increasingly powerful chess engines have made cheating easy.

Its so much worse now, Le-Marechal said. You have this almighty god that can tell you everything. Its so tempting for everybody.

About 10 years ago, as rank amateurs were beating grandmasters and rampant cheating threatened the legitimacy of online chess, Rensch and his fellow owners of the site held a meeting on the topic. At that point they were hosting a million games a day now it is 3.5 million and someone suggested there might be nothing they could do to stem the rolling tide of deception.

Just saying it out loud was enough to make us kind of vomit in the back of our throats, Rensch said. We were like, No, we have to do something. We have a responsibility as a steward of the game to try to solve this problem, that everybody and their cousin with a free freaking program was suddenly the best chess player in the world.

The website also hosts tournaments for money, making cheat-detection even more critical. So the team developed computer programs that mine statistical data to prove cheating, which they say has saved the online game. They often do not even know how someone is cheating, but they can prove it is happening based on irregularities in the moves over time.

Rensch said they shut down sometimes tens of thousands of accounts a month, including some of professionals and grandmasters.

They can also spot irregularities in live matches. According to Le-Marechal, they knew about Rausis months before he was busted in the bathroom in France last year. Even some professionals whom Renschs team does not name publicly have confessed, apologized and wondered how they were caught.

I dont care how you are doing it, Rensch said. All Im saying is, what you are doing is not reasonably possible based on the data I have, and I would win in court.

Rensch and Le-Marechal believe that other sports, particularly baseball with its wide use of statistical data, can adopt their approach to catching cheaters. Dvorkovich, the head of FIDE, added that just as the cheaters benefit from technology, the authorities can, too.

No matter what the game is, Dvorkovich said, when there are benefits from winning, you have cheating.

Excerpt from:

Think Cheating in Baseball Is Bad? Try Chess - The New York Times

Nine-year-old Tani Adewumi was hoping to defend his title this weekend at the New York State Scholastic Chess Championship. The tournament was canceled due to Coronavirus. When Tani won the primary school division in 2019, he was living with his family in a homeless shelter. HarperCollins hide caption

Nine-year-old Tani Adewumi was hoping to defend his title this weekend at the New York State Scholastic Chess Championship. The tournament was canceled due to Coronavirus. When Tani won the primary school division in 2019, he was living with his family in a homeless shelter.

The story of how 9-year-old Tani Adewumi became a chess prodigy begins nearly five years ago, in a print shop in Abuja, Nigeria. Tani's father, Kayode Adewumi, owned the shop, and printed textbooks, manuals, flyers whatever his clients wanted.

But one day in December 2015, four men came in with an order for 25,000 posters. Adewumi didn't know it at the time, but they were members of the terror network Boko Haram. Later that evening, Adewumi looked at the flash drive they'd given him, and found their poster said in Arabic: "Kill all Christians. Death to western education."

Adewumi is Christian. When the men came back to pick up their order, he pretended the printing machines were broken and suggested they go elsewhere. The men didn't believe him, so Adewumi pretended to take a call on his cellphone and slipped out the back door.

Not long after, Adewumi was away on business, and men showed up at his house. When his wife Oluwatoyin opened the door, they burst in, threatened her at gunpoint, and demanded to know where her husband was.

More than four years later, sitting on a couch in a Manhattan apartment where the Adewumis have lived for the past year, Oluwatoyin shudders at the memory.

"I put my head down. I don't want to look at anybody's face because, we hear it in the movies, 'Can you recognize my face?' So I don't want to recognize anybody's face," she remembers.

Having been raised Muslim, she spoke a few words to them in Arabic, including the word "Please." They asked her if she was Muslim. She said "yes," and eventually they left.

The Adewumis suspect the men noticed the cross hanging on a wall in the print shop.

Tani, center, shares a laugh with his family big brother Austin, his mom Oluwatoyin and his dad Kayode. The Adewumis came to the U.S. from Nigeria in June 2017. HarperCollins hide caption

Tani and his older brother Austin slept through it all. "We were snoring!" Tani, now 9, chimes in from across the room. The Adewumis moved to another part of Nigeria but Kayode and Oluwatoyin continued to believe their lives were in danger. In June 2017, they left the country on tourist visas.

Eventually they made their way to Queens where they met Nigerian Pastor Philip Falayi who says he's helped dozens of families like the Adewumis. "They come to me, I help them, they move on. They come to me, I help them, they move on," he says.

Pastor Philip (as congregants know him) let the Adewumis stay in his basement and connected them with New York's Department of Homeless Services. The family was given temporary housing in a shelter located above a hotel in Manhattan: Oluwatoyin and Kayode on one floor; 7-year-old Tani and his 14-year-old brother Austin on another.

Tani didn't like having to go to another floor just to see his mom and dad. His parents, however, were relieved. "We thank God we were able to find somewhere to put our heads," says Oluwatoyin.

Tani and his brother enrolled in a nearby public school that had an active chess club. Tani wanted to join. When his mother told the coaches they were living in a shelter and couldn't pay the $330 fee, they waived it.

Tani's coach, Shawn Martinez, says the 9-year-old isn't afraid of anything on the board and "that's what it takes to beat the best of the best," he says. Oluwatoyin Adewumi hide caption

Tani's coach, Shawn Martinez, says the 9-year-old isn't afraid of anything on the board and "that's what it takes to beat the best of the best," he says.

Coach Shawn Martinez says Tani's potential was clear from the outset. "He has an incredible memory and he's very interested in what he's learning," Martinez says.

Tani is obsessed with chess reading books about it, studying famous masters and playing chess games online. Even his coaches like playing him. The day I visit his apartment, Tani sits across from Coach Shawn, concentrating, his hands gripping his head. Martinez is a chess master, but that doesn't faze Tani. "I think you're getting into trouble," he tells his coach.

Tani wasn't a shoo-in for first place in the primary division at the 2019 New York State Scholastic Championship. He'd only been playing for a year and admits, after winning five games in a row, he nearly lost the final, deciding game of the tournament. "I was winning but then I blundered," he says. It was a blunder that Tani says could've lost him the game. But before his opponent noticed it, "I offered a draw and he took it," he says.

When Tani won that tournament, his coaches eager to help the family find a way out of the shelter spread word to the media about this young chess prodigy whose family was homeless. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote an op-ed with the headline "This 8 Year Old Chess Champion Will Make You Smile."

Coach Shawn Martinez says chess is a game that "honors intelligence, character and how much you invest in it." HarperCollins hide caption

"Almost as soon as it went online, there was a huge response," says Kristof. "I was kind of taken aback by it. Fortunately, the chess coaches were way ahead of me and they had set up a GoFundMe."

The New York Times column turned Tani's win into a global story. Kayode Adewumi says they were inundated with interview requests from other countries. "Everything just blew up," Adewumi recalls. "I now strongly believe that this is God that wants to bless us."

The GoFundMe page raised more than $250,000 within 10 days. An anonymous donor offered to pay their rent on an apartment for one year. Trevor Noah bought the movie rights to Tani's story and the family co-wrote a book with bestselling author Craig Borlase. My Name Is Tani . . . and I Believe in Miracles will be published in April.

"I mean it's absolutely a beautiful story," says Martinez. As a coach, he's seen chess help a lot of young people through adversity but you have to work hard at it. Chess "honors intelligence, character and how much you invest in it," Martinez says.

He says he considers Tani "between a lion and a tiger."

"He's not scared of anything on that board and that's what it takes to beat the best of the best," Martinez explains.

Tani's mother is amazed at how her son's passion for chess has transformed their lives. Oluwatoyin Adewumi doesn't play herself, but she remembers something Coach Shawn once said about strategy: "When you put pawns together, there's no stopping them."

Adewumi says the teachers, pastors and fellow immigrants who came together to help her family might be seen as pawns.

"You might see them looking so small, but they are very powerful," she says.

With the proceeds from the GoFundMe site the Adewumis created a foundation in Tani's name that helps children "achieve excellence in learning the game of chess."

In the meantime, Tani's chess rating keeps climbing, putting him ever closer to his goal of becoming a master.

Read this article:

This Young Chess Champion Is 'Not Scared Of Anything On That Board' - NPR

A global survey has highlighted that a lot of people have been enrolling their children in online chess programs to help them develop their overall personality. As it has been proved in many studies that playing chess improves the creativity and focus of a player. Chess requires the use of both sides of the brain that helps a player to boost his creativity and logical reasoning by playing this game.

Many parents have expressed that it is important to shape the personality of children in the growing years. And they believe that playing chess can help anyone inculcate some important qualities that one requires in order to deal with any challenge in life. A lot of parents believe that spending time playing chess can help a child boost his focus and creativity which eventually helps him in understanding his academics education in a better way.

And they are consulting many virtual chess coach programs such as chess-bot.comto help their children play chess in a better manner. Another motive for parents to enroll their children in online chess programs is to teach them to handle high-pressure situations calmly. Many experts believe that playing chess helps a player analyze losses and winnings which eventually helps him build his confidence.

In the survey, many parents have confessed that children spend a lot of time on smartphones for playing many other games. They added that, in order to make sure the best possible use of their time, they simply want their children to play chess to add to the overall development of their personality.

Continued here:

More Parents have been Enrolling their Children in Online Chess Programs to Help them Boost their Focus and Creativity - California Herald