I went downtown earlier this week for the first time since the outbreak began and was surprised at how much it felt like a ghost town, as compared to a couple of residential neighborhoods I have been in where things have returned to a partial semblance of normality. Half or more of stores downtown were still shuttered and foot traffic was very light, especially in shopping areas.

Some other observations:

- Malls were open but their big stores like Uniqlo were virtually deserted.

- Some restaurants are open but for take-out only - seating areas are cordoned off. A number of people were eating their lunch on benches outside. The informal rule seems to be that you can take off your mask so long as you're sitting down and eating.

- Ordering at Burger King was via WeChat app only. The stations at the counter where you usually place your order were closed.

- Someone put masks on the faces of the bronze statues on Nanping Jie near Carrefour (the ones that people often pose for pictures with).

- There were lines of several dozen people outside some banks, presumably to limit mingling in the lobby.

- One woman who didn't have a mask was walking around holding a coat over her nose and mouth, which reminded me of this old Greenpeace ad: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZCmJgnB-d4

This is noteworthy, all the more so considering the source:

"According to a table which compares the "infection density" of cities or areas — the number of confirmed cases per square kilometer —Xicheng district ranks second, with an infection density just lower than the epicenter Wuhan. Xicheng district lies at the center of Beijing and had a permanent resident population of about 1.14 million by the end of 2019."

Link: www.globaltimes.cn/content/1180281.shtml

As a qualifier, the article states that the Xicheng cases are mostly concentrated among a single hospital's patients, staff & their families.

I have to point out that, as with many of the other ghastly features of consumerism, my country invented this first:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence

So proud...

@dukeisme: If you're buying the crummy infrared heaters that they sell at the shop around the corner, then yes, those are prone to conk out, and even when they're working they risk causing burns or starting fires.

Oil-filled convection heaters are the way to go. Heavy and expensive, but relatively safe, durable, effective and quiet.

If past years are any guide, the weather should start to progressively warm up starting around now. I would bet that this will be the last semi-serious cold spell of the season.

A couple of things on a lighter note:

AlPage48 wrote "...I needed my wife's assistance since I can't read Chinese."

Another option is to take a screenshot and then scan the resulting image with the Baidu Fanyi translation app.

And this is good - a parody of Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" with a coronavirus theme:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_QXvh8fVPI