(no subject)

So, fun fact, New England Coffee Company ships to home addresses and will either fine grind, coarse grind, or leave your coffee beans whole. Not sure how much the minimum order is, but if you're looking to buy coffee and you've run out and you don't mind your order coming via the Postal Service from Malden, you're good. I like these guys, and not just because I won $100 from them three years ago. It's decent coffee without being too fancy or overly expensive.

Also, Dick's Sporting Goods offers both delivery and contactless pickup- buy your thing online and say which store you're picking up from and they'll put it on the curb in front of the store when you get there, then back away so neither you nor they come into contact with other humans. I suppose this works better for orders like weight training benches or boxed sports equipment than sports bras.

To my sadness FreshDirect doesn't serve the Boston area. Mercato does, for small grocer purchases (by which I mean buying from small grocers or farmers' markets, not that you're being forced into making only small purchases). Peapod does, if you're okay with buying from Stop and Shop. I believe Instacart does, but I've had a ridiculous amount of trouble trying to get my ancient Instacart password reset and can't vouch for who and what they actually serve.

Best Buy sent me an email yesterday saying they're doing the curbside contactless thing for items you're capable of taking home in a car and offering free doorstep delivery for things too big to drive home. Unfortunately this does mean that if you buy a fridge from them you're going to have to take the fridge upstairs yourself. Worth noting, Best Buy also says this:

"Speaking of our employees, everyone working right now is doing so on a voluntary basis, and all hourly employees who volunteer are receiving a temporary pay increase. Additionally, anyone feeling sick is told to stay home, and they will be paid for that time. Finally, anyone exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 is also told to stay home, with pay, and we are paying employees who may need to stay home to care for their children."

Which is kind of reassuring, really, given how some retail chains can be.

Aaaaaand there we go.

Facing a surge in both coronavirus cases and related deaths, Governor Charlie Baker on Monday ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses in the state in an effort to curb the spread of the disease.

The order takes effect Tuesday at noon and is effective until April 7 at noon. The Department of Public Health is also issuing a “stay-at-home” advisory, which will also be in effect until April 7, Baker said.

“Everyone is advised to stay home and limit all unnecessary activities,” he said at a State House news conference. “We’re asking everyone to use their common sense, think about the impact this virus is having on the sick and elderly, and to limit their interactions with other people. This cuts down on the chances this virus has to spread.”

Travel is not barred, but people over the age of 70 or with underlying health conditions are “strongly” advised to stay home and “limit interactions” as much as possible, Baker said.

He stressed that essential businesses including grocery stores, pharmacies, medical facilities, and gas stations will remain open.

“We will always allow” such essential businesses to stay open, he said.

“The people of Massachusetts are meeting this challenge exactly the way we would expect — with determination, cool heads, and a selfless sense of community,” Baker said.

He said that while areas like public parks will remain open for exercise, there should be no touch football games or similar activities that involve close person-to-person contact.

"That spreads the virus," Baker said. "We're advising people to use common sense with every step we take."

Baker added that while buses and trains will continue to operate, “that doesn’t mean we think it’s a good idea to take the train downtown” to visit friends. He stressed that public transit should only be used for essential travel.

(Boston Globe website. The Globe has a paywall so I'm just cut/pasting here.)