Coronavirus General Discussion

[Xan]

Well, the city/county (jointly, somehow) have closed all the schools until at least September 7. This is a 3-week delay on opening. The governor may have something to say about it. We'll see.

https://austintexas.gov/news/local-heal ... and-orders

Edit: that's both public (which you could say they have basically unlimited right to control) AND private (which they do not).

PS - The ".gov" top-level-domain is meant for US federal government entities. Not for cities in the United States. Bugs me to see that kind of thing. End rant.

[Tyler]

Both, really. Scooter riders will often wear a mask in Taipei because they sit behind the tailpipes of trucks all day, but you will also see masks on planes, on buses and in doctor's offices for more biological reasons.

Fair enough. I personally never really saw them on planes or in the areas I would frequent, but to be fair everyday life could be different beyond my own sphere of experience.

[Libertarian666]

Well, the city/county (jointly, somehow) have closed all the schools until at least September 7. This is a 3-week delay on opening. The governor may have something to say about it. We'll see.

https://austintexas.gov/news/local-heal ... and-orders

PS - The ".gov" top-level-domain is meant for US federal government entities. Not for cities in the United States. Bugs me to see that kind of thing. End rant.

According to wikipedia (yeah, I know but this isn't political as far as I can tell):
"The .gov TLD is limited to United States governmental entities and agencies as well as qualifying state, county and local municipal government agencies."

[Xan]

According to wikipedia (yeah, I know but this isn't political as far as I can tell):
"The .gov TLD is limited to United States governmental entities and agencies as well as qualifying state, county and local municipal government agencies."

That was a later expansion and (IMHO) an ill-considered one. But we digress!

[jalanlong]

Well, the city/county (jointly, somehow) have closed all the schools until at least September 7. This is a 3-week delay on opening. The governor may have something to say about it. We'll see.

https://austintexas.gov/news/local-heal ... and-orders

Edit: that's both public (which you could say they have basically unlimited right to control) AND private (which they do not).

PS - The ".gov" top-level-domain is meant for US federal government entities. Not for cities in the United States. Bugs me to see that kind of thing. End rant.

That is coming to Dallas no doubt. The question is whether the suburbs will go their own way or follow Dallas? My local district sent an email tonight that says our son’s elementary school currently has 81% registered to go back in person and 19% choosing to do online only. So there might be some angry parents if the district decides to delay.

[vnatale]

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[Xan]

Well, the city/county (jointly, somehow) have closed all the schools until at least September 7. This is a 3-week delay on opening. The governor may have something to say about it. We'll see.

https://austintexas.gov/news/local-heal ... and-orders

Edit: that's both public (which you could say they have basically unlimited right to control) AND private (which they do not).

PS - The ".gov" top-level-domain is meant for US federal government entities. Not for cities in the United States. Bugs me to see that kind of thing. End rant.

That is coming to Dallas no doubt. The question is whether the suburbs will go their own way or follow Dallas? My local district sent an email tonight that says our son’s elementary school currently has 81% registered to go back in person and 19% choosing to do online only. So there might be some angry parents if the district decides to delay.

If it's a county-level thing, then that would pretty much cover the suburbs.

[jalanlong]

Well, the city/county (jointly, somehow) have closed all the schools until at least September 7. This is a 3-week delay on opening. The governor may have something to say about it. We'll see.

https://austintexas.gov/news/local-heal ... and-orders

Edit: that's both public (which you could say they have basically unlimited right to control) AND private (which they do not).

PS - The ".gov" top-level-domain is meant for US federal government entities. Not for cities in the United States. Bugs me to see that kind of thing. End rant.

That is coming to Dallas no doubt. The question is whether the suburbs will go their own way or follow Dallas? My local district sent an email tonight that says our son’s elementary school currently has 81% registered to go back in person and 19% choosing to do online only. So there might be some angry parents if the district decides to delay.

If it's a county-level thing, then that would pretty much cover the suburbs.

My understanding is that it’s a district decision. We are in Collin County, not Dallas. The farther North you get from Dallas the sentiment seems to get a lot stronger to going back to school. Dallas ISD (or at least the loudest voices there) seems very worried about virus transmission, school staff with underlying health concerns or carrying it home to their families etc. I think there is no way they are going back. Certainly not before Labor Day.

[WiseOne]

My son has high-functioning autism. We home schooled for years and finally decided to try public school last year. After a rough start he did amazingly well and the teachers were awesome with him. Then suddenly it was all taken away. So for 6 months he has had no school, no contact with his school friends, we cannot go to the movies, parks were closed until recently and most of the restaurants he likes are still not reopen. If he does get to go back in a month (which I highly doubt) they will require so much protection for him (masks, eating lunch 6 feet apart at your desk etc) that it will suck all of the fun out of it and become so rigid he will fight against it. Honestly I am really beaten down by it all and i just don't see any light at the end of the tunnel.

So sorry to hear this Jalanlong.

Multiply this by several million and you have an idea what I've been squawking about. I'm dealing with something similar with my 84 year old mom. I finally decided that for her, getting COVID and dying from it would be far preferable to having her spend what is likely to be a substantial portion of the rest of her life suffering from depression and anxiety, worsening her cognition, due to lockdown restrictions.

BTW regarding the school issue...here's a hilarious article with media video clip, where an MSNBC host looks completely befuddled when a panel of pediatricians unanimously stated they would send their kids back to school:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wash ... k-to-class

[jalanlong]

My son has high-functioning autism. We home schooled for years and finally decided to try public school last year. After a rough start he did amazingly well and the teachers were awesome with him. Then suddenly it was all taken away. So for 6 months he has had no school, no contact with his school friends, we cannot go to the movies, parks were closed until recently and most of the restaurants he likes are still not reopen. If he does get to go back in a month (which I highly doubt) they will require so much protection for him (masks, eating lunch 6 feet apart at your desk etc) that it will suck all of the fun out of it and become so rigid he will fight against it. Honestly I am really beaten down by it all and i just don't see any light at the end of the tunnel.

So sorry to hear this Jalanlong.

Multiply this by several million and you have an idea what I've been squawking about. I'm dealing with something similar with my 84 year old mom. I finally decided that for her, getting COVID and dying from it would be far preferable to having her spend what is likely to be a substantial portion of the rest of her life suffering from depression and anxiety, worsening her cognition, due to lockdown restrictions.

BTW regarding the school issue...here's a hilarious article with media video clip, where an MSNBC host looks completely befuddled when a panel of pediatricians unanimously stated they would send their kids back to school:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wash ... k-to-class

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ ... &ocid=iehp

Not overwhelming but still, most people are against school reopenings.

[Xan]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ ... &ocid=iehp

Not overwhelming but still, most people are against school reopenings.

/Technically/, is seems that poll asked whether people agree with the federal government pressuring schools to reopen, which isn't the same as asking whether people believe schools should reopen.

Okay, 99+% of people probably want all levels of government everywhere to push as hard as they can on whatever those people want to have happen. There's basically no understanding of separation of powers anymore. But there may be people who believe that schools should reopen and also that the federal government shouldn't push them to.

[jalanlong]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ ... &ocid=iehp

Not overwhelming but still, most people are against school reopenings.

/Technically/, is seems that poll asked whether people agree with the federal government pressuring schools to reopen, which isn't the same as asking whether people believe schools should reopen.

Okay, 99+% of people probably want all levels of government everywhere to push as hard as they can on whatever those people want to have happen. There's basically no understanding of separation of powers anymore. But there may be people who believe that schools should reopen and also that the federal government shouldn't push them to.

I don't think the question was asked that way. If you check the survey it says:

Do you support or oppose each of the following fully opening for in-person instruction
for the beginning of the 2020 school year? K-12 schools
Strongly support 404 20%
Somewhat support 349 18%
Somewhat oppose 347 17%
Strongly oppose 710 36%
Don’t Know / No Opinion 182 9%


This one scares me:

Which of the following comes closest to your opinion?
Americans should continue to social distance for as
long as is needed to curb the spread of coronavirus even
if it means continued damage to the economy
1506 76%

Americans should stop social distancing to stimulate
the economy even if it means increasing the spread of
coronavirus
312 16%

Don’t know / No opinion 175 9%

[Xan]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ ... &ocid=iehp

Not overwhelming but still, most people are against school reopenings.

/Technically/, is seems that poll asked whether people agree with the federal government pressuring schools to reopen, which isn't the same as asking whether people believe schools should reopen.

Okay, 99+% of people probably want all levels of government everywhere to push as hard as they can on whatever those people want to have happen. There's basically no understanding of separation of powers anymore. But there may be people who believe that schools should reopen and also that the federal government shouldn't push them to.

I don't think the question was asked that way. If you check the survey it says:

Do you support or oppose each of the following fully opening for in-person instruction
for the beginning of the 2020 school year? K-12 schools
Strongly support 404 20%
Somewhat support 349 18%
Somewhat oppose 347 17%
Strongly oppose 710 36%
Don’t Know / No Opinion 182 9%


This one scares me:

Which of the following comes closest to your opinion?
Americans should continue to social distance for as
long as is needed to curb the spread of coronavirus even
if it means continued damage to the economy
1506 76%

Americans should stop social distancing to stimulate
the economy even if it means increasing the spread of
coronavirus
312 16%

Don’t know / No opinion 175 9%

I stand corrected. The MSN article certainly frames the whole thing as a rebuke of the President's policies. But what else is new.

Very scary stuff. Safety-ism may be the most dangerous thing out there right now.

[jalanlong]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ ... &ocid=iehp

Not overwhelming but still, most people are against school reopenings.

/Technically/, is seems that poll asked whether people agree with the federal government pressuring schools to reopen, which isn't the same as asking whether people believe schools should reopen.

Okay, 99+% of people probably want all levels of government everywhere to push as hard as they can on whatever those people want to have happen. There's basically no understanding of separation of powers anymore. But there may be people who believe that schools should reopen and also that the federal government shouldn't push them to.

I don't think the question was asked that way. If you check the survey it says:

Do you support or oppose each of the following fully opening for in-person instruction
for the beginning of the 2020 school year? K-12 schools
Strongly support 404 20%
Somewhat support 349 18%
Somewhat oppose 347 17%
Strongly oppose 710 36%
Don’t Know / No Opinion 182 9%


This one scares me:

Which of the following comes closest to your opinion?
Americans should continue to social distance for as
long as is needed to curb the spread of coronavirus even
if it means continued damage to the economy
1506 76%

Americans should stop social distancing to stimulate
the economy even if it means increasing the spread of
coronavirus
312 16%

Don’t know / No opinion 175 9%

I stand corrected. The MSN article certainly frames the whole thing as a rebuke of the President's policies. But what else is new.

Very scary stuff. Safety-ism may be the most dangerous thing out there right now.

I can't help but get the feeling that the 76% who don't mind the damage to the economy have just not felt said damage themselves yet. Maybe they are government workers, maybe they are high level workers who can telecommute or maybe they did get laid off but are making more from all of the stimulus and additional unemployment than they were before. I don't know how long they can go on being unaffected. i mean I guess you could keep stimulus checks, unemployment checks and foreclosure relief going in perpetuity.

[Xan]

I can't help but get the feeling that the 76% who don't mind the damage to the economy have just not felt said damage themselves yet. Maybe they are government workers, maybe they are high level workers who can telecommute or maybe they did get laid off but are making more from all of the stimulus and additional unemployment than they were before. I don't know how long they can go on being unaffected. i mean I guess you could keep stimulus checks, unemployment checks and foreclosure relief going in perpetuity.

If we could, wouldn't that mean that all those people's jobs were useless?

Also, I'm sure that people who want to keep things shut are saying "those people who care about the economy more than people being sick just haven't felt the illness's damage themselves yet". It's all perspective, I suppose.

I want to say again that this is about far more than just "the economy". This is society. Schools need to be open not just to be day-cares so people can work, but so the next generation of people can be educated. People need to go to church. They need to have friends. Actual, in-person relationships with actual people. This is IMPORTANT.

[flyingpylon]

Our school district here in a suburb of Indianapolis (22k students k-12) conducted a survey of families with kids in school regarding their preference for remote or in-person classes. With a 50% response rate, just 10% indicated that they wanted remote classes. School is currently scheduled to start on time 8/5 though they are still determining whether to implement a hybrid 3/2 day rotation of students to reduce density.

Just another data point.

[jalanlong]

Also, I'm sure that people who want to keep things shut are saying "those people who care about the economy more than people being sick just haven't felt the illness's damage themselves yet". It's all perspective, I suppose.

But statistically speaking I am much more likely to feel damage (both short term and long term) of an economic depression than I am of a virus. The hospitalization rate of Covid is 4.6 out of every 100,000. I would suspect an economic depression would affect far more people.

[Tortoise]

The federal Cares Act $600/week unemployment benefit expires later this month, so there's that.

I suspect a lot of the people who have been receiving that benefit will start reconsidering their position on lockdowns when that extra dough stops rolling in.

[Tyler]

With all of the contradictory information about questionable tightly-controlled studies that never seem to test the same treatments that doctors in the field recommend, have you ever wondered what might happen to overall death rates when an entire country temporarily bans the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19?



More info here: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/s ... se-n643181

[dualstow]

Both, really. Scooter riders will often wear a mask in Taipei because they sit behind the tailpipes of trucks all day, but you will also see masks on planes, on buses and in doctor's offices for more biological reasons.

Fair enough. I personally never really saw them on planes or in the areas I would frequent, but to be fair everyday life could be different beyond my own sphere of experience.

I lived in a small town for a while, and there I didn't see it much. But, two years straight in Taipei in the 90s, and subsequent visits to Taiwan and the mainland. I'm not saying I've seen tons of masks, though. I would just say it's not uncommon.

Edited for abysmal typing

[pp4me]

With all of the contradictory information about questionable tightly-controlled studies that never seem to test the same treatments that doctors in the field recommend, have you ever wondered what might happen to overall death rates when an entire country temporarily bans the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19?

I think the worse thing that could have happened for hydroxychloroquine was when Donald Trump talked about it and Laura Ingraham featured it on Fox News. It was all about politics and not medicine from that point forward, though I don't blame them for it.

Laura Ingraham had some very convincing doctors on her show who had used it successfully so I was really surprised when all of the negative stuff started coming out.

[Cortopassi]

Goddamit does everything have to be political? Is there no one without a hard right or hard left agenda?

To the lefties, I would say, send kids back to school. You have to assume there will never be an effective vaccine. Live with it and be safe, but not to the point of complete disruption. Or are you really going to lock yourself away forever?

To the righties, I would say, just wear a damn mask whether you think it helps or not. At a minimum if you all do, and two weeks from now the case rate does not drop, well then what BS are the lefties going to have left to pull out of their ass? They weren't wearing them right? They were 5 feet apart and not 6?

This, I would say, is what the majority of people are thinking. Tell me if I am wrong. But no, all we hear are the extreme right and left sides and I am sick of it.

[Kriegsspiel]

Mine is hard and center-right.

Relax everyone that's a DICK JOKE not a political thing.

[vnatale]

Goddamit does everything have to be political? Is there no one without a hard right or hard left agenda?

To the lefties, I would say, send kids back to school. You have to assume there will never be an effective vaccine. Live with it and be safe, but not to the point of complete disruption. Or are you really going to lock yourself away forever?

To the righties, I would say, just wear a damn mask whether you think it helps or not. At a minimum if you all do, and two weeks from now the case rate does not drop, well then what BS are the lefties going to have left to pull out of their ass? They weren't wearing them right? They were 5 feet apart and not 6?

This, I would say, is what the majority of people are thinking. Tell me if I am wrong. But no, all we hear are the extreme right and left sides and I am sick of it.

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[Kriegsspiel]

Capture.JPG

Well, it was made in China.