Coronavirus: COVID-19

[TSM]

Warning - there's an f-bomb or two in the video in the link below, but.. in the circumstances I think it's warranted (mods feel free to disagree and remove if you want).

I could equally have posted it in the Trump thread.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout ... ive_brian/

This guy PA House Representative Brian Sims, is righteously angry. No tldr. Watch it - it should be compulsory viewing.

Epic on many levels.

holy crap. Dude... if this is factual, and at this point, I don't doubt it... That entire republican body needs to be arrested and jailed.

Wow kudo's to him for having the balls to speak out, it is often i am lost for words

[Vertigo 7]

There has got to be a case made for criminal negligence at the least. If anyone dies, negligent homicide. I seriously hope they put the screws to those clowns.

edit*

This has made national headlines and the PA state AG has already been requested to open a criminal investigation.

[Vertigo 7]

Score one for science and safety:

https://jonathanturley.org/2020/05/30/s ... nt-page-1/

SCOTUS ruled 5-4 in favor of states limiting congregations.

Chief Justice Roberts said in his opinion:

The precise question of when restrictions on particular social activities should be lifted during the pandemic is a dynamic and fact-intensive matter subject to reasonable disagreement. Our Constitution principally entrusts “[t]he safety and the health of the people” to the politically accountable officials of the States “to guard and protect.” Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U. S. 11, 38 (1905). When those officials “undertake[ ] to act in areas fraught with medical and scientific uncertainties,” their latitude “must be especially broad.” Marshall v. United States, 414 U. S. 417, 427 (1974). Where those broad limits are not exceeded, they should not be subject to second-guessing by an “unelected federal judiciary,” which lacks the background, competence, and expertise to assess public health and is not accountable to the people.

Reason is such a rare thing these days. It's so nice to see it on display.

[felter]

So the McDonalds Drive thru's opened in Scotland today and according to the news, the queues for them were massive. Sitting in your car for half hour or more for a McDonald, if it was something decent maybe but for a McDonald's they must be insane. Disgusting food, most certainly not worth the wait.

[brucewarren]

To be fair the apple pie thingy isn't too bad. At least I don't remember it being too bad. Been a while now.

You should remember your Thomas Sawyer @felter - specifically the chapter in which he suckers the neighbourhood kids into
whitewashing the fence for him. They even pay him for the privilege. It's because people haven't been able to go to McD for
so long that folks suddenly want to. If they'd been open the whole time there likely wouldn't be any such demand.

[felter]

Dominic Cummings the man who the lockdown rules did not apply to, said he journeyed to Durham and stayed a cottage on his parents farm. Well it turns out that the cottage he stayed at doesn't exist or should I say, shouldn't exist as there is no record of any planning permission for a cottage to be built on his parents farm. So it looks like we now know where he gets the notion that the laws don't apply to him, as his parent also think the laws don't apply to them. The guy painted a massive target on his back and is now paying for it and probably will do to some extent for the foreseeable future.

[felter]

A new day, a new week and new rules.

So a few weeks back I had said that I reckon it would be August before they let me out. Today I got a text message from the Scottish Government telling me there was going to be an announcement made at 12:30 that concerned shielders, as we are being called. Turns out I was right, they have extended the advice for shielders to continue doing so till the 31st July, though, from June 18th we will be allowed to take exercise outside of our house so long as we avoid other people. Also sounds like they are going to go down the road of easing the restrictions for some that they deem to be less at risk. Most of which they are doing is being done due to advice from the scientific and medical advisors rather than the gut feeling route that Johnson seems to be taking.

So once again I called it right.

[felter]

So the Sottish government sent me a text today, was expecting it, it goes:

The current infection rate is low enough for us to change our shielding advice. You an now go out for a walk, wheel, run or cycle, if you stay 2 metres away from other people. From Friday 19 June, you can choose to meet people from one other household outdoors each day. You can take part in other non-contact outdoor leisure activities in your local area. To stay safe, please avoid busy areas and stay 2 metres apart from everyone. Don't forget everyone needs to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds as soon as you get back home. There is more guidance at web address

Now here's my issue, whenever I look out my front window all I see is nearly every one of my neighbours ignoring the rules, where there is no social distancing and where at least 2 of them have had parties in the last couple of weeks and most have had numerous visitors coming and going from their abodes. My actual next door neighbour has visitors on a daily basis, all of them enter her house and any one of them could be a spreader. Due to this I have to assume that most people are breaking the rules and that there are more than a few spreaders out there, any one of which if I come into contact with can kill me.

I had a conversation with someone where they said that it was up to them if they abide by the rules or not, that it does not effect me, where I have to disagree it does effect me, every time someone breaks the rules they raise the risk of becoming a potential spreader and a spreader can kill me. So I'm left with the dilemma do I take the advice and risk my life on others, who definitely are not abiding by the rules or continue as though nothing as changed all because people are willing to put other peoples lives at risk for their own petty enjoyment. I also suspect that a few that will read this are also in that category, I just want to thank you for this.

[BrasatoAlBarolo]

So the Sottish government sent me a text today, was expecting it, it goes:

The current infection rate is low enough for us to change our shielding advice. You an now go out for a walk, wheel, run or cycle, if you stay 2 metres away from other people. From Friday 19 June, you can choose to meet people from one other household outdoors each day. You can take part in other non-contact outdoor leisure activities in your local area. To stay safe, please avoid busy areas and stay 2 metres apart from everyone. Don't forget everyone needs to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds as soon as you get back home. There is more guidance at web address

Now here's my issue, whenever I look out my front window all I see is nearly every one of my neighbours ignoring the rules, where there is no social distancing and where at least 2 of them have had parties in the last couple of weeks and most have had numerous visitors coming and going from their abodes. My actual next door neighbour has visitors on a daily basis, all of them enter her house and any one of them could be a spreader. Due to this I have to assume that most people are breaking the rules and that there are more than a few spreaders out there, any one of which if I come into contact with can kill me.

I had a conversation with someone where they said that it was up to them if they abide by the rules or not, that it does not effect me, where I have to disagree it does effect me, every time someone breaks the rules they raise the risk of becoming a potential spreader and a spreader can kill me. So I'm left with the dilemma do I take the advice and risk my life on others, who definitely are not abiding by the rules or continue as though nothing as changed all because people are willing to put other peoples lives at risk for their own petty enjoyment. I also suspect that a few that will read this are also in that category, I just want to thank you for this.

These rules are impossible to enforce, they shouldn't but it's the truth.

What does your physician think about it?
I mean, does he suggest to take a walk every now and then, not to be "too" afraid (while of course being careful, in particular about social distancing)?
I get your worries, and "better safe then sorry" is always a good way of thinking, but how do you really feel about that?
I've been close at home for three months and I almost lost my mind, I know it's very hard (especially when working home, which for my job is less stressful than working at the office, but still stressful enough when you can't blow off steam hanging out or going to the gym), that is why I'm humbily suggesting you to breath some fresh air, even if the mask should be on.

[Vertigo 7]

What you should do is weld steel pipes extending 1 meter to the left and right on a bike and just tear ass down the street in it.

Even better idea... weld a triangle frame to the bike, pointing forwards, so that it acts as a kind of plow to shove dumbasses apart.

[fiksal]

We are treating the situation as if quarantine never stopped. Even if people think so, while we are still increasing infections (linearly this time) and while government thinks now is somehow better before the quarantine had started (with fewer infected people)

So it's minimal to no contact for us.

[Observe]

So it's minimal to no contact for us.

Ditto here. As you say, the situation is actually worse now than it was pre-lockdown. It is disheartening to see so many people acting as if covid never happened.

[pjknibbs]

Ditto here. As you say, the situation is actually worse now than it was pre-lockdown. It is disheartening to see so many people acting as if covid never happened.

"Never happened" implies they know about it but think it's all over..."doesn't exist" would be a better way to put it for a lot of these people, because they were doing the same stuff in the middle of the lockdown.

[BrasatoAlBarolo]

Some people is genuinely convinced to be immortal. I have no alternative explanation.

[felter]

So the UK Government has lowered the covid-19 alert from 4 to 3 I don't understand why. The day we went into lockdown there were 981 confirmed new cases of the virus, yesterday there was 1,218 new confirmed cases. There were also 135 deaths yesterday accounted to the virus, not sure what it was all those months ago. Does that sound like it is better than it was, do you think they are jumping the gun and giving a false sense of security that will just lead to people taking more risks, as the Government says things are better than they were at the start, which they most certainly are not.

[CBJ]

I've been thinking the same since they started easing the lockdown a few weeks ago, but frankly it's hard to tell without the source data on which the scientists are basing their advice. As an example, if the number of daily infections is the same but the R-value (for the general community as opposed to, say, care homes) is a lot lower than it was when lockdown started, then it could indeed be true that it's reasonably safe to ease the lockdown further, particularly if they've also identified the hotspots (both geographical, and activity-based) and don't open those up yet.

While I do understand why there are calls to publish that source data, the problem with doing so is that you then get unqualified people (and I include myself in that) interpreting that data badly and potentially drawing completely the wrong conclusions from it. I draw some comfort from the fact that, while the lockdown measures that are or are not in place at any given time are decided by the politicians, the alert level itself is determined by the scientists. However, I share your misgivings about how the general public will react to the news.

[fiksal]

So the UK Government has lowered the covid-19 alert from 4 to 3 I don't understand why. The day we went into lockdown there were 981 confirmed new cases of the virus, yesterday there was 1,218 new confirmed cases. There were also 135 deaths yesterday accounted to the virus, not sure what it was all those months ago. Does that sound like it is better than it was, do you think they are jumping the gun and giving a false sense of security that will just lead to people taking more risks, as the Government says things are better than they were at the start, which they most certainly are not.

Canada, where I am at now, has been removing its restrictions slower than its neighbor.

The messaging I think is mixed at best:
- it's okay to go to daycare, but only 50% less kids, per need basis, and have to keep 2m distance, with kids, somehow!
- restaurants okay to reopen with 2m distance. Speaking of that number, it seems totally made up. CDC in US has data that statistically it's probably 6 or more meters indoors. If there's even a reasonable distance.
- meanwhile a suburb nearby increasing its lockdown by requiring masks. So far they are optional
- government says it will lockdown again if numbers will rise


And so on.

If it's a money problem, I wish they would just say it and not throw dust in the eyes.
- "we are running out of unemployment and emergency support - we are reopenning - but stay inside if you can - good luck everyone"

[BrasatoAlBarolo]

R-Value is the number of humans and infected people is transmitting the virus to. That means if all people is infected R-value is zero (everyone's infected, so nobody to infect).
Anyway, that's likely about money and hospital saturation (expecially intensive care saturation), meaning that if there are less intense cases, you can slightly release lockdown, even if it's typically a political / financial strategy, because honest physicians are never going to tell you it's safe to open.
Ladies and gents: be careful, wear masks and respect social distancing, because these are the best ways to prevent infection. Economic recession is probably inevitable by now, but health comes first.

[felter]

They are all acting like it is all over here, there is currently a party going on sounds like around 20 - 30 people and it's just outside of my house. Also one of my neighbors had a party earlier on today, but that wasn't a big one. Meanwhile has anyone been paying attention to the numbers in the US, they have had the highest confirmed cases today since May 1st. The chief guy on infectious disease in the US, can't remember his name and I'm paraphrasing here, anyway he was asked if America was getting a second wave for him to reply along the lines of, second wave, we haven't finished the first wave yet. Also looking at the numbers, it is looks like the infection rate in the UK is starting to rise again. This is not over by a long shot there is a lot more still to come.

[euclid]

... This is not over by a long shot there is a lot more still to come.

Totally agree here. Actually it's basic probability & statistics: The more people are closer to each other the higher the likelihood of transmission.

Cheers Euclid