Coronavirus - What is your local situation?

What's sad is someone using the phrase "Arbeit macht frei" on a sign! What's also sad is a lot of people don't know what it means and when they hear the translation "work will set you free" they have no idea what it stands for. I guess people don't learn from history.

I'm tired of hearing this is about haircuts. The government tells us who can work, who you can see, where you can go, is fining people for being in groups they deem too large and is monitoring people with drones, all while not following there own rules. Say what you want but this is an awful lot of control and they have financially ruined the country, I truly believe we're going to see a depression. You can mitigate the virus but this cure is going to kill.

^Word.

I realize this isn't about haircuts. But social distancing is a concept that goes back centuries and has worked. I agree that people in power should follow their own rules, but that is people in power everywhere and not just one location or political party.

I get there may be a depression, but a depression is something we come out of, while what could have been the loss of so many people is something we cant recover from. The economy is, to my understanding - and I may be oversimplifying, based on people. Essentially, if people are not confident they are safe and businesses are opening up, then people wont return to those businesses right away. Then those businesses will increase their overhead without an adequate increase in income. This will be harder for businesses to handle. Reopen slowly and safely is the best way to go, but so many people are to big a hurry.

My mother-in-law has been begun referring to this as a "plandemic". Her new thing is that this is a planned hoax to control people like sheep. It just doesnt make sense. The Republicans have too much power for it to be by the Democrats, and the Democrats have too much power for it to be the Republicans....not to mention that this is worldwide so American politics are irrelevant.

I just get so tired of people pointing fingers at "the other side". Wanna know the easiest way to manipulate people? Tell them the other side is manipulating them.

Still only 25 people in my hospital with it. 55 coworkers have tested positive, but 49 of those are back to work. So much for the two million deaths.....but, I am thankful that we haven’t had those numbers they predicted.

They're already predicting death by starvation could skyrocket this year alone some estimates are millions. Look, if you want to hunker down in your house, go ahead, but never in history have we stopped the economy this much for a sickness of any kind, even the 1918 flu. And listen to people like Biden saying this is a chance to push and consolidate an agenda for a new America and tell me there's not more going on. You don't quarantine the healthy, you protect those who are vulnerable and that's a Biblical ideal.

We didn't stop the economy nationwide in 1918 and the Spanish flu stopped it for us. What we are doing now is to prevent things from getting as bad as they were back then. In Philadelphia things were really bad - 15000 inbjust one city, but in St Louis where they closed schools, movie theatres and banned public gatherings early they had only 1/8 the number of casualties. I have a link as a source for those numbers, but I cant post links for 7 days. It was a history . com article. It's a very brief overview, but it mentions government offices closing and other things that we are not dealing with today.

You dont quarantine the healthy, but you do keep them away from the sick. But then who's sick? I just read an article on a study in the UK where they looked at over 1000 kids under 18 that tested positive and had no symptoms. Until we got better and more thorough testing done, we have no idea what we're walking into.

Right now, a "light" quarantine is probably the best way to protect the vulnerable. That's what social distancing does.

Black Rider wrote: You don't quarantine the healthy, you protect those who are vulnerable and that's a Biblical ideal.

These are very difficult choices, and either way, mistakes are going to be made.   
I was understanding of the lock-down in the beginning.   
But the longer it has gone on, and as I have seen how it is being handled, I see a different picture emerging.  
At this point what I see is:

1)  Pumping fear and guilt into the populace has become a form of manipulation and bullying that only benefits those doing it

2)  The "leaders" in our states are not following their own rules and show no shame about that when confronted.

3)  A ruined economy, and starving and desperate people make good political pawns for those seeking to fundamentally change the country.  But at the end of the day these are real people and real failed businesses.  
And if you can't actually help them while they are sinking, at the end of the day the ones that survive are going to be very pissed off.  

4)  Despite the rhetoric that "we have to protect the vulnerable and elderly," they have done a very poor job of that, at least in NY.  Example, they forced nursing homes to accept Covid-positive patients, causing many deaths in the vulnerable populations of nursing homes.  (And, these are the same "leaders" who rammed legislation through to allow for the killing of full-term babies, the most vulnerable of all.  Talk about double-speak).


Denying the healthy a chance to get back to work is asking too much at this point.  It is causing unfair misery and pain and loss.    Worst of all, failing to actually protect the vulnerable while asking everyone else to "make sacrifices" is an incredible slap in the face to those making the sacrifices.

Elderly people in nursing homes are dying alone while being denied visits from their families.  Elderly and younger people stuck in their apartments or houses are confused, tense, scared, worried, and lonely.   Singles and families are in danger of losing their places to live because they cannot pay rent or mortgages.  Families are having trouble meeting their basic survival needs due to loss of income.  Calls to mental health and emergency hotlines have skyrocketed, and there has been an increase in suicides with predictions of more.  People are losing hope for the future.

Bottom Line:  I don't see the political "leaders" of the most affected states taking into account a calculation of the human misery and pain in all this.  I don't see a plan.  At minimum this has to be part of the discussion.  At minimum, there has to BE a discussion.  Otherwise who are they really saving?   Even with all the current measures in place, the most vulnerable are still dying from the virus.  There has to be a way to meet competing needs - not in a perfect way, but in a relatively safe way.

Guenther321 wrote:Right now, a "light" quarantine is probably the best way to protect the vulnerable.  That's what social distancing does.

This has gone beyond a "light" quarantine at this point.  "Light" quarantine was supposed to be a few weeks.  It's dragged on much longer and deeper than that.  

You can still keep social distancing, masks, disinfecting, and precautions in place while quarantining the most vulnerable, and while slowly allowing less vulnerable and healthier individuals to make some choices about resuming their lives. And doing so in an orderly fashion.  

Some will not be ready, others will be.  Otherwise there's not going to be much left for people to go back to.

Tou have some very food points, but right now people are really trying to open the flood gates and that will be disastrous. I called it "light" quarantine because this hasn't been a quarantine at all. Here in my part of NY, masks are not required, just recommended and we cant eat in at restaurants. Otherwise life pretty much the same...

Opening floodgates would indeed be a disaster. But as some commentators have remarked, many people are going to be cautious and hesitant for awhile, so it's highly unlikely that things are going to open up really fast. Plus the businesses and restaurants have to take necessary precautions to adjust their seating and capacities, so many safeguards would be put in place first.

In my part of NY, it's been masks are required, stay 6 feet away from people, stay at home unless it's essential you go out, disinfect everything, don't touch your eyes, mouth or face, and almost all stores and restaurants have been closed. So yeah, I'd say it's been burdensome from my vantage point.

But also keep in mind that beyond this, many are now in economic danger. They've lost jobs and have possibly lost businesses that they worked all their lives to create. They might be in danger of losing their housing, or lost a loved one due to the mistakes made in regard to nursing homes. The stock market has tanked and retirement savings are greatly affected. There's many ways that this has affected people, it's not just about a quarantine.

Meanwhile, the Governors, mayors, and their staffs are still getting paid by we the taxpayers. And many of them live in mansions and gated communities and they're not affected by the harsh economic realities that others are facing.

In Tennessee, 89 of the 95 counties opened up retail and restaurants on April 30.  Some stores have chosen to stay closed which is their right.  Some fast food places are still doing drive-thru only.  However, many restaurants are taking in customers but only at 50 percent capacity.  Because of the media fed fear, the restaurants aren't reaching that capacity because people are afraid.

Personal care businesses like hair and nail salons opened up yesterday.  Dentists are also allowed to see patients.  

Many people are wearing masks and many are not.  I am one of the "nots".  While the CDC says we should wear them, the US Surgeon General is still saying that the masks do not help with the spread at all.

I started wearing mine when I go out. It is all black and looks awesome. When I wear my sunglasses and a baseball cap pulled down tightly I look like a bank robber!

I started looking online for cool masks. What came to mind was The Twilight Zone episode "Eye Of The Beholder". I thought it would be cool to have one that gave me this look:


Unfortunately there are none but there is a Halloween mask company that has a full head mask of the doctor on the left. I wrote to them and said they need to make PPE masks that look like that. I haven't heard back from them and probably won't but if they made them I would buy one.

Now they're reporting that 66% of people in NY who ended up with Corona followed the lock down orders. 

^Yes - and of course the governor has no explanation for that.

Just like he won't explain why he forced nursing homes to take in covid-positive patients, leading to 5,000 nursing home deaths in the state.

Evil man, evil times.

I just looked up the 66% number and read an article in the Miami Herald. There are plenty of explanations given. Getting the mail, ordering takeout, etc. It all exposes people to others and therefore the possibility of infection. Most people who are following lockdown, really aren't following lockdown - including myself.

Black Rider wrote:Evil man, evil times.

Dumb, too.  They apparently learned nothing from the spike in nursing home deaths in Kirkland, WA, or Italy and Spain.


Guys, you are not going to believe this next bit of news.  NYC mayor DeBlassio just signed an executive order banning any public gatherings or protests related to the shutdown.  The police commissioner is going along with it.   This is a complete violation of the 1st Amendment.   Here is part of their statement:

"The city leaders pointed to the need to maintain social distancing in order to prevent greater spread of COVID-19, stating that this takes precedence over people's rights to exercise their First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly."

I hear the lawsuits are already starting....Pamela Geller just filed the first one.

I wear a mask when out in public,  both CT and MA where i am in alot have been decreed to do so, While it might not prevent me from getting it or me from spreading it but we seem to live in volitile times right now so I dont personally want to rock the boat so to speak.  At work I gotta wear a mask and Safety glasses at all times (I work in IT and rarely leave my desk or bldg)

My wifes uncle passed away a few weeks ago due to Covid (at least thats what we were told) and my brother had a corona scare with a severe exacerbated Asthma attack

While banning protests is a 1st Amendment right we truly have not had free speech in so long that I think banning them on a temporary basis should be done because its those people who are gonna cause this to keep going.  On top of the nature of this virus which according to a friend of my wife's who is a geneticist is mutating fast im told its on its 8th string now.

My day to day hasnt changed much working from home 2 days a week, wife is going back to work after memorial day, i still go to work 3 days a week. Of course quarentineing and i can never spell that right  for a month for me is a drop in the bucket lol

Locking down isn't going to make the virus go away, it's just prolonging the spread and with reports that many that did stay home are getting it, it seems pointless for the general population. What we have done is disrupted the food chain to extreme levels, cause 33 million people in the country to now be out of work and the government has seized power in unprecedented ways which, as we see after 9/11, won't easily be relinquished.

^Well said by Black Rider - all true.

Still haven't broken the 30 patient barrier....it was down to 22 a few days ago.  55 coworkers tested positive, 50 of them are back to work.

The doctor that our governor is deferring to was called by the local MSM as a "Rock Star" this week.  I finally agree with the MSM, she is a Rock Star.  She makes way more money than I can imagine and she lives in an alternate universe than us normal people.

We agreed to the quarantine so that the hospitals would not be over run.  Well many hospitals are laying off, they are the opposite of being over run.  All of us can see the numbers and they don't make Any sense to continue crippling people's financial lives.

We were just told that our lockdown is being extended through June 6. You can bet your last dollar that as we near June 6, it will be extended again. This seems endless. We do have some testing available now - maybe that will help but it's only for certain neighborhoods so it's not widespread yet.

Black Rider wrote:Locking down isn't going to make the virus go away, it's just prolonging the spread and with reports that many that did stay home are getting it, it seems pointless for the general population. What we have done is disrupted the food chain to extreme levels, cause 33 million people in the country to now be out of work and the government has seized power in unprecedented ways which, as we see after 9/11, won't easily be relinquished.

We have transformed this nation out of fear into a socialist's wet dream.

My children are back at school. This has been great and my younger child's mood has improved greatly. Hopefully we do not go backwards again.

I am really hoping I get permission to go back into the office soon, even if only a day here or there. My doctor has put me on blood pressure medication as it has been going up and up. I am sure being stuck in my house day after day has not helped.

I have a neighbour who has been acting like he lives in a party house, constantly getting drunk, playing loud music and yelling at the top of his voice. After 3days in a row of this I called the police. The next day he was yelling and ranting for about 3hrs non stop. It's really pathetic because he is in his 40's. Comes from Fiji and I wish he would go back. I am worried that my older son will snap.

^Yikes! This lockdown has brought out the worst in some people. We haven't had noisy neighbors but we do have roosters in my neighborhood that are very noisy, at all hours. It's crazy because I live in an urban city. I called animal control but they refuse to do anything to help.