Coronavirus

[pgher]

Our governor has just mandated wearing of masks in public!  Belated, but at least it's happening now.  And I don't anticipate his being sabotaged by the legislature as has happened elsewhere.

Now we'll see how much the measure actually helps.  Masks are a really good idea, but they're not a cure-all.

Our governor is a dumb ass.

We must live in the same state.

Or maybe adjacent states.

Truthfully, "my governor is a dumb ass" only eliminates about a quarter of the states.

I moved my youngest to college this week. Yesterday, the provost put out a message reminding people about the rules, which apparently are not being enforced in any meaningful way besides social norms (which of course work real well with incoming freshmen). Youngest said that a group of students were playing a sport and the teams were "mask" and "no mask." I've been assuming that they'll go on full lockdown by October. I may be overly optimistic.

[FishProf]

Youngest said that a group of students were playing a sport and the teams were "mask" and "no mask." I've been assuming that they'll go on full lockdown by October. I may be overly optimistic.

At times, it seems like the entire USA is playing that game.  And we are ALL losing.

[histchick]

Classes just started, and nearly half of my students didn't show up for the first day.  What the hell are we actually doing here? 

Charades?  More likely Facades.  The idea is: "If we build it they will come.  If they don't, we did our part.  Don't blame us."

This is exactly what my place is doing with our F2F classes, and the "live virtual lecture" (LVL) sections (synchronous sessions), too.  When many of us with high-risk status begged for Admin to put our F2F sections online, they said, "Nope.  We have too many sections online already.  Our students need to be F2F to learn, and they want these F2F seats available."

We were able to make F2F classes hybrid, but that was due to the fact that we don't have the space to physically distance a class of 35 in most classrooms.  So faculty are still actually in the classroom as much as they are in a regular classroom.   

I swear, AmLitHist, when our system does something crazy, I often wonder what yours is doing.  I have done this for years.  LVL?  That's insane. 

[AmLitHist]

This weekend is our town's (postponed) All-City Yard Sale.  Because, by god, nobody's going to tell us we can't go out to random houses without masks and drag home other people's junk (or have people without masks congregate in our yards and garages to buy our junk)!  I had to take a lawn mower out to oldest kid's house ~ 10 miles in the country (nearest neighbor is over a mile from them--otherwise, I wouldn't have gone), and driving through our section of town was ridiculous:  cars on both sides of every street, people walking all over, and none with masks that I saw.

And, the town's small LAC is starting up F2F again this weekend; freshmen are coming in for a week of orientation.  Students come from all over the country (church-related school, and while the churches are fairly far-flung, parents tend to want to send their kids here).  Also, recruiting over the past decade has brought a large contingent of Chinese students; I don't know if they got to go home and/or will be coming back next week. 

So, between the massive yard sales and the college kids dragging who knows what from their homes and travels, I can only imagine what the case numbers here will look lie by Labor Day.  This part of the state is already on the CDC's and the Governor's sh*t lists for the rise in cases that started a few weeks ago and continues at a growing, scary pace.

[secundem_artem]

The little darlin's started moving into their dorm rooms yesterday after signing loud and long pledges to all the anti-covid stuff our Prez could think of.

Today, we sent a bunch of them home for a period of quarantine for unauthorized parties/gatherings.

You would think this is the first time our leadership has ever come across the species of Homo undergradicus

[Vkw10]

Ours are moving in. I opened Google Maps and looked at live traffic view of town. Every street near campus is red, as are the streets around WalMart, Target, HEB grocery, and student apartment complexes. I'm staying home.

One good outcome of coronavirus: I haven't seen a plea to help students move in! Maybe they'll forget that community-spirit-building campaign permanently?

[nebo113]

This weekend is our town's (postponed) All-City Yard Sale.  Because, by god, nobody's going to tell us we can't go out to random houses without masks and drag home other people's junk (or have people without masks congregate in our yards and garages to buy our junk)!  I had to take a lawn mower out to oldest kid's house ~ 10 miles in the country (nearest neighbor is over a mile from them--otherwise, I wouldn't have gone), and driving through our section of town was ridiculous:  cars on both sides of every street, people walking all over, and none with masks that I saw.

And, the town's small LAC is starting up F2F again this weekend; freshmen are coming in for a week of orientation.  Students come from all over the country (church-related school, and while the churches are fairly far-flung, parents tend to want to send their kids here).  Also, recruiting over the past decade has brought a large contingent of Chinese students; I don't know if they got to go home and/or will be coming back next week. 

So, between the massive yard sales and the college kids dragging who knows what from their homes and travels, I can only imagine what the case numbers here will look lie by Labor Day.  This part of the state is already on the CDC's and the Governor's sh*t lists for the rise in cases that started a few weeks ago and continues at a growing, scary pace.

I would believe we live in the same place, except our small college is public, not denominational.  WTF is wrong with people....rhetorical.

[pgher]

Less Than A Week After Starting Classes, UNC-Chapel Hill Reports 4 COVID-19 Clusters

Maybe they have the clusters contained? UNC is much larger than my campus, but still, this is a bit troubling. No word from my kid's school on any cases, but classes haven't started yet (just move-in).

[namazu]

Less Than A Week After Starting Classes, UNC-Chapel Hill Reports 4 COVID-19 Clusters

Maybe they have the clusters contained? UNC is much larger than my campus, but still, this is a bit troubling. No word from my kid's school on any cases, but classes haven't started yet (just move-in).

...Aaaaand they're online. 


Meanwhile, in North Georgia, students are taking social distancing very seriously...or not.

[Cheerful]

RE: pgher and namazu's posts, UNC-Chapel Hill:

In just the past week (Aug. 10-16), we have seen COVID-19 positivity rate rise from 2.8% to 13.6% at Campus Health. As of this morning, we have tested 954 students and have 177 in isolation and 349 in quarantine, both on and off campus. So far, we have been fortunate that most students who have tested positive have demonstrated mild symptoms.

https://www.unc.edu/posts/2020/08/17/shift-to-remote-cm/

[the_geneticist]

Less Than A Week After Starting Classes, UNC-Chapel Hill Reports 4 COVID-19 Clusters

Maybe they have the clusters contained? UNC is much larger than my campus, but still, this is a bit troubling. No word from my kid's school on any cases, but classes haven't started yet (just move-in).

...Aaaaand they're online. 


Meanwhile, in North Georgia, students are taking social distancing very seriously...or not.

Damn that was quick!
I think that's going to set the tone for the plans for Fall.
And my co-workers thought I was bonkers for saying we will be lucky to be back to in person classes in January 2021.

[sprout]

And my co-workers thought I was bonkers for saying we will be lucky to be back to in person classes in January 2021.

I'm with you.  I don't like it, I'd be shocked if we're doing anything more in-person in winter than we're doing this fall.  Even if we have some sort of vaccine by then.

[Caracal]

Less Than A Week After Starting Classes, UNC-Chapel Hill Reports 4 COVID-19 Clusters

Maybe they have the clusters contained? UNC is much larger than my campus, but still, this is a bit troubling. No word from my kid's school on any cases, but classes haven't started yet (just move-in).

...Aaaaand they're online. 


Meanwhile, in North Georgia, students are taking social distancing very seriously...or not.

Damn that was quick!
I think that's going to set the tone for the plans for Fall.
And my co-workers thought I was bonkers for saying we will be lucky to be back to in person classes in January 2021.

Well, as before, it all depends on the larger picture. I assumed back in the Spring that it would be possible to have classes in the Fall because I assumed things might be more under control. If you're trying to avoid outbreaks where they don't already exist all the mitigation strategies might work. They don't have a chance if you just bring a lot of people with Covid onto campus.

[clean]

After some leg work myself, I discovered a room that is bigger than my assigned room.  I asked and was granted a room change! I now only have to be on campus, in person 5 times this term!  With the original room, the admincritters expected that I would show up 10 times to that all students had 5 face to face meetings.  (I was not thrilled about 5 meetings and I was wondering how to get out of the other 5 'required' meetings).
So I have to say that I am pleased that my associate dean was able to allow me a room change (though I dont know why I would have been prevented from using an otherwise empty room!!)

[Vkw10]

I'm beginning to wonder if I missed the contest announcement for "stupidest way to wear a mask." Pushed down, dangling, on top of head, dangling down back, filled with chips? Classes start a week from today.