Coronavirus

[apl68]

Religious leaders who do support sane public policy are good to have around.

M.

And from what I've seen, most of them do.  There aren't really all that many who have truly spread dangerous messages (As always the loudest mouths get a disproportionate amount of attention).  Far more common are pastors and other leaders who are afraid to come out strongly on either side of the issue, because it is so controversial.  Many people have let the controversy and the noise silence them.

[apl68]

Our local schools have now become a microcosm of the needless drama and controversy surrounding the pandemic.  Months ago, when the pandemic seemed to be receding, our state legislature banned mask mandates by any sort of government agency.  No doubt at the time they figured it would be a harmless piece of political theater.  Then the pandemic came roaring back, and schools found themselves unable to mandate masks.  The Governor called a special session to plead with the legislators to reconsider.  They refused  (I know a couple of these guys personally.  I'm very disappointed in them now.  One of them's father runs our local hospital.  I suspect he's upset with his son's decision too).  Then the state's judiciary ruled that the legislation was unconstitutional, because it preempted local authorities.

Our school district--and many others--seized on this opportunity to mandate masks.  Now many parents are angry.  The district administration is in an impossible position.  Some parents demand mask mandates because they fear that their children will die without one (A greatly exaggerated fear, but there is a non-trivial chance that their children will get sick).  Others demand that there be no mask mandates, because they fear that their children will suffocate if forced to mask (A nonsensical fear from a logical and empirical perspective, but if, like many, you have even a little touch of claustrophobia the fear must make a lot of intuitive sense). 

People are going to view this through a political lens, but what we're really dealing with in this case are parents who are afraid for their children.  In my experience, there is simply no reasoning with a parent once she has become convinced that something or other is a danger to her child.  She's going to believe what she believes, and she's convinced that she can't give in for the sake of her child.  This sort of thinking has always led to disagreements in how schools are run, but we seldom see such a stark divide as we do now.  There just isn't any room for compromise between those are determined to see a mask mandate, and those who are determined not to.  I think the district is making the right decision in trying to make the students mask, but I'm afraid they may face a major revolt for trying to.

[mamselle]

Or more home schooling ,if that's an option where you are.

M.

[clean]

Personally, for the youngins, I think that is the answer!

Give them a choice:

Masks at school, or no masks and HOME School!

It is not just the kids that are at risk.  There are ALL of the adults from the frontline class room teacher, to the Lunch Lady (perhaps Adam Sandler needs to add a new set of lyrics), to the janitor.  Even the crossing guards are not completely safe from what I can tell, if the youngins bunch up around them! 

What about the bus drivers?  Are they safe? 

Then there are the people that the children see at home?  Are those people safe...


but I rant.  Nothing is new here, except providing the choice Mask Or Home School!  (the 'none of the above' answer can be saved for the ballot box!)  (And that assumes that the school board people WANT to be reelected!!)

[AvidReader]

For the essential services (schools as earlier on the thread, but also places like grocery stores and churches) I wish locations would self-designate different safety preferences. In my town, we have 4 grocery stores. Why can one of them not be the "mask store," or at least offer "enforced mask hours"? In a town with multiple public schools, why not designate each as a "mask school" or a "free-breathing school"? (Teachers who don't want to teach in the free-breathing school can have HAZMAT suits and crisis pay, like nurses.)

I can't imagine being a bus driver in COVID. No way would they be able to make sure every child stayed masked.

AR.

[apl68]

I can't imagine being a bus driver in COVID. No way would they be able to make sure every child stayed masked.

AR.

I guess you could keep all the windows on the bus open and have a cleansing, howling breeze go through whenever the bus was on the move.

I recall from my own two years of riding the bus that having all the windows open did wonders for the atmosphere inside after somebody had thrown up.  One kid called it "playing freeze-out."

[secundem_artem]

We had over 14,000 cases today, which I think is the highest we've ever had since this all started. Yay. We're winning!

I was being sarcastic. There are so many misinformed people here (and in my family) who do not trust vaccines and so remain unvaccinated. We had around 200 cases today.

I understand.... It is hard to say out loud...   BUT sometimes I want to 'change sides'  and root for the virus!  IF you are TEAM VIRUS, then at the moment, You ARE WINNING!!

There really are some folks around who think that Covid is God's punishment on the wicked, and we should spread the virus as much as possible so that God can then use it to save the elect and kill the reprobate.

They said the same thing about AIDS, Hurricane Katrina and any number of similar disasters.  It's the usual noise made by the Kristians.

In other news, Greg Abbott - Gov of Texas just tested positive.  Here's hoping a couple of weeks with a ventilator tube down his noise hole may teach him a lesson.

[clean]

In other news, Greg Abbott - Gov of Texas just tested positive.  Here's hoping a couple of weeks with a ventilator tube down his noise hole may teach him a lesson.

My TX friend noted that he is vaccinated, so likely wont need to go to the hospital.

I wonder about all of those that are expressing joy in his positive status had more, less or the same response when The Great Pumpkin was sent to Walter Reed for his internal bleaching and hydroxykilloquiz meds!?

However, I suspect that Abbot's 'salvation' will be another sign of Devine intervention for the Chosen Few Trumpians that are Holding The Line!

[onthefringe]

In other news, Greg Abbott - Gov of Texas just tested positive.  Here's hoping a couple of weeks with a ventilator tube down his noise hole may teach him a lesson.

My TX friend noted that he is vaccinated, so likely wont need to go to the hospital.

In fact he's reported to be asymptomatic, isolating in the governor's mansion, and receiving $$$$ worth of regeneron monoclonal antibodies. So I doubt this will change his mind about the risks of the pandemic. Sadly.

[nebo113]

Head of our regional children's hospital and her husband tested positive.  He is a teacher and got it at school:  masks optional.  Am sure he and wife were both vaxxed, but governor is anti mask and pro death.

[apl68]

Our pastor, who was vaccinated, has nonetheless tested positive.  I was briefly in close contact with him Sunday, so while I too am vaccinated, I'm now having to keep my distance and try to schedule a test.

I know that even with breakthrough infections the vaccines are still very useful, but the growing number of reports of breakthrough infections are not going to help in trying to deal with vaccine hesitancy.  I wonder whether a lot of people who are refusing to vaccinate or take other precautions are just succumbing to fatalism.

[apl68]

The local paper carried a story about a small anti-masking protest at the school administration office.  The Superintendent spoke directly with the protestors.  He described the interaction and the protestors as "civil."  He's not backing down.  He's a master of "a soft answer turns away wrath."

A neighboring district's school board just failed in two attempts to pass a masking mandate of its own.  They now have 40 students quarantined, infected, or otherwise sent home.  It will be interesting to see how the masked and un-masked districts end up comparing.  In effect our county is running an experiment on just how well masking in schools works in practice.

[AmLitHist]

School district in our region shut down yesterday, after being open just a week. Reporting varies, but about two dozen new cases in the past couple of days, in a district of around 1000 students (with a fair number of those having been pulled out for homeschooling already before the return).

[AvidReader]

I was checking the New York Times hospitalization numbers today and noticed that several hospitals in my area are listed with fractions of beds available. This seems to be pretty consistent in lots of states, e.g. Tallahassee Memorial Hospital is listed as having 0.7 available ICU beds. Does anyone know why they aren't counting beds using whole numbers?

AR.

[jimbogumbo]

For those of us with poor classroom ventilation and no way to crack windows: https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2021/08/17/diy-air-filters-for-classrooms-experts-are-enthusiastic-and-a-citizen-scientist-makes-it-easy