Preparing for Coronavirus?

[nebo113]

Interesting Scientific American discussion of a study on "What motivates rule-breakers" (like those who won't wear masks...)

   https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-motivates-covid-rule-breakers/

M.

In other words, when somebody tells you to do something, you do the opposite.   Yes, my neighbors are assholes.

[apl68]

Today I visited a business where all the staff were wearing masks with transparencies to let you see their mouths.  First time I've seen those up close.  They had them made locally for the benefit of a staff member who is hearing impaired.

[namazu]

Today I visited a business where all the staff were wearing masks with transparencies to let you see their mouths.  First time I've seen those up close.  They had them made locally for the benefit of a staff member who is hearing impaired.

Did they seem to work well?  One of the problems in developing see-through masks has been keeping the clear part from fogging up.

[apl68]

I could definitely see mouths through the masks.  Not sure how well lip-reading would work.  The business owner said that the staff member--who is also her grown daughter--doesn't always get what she's saying, but doesn't always WANT to.

[apl68]

A staff member presented us today with a giant decorative ball made from gluing together lots of clear plastic cups and running lights through them.  Her children have been making them.  We've hung it up in our children's area.

She said that those clear cups are getting hard to find.  It occurred to me that all the crafting being done this year by people cooped up at home might help to explain some of the weird shortages that have been occurring.  A craft involving the use of large amounts of some unlikely material suddenly becomes popular, and the material temporarily disappears from the stores.

[spork]

I often spend more time with physicians than I like, but two that I regularly run with got vaccinated today. The vaccine is getting distributed to health care personnel very quickly. 

[Cheerful]

Some elites, accustomed to buying their health care from "concierge" and "boutique" medical services doctors, are reportedly seeking special preference at the front of the line for the covid vaccine.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/19/us/covid-vaccine-wealthy-california-patients/index.html

In the U.S. free market, doctors are free to operate concierge outfits offering special access and services for those willing and able to pay.  These types of doctors, however, make me sad.

[hmaria1609]

Mayor Muriel Bowser made an announcement about new restrictions starting Dec. 23rd:
https://wtop.com/dc/2020/12/report-dc-to-ban-indoor-dining-this-holiday-season/
Several counties in Maryland and Baltimore City now have indoor dining bans.

[apl68]

While buying supplies for work at the local Wal-Mart today, I noticed that stocks of cleaning items seem to be improving.  Some items like pine cleaner seemed a bit depleted, but they weren't almost out.  The only thing still conspicuous by its absence was spray disinfectant. 

[Langue_doc]

Announcement by store manager over the public address system: Masks must be worn over the nose as well as over the mouth. Presumably one or more of the shoppers had their noses exposed.

This was repeated twice. Yeah, manager, way to go. I wish the grocery stores would follow suit.

[pgher]

Announcement by store manager over the public address system: Masks must be worn over the nose as well as over the mouth. Presumably one or more of the shoppers had their noses exposed.

This was repeated twice. Yeah, manager, way to go. I wish the grocery stores would follow suit.

I say to anyone who will listen: Our messaging is wrong. "Wear your mask" leads to chinstraps and exposed noses. The message should be, "Cover your nose." (I have yet to see anyone with their nose covered and mouth exposed.)

[apl68]

Announcement by store manager over the public address system: Masks must be worn over the nose as well as over the mouth. Presumably one or more of the shoppers had their noses exposed.

This was repeated twice. Yeah, manager, way to go. I wish the grocery stores would follow suit.

I say to anyone who will listen: Our messaging is wrong. "Wear your mask" leads to chinstraps and exposed noses. The message should be, "Cover your nose." (I have yet to see anyone with their nose covered and mouth exposed.)

Sort of reminds me of a student worker we once had who had to have it explained to him that it wasn't enough to be somewhere in the eight-floor building by the time his shift started--he had to actually be at his station at the service desk for it to count as being "on duty."

[Langue_doc]

Announcement by store manager over the public address system: Masks must be worn over the nose as well as over the mouth. Presumably one or more of the shoppers had their noses exposed.

This was repeated twice. Yeah, manager, way to go. I wish the grocery stores would follow suit.

I say to anyone who will listen: Our messaging is wrong. "Wear your mask" leads to chinstraps and exposed noses. The message should be, "Cover your nose." (I have yet to see anyone with their nose covered and mouth exposed.)

Sort of reminds me of a student worker we once had who had to have it explained to him that it wasn't enough to be somewhere in the eight-floor building by the time his shift started--he had to actually be at his station at the service desk for it to count as being "on duty."

This token mask-wearing is in a zip code that is officially at an extremely high risk level, as are the surrounding zip codes. Most of the free-the-nose people are elderly and male. No one even thinks of observing the safe distancing protocols. I went to the post office and another store for essentials supplies, but then decided that I didn't have the stomach to go to the grocery store where I would have to ask people to step back.

Not to derail the thread, but I once had a student who would saunter in late, leave her belongings on the desk, saunter out to get snacks from the vending machine, then saunter back in and angrily claim that she was 'present' despite having missed about 45 minutes of class.

[nebo113]

Venturing with some trepidation to an outdoor Farmers Market.  Will double mask.  Am in county that has identified new variant.

[AvidReader]

Not to derail the thread, but I once had a student who would saunter in late, leave her belongings on the desk, saunter out to get snacks from the vending machine, then saunter back in and angrily claim that she was 'present' despite having missed about 45 minutes of class.

One of my college instructors had clearly had this happen before I was a freshman. His syllabus stated that being "on time" meant being at one's desk, pencil out, book open, and notepad ready, before the clock showed it was time for class to begin. Slipping in the door just before the clock slipped over did not count. (Three tardies counted as an absence).

AR.