Week of April 28: COVID-19 info, facts & updates

[brightberry]

It’s scary here how people are pretending that somehow New York and parts of Europe didn’t happen.  I get that people need to get back to work if they can but to treat the pandemic as a political hoax is really disturbing to me.  Every time my city posts advisories now, some troll has to go on about it being a Democrat police state.  I mean, we have a Republican governor, Republican Mayor and city council.  What the heck is going on?

We also have restaurants that didn’t open because they don’t think they can maintain social distancing so they’re sticking to curbside pick-up and people are berating the employees.

[Taffeta]

There is no excuse for abusive behaviour to anyone at all, ever.

Masks are not the ultimate solution to any of these problems mind you.

Wearing a mask for an extended period is not generally advised for people with asthma. The Scottish First Minister actually excluded Asthmatics from her advice to wear masks on public transport for this reason. It's actually also backed up by medical advice here from NY (albeit older pre-Covid advice re Flu):
https://health.ny.gov/publications/7224/

I've also seen some scientific studies that prove that coughing while wearing a mask doesn't actually prevent all the droplets from escaping the mask, they can still spread around the person coughing, so masks only really work in conjunction WITH social distancing measures.

And people here will undoubtedly misuse them, just as they mistakenly feel that gloves make their hands safe to touch their faces. We already have a problem of mask-and-glove littering when neither are mandated, so goodness knows what it will be like if that changes.

From my point of view, if they mandate masks, I will do my best to comply, but having to wear a mask will severely limit my life almost as much as current lockdown does, because of the length of time I can tolerate something over my face and the double jeopardy of dealing with crowded spaces and an inability to properly breathe.

I am hopeful that it won't become mandated in the UK, and that they'll find other methods instead. I like the idea they're trying to train dogs to sniff out COVID. That could work really well at airports and prevent the need for masks on planes (which if that happens here I will never fly again ><) or even at train terminals and bus depots.

And I say this as someone who is very scared of dogs. I'd rather be sniffed by a dog than wear a mask for x number of hours.

I think there's a general problem that people believe the crisis is over. If you're actually looking at the figures it's not 'over' really anywhere. Many places are improving, but the way down is slower than the way up. The biggest problem is people assuming that it's all done with and just trying to go back to normal life. And it just can't work that way because so long as there are asymptomatic infected people, opening up again can spike infections again.

That doesn't mean that everything is as bad as it has been in the last few weeks and that we aren't all on the right side of the battle, but keeping the battle in mind is still pretty important IMO, wherever you are in the world.

While I'm complaining, also, some news outlet earlier on was talking about a (and I quote, because this is IMO disgusting terminology) a "League table" of deaths in Europe that might put the "UK on top."

I'm not really interested in a competition with other countries as to who has the most deaths, and as the experts all say, every death is one too many and we will only really know the full scale of this when it's all over and we can actually look at what happened in all settings and all contexts. And the only reason to do that then would be to figure out how to avoid it happening again. Not to form a 'league table' as though people's lost loved ones were somehow political bartering chips.

I keep hearing people talk about "Only" (x amount of deaths) as well. Sorry, but I really find all that stuff so distasteful. Or the talk of people "who would have died anyway". Tell that to their families.

[Beth3346]

Our stay at home order is until May 18 now, I'm very thankful that my job is a remote job and I can continue to stay home away from all these people threatening workers and being aggressive with their hate of wearing a mask. How is wearing a mask against your constitutional rights?

A lot of people just don't understand the constitution. A private business can say that customers have to wear masks. It's up to the business. Business owners have rights just like their customers. In Texas we see similar protests against businesses that don't allow open carry firearms. A lot of small businesses just don't want to deal with the drama so they cave.

I wonder if there will be some supreme court cases related to the stay at home orders. I guess it depends on how long they last.

Personally I have mixed feelings about masks but I don't understand people who are yelling at others for wearing them. I think that infringes on my rights more than anything. These issues have been so politicized and all of this coronavirus is a hoax nonsense is going around. It really bums me out that people are turning on each other and behaving this way.

[KarentheUnicorn]

Personally I have mixed feelings about masks but I don't understand people who are yelling at others for wearing them. I think that infringes on my rights more than anything. These issues have been so politicized and all of this coronavirus is a hoax nonsense is going around. It really bums me out that people are turning on each other and behaving this way.

I think on some level it's almost subconscious not to trust someone in a mask. And it's probably a cultural thing as well, we've always been taught that wearing masks is only for certain situations. I had a customer come in last week and for the life of me with the mask on I was completely lost as to what her name was, etc.

Plus there is the 'robbery' thing where we've been taught wearing masks into a store, bank or any business automatically instills wary feelings.

So now everyone is running around in masks, it's weird and unsettling. And some people are just not comfortable wearing them. Seriously all I saw yesterday on tv were commercials for companies selling face masks; each one was talking about how great their face masks are - and in my head all I could think is, this is dumb. I can't imagine wearing a mask this summer in the south...WTH. If places force people to wear masks then I'm just not doing it or going to those stores/locations.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

Apparently NJ had not yet announced the closure of schools through this school year, but now they have.
I heard that PA is working to reopen some businesses, but I haven't been following the news too closely now. I am concerned for people who get most of their news through the TV, as the news station I had on while I was making dinner had very spooky and dramatic music on while they yelled statistics...probably not a good way to present it.

[Taffeta]

We're gonna know our unlocking fate properly at the weekend, but there have been some details leaked out.
Nothing concrete yet though, especially not about masks.

[tikibirds]

Masks have been mandatory since back in January. You can't even throw out the trash without one on. Forget about trying to get into a shop without it. They have eased up on them - you no longer have to wear them in your OWN car or if you are the only person around outside but it is mandatory everywhere else - work, public transport, and especially in public schools for the ones that have reopened. EVERY CHILD and TEACHER must wear the mask at all times, except for eating. There are NO exceptions.

I have 3M N95 masks I bought back in december because I can't deal with the pollution here. After about 20 minutes, it get so hot in them in stores, it makes me feel ill. I also have surgical masks and cloth masks. The cloth ones are a lot easier the breath in but I feel they aren't offering much protection as I think they were homemade. I don't want to think about wearing them in summer. Its so freakin humid here.

I am constantly asked "why are westerners (more specifically Americans) so stupid? They do not stay home or wear masks."
It doesn't help that the news here is designed to make the west look as incompetent as possible, while highlighting the strength of the Chinese government to control the spread in China.   

So, we now have a health code that must be shown to enter shops, resturants, ect. It uses your phone's GPS to track where you have been the past 14 days and issues a color code. Green - you probably do not have the virus and can travel freely in your region/city. Yellow - medium risk and red - high risk. I am thinking red is for anyone who returned from abroad in the past 14 days. I don't think there is anyplace left in China that is still on the highest level of alert, not even Wuhan. There has been some cluster infections in the far northern city of Harbin and some clusters in other Mega cities but they claim there isn't really any community spreading - IF you believe the CCP.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

So, we now have a health code that must be shown to enter shops, resturants, ect. It uses your phone's GPS to track where you have been the past 14 days and issues a color code. Green - you probably do not have the virus and can travel freely in your region/city. Yellow - medium risk and red - high risk

our province has a similar product:  it's a voluntary app that is primarily for contact tracing.  where have you been, has someone who has confirmed infection been where you are, should you be in contact with healthcare or need to be quarantined yourself, etc.  but obviously very low tech on the data side than what China is doing

[SaraMari]

A security guard for a dollar store was fatally shot for asking a patron to wear a mask in the store in Michigan. I just feel sick to my stomach

[Ponybookworm]

A security guard for a dollar store was fatally shot for asking a patron to wear a mask in the store in Michigan. I just feel sick to my stomach

It seems like Security boy was "please protect the health of everybody in this shop", & shooter was "I don't care about their health... or yours!!!" (cue sinister theme to shot)
It's like a movie scene featuring the dastardly villain!!!

[SaraMari]

Are you making fun of this situation? It's not like a movie at all

the murderer said he was "disrespected" by the security guard for being asked to wear a mask

[Ponybookworm]

Are you making fun of this situation? It's not like a movie at all

the murderer said he was "disrespected" by the security guard for being asked to wear a mask

Not my intention at all. It just seems unreal... I'm genuinely finding this hard to process...

My heart goes out to that security boy's family; he was just doing his job.

[Beth3346]

Personally I have mixed feelings about masks but I don't understand people who are yelling at others for wearing them. I think that infringes on my rights more than anything. These issues have been so politicized and all of this coronavirus is a hoax nonsense is going around. It really bums me out that people are turning on each other and behaving this way.

I think on some level it's almost subconscious not to trust someone in a mask. And it's probably a cultural thing as well, we've always been taught that wearing masks is only for certain situations. I had a customer come in last week and for the life of me with the mask on I was completely lost as to what her name was, etc.

Plus there is the 'robbery' thing where we've been taught wearing masks into a store, bank or any business automatically instills wary feelings.

So now everyone is running around in masks, it's weird and unsettling. And some people are just not comfortable wearing them. Seriously all I saw yesterday on tv were commercials for companies selling face masks; each one was talking about how great their face masks are - and in my head all I could think is, this is dumb. I can't imagine wearing a mask this summer in the south...WTH. If places force people to wear masks then I'm just not doing it or going to those stores/locations.

I heard about this on an NPR podcast this today. Interesting how history repeats itself. https://sfist.com/2020/04/27/history-lesson-sf-had-an-anti-mask-league-during-the-1918-flu-pandemic-who-rallied-against-face-masks/

Yeah I agree we're just not used to seeing people walking around here with masks on. Even seeing myself in the mirror with a mask on is weird. TBH I get really freaked out when I see people in masks. Mostly the halloween that cover entire faces. And people in mascot/character costumes freak me out. Its not like i run away screaming but I do have a visceral reaction.

And yeah it doesn't help that we mostly associate masks with negative activity. Robbers and movie villains.

Also it seems like there's a lot of masks as a fashion accessory trends starting. Which makes me wonder if those masks really do anything.

Also if you didn't already know don't drive while wearing your mask. https://abcnews.go.com/US/driver-crash-passed-wearing-n95-mask-long-police/story?id=70346532

A security guard for a dollar store was fatally shot for asking a patron to wear a mask in the store in Michigan. I just feel sick to my stomach

What in the world is going on in Michigan? Now we have to worry about getting shot in addition to getting sick. I don't even know anymore.

[SaraMari]

Thanks for letting me know ponybookworm I have a hard time understanding tone over the internet sometimes. I agree with you

[Ponybookworm]

Thanks for letting me know ponybookworm I have a hard time understanding tone over the internet sometimes. I agree with you

People don't carry guns round generally in the UK. So it's nearly impossible for many of us to wrap our heads round some random person shooting somebody for something that small, especially when it's been deemed an important measure to fight against this virus.