Coronavirus in the US

Parent Cafe
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Authorities in the Netherlands have announced new measures to combat the spread of coronavirus in the country, after a press conference by prime minister Mark Rutte, according to reports.

Gatherings of more than 100 people have been banned in the country, while older people and others from vulnerable groups have been told to avoid public transport. (Guardian)

[The Netherlands has 111 new cases today for a total of 614 confirmed infections and a total of 5 deaths.]

More than 313,000 US public school students will be out of classes
From CNN

School districts in at least four states have announced long-term school closures for K-12 public school students amounting to at least 313,901 students who will be out of their schools over the coming days.

Here’s a breakdown of the closures:

This afternoon, officials in Connecticut announced long-term closures for Stamford and New Haven Public Schools — two of the larger public school districts in the state. There are approximately 37,000 total students that attend the two school districts in total.

In Washington state, at least eight school districts have announced long-term school closures effecting at least 128,174 students. Seattle Public Schools, Lake Washington School District, and Shoreline School District all begin their long-term closures today. Snohomish County School District, Edmonds School District, Riverview School District, and Bellevue School District announce closures in the coming days. Northshore School District begin online instruction earlier this week.

In Tennessee, Shelby County School District announced this morning a long-term closure beginning Friday that will effect at least 100,000 students in their school district.

In New York, three schools in the New Rochelle School District are closed through March 25: New Rochelle High School, Albert Leonard Middle School and William B. Ward Elementary School.

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NCAA is supposedly meeting all day long to make a decision about March Madness. At this point I expect the decision is between suspending or canceling it. Conference tournaments are canceled so there are no games going on now. Different than the NBA (games were to be played today and they have 2 players with CV) and MLB (spring training games today). At this point no fans are playing to go anywhere because decision yesterday (prior to NBA) was to not allow fans at the games. Schools don’t know where they may be playing so there isn’t anything to be planning right now. Waiting a day or two won’t matter.

College will be in a different spot than the NBA. When it resumes, NBA will likely have shortened regular season and then the playoffs. College would go right to the tournament with players likely not having practiced. Seems to me it would make more sense to cancel rather than postpone. In the grand scheme, not a big issue though.

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2 meters is more like 5-7 steps. :slight_smile:

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@Artist2233

Well
 you do what I did yesterday. You call your PCP, tell them your symptoms and ask what you should do. They’ll probably send you in or tell you to go to urgent care where you can be screened for respiratory infections including flu. (And you WEAR A MASK while at these places! And use hand sanitizer!)

You make sure that you’ve stocked up 2 weeks worth of basic supplies - which most people already have. You stay home unless you need to go to hospital.

That’s it. That’s all you do. It’s really nothing worth panicking about.

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Two meters is six and a half “feet” and a king’s foot isn’t as long as a normal step. So 3 steps is about right.

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Los Angeles Community College District as of 3/12: http://www.laccd.edu/About/News/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx

However, LACCD has announced intent to move classes to online instruction by 3/18. But there is nothing in the announcement about what students who do not have suitable computers, tablets, or internet service at home should do (LACCD students probably have a much lower SES profile than this forum’s demographics, or students at colleges that this forum mostly writes about).

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For those of us who grew up in a country with the metric system, 2 metres is indeed about 3 steps. For the Yanks, a step is about 2.5 feet; it’s not measured heel-to-toe.

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@NYGovCuomo

"We are taking new actions to reduce the density of people across the state.

Starting Friday at 5pm, gatherings with 500 people or more will not be permitted in NYS.

Additionally, for facilities with an occupancy of 500 or fewer, we are reducing the legal capacity by 50%. "

Finally!!!

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I guess it depends how long your legs are.

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Norwegian to temporarily lay off up to 50% of its employees due to coronavirus concerns

European budget airline Norwegian said Thursday it will temporarily lay off half of its staff “following the US ban on travel from most of Europe and the escalating coronavirus situation.”

“Due to the extraordinary market situation as a result of the coronavirus, and thus a dramatic drop in customers and subsequent production decline, we must look at all possible measures to reduce costs. This unfortunately also includes temporary layoffs of up to 50 percent of our employees and the number may increase. All departments will be affected by the temporary layoffs,” the company said in a statement.
The company also announced it will ground 40% of its long-haul fleet and cancel up 25% of its short-haul flights until the end of May.

“This is an unprecedented situation and our main priority continues to be the care and safety of our customers and colleagues. The new restrictions imposed further pressure on an already difficult situation. We urge international governments to act now to ensure that the aviation industry can protect jobs and continue to be a vital part of the global economic recovery," Norwegian CEO Jacob Schram said. (CNN)

Broadway theaters’ maximum capacity is now 50% of total seats, governor says

Broadway theaters in New York City are required to have maximum capacity of 50% of total seating as of 5 p.m. ET today, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.

“Fifty percent of your seated capacity will be the new capacity,” Cuomo said.

As of 5 p.m. Friday, other facilities will be required to adhere to the same rules if the venue can hold up to 500 people, the governor said.

The exceptions for that rule are:

Schools
Hospitals
Nursing homes
Mass transit
All gatherings of 500 people are also banned, Cuomo said. (CNN)

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You handle it just as you would if a family member should get a nasty cold or flu right at a time when it’s very important for other family members not to get sick. The chances are that the ailment is a flu or cold, and that’s how I’d start to treat it, gathering as much info as possible about where to go to get tested and treated if things go that direction.

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Ohio banning mass gatherings (more than 100 people). Per governor’s conference right now.

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New York has 328 coronavirus cases
New York has 328 cases of coronavirus, with 112 new cases, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.

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To thread readers: I apologize for an inappropriate crack.

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Finally is right! We’ve been waiting for Broadway to get shut down so we can get our money back for a show on Saturday.

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New Mexico suspends all gatherings of over 100 people
From CNN

New Mexico Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel Thursday issued an order temporarily prohibiting more than 100 people from gathering in one place in New Mexico in response to the coronavirus, according to a statement from the governor’s office.

The types of places covered by the order are spaces like auditoriums, stadiums, arenas, conference centers and theaters.

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Well my county “The epicenter of Covid-19 in PA” was just shut down for 2 weeks Montgomery County PA. We have 11 of PA’s 22 cases. The only thing open are Healthcare, Gas, Groceries, pharmacies, and some mass transit. No mass gatherings allowed. I was at the store just before the announcement and the news must have leaked because it looked like a blizzard was about to hit. I for one am very happy about this.

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New Jersey governor recommends cancellation of large public events

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Thursday his office is recommending canceling all public gatherings of 250 people or more, including concerts, sporting events, and parades.

“These measures are being taken as part of our coordinated response to the continued outbreak and to aggressively mitigate the spread of the virus,” his office said in a statement. (CNC)

[I find the “recommended” odd]

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I like Murphy’s formulation. Governors can’t actually “ban” people from peaceably assembling; state governments don’t have that authority. Murphy’s wording is appropriate and expresses the endorsement of the state without arrogating to himself powers that he does not have.

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An issue I hadn’t thought about: our election day poll workers are probably 80% people 65 and older. Risk group for the virus. So the state is looking for other volunteers who are not in a higher risk category to help out.