CA and WA likely had that dozen of people returning with the virus given our big Chinese populations. CA lucked out that the virus was not dragged into a nursing home like it was here. Also, while we have big cities, these cities are not even close to NYC; our much criticized suburban sprawl definitely helped us to avoid the virus spread…
““Anybody annoyed that President Obama had the secret service drive him to his country club, have it opened just for him and some friends. In a hot spot area with very strict sah rules right now and the courses etc closed for everyone else.””
If he went in VA, golf courses are open. Trump went to his in Sterling, VA a couple weeks ago. Courses in MD are not open.
@Chuckman are you a student or parent? Your post history suggests both.
Could your sister not help them with electronically calling their loved ones? Because that’s more than seniors in COVID wards get.
I’m sorry, I don’t buy for a second that the death toll from loneliness will outweigh the ones from COVID. Every death is unfortunate - I’m interested in keeping death to the minimum.
I just never thought that over 2 months into this the US would not have enough PPE, that we would be running short on critical medicines, and that our tests would be so inaccurate, when available. I thought better of us.
My brother has been sick for 3 weeks – fever, cough, aches, fatigue, chills. Two negative COVID-19 tests. The doctor’s clinical judgment is COVID, but ??
I think it might be ok to relax some of the orders if only people used common sense. Oh and if we really understood fully how the virus is transmitted. We have some ideas, but without that knowledge. . .
Obama seen on golf course days before Michelle told people to stay home
By Andrew Mark Miller
April 30, 2020 - 5:44 PM
Washington Examiner.
It was also on other sites and an segment on Tucker Carlson that I didn’t watch.
My source was my sister.
Golf digest - “Obama has accepted an invitation to join Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md. The club is just a six-mile drive from the Obamas’ home in Kalorama Heights.”
The course is in Maryland.
It’s also the course pictured in the article.
I don’t have any connections with secret service to verify. It’s not like they were letting reporters on the course. It was closed and secret service can be clearly seen in the pictures as well.
My point is it aggravating with so many regular people being vilified for similar behavior here.
And why the other networks aren’t covering it is for them to answer.
It’s not going to change the world. It just irked me with locals being arrested in my area recently for doing the same thing.
One can like the guy and still say it was a lousy thing to do.
My bosses are dancing a happy dance. Our golf courses will open next week. Hope it rains on them! 
@BunsenBurner lol. Can it just rain on the bosses though and the non bosses can play without the rain please?
@my3girls did they run a flu test on your brother? If so, not just the rapid one but the full panel flu test?
I’ve seen a lot of people saying they have COVID-like symptoms but their COVID tests come back negative. So I’m just curious if doctors are still trying to find out what it is rather than just writing it off as COVID with negative tests.
I didn’t know until a few weeks ago that rapid flu tests aren’t that reliable - when my partner’s came back negative but we both certainly had H1N1 (found on the more accurate tests).
This is merely a curiosity of mine because I’m trying to gauge what’s going on in the medical world.
@“Cardinal Fang” You asked how close people are in meatpacking plants. H1 worked in hambone. They wore protective wire mesh gloves on their non-knife holding hand. He was left-handed and always standing between right-handed people. His left arm got cut many times by their right hand.
Yes, they are often living with co-workers and working with family. This is very much the case in the Tyson plant I’ve been complaining about for weeks ~1200 of their 2200 employees tested positive a week ago. I was seeing facebook posts 3+ weeks ago, so think some would’ve recovered to test negative.
Most factories were still running in this state, without outbreaks. Meat-packing tends to disregard employee health & safety more than some other industries.
@romanigypsyeyes Yes, they tested for and ruled out flu and mono and are running through a whole list of things. He’s had a chest x-ray which was clear so that leans toward not being COVID. I just wish we had tests we could trust more.
We don’t have the money.
By a 2/13/20 NPR piece, the national debt stood at over 22 trillion and a few trillion more have been spent since, with plans to spend even more. And, as one of the Hunt brother’s famously said - “A few trillion here, a few trillion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money”.
(Truth its he was talking ‘billions’ but I had to scale it up for the sorry mess the lockdowns are herding us along into.)
OTOH, if by “we have the money” you meant we currently have the ability to assume more debt, I’ll have to agree.
I’m annoyed (1) that this was brought up in this thread, and (2) that the statement above is apparently not true. At least, golf courses in Virginia are open; I don’t know if Obama’s club, the Robert Trent Jones Club in Gainesville VA, is open to members, of whom he is one, but it probably is.
The WA Examinor article says it was a golf course in VA - where courses are open. As do the other articles I found. Trump has also been at least once, as I said above, despite saying he hasn’t left the White House except to see the Comfort depart for NY. I don’t have a problem with either of them playing a round on an open course.
I read that article and I watched the Tucker Carlson spot - which was linked in the article.
He just said it without proffering any proof whatsoever. No picture and no video. No corroborating witnesses statements or even any one named.
And interesting that the other article I read it was a different golf course he went to and in Virginia.
“Then, on Saturday, her husband, former President Barack Obama, was outside enjoying a round of golf in Virginia, Politico Playbook reported on Sunday, April 26:
“Good Sunday morning. SPOTTED: Former President Barack Obama playing golf at Robert Trent Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., Saturday afternoon.”
You say your sister was your source. - was your sister golfing with Obama?
And how was it possible to be playing golf at two different courses miles from each other at the same time?
I do not understand why we do not ask seniors if they wish to isolate before imposing this on them. Some of those seniors may very well wish to enjoy going out, socializing, or seeing family at this stage of life, and are willing to accept the risk involved. If they have DNR and DNI orders in place so they are not endangering health care workers, it seems a sensible decision some might choose. Some prioritize quality of life with a rich, full end rather than squeezing out a few lonely extra months.
There’s something to that, @roycroftmom. I was thinking about my mom. She’s staying safe, but she’s lonely. This isolation isn’t good for her, not physically (though she does go on daily walks) and certainly not psychologically.
What you’re suggesting may very well be the reason why some posters on this thread have been frustrated with their stubborn elderly parents! Masks, social distancing - pshaw…
Agreed completely. Sending healthful thoughts to him and hope they figure it out.
Not a response to any post but just a random thought:
Time was, Walmart was demonized for what their scale and business model did to main street stores, the locally owned ones. Supreme court case eventually made it possible for states to correct what was considered an unfair advantage online commerce had over the same local stores.
Walmart, Amazon, etc., are in the process of killing your local businesses, and the lockdowns are the club they’re doing it with.
I’m worried that pride and a desire to maintain credibility will lead to government and health authorities doubling down on lockdown measures that aren’t necessary. The economic fallout of lockdown is truly catastrophic. Also, hospitals are facing bankruptcy because of cancellations and redirections toward a Covid-19 crisis situation that didn’t really materialize. The lockdown measures were largely accepted because of the credible “flatten the curve” argument and the desire not to overwhelm the health system. Everyone was on board with that. But the restrictions cannot be allowed to bankrupt the health system either. That is no good.
These current restrictions cannot be sustained. There will be massive civil disobedience. On the other hand, there will not be a light-switch situation where everything goes back to normal. There has to be an incremental transition consistent with public health guidelines. But there is no way that we can shut down society until there is a vaccine. We are going to have to learn to live with this. It’s not the plague and it’s not cholera or typhus.
I’m in MD - our stay at home order is different than DC’s.
Here is DC’s regarding recreation…
- “Allowable Recreational Activities” means outdoor activity with household members that complies with Social Distancing Requirements, as defined in section IV.8 of this Order, and includes the sanitizing of any equipment used both before and after the activity. Outdoor activities should not be conducted with persons other than those from one’s own household.
Examples: Walking, hiking, running, dog-walking, biking, rollerblading, scootering, skateboarding, playing tennis, golfing, gardening, and other activities where all participants comply with Social Distancing Requirements and there is no person-to-person contact.