@Nhatrang I don’t know what state your friend is in, but financial counseling offices at hospitals and health centers can be really helpful. I have had a few friends who told me they were panicking because they had no health insurance after being laid off due to COVID, and when they called the hospital financial counseling office (they have closed the office) got onto a very affordable plan.
Noone should go without health insurance or assume continued good health.
Texas is testing 25k per day, with a goal to get to 30k. Many places, including my county offer free tests no one bothers to attend because we feel fine, @Sybylla. Nursing home cases are being counted. Health care SWAT teams and police were deployed to nursing homes very early in this pandemic, but as expected nursing homes, prisons and meat plants remain the 3 largest concentrations of infection.
By the way, Harris county has a very young, very progressive Hispanic county executive who has been widely admired in all this and who has managed relations with the governor superbly.
Yeah, he seemed to be trying to buy time. It’s at least 3 more weeks before Phase 2 and any restaurants reopening their dining rooms. And, if Phase 1 was any indication, he’ll wait up until the last day to announce “not today”.
And even if Baker had allowed restaurants to open, you know Mayor Walsh wouldn’t have let the Boston restaurants open. Is outside dining even an option in the North End, both in terms of the restrictions and the outside space?
Certainly people are going to be very outspoken and emotional when their family’s financial health is greatly endangered. Others are weighing out how to carry on and stay physically healthy. Then the conflicting messages from what people are doing, what people want to do, and how government officials (and judiciary) are acting in their particular state.
H, DDs, and I are trying to stay Covid-19 free to continue to work and protect our two grandbabies.
Church is very important to us. Ours reopened but with very stringent social distancing, cleaning, and masks. We understood the limitations of the building - we came early. A lot stayed away - I think it is a combination of fear and also thinking more would come than did. Eventually when social distancing is not needed, I do think people will feel weird with that.
Gkids’ daycare now is slated to open June 1 (they sent out a letter, so I do believe it will happen) - we are in Alabama. My life will get more back to normal (I commute and stay at DD/SIL to care for the children M - F).
C-19 has totally turned the world upside down. We are under circumstances we have not faced before. What the ‘new normal’ will be is also evolving and dependent on things unknown at this time.
Some people have tremendous stress due to their circumstances and their coping ability. Very difficult to watch from the sidelines too.
There is no space for outdoor dining in the North End and the street are very, very narrow, as are the sidewalks. There is one restaurant after another. It’s an incredibly crowded with people area. It should be the last place in Boston people should go and dine.
Even if all government limits were lifted, would more than 35% of the previous dine-in restaurant customers come back?
But this is a state-wide order and restaurants in other parts of the state may have plenty of room and were probably ready to go. Like western Mass, the Cape, the Berkshires, etc. What I don’t like is that he’s waiting until the last minute. Give businesses at least a few days.
The North End is filled with tourists. I doubt there will be many people going to visit Boston anytime soon.
I’ll still visit someday - assuming travel resumes. We love to visit pretty much anywhere, but we’re picky about where we choose to live. For retirement, we’re definitely looking at how places handle aging - and weather. Anywhere with a type of Logan’s Run mentality (old movie reference) is definitely not a contender.
I think Mayor Walsh has some plans coming up to close some of the streets in Boston to traffic so that restaurants can have outside dining.
I’m sure there is nothing to see here.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. —
“ Late last Friday, the architect and manager of Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard — praised by White House officials for its accessibility — announced that she had been removed from her post, causing outcry from independent researchers now worried about government censorship.
The dashboard has been a one-stop shop for researchers, the media and the public to access and download tables of COVID-19 cases, testing and death data to analyze freely. It had been widely hailed as a shining example of transparency and accessibility.
But over the last few weeks it had “crashed” and gone offline; data has gone missing without explanation and access to the underlying data sheets has become increasingly difficult.
The site was created by a team of Florida Department of Health data scientists and public health officers headed by Rebekah Jones. She announced last week her removal as of May 5 in a heartfelt farewell note emailed to researchers and other members of the public who had signed up to receive updates on the data portal.
Citing “reasons beyond my division’s control,” Jones said her office is no longer managing the dashboard, is no longer involved in publication, fixing errors or answering questions “in any shape or form.”
She warned that she does not know what the new team’s intentions are for data access, including “what data they are now restricting.”
“But researchers who have relied on unobstructed access to underlying raw data said they interpret Jones’ removal as a clear indication of government censorship of science.
“We would not accept this lack of transparency for any other natural disaster, so why are we willing to accept it here?” said Jennifer Larsen, a researcher at the University of Central Florida’s LabX.”
Church is very important to us, too, but I’m glad our leadership made the decision to stay safe and keep services online for now. As a structural engineer, I think of this analogy (which we’ve seen IRL, by the way): The balcony in an old church building is unsafe and might collapse. Probably not, but it’s definitely overstressed. Is it OK for the town to say the building shouldn’t be used until the balcony supports are repaired? Yes. Is it wise for the members to hold a service in the building? No.
I just don’t see why people are taking chances, especially since many church members are elderly. You can have wonderful online services, with singers harmonizing on Zoom or similar platform, with a chat going on, also.
It’ll vary significantly by state but extrapolating from polling, I personally think around 40% of US adults are ready to completely abandon all social distancing and return to life as normal.
In contrast to the restaurant owners, many worship leaders throughout the state (all religions represented) were on the news last night saying they will not be holding in-person services. Places of worship are allowed to resume, beginning yesterday, subject to strict guidelines, including capacity limits. I’m sure some will resume, though. (The Worcester pastor who violated the orders over the last few weeks, for sure.)
@MaineLonghorn can you help me figure out how to have multiple people harmonize on Zoom?
An inside look at U if Kentucky as they discuss reopening next semester.
TWIV episode 613 (??) had a discussion of singing & choir practice.
2 ? panelists are singers?
One of the panelists mentioned a program by name (not Zoom) that is used in gaming?? and is an option for remote choral groups?
Lots of question marks above because I was not paying close attention.
Hope that helps, even though vague!
If my church reopens while the pandemic is still around and dangerous, I’m changing churches knowing they don’t really care about their flock. If needed, it will be just God and me here at home.
I think we all get to decide on that one - tolerance. For me, there’s nothing about my faith that requires a building and Jesus tells us not to put God to the test. If it’s good enough for Him, it’s good enough for me.
Plus, I’d never be able to forgive myself if I were the one taking the virus to someone who died or had to live with side effects for the rest of their lives. I also don’t want the side effects for the rest of my life. I already have enough. Death doesn’t bother me as much TBH. Having seen my mom pass away unable to breathe, the manner of death is not appealing. I prefer my dad’s quick heart attack.
I’m certainly not returning to school until things are better either.
Churches are hurting for money too. While some people donate online and on a schedule, many people still ‘pay as (if) they go’.
My mother really misses church. Her parish reopened this weekend but only allows 10 families per mass. This is a HUGE church and could easily stagger the rows and have 20 times that many and still social distance.
Lots of denial and magical thinking going on.
And @emilybee, that development in Florida seems sinister.