I see some states opening that have upward or flat levels of cases, not 2 weeks of a downward trend. That worries me.
And, I don’t think any place has testing and contact tracing up and running in a way that could contain new outbreaks, so I’m not sure that anyplace is ready yet according to that.
I am sure large corporations are being extra careful because they don’t want to get sued by their workers and customers, but smaller businesses like salons/spas/restaurants/gyms are getting guidelines, they are figuring it out by themselves.
We need to recognize that the American public is getting very mixed signals from its leadership about when it should re-open and how to actually go about it. It’s no wonder some people are pushing back and others are getting really frustrated with their fellow citizens.
I hope we will not be seeing big outbreaks in areas that are not following the guidelines that cause more need for shutdowns sooner rather than later.
I wish everyone had the feeling that we’re on the same team, pitching in willingly as they could to counter the disease and help the economy.
I’m starting to get the feeling that people are choosing sides and practically wanting more deaths or a worse economic situation (pending side) in order to “prove” their theory correct.
It will never help if we fight each other.
Whether it’s reopening or staying closed or anything in between, I seriously think gov’ts are trying to do their best with decisions. There is no guaranteed right answer. There is no single “best” answer that helps everyone.
If individuals would do their best knowing what we know about Covid, it really could work out ok - not great - but ok.
If requested, wear masks. Aside from those who have true health conditions making it a bad choice for them, it hurts no one. Avoid crowds.
If making money still from earnings or whatever income you have, spend it or donate it to keep people going. There are plenty of options to find something you want to support.
If not making money because it’s deemed not safe to be working (by you or others), please take advantage of the food banks and rent/mortgage/utilities help out there if needed. People give to that wanting to help you out knowing it’s not your fault.
I hope the folks in Oklahoma City who were doing the harassing were caught on camera and appropriately punished rather than the city just giving in to their tantrum.
Color me naive, but I thought the CDC & HHS would secure accurate testing & contact tracing by mid-May — and there would be a clear national strategy.
Dan Diamond on POLITICO’s Pulse Check podcast talked a little bit about in-fighting, finger-pointing, & various people trying to keep their job (& reputation) & others vying to oust a rival.
It’s…kind of a mess.
Human beings!
It makes little sense for the rules to govern an entire state. Los Angeles has little in common with Lassen when it comes to this virus. Counties in far northern California never had a curve to bend. They had no cases. So they are opening up in defiance of state-wide mandates. Modoc, Lassen, Sierra and Alpine counties are opening businesses. Those people shouldn’t have to suffer because there is infection in the large cities. Political boundaries don’t make sense when we are talking about rules to contain a virus. A political boundary is not ‘science-based’. A region that has never had a case of the virus in now three months opening their businesses is a more ‘science-based’ decision than listening to the latest edict from Sacramento.
PA has a very comprehensive reopening plan based on a county by county analysis of rates of new cases. Some counties get to open today, some, like Philadelphia, not until May 25. Then within each county, businesses are classified into groups with some businesses being permitted to reopen immediately on their county reopening date and others as long as 10 weeks after the county date. As each business reopens, there are stringent safety requirements that must be met in the operation.
Texas too has different rules for different counties. It makes sense for large states.
A friend has “covid toes.” No other symptoms. Was called in to test immediately when the provider saw her toes. Was told to assume she has covid and to self isolate from her family. This friend has not been anywhere but the grocery store since SAH began mid March. It’s scary how contagious it is.
Carnival Cruise Lines will do a phased re-opening starting August 1st.
I guess kids are going back to campus in the fall…
I think a more localized approach would calm a lot of the rebellion as it makes more sense. There was a big protest in Oregon. There are places in far eastern Oregon that are virus free. They shouldn’t be held in lockdown waiting for Portland or Salem. But I think some governors are enjoying the power rush.
How many other people does your friend live with? Is it possible one of her family members is infected & asymptomatic (or has a mild case & confused it with allergies?)
I thought the Texas statewide order superceded county ones. I read that Travis County couldn’t require masks to be worn - the Governor’s order just recommends them. 
There was a segment on rural healthcare in Texas on 60 Minutes last night.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-reopening-rural-covid-19-spread-60-minutes-2020-05-03/
The article strikes me as sensationalizing the results of the study. They present 3 scenarios from the study.
Scenario #1 - Everything, everywhere still closed down until June 30…117,000 deaths
Scenario #2 - Gradual reopening, individuals practice social distancing…+45,000 deaths
- are all states following the same schedule for reopening? NY=CA?
- article compared it to wiping out an entire small city, but of course the 162,000 deaths would not all be in a single city, more likely they would be spread out with some concentration in more populated areas
Scenario #3 - All states fully reopen on May 1, individuals practice social distancing…+233,000 deaths
- no limitations whatsoever? not even on large crowds?
- how is social distancing modeled? 100% compliance? 75%?
Of course, the headline draws from the most extreme, least realistic scenario…
”Reopening the Economy Would Add 233,000 Deaths by July but Save Millions of Jobs”.
A relative is the director of a zoo in Florida. I was floored to see her post that the zoo was opening Friday, May 1. A ZOO?! So many things (railings, displays, etc.) to touch and kids to corral and SO MANY THINGS!! I can’t buy this one.
I’m in Ohio. We are now under #StaySafe as opposed to #StayHome until May 29th. So people are strongly encouraged to stay home, work from home, etc. if at all possible. May 1st limited health care could reopen. May 4th (today) general office environments, construction, manufacturing, distribution MAY open. May 12th limited retail, consumer and services. That does NOT include salons or that type of thing - no work on those openings at this time. Masks are highly recommended in public but not required. I WISH they were mandatory at retail places. Some are requiring it but it is not mandated.
I work in an academic health setting. Will continue to work at home most of the time throughout May. Will probably go into the office a couple of times for short periods as needed. We are encouraged to stay home and work if we can.
Opening up counties with few cases is meaningless as the virus doesn’t recognize any boundaries.
So, people in “closed” counties will travel to “open” counties. Then, people in open counties go to stores and restaurants that now have visitors from “closed” counties.
Imo, I think people are fooling themselves that they are safe because their county has few cases right now.
We jumped from 58k to now 66k and counting in one week.
It will go up even faster with states opening up.
75k deaths was the projection given last week by mid-August.
We will blow by that probably by the middle of this month.
I trust Wharton’s model more than people on an internet message board. But, you are certainly free to discount it, along with anything anyone says on a message board.
The counties that are open have few cases and even fewer visitors, and that isn’t likely to change-ranch country, with plenty of space and no facilities for tourists. Things depend a lot of regional differences, which is why broad statements and policies don’t work well as they can’t account for local differences.