'Instead, test-and-trace workers ask COVID-positive individuals general questions to help them “recall ‘contacts’ and individuals they may have exposed,” Cohen said. Among the initial questions: “Do you live with anyone in your home?”
Tracers then ask about “close contacts” — defined as being within six feet of another person for at least 10 minutes.
It’s up to tested individuals to volunteer whether any of those close contacts occurred during protests. “If a person wants to proactively offer that information, there is an opportunity for them to do so,” Cohen wrote.’
This is what I was thinking. They ask if people have been within 6 feet of others and who, but they don’t ask where that contact occurred. So, it isn’t that they are denying exposure can come from being at a rally but that they are not asking about rallies in particular. they ask if people have had close contact with others, which would include rallies.
Now that we know that masks stop and slow the spread and if enough people wear them it will save many lives, I have a hard time understanding not wearing them. I have a hard time not seeing it as an insult to people like me who are immune deficient and others who are high risk. It might not be meant that way by the person saying, “I’m not doing that” but it increases risk to me the more people don’t wear them. I know not all can wear them but most can and if we worked together as a country, I think we could be above the 80% that would greatly slow the spread. It is very unfortunate some are decided not to wear them, not because they can’t due to health issues but because they are just making that decision.
I think I’m going to start using the ignore button. have not up to now. Might be a good to thing to not read things that make me feel the person writing feels my life is not important. I wish all here well but think it will be healthier for me to not read things like that.
FWIW, the vast majority of people around us are still wearing masks when we go out (over 90%). We live in deep red territory so I don’t think it revolves totally around politics. It might matter that PA has been hard hit in places. It might matter that we live in an area that tends to care about each other. It might matter than the grocery store and post office I go to attract “my type” of people. I dunno. I just know I like it.
suteiki: I’m past 60, with all the risks that entails. I understand you to be a school teacher, of unknown age, eventually facing a classroom of students again. (Shortly after all this blew up, I saw the comment made that "schools are where viruses go to breed, so I feel for you on this.)
Question: Do you believe you face an eventual greater risk from aged people that aren’t wearing a mask or from pursuing your vocation?
No travel, two tanks of gas (one for each car) since March, no clothes, no haircuts, take-out just a few times. Groceries are a little higher, but no extra kids at home. We have both been bad about take-out for breakfast and lunch pre-COVID, and that has dried up completely. Hope we can keep eating at home as a regular routine.
Donating more to charity. Medical bills are the same as usual. Got a new chair for the sewing room since I am very busy on that front. Have ordered stuff online for COVID and a couple things for our new front porch sitting area.
I’m with you, @suteiki77. I take care of my elderly, health-compromised mom. H and I are at the 60 age range. I have a terminally ill sister who is much younger, and is devastated by how little her life seems to mean to others outside our family.
I will be wearing a mask for as long as it takes. If it’s 6 more months, 12 more months, longer? I’m all in. I care about protecting others from me. I hope most others will show the same common courtesy. It’s very disheartening to think such a simple thing can be perceived by some as too much of an imposition.
I would suggest that that’s inaccurate. If there’s a danger that a spike in cases could overwhelm medical services—which we came close to in a few places during the first wave, and which we have an off-chance at managing in the emerging first-and-a-half wave—then delaying cases means spreading them out, and thus saving lives.
The founder/CEO went to HS with my eldest, a few years ahead. Pretty impressive, only around 30. I remember reading about the startup in an Alumni magazine several years back and finding the technology interesting and impressive.
Well I guess a lot of things we do just delay death, including eating and breathing. They point is that some of the things we do stop spread. But anyone who STILL hasn’t twigged, after three months of this, that you don’t wear a mask for yourself but for the community, isn’t worth arguing with.
I must shamefacedly admit that I don’t budget. Drives H nuts. But I am a naturally frugal person in most things so my expenses tend to stay within my means without paying attention. I do note how often I visit an ATM, and that one was way down. I also filled up my car for the first time again last week. I cycle to the station and take the train to work, so my gas goes for chauffeuring kids to their various activities and friends, which is only starting up slowly.
We spent a lot of money on weekly takeouts, probably more than we would have on eating out, because we wanted to support our favourite Thai place. We’d never have eaten there weekly! But with eating in all week, morning, noon and night, we all got sick of our own cooking. I also notice that eating lunch out on workdays was a major expense of mine. I used to either go to a Asian takeout place on my longer days, or have a late lunch in the train restaurant on my shorter days (I’m part time, see kids, chauffeuring around of). I do the former again, still not comfortable doing the latter yet, but only go in two days a week, the rest is home office. I may exchange my yearly travel pass for getting individual train ticket, since I vaguely remember it’s only worth it if you travel at least 4 days a week.
We have talked about the need to upgrade our electronics, which is going to be a major corona related expense. Both our desktops are succumbing to the heightened demand, my iPad needs to be reset more and more and our teenagers cheap refurbished laptop wasn’t really good enough for online schooling. It is not clear how schools will reopen for fall, they are hoping for resumption of regular service but I don’t think it can happen. Currently it’s a one week on one week off schedule with reduced class sizes, shortened hours and staggered arrivals for all my kids, and I have a hunch that at least high school will continue that way, and that all schools may occasionally have to close down classes or the whole school for good if there’s a local outbreak.
One week on one week off reduces a lot of the equity concerns with online schooling, teachers can really focus on all kids progress within the smaller groups and the work for the week off can be handed over in person, no need to worry about unequal internet and printer access. The childcare concerns for the under twelves remain. Depending on my H’s teaching schedule, we may be able to swing it, but not all families are so fortunate.
What do you mean by this?? The more we learn about this virus, the more obvious it has become that wearing masks reduces transmission of this disease. Reducing transmission=reducing deaths. High mask compliance saves lives. Scientists all over the world have been telling us this.
@Creekland as a fellow Pennsylvanian, I agree that our state has really done a great job. Obviously, some people are ranting and wanting to impeach the governor, but I see compliance wherever I go. Mask wearing and social distancing are just second nature. My parents are up from FL and they were initially shocked by the difference.
Interrupting the thread to say I just discovered that Michael Osterholme has a weekly podcast. It is really great; it is in the form of an interview, with the interviewer asking questions. I’ve started from the beginning episodes (March/April) and it is interesting to see that with hindsight he’s been right about all his predictions/assessments of the situation.
I am going to put in another suggestion for hats with face shields-the state of California suggests them for those who can’t tolerate masks, so hopefully they are at least somewhat effective? Even if they are less effective, if they increase compliance that would be a good thing.
It would also be productive if we had more positive suggestions on different alternatives. Maybe silk masks are more comfortable than cotton? Maybe loops around the head rather than the ears are easier? Are there other fabrics/styles that are more easily tolerated? Do neck gators really help or are they more of a hindrance? It would seem easy to study these issues and produce results rather than denigrate others.