COVID-19 Outbreak (Update: More than 2.9M cases and 132,313 deaths in US) (6 Viewers)

[Eeyore]

Never waste a crisis.

Trump Says He Won't Approve Covid-19 Package Without Tax Cut That Offers Zero Relief for 30 Million Newly Unemployed

"'Payroll tax cut' is code for 'gut Social Security and Medicare's dedicated funding, then demand benefit cuts.' Democrats must stand strong and continue blocking Trump's terrible idea."

www.commondreams.org

 

[Saint by the Bay]

I'm a firm believer in decisions being made at the state and local level. I also believe the administration has put forth a fantastic reopening plan.

I've said it before, but a lot of these local officials are in way over their heads. I know they can't do it for every city, but I'd love to see the Administration offer to consult on reopening plans in major cities and hot spots. These local governments don't have the resources to have the right people to build comprehensive plans and are making decisions that aren't based on sound science, it's based on what's in their gut.

Put together a task force to work with them but leave the final decision at the state and local level. Since a lot of the opinions are based on political tribalism people will still complain, but at least an educated opinion can be formed from those who choose to. The local officials make that impossible because they aren't acting from an educated position and don't have the resources to be properly advised.

 

[St. Widge]

I understand she can't overrule the governor's order to reopen anything beyond what's in his order but her words and deeds indicate she is flatly ignoring his order as it pertains to any openings and will keep things closed until .. .. whenever she thinks the time is right, regardless of our actual case numbers or hospital resources.

I've been looking for our state and local leaders to lay out their plan to re-open the state. JBE was a little slow to provide it but at least he issued it and is standing behind it, pointing out which specific locations are lagging in their metrics, etc. (I still think he is being too conservative and applying a one size fits all model makes no sense - what's happening in Lake Providence shouldn't drive what happens in Lafayette, but, that's another discussion).

LaToya is just ducking the question.

I totally agree that she needs to communicate better in general and specifically that she needs to lay out a specific plan. If she is really going to let the numbers dictate then she needs to say what the numbers are and she has not done that. And if she doesn't know exactly what those numbers are, then she needs to say that too. I suspect a lot of her caution has to do with New Orleans demographics having a lot of people in the high risk group for having major medical issues with the virus. And, if that is the case, then she needs to say that too. Her problem is that she is an autocrat who doesn't think she has to tell us why she is doing things or justify anything she does.

As far as the idea of getting this down to the very local level and letting towns, cities, etc. open individually, ideally making decisions at the local level does allow region specific factors to be taken into account. But, I'm not sure how practical that is for containing a virus. I mean, if Jefferson chooses to open but Orleans doesn't then nothing stops people from Orleans going to Jefferson getting the virus and then bringing it right back to Orleans. As I've said before, viruses don't respect our political boundaries.

People here rightfully complain on a daily basis about how the Chinese covered up, lied, and either accidentally or intentionally released this virus infecting the whole world. But we want to open up Northeast Louisiana separate from Southeast Louisiana, or Orleans separate from Jefferson, and we expect that the virus won't spread to Southeast Louisiana or New Orleans again? That just doesn't make logical sense to me.

 

[Dago]

Yes, but if people refuse to use masks and social distance before the stay a home order is lifted, what do you think the odds that people will do it after it is lifted? If we want to get businesses back running, it's going to take people taking steps to reduce infections or we are going to be right back in a situation where the health care system will get overwhelmed. There will be a price of human lives in choosing to open back up for business, but it can be reduced and we can maybe avoid overwhelming the health care system if people would just take simple steps to avoid as many infections as possible.

But, I don't see people taking those steps now and I don't think it will get any better so the question becomes how many lives are you willing to sacrifice to open businesses back up? It's obviously a calculus we make all the time in regards to driving cars, flying planes, etc. but it's a calculus we need to be aware of in regard to this.

And, as good a job as the citizens of New Orleans are doing in reducing infections, it won't matter in the long run if large parts of the rest of the state ignores it and spread it back to New Orleans after we open back up for business. Which is the reason for the slow phased approach. If we don't do that, we are going to end up right back her again. Likely in less than a month.

This is a case where society needs to act and be responsible. All businesses should only allow you in if you have a mask. Some have already started thst but it needs to be across the board

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

People here rightfully complain on a daily basis about how the Chinese covered up, lied, and either accidentally or intentionally released this virus infecting the whole world. But we want to open up Northeast Louisiana separate from Southeast Louisiana, or Orleans separate from Jefferson, and we expect that the virus won't spread to Southeast Louisiana or New Orleans again? That just doesn't make logical sense to me.

I don't see the connection. I'm not suggesting that we don't tell Northeast Louisiana that we are opening Southeast Louisiana, just the opposite. I'm also not suggesting that opening up means 'return to December 2019'.

Anyway, the virus will spread again once any single place opens up for the foreseeable future.

Since we can't "pull a Wuhan" and barricade citizens into their homes and shoot the stragglers, either we do it in stages in places that are ready to open up (and then tighten down if needed) or wait for it to be gone from everywhere before we do anything. That second option isn't feasible. If we really intend to keep NOLA on lockdown until Avoyelles, Winn and DeSoto Parishes have zero cases, then we can just forget it.

 

[St. Widge]

I don't see the connection. I'm not suggesting that we don't tell Northeast Louisiana that we are opening Southeast Louisiana, just the opposite. I'm also not suggesting that opening up means 'return to December 2019'.

Anyway, the virus will spread again once any single place opens up for the foreseeable future.

Since we can't "pull a Wuhan" and barricade citizens into their homes and shoot the stragglers, either we do it in stages in places that are ready to open up (and then tighten down if needed) or wait for it to be gone from everywhere before we do anything. That second option isn't feasible. If we really intend to keep NOLA on lockdown until Avoyelles, Winn and DeSoto Parishes have zero cases, then we can just forget it.

I'm not saying we should stay locked down (to the extent that we actually are locked down and that's not much of an extent). I'm just saying that we need to be very careful how we open and do the best we can to have that opening informed by science and medicine. I don't think there are any obvious or easy answers here, but a balance needs to be struck. The problem is that I think it will be more informed by political tribalism than science or medicine.

 

[SaintsThinker]

I think this is the last month of the lockdown. People are getting restless and want to get out. Hell I want to get out and I’m all about trying to flatten the curve and save lives. We’re not built for this as a society unfortunately. I don’t want needless amounts of people to die but I don’t know what’s the plan. Every plan just ends with people dying unfortunately.

 

[Dan in Lafayette]

Good job.

 

[Dan in Lafayette]

 

[Merl]

15 new cases in Ouachita Parish today making the total 785. Usually on Monday's we get a lower number so I expect a larger increase tomorrow. Over the last few days I have noticed that a lot more being out and shopping with MAYBE 40% wearing a mask and little maintaining distance.I happened to drive by the Academy Sports in W. Monroe yesterday and there was a line with around 40 people waiting to go in and no one was more than 2 feet away from the next person in line.

 

[Goatman Saint]

I can’t wait to see what happens.

 

[saintmdterps]

And at one fifteenth of the population and I would surmise 1/40th the land mass. Are you really comparing the complexities of containing a virus between the U.S. and New Zealand.

You people are so in the tank of bashing this country at every turn it's both sad and comical at the same time.

Not just New Zealand. Germany, South Korea, Japan, all have done better than the US by orders of magnitude. There were so many models to handle this well, and the current administration botched it at every turn. There were warnings COVID was coming, and we did nothing. There were warnings more testing was needed and we did nothing. We needed a national committee to to deal with a pandemic and it was disbanded in 2018. There were protests against the stay-at-home orders followed by spikes in COVID cases.

Face it, between an administration that thinks of science as hocus-pocus and our own self-inflicted refusal to deal with the harsh reality of quarantine, the US leads the league in COVID deaths.

I work in a nursing home and my wife has COVID, so yes it's personal and I'm ****** off

 

[Brennan77]

I'm so glad I have the city of New Orleans to keep me safe and sound. They closed the field at the forking park today. And they couldn't even bother to use correct grammar. I've long considered leaving New Orleans as every sane person must do every so often. This is nuts.

 

[Xeno]

I'm so glad I have the city of New Orleans to keep me safe and sound. They closed the field at the forking park today. And they couldn't even bother to use correct grammar. I've long considered leaving New Orleans as every sane person must do every so often. This is nuts.

It's almost like they want to discourage people from gathering in places where people tend to gather. Shocking, I know. And the grammar is fine. [The] FIELDS (plural) [are] CLOSED. What's nuts is how New Orleans always seems to manage to elect mayors that they hate. I swear, Jesus Christ himself could be the mayor of New Orleans and the people would loathe him.

 

[gboudx]

I swear, Jesus Christ himself could be the mayor of New Orleans and the people would loathe him.

What if Drew Brees ran for mayor?