COVID-19 Outbreak (Update: More than 2.9M cases and 132,313 deaths in US) (5 Viewers)

[Loose Cannon]

How is Texas doing? My wife’s coworker that lives in Dallas says there are people everywhere and it’s hard to find anyone with a mask.

My area of Austin is generally taking it seriously although when I do go out for grocery pickup traffic seems to be getting slowly back to closer to normal, so I think patience is slowly eroding. From what I've outside of the city in more rural areas is that probably 75% of folks there are acting like there's nothing unusual happening at all (to be fair, in some places they're right).

I suspect it's quite different from city to city, and even neighborhood to neighborhood in places like Austin and Dallas. My zip code is really low in infections, but the one just south of me (which is significantly different from my zip code not so much demographically but economically) is one of the two worst in the county. I bet if I went to the dumpy old HEB down there, it'd look different.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Texas is allowing hair salons, barbers and tanning stores to open this Friday. Gyms will be on May 18th.

I was told that they were going to cautiously look at the data and make further decisions then.

Obviously that's not happening. Tanning salons and gyms are pure insanity. Going to the gym has to be possibly one of the worst things you can do besides get on a plane or a cruise ship.

Really stupid. I'd have been fine with the Texas plan if we did this phase 1 for a couple of weeks before deciding next steps. But it's obvious that was never the plan. We're going to be fully back open by Memorial Day, and we'll just let the chips fall where they may.

 

[gboudx]

I was told that they were going to cautiously look at the data and make further decisions then.

Obviously that's not happening. Tanning salons and gyms are pure insanity. Going to the gym has to be possibly one of the worst things you can do besides get on a plane or a cruise ship.

Really stupid. I'd have been fine with the Texas plan if we did this phase 1 for a couple of weeks before deciding next steps. But it's obvious that was never the plan. We're going to be fully back open by Memorial Day, and we'll just let the chips fall where they may.

When Abbott first laid out his plan, I went on record here saying I thought it was good. I was wrong and I'll admit it. I don't know where his "task force" is getting their data but it must exclude the DFW metroplex. But like I said earlier, eff it, open it all up, let people die. That's what Dan Patrick(not the ESPN guy) wants anyway.

 

[bonnjer]

We're going to be fully back open by Memorial Day, and we'll just let the chips fall where they may.

I think that's what we're looking at, as well. People are already creeping back to doing what they want to do. At this point, all I can do is protect myself and my family by washing hands, wearing mask, and distancing as much as possible.

 

[Loose Cannon]

When Abbott first laid out his plan, I went on record here saying I thought it was good.

Same. That was taking him at face value that they'd do one step at a time and re-assess. I feel dumb. Fool me once, etc..

 

[Booker]

Texas is allowing hair salons, barbers and tanning stores to open this Friday. Gyms will be on May 18th.

I actually got a haircut last Saturday. The barbershops and salons are still closed in my county, but just a stones throw away in Highlands Ranch they opened up Friday -- I figured I'd take my shot while I could. The store had one person sitting outside checking people in and collecting payments, and just two stylists inside on opposite sides of the salon, and only two customers were let in at a time. Everyone had to wear masks.

 

[St. Widge]

Putting the best spin on it, they are breaking down the short term 'action team' and transitioning the ongoing (long term) work to other groups, like FEMA, CDC, etc.

I doubt its anything that thought out but in the private sector it would make sense to stand up a strike team in the first part of an emergency response and then eventually transition the ongoing work to others for long term action.

Now put a best possible spin on something LaToya did.

 

[Saints1257]

New Mexico's governor mandated that all businesses employees that are open at the moment during this period wear masks starting tomorrow. Restaurants, stores , all "essential" workers. Its gonna be hard to breathe as a line cook wearing one

 

[B4YOU]

Hundreds of thousands of people infected? Is this expected? China doesn't even have this many infected. Why would we have more?

Or on the other side of the shoe, a lot of people will have to admit they were duped.

People tend to not admit when they have been duped.

 

[Eeyore]

New Mexico's governor mandated that all businesses employees that are open at the moment during this period wear masks starting tomorrow. Restaurants, stores , all "essential" workers. Its gonna be hard to breathe as a line cook wearing one

I'm in a steel mill wearing one right now working a 16 hour shift. It's brutal and it's only 80 degrees in here. I'm glad to be back to work (for a whole week ) but this year is going to be rough in a lot of ways.

 

[Eeyore]

Imagine that

Austria Has 90% Drop in Coronavirus Cases After Requiring People to Wear Face Masks

Austria managed to slow down the rate of coronavirus cases in the country by 90% after requiring everyone to wear a face mask. Meanwhile, other countries are struggling to keep the number of cases and fatalities low.

www.sciencetimes.com

 

[WhoDatPhan78]

New Mexico's governor mandated that all businesses employees that are open at the moment during this period wear masks starting tomorrow. Restaurants, stores , all "essential" workers. Its gonna be hard to breathe as a line cook wearing one

I wonder who is supposed to provide the mask? I wonder if the mandate even specifies.

You should not be required to obtain your own mask in order to be able to work.

 

[St. Widge]

I wonder who is supposed to provide the mask? I wonder if the mandate even specifies.

You should not be required to obtain your own mask in order to be able to work.

I don't know for sure since I didn't read that specific order, but I would bet it puts the burden on the employer to provide masks. I can tell you that in employment law circles most employment lawyers seem to think that employers are going to be responsible for supplying masks to any employee that doesn't have one. Either because of the potential liability of having people there not wearing masks or because either OSHA or NIOSH will soon issue emergency rules requiring it. There may also be ADA accessibility issues with not providing masks if someone does not have one.

 

[Grumpy Old Manatee]

These are the guidelines as I understand them, at least for the State of Texas.

Employers May Need to Obtain Face Coverings for Their Employees
Employers should be making and documenting good-faith efforts to secure face coverings as a required element of doing business. The CDC's website includes do-it-yourself (DIY) options for making one's own face covering using materials such as T-shirts, bandanas and hair ties, and numerous similar tutorials can be found online. Employers should consider providing employees with such instructions and materials (at the employer's expense) as an interim measure while they continue to source more standard face coverings. In such cases, the employer should determine with the help of counsel whether the employee's time spent making face coverings is compensable.
Employees Who Want to Use Their Own Face Coverings
When the employer is having difficulty sourcing face coverings or employees prefer to use their own, employers must make sure that the employee-sourced face coverings meet the CDC's recommendations and that they are cleaned regularly and correctly. Given the proliferation of novelty masks and materials, employees should be cautioned that DIY face coverings must be workplace-appropriate and employers should issue guidelines on the material used and prohibit use of offensive images, messages or content.
Training Employees on Proper Use, Storage and Cleaning of Face Coverings
Employers should provide employees with instructions and, if possible, training on how to wear, maintain, clean, store and remove their face coverings in accordance with federal, state and local laws. Employees must securely cover their noses and mouths, should not reverse their face covering, should not touch, move or remove their face coverings unnecessarily in the workplace, should not share their face coverings with others, and must keep them clean in the manner required by the orders at issue. Employees should be trained to avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth when removing their face covering and to wash their hands thoroughly immediately after removing.
Employers that decide to provide employees with single-use face coverings must provide a sufficient supply to enable employees to replace them as needed, which may be more than once a day. Employers should also instruct and train employees to properly and safely discard single-use face coverings into trash receptacles after each use.
Responding to an Employee Who Fails to Bring a Face Covering to Work
Face coverings are considered personal protective equipment (PPE). Therefore, an employee who fails to bring an approved face covering to work should not be permitted to work on-site until they are able to obtain an approved face covering.
Responding to an Employee Who Objects to Wearing a Face Covering for Medical Reasons
The initial training process by the employer should include identification of any medical issues that could interfere with wearing face coverings. Medical issues that might be raised include claustrophobia, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other conditions. Employers are advised to engage in the interactive process with employees who claim they cannot wear a mask for medical reasons as required by the ADA. An employee who cannot breathe through a face covering should not be required to wear one but may need to be temporarily removed from positions that require close interaction with other employees, customers or third parties. These employees may require leave or other accommodation.
Responding to an Employee Who Declines to Wear a Face Covering for Non-Medical Reasons
The employer should analyze an employee's non-medical objections to wearing a face mask and engage in an interactive process under Title VII if the employee raises an objection that is or may be based on religious grounds. The employer will want to reevaluate preexisting grooming or dress requirements that conflict or interfere with prescribed face coverings.
There have been reports of certain employees raising bias concerns, such as where people of color wearing face coverings are wrongly suspected of criminal intent and activity. Employers should take steps to minimize this risk. Options include sourcing face coverings that clearly look like protective masks and posting notices to customers to make it clear that employees are required to wear face coverings.
Individuals who simply decline to wear face coverings but do not raise a medical or otherwise protected objection should not be permitted to work and may be disciplined for not following work requirements. This is an issue that should be addressed in new policies to be rolled out to employees as workplaces reopen and should be included in training.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Gov. Abbott's April 27 executive order states that individuals are encouraged to wear appropriate face coverings, but that "no jurisdiction can impose a civil or criminal penalty for failure to wear a face covering." As such, the governor's order appears to supersede the portion of any local order that imposes fines or penalties for people found violating the face mask mandate.
It should be noted that Texas businesses can require customers to wear face coverings on the business premises, and that customers who refuse to wear a face covering and refuse to leave the premises may be subject to a criminal trespass warning or arrest. Businesses who adopt this policy are encouraged to contact local law enforcement officials for assistance in enforcing the policy, if necessary.

 

[N.O.Bronco]

When Abbott first laid out his plan, I went on record here saying I thought it was good. I was wrong and I'll admit it. I don't know where his "task force" is getting their data but it must exclude the DFW metroplex. But like I said earlier, eff it, open it all up, let people die. That's what Dan Patrick(not the ESPN guy) wants anyway.

Any place opening up without a sustained drop in cases and a robust testing and tracing system in place is essentielly playing Russian Roulette with their population.

I’m currently on assignment in Houston and it is utterly insane that Abbot overruled cities that their own data told them weren’t even at their peak yet like Dallas and Houston.

A couple days in I actually thought Houston was handling it well and maintaining good behavior, but it’s Tuesday and now I see around 4-5 people without masks to every one person with one. Tons of people at the park completely ignoring social distancing. Stories from friends(and the snapchats, IG, photos to prove it) that some of the more popular bars are basically throwing post corona parties.

And now pushing forward opening other establishments before the data is even in on the first relaxation is so utterly reckless.