Coronavirus (Imperial, London: loans, schools, college)

[goodheathen]

The article is about holes in Biden's strategy, but Newsom hardly is doing anything different.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/analysis-...111019274.html
The lack of tests currently available makes work-from-home the sensible approach, to reduce need for testing.

Also, only 30% triple-vaccinated. How is indoor dining supposed to be safe that way even with vaccine passports (and Delta able to break through between unmasked vaccinated people)? I'd reduce capacity, bring back temperature checks, and raise enforcement if I were in charge, and shut it down altogether if Omicron rampages here.

[joosoon]

Exposure is a function of time spent in shared air. We got smart with that for our schools and based on expert advice, took steps to make the indoors emulate the outdoors. In the outdoors, the canopy is the literal troposphere. Indoors it's of course the roof/walls and any doors/windows. It's not that difficult to keep that air volume in flux rather than let it be a static body of potential contaminants.



There's no reason to freak out anymore and close everything down when very basic safety measures can be employed.

[joosoon]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

It's interesting to see the differences in perspective.

It's because science isn't an exact science.
Too bad it took so much fiddling with common sense to figure this out. As for dining out, it's never really been my thing in the first place so it doesn't enter the picture for me with respect to corona.

[stablegenius]

NFL is going to catch flack for this, but it's a step in the right direction. Cases are irrelevant if you aren't sick. We should be worried about illness not simply cases.

The NFL eliminated weekly Covid-19 testing for vaccinated players who are asymptomatic, according to new protocols agreed upon by the league and the players’ union, a move that reverses its past pandemic practice in a bid to keep players from being sidelined while not feeling sick.

...Yet as the rapid spread of the Omicron variant takes hold, it could provide a more nuanced option for life going ahead that acknowledges the public’s waning appetite for lengthy quarantines and cancellations at a time when most people have the option of protecting themselves from illness with shots.

...Under the new protocols, unvaccinated players are still tested daily and anyone who is symptomatic is subject to a test, with players and staff now subject to “enhanced symptom screening.” Vaccinated players will also be subject to targeted spot testing and could be made to take a test if they are deemed a high-risk contact of someone who is positive.

...Sills noted that while the Omicron variant has rapidly spread, the league is also seeing more cases with little-to-no symptoms. Two-thirds of the players who have tested positive this week are asymptomatic, Sills said. The other third, he said, are suffering very mild symptoms.



https://www.wsj.com/articles/nfl-cov...on-11639841439

[goodheathen]

Originally Posted by joosoon

Exposure is a function of time spent in shared air. We got smart with that for our schools and based on expert advice, took steps to make the indoors emulate the outdoors. In the outdoors, the canopy is the literal troposphere. Indoors it's of course the roof/walls and any doors/windows. It's not that difficult to keep that air volume in flux rather than let it be a static body of potential contaminants.



There's no reason to freak out anymore and close everything down when very basic safety measures can be employed.

If mask use is spotty and testing isn't practical.... Air isn't very fixable indoors, unless backed by money for equipment and remodeling. From now on, most buildings should be designed with roof windows.

I think restaurants could weather this better if they take reservations with prerequisite testing. High-end places can do that, and possibly some mid-tier restaurants that do catering (meaning often serve big groups) can start renting rooms for rather small, pre-tested parties. Maybe quite early indoor dining curfew on restaurants (say, 8 PM) could be used as a way to force openings of windows and doors.

[dozener]

This is literally what conservatives and red states realized very early on and liberals mocked and insulted then for it. Red states and conservatives have been ahead of the curve on common sense all along. It’s all overblown hysteria. Liberals overall are much dumber than they think they are. Further the “scientists” they continue to worship aren’t even practicing science properly anymore when it comes to covid and the vaccinations

[joosoon]

Originally Posted by goodheathen

If mask use is spotty and testing isn't practical.... Air isn't very fixable indoors, unless backed by money for equipment and remodeling. From now on, most buildings should be designed with roof windows.

Schools here didn't retrofit with "roof windows" (pretty sure they're called skylights btw) to attain the goals epidemiologists laid out in their guidelines. They updated existing hvac filtration and came up with a formula for supplemental portable air purification based on occupancy/room volume. If this had been complex, trust me, the district wouldn't have even bothered. But it was simple enough that it could meet the recommendations. I agree that it doesn't eliminate the need for masks. But as I know we've talked about before, that's because of the way close contacts are defined more than the function of the masks themselves.

I think restaurants could weather this better if they take reservations with prerequisite testing. High-end places can do that, and possibly some mid-tier restaurants that do catering (meaning often serve big groups) can start renting rooms for rather small, pre-tested parties. Maybe quite early indoor dining curfew on restaurants (say, 8 PM) could be used as a way to force openings of windows and doors.

For better or worse, we're way past the point of trying to force compliance like this. Even as idiotic as this state's leadership tends to be, I can't see California embracing a return to pre-vaccine policy, especially with nobody to enforce it.


Bottom line is, for a restaurant to be functional, there can be no dependence on masks because it's stupid to believe that covid will pause for the eating portion of the dining experience.

[stablegenius]

Originally Posted by joosoon

Bottom line is, for a restaurant to be functional, there can be no dependence on masks because it's stupid to believe that covid will pause for the eating portion of the dining experience.

Indeed. I was in Rubio's last night. Wear a mask to walk in and order, just to take it off again a few minutes later. Science!

[goodheathen]

Originally Posted by stablegenius

NFL is going to catch flack for this, but it's a step in the right direction. Cases are irrelevant if you aren't sick. We should be worried about illness not simply cases.

The NFL eliminated weekly Covid-19 testing for vaccinated players who are asymptomatic, according to new protocols agreed upon by the league and the players’ union, a move that reverses its past pandemic practice in a bid to keep players from being sidelined while not feeling sick.

...Yet as the rapid spread of the Omicron variant takes hold, it could provide a more nuanced option for life going ahead that acknowledges the public’s waning appetite for lengthy quarantines and cancellations at a time when most people have the option of protecting themselves from illness with shots.

...Under the new protocols, unvaccinated players are still tested daily and anyone who is symptomatic is subject to a test, with players and staff now subject to “enhanced symptom screening.” Vaccinated players will also be subject to targeted spot testing and could be made to take a test if they are deemed a high-risk contact of someone who is positive.

...Sills noted that while the Omicron variant has rapidly spread, the league is also seeing more cases with little-to-no symptoms. Two-thirds of the players who have tested positive this week are asymptomatic, Sills said. The other third, he said, are suffering very mild symptoms.



https://www.wsj.com/articles/nfl-cov...on-11639841439

It's a step in the wrong direction that is being criticized, and I'll criticize anyone who thinks it's good, as not caring about community well-being (since it will spread beyond those players). If Los Angeles and San Francisco are enforcing COVID rules, their teams will have to abide and override the NFL policy.

[stablegenius]

Originally Posted by goodheathen

It's a step in the wrong direction that is being criticized, and I'll criticize anyone who thinks it's good, as not caring about community well-being (since it will spread beyond those players). If Los Angeles and San Francisco are enforcing COVID rules, their teams will have to abide and override the NFL policy.

Ha, we'll see. NFL has deep pockets and all politicians really care about is money. If it spreads, but doesn't cause symptoms or illness, what is the problem?