Coronavirus (Nice: middle school, equity, models)

[wac_432]

Originally Posted by Mike930

Retail shopping is still open as well as outside sit down restaurants.

Yup. And the virus continues to spread unabated.

But schools aren't essential businesses.

Try running a virtual barbershop or nail salon. They work about as well as virtual elementary schools.

We let people cluster outdoors for sit down meals without masks, meanwhile educational materials are pick-up only.

Priorities.

[saibot]

Originally Posted by looker009

They will set up a tent or they will do it secretly at home in their garage as one of my neighbor is currently doing.

In SoCal, there are really very few days across the whole year when people can't eat or cut hair, etc., outdoors. We're pretty lucky in that regard.

[saibot]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

The United States is facing similar pressures to fully reopen schools, and President Trump has threatened to withhold funding for districts that don’t reopen. But the U.S. is in a far worse position than Israel was in May: Israel had fewer than 100 new infections a day then. The U.S. is now averaging more than 60,000 new cases a day, and some states continue to set alarming records....

The premise is right, but it's really annoying when people compare raw data like "number of new infections" from one country to another, when the population is not comparable in any way.

Population of Israel: 8.8 million
Population of the US. 330 million

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by wac_432

Yup. And the virus continues to spread unabated.

But schools aren't essential businesses.

Try running a virtual barbershop or nail salon. They work about as well as virtual elementary schools.

We let people cluster outdoors for sit down meals without masks, meanwhile educational materials are pick-up only.

Priorities.

I don't know where people 'cluster' outdoors for meals, where I live tables are at least 6' apart. And of course schools are essential but so are the teachers who work in them and without stabilizing new cases do you really expect them to willingly expose themselves to the virus? Even if they are young and healthy they may well have regular contact with people who are vulnerable. Little kids might not get very sick but they can catch it and they can transmit it. If you are so concerned volunteer to help some parents who are homeschooling their kids

[wac_432]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

Context.

Outdoor restaurants, and most retail shopping is at reduced capacity. The point was that we are not necessarily sacrificing our children to keep businesses open.

We are, but it's not the government doing it, it's everyday people like those having small gatherings, going out to eat together, etc. It's an indication of our society's priorities. It's not something that can rapidly change or be altered by government fiat. Just be aware that that is how American society runs. Economics uber alles. There are other societies that are run differently and they have responded in kind. The results are clear for all to see.

I find it ironic that people in my town complain about teens congregating but not about the entire commercial strip being open for adult shopping.

On a side note:

Has anyone heard any scuttlebutt about how large CA's virus case undercount is? Have we only captured 1/2 the cases over the past several weeks? 75%? What's the order of magnitude of the undercount?

[saibot]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

Has anyone heard any scuttlebutt about how large CA's virus case undercount is? Have we only captured 1/2 the cases over the past several weeks? 75%? What's the order of magnitude of the undercount?

I don't think anyone knows at this point. In Orange County, reported cases have been plunging since about July 12, so that they are about a third of what they were then.

But hospitalizations have also been dropping since that date--not as fast by any means, but definitely declining, from a high of 722 on July 14 to 539 yesterday.

So although there may well be a case undercount, unless there is also a hospitalization undercount--and I haven't heard that there is--cases are indeed declining, not rising.

[Mike930]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

Context.

Outdoor restaurants, and most retail shopping is at reduced capacity. The point was that we are not necessarily sacrificing our children to keep businesses open.

I get it. Just correcting your error about retail stores being closed. While restaurants are at reduced capacity, retail stores are not. At least not where I am.

[Tulemutt]

Good news for the state pot revenues

The pandemic is eating away at the illicit marijuana market
The legal marijuana industry has spent years battling illegal sellers who have eaten away at its market share and undercut its prices.

But the coronavirus has proven to be a boon for legal pot shops, as customers fear the risks associated with inhaling questionable products and are nervous about letting sellers into their homes.

Legal operations have moved quickly to take advantage of the situation, seizing on relaxed rules to expand shopping options in states across the country, including curbside pickups and deliveries.

Also, pandemic-frazzled Americans are simply getting stoned more often.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/0...-market-390175

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by saibot

The premise is right, but it's really annoying when people compare raw data like "number of new infections" from one country to another, when the population is not comparable in any way.

Population of Israel: 8.8 million
Population of the US. 330 million

The U.S. has not--for whatever reason--done any studies of school children and the virus here. We seem to rely on the data from foreign countries to decide what to do in regard to opening schools.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by wac_432

We are, but it's not the government doing it, it's everyday people like those having small gatherings, going out to eat together, etc. It's an indication of our society's priorities. It's not something that can rapidly change or be altered by government fiat. Just be aware that that is how American society runs. Economics uber alles. There are other societies that are run differently and they have responded in kind. The results are clear for all to see.

You've got that right.