covid-19

[gogobongopop]

So schools close tomorrow and I've absolutely no idea of the method and frequency in which school work for my two children will be provided and marked.

I don't blame the school for this. Their communication has been good so far. They were only formally notified of closure yesterday.

The government should have provided more notice, and when they made the announcement ensured that appropriate information was available there and then about what the expectations will be. Considering they've been planning for this eventuality for some time, I think it's ridiculous that parents and schools were given two days notice.

Am I being unreasonable?

[RandBlade]

In an ideal world there would have been more notice, but I don't think they could put it off any longer based on the numbers coming from London. I think they did well containing it without this measure as long as they did considering the whole of society is being upended in a way unprecedented since WWII. I'm glad my children are primary school and pre-school not secondary school, I feel awful that this has been necessary for those in Year 11 or doing A-Levels.

[gogobongopop]

I'm glad mine are at primary as well, but I still don't understand why more notice wasn't given to allow for more provisions to be put in place. Come Monday morning next week I don't know what's happening and neither do my children. Will the be given work each day? How will work be marked? How will they contact their teacher? Are their teachers working full time? What are the expectation of parents?

I understand schools are staying open for children of "key workers", but that term wasn't even defined yesterday. The school wanted to send a letter out today with information about that but they couldn't because information still hadn't been provided.

Even with Boris in charge I expected more.

Edit:

My headteacher's latest tweet:

It’s looking like any update on the list of Key Workers will now occur tomorrow. That presents huge issues for us being ready Monday. So disappointing to have such a lack of clarity for everyone. Will be holding conversations at school tomorrow & awaiting a list for a 2nd day.

[Flixy]

They gave even less notice here, but at least they had the list of key workers ready.

I am a bit confused that they closed schools in the UK, but not bars and restaurants right? Are events banned? Because those measures also cut down a lot of transmissions I'd think, but with less impact on families.

[RandBlade]

They gave even less notice here, but at least they had the list of key workers ready.

I am a bit confused that they closed schools in the UK, but not bars and restaurants right? Are events banned? Because those measures also cut down a lot of transmissions I'd think, but with less impact on families.

Sort of, not exactly. The strong advice is to not go to bars and restaurants but they're not being ordered closed and all restaurants have been given planning permission to do deliveries. Most are closing but its not compelled. Events too it is recommended to cancel and they have been - in addition all Police, medical or other government-backed employees who support events have been cancelled thus effectively formally cancelling the events too.

The list of key workers is being amended as people are debating whom exactly a key worker is in these circumstances. NHS are obviously key workers, but what about care home workers? They must be too. Supermarket staff are key workers too it seems, as are their delivery drivers. But what about Amazon warehouse staff and delivery drivers? Are they Key Workers in this new world order - if people can't leave their house to get stuff then possibly?

This is all evolving in real time.

[Aimless]

Schools should have been closed sooner (back when Rory for London called for it), and govt. should make recommendations in a way that allows businesses to claim compensation from insurance. Misguided to praise govt for implementing a measure that would have had far greater benefit if it had been implemented a week or two ago. The appropriate approach would've been to start with strict measures and then carefully analyze strategies. At worst this would've led to two weeks of additional disruption; at best it would've meant exponential gains wrt controlling the epidemic and thus drastically reducing its overall costs and the total amount of disruption. By delaying strict measures, the British govt has ensured a more costly epidemic.

[GGT]

Apparently there's been confusion about what "non-essential business" means. They were supposed to all close in PA (along with schools, restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters) but some nail salons, shopping malls and gun stores considered their business "essential". Yeah, gun stores.

Now the directive is "all business" to close at 8pm tonight. Only exceptions are places that sell gas, groceries, take out food, or medicine -- or distribution warehouses and trucking companies.

Seriously Florida, WTF?!


edit: looks like guns sellers considered themselves "essential" because hunting game is "life sustaining".

[GGT]

"California Governor issues statewide stay-at-home order."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...fight-n1164471

40 million people...

[Loki]

GOP = the party of grifters.


https://www.rawstory.com/2020/03/rep...candal-report/

[GGT]

That's criminal. And disgusting.

[Lewkowski]

https://www.foxnews.com/world/france...breaking-rules

"France is likely to extend its two-week lockdown to try to slow the coronavirus pandemic as the country's interior minister blasted “idiots” ignoring the order to stay home.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said French citizens were underestimating the risk. "There are people who think they are modern-day heroes by breaking the rules while they are in fact idiots,” he told Europe 1 Radio, according to AFP."

Not just zoomer spring breakers in Florida.

[Lewkowski]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/19/us/ca...der/index.html

""We project that roughly 56% of our state's population -- 25.5 million people -- will be infected with the virus over an eight-week period," he said in a Wednesday letter to Trump asking him to send the USNS Mercy Hospital Ship to the port of Los Angeles for use through September 1."

That number seems absolutely insane. I don't think these numbers add up, are they measuring exposure rate as infection rate?

[Aimless]

GOP = the party of grifters.


https://www.rawstory.com/2020/03/rep...candal-report/

I can't stop laughing at this:

Twitter Link

[GGT]

Yeah, I heard that on NPR. I just posted in the stock/investment thread with that in mind, plus Loki's post.

USA#1

[GGT]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/19/us/ca...der/index.html

""We project that roughly 56% of our state's population -- 25.5 million people -- will be infected with the virus over an eight-week period," he said in a Wednesday letter to Trump asking him to send the USNS Mercy Hospital Ship to the port of Los Angeles for use through September 1."

That number seems absolutely insane. I don't think these numbers add up, are they measuring exposure rate as infection rate?

It's been projected that roughly half of the US will be infected. New data suggests that 4/5 are infected by people without symptoms. In other words, millions of people think they're not "contagious" because they don't have symptoms *but they're carriers*. Like millennials on spring break at beaches and bars.

[GGT]

The US Peace Corps is evacuating all their staff and volunteers worldwide. What's next?

[RandBlade]

I think my children will be going to school next week based in the reports overnight.

[RandBlade]

Schools should have been closed sooner (back when Rory for London called for it), and govt. should make recommendations in a way that allows businesses to claim compensation from insurance. Misguided to praise govt for implementing a measure that would have had far greater benefit if it had been implemented a week or two ago. The appropriate approach would've been to start with strict measures and then carefully analyze strategies. At worst this would've led to two weeks of additional disruption; at best it would've meant exponential gains wrt controlling the epidemic and thus drastically reducing its overall costs and the total amount of disruption. By delaying strict measures, the British govt has ensured a more costly epidemic.

No. An unscheduled and unplanned blanket closure like was disastrously implemented in Italy would have made the problem worse not better. As it did in Italy. An organised and sensible partial closure following a work from home order while keeping open for key workers who aren't working from home makes much more sense.

You need to deal with the parents before you pull the rug out from under the children.

[GGT]

Rand, are you a "key worker" or first responder, and is your business "essential?

[RandBlade]

I don't run a business anymore thankfully we sold it before all this blew up. I don't see how it could have survived this shutdown if I hadn't already sold it anyway so counting blessings there.

I'm not one but my wife is she works in healthcare. I'm hoping to be one next year but not one yet I'm the process of seeking a new qualification to do what I want to do now. The reports overnight say if one parent is a key worker then still go to school they don't have to both be which has surprised me but means my wife will be able to do her job without extra stress I suppose.

[GGT]

I don't run a business anymore thankfully we sold it before all this blew up. I don't see how it could have survived this shutdown if I hadn't already sold it anyway so counting blessings there.

I'm not one but my wife is she works in healthcare. I'm hoping to be one next year but not one yet. The reports overnight say if one parent is a key worker then still go to school they don't have to be which has surprised me but means my wife will be able to do her job without extra stress I suppose.

Your run-on sentence aside....many businesses across the globe are being closed. The only special treatment is reserved for first-responders. Even workers in the healthcare field are being furloughed/quarantined because they've been exposed to the virus. I'm not sure why you think your family is extra-special, or how that should dictate public policy.

edit: reading between the lines, it sounds like you're complaining about being a stay-at-home dad, in charge of your kids' education, while relying on your wife's income. *cough*

[gogobongopop]

List of UK Key Workers published. It's huge. Schools definitely NOT closed.

Meanwhile:

Twitter Link

[GGT]

"Exceptionalism" runs deep.

[RandBlade]

Your run-on sentence aside....many businesses across the globe are being closed. The only special treatment is reserved for first-responders. Even workers in the healthcare field are being furloughed/quarantined because they've been exposed to the virus. I'm not sure why you think your family is extra-special, or how that should dictate public policy.

edit: reading between the lines, it sounds like you're complaining about being a stay-at-home dad, in charge of your kids' education, while relying on your wife's income. *cough*

No complaints.

I wish I'd finished my change of career so that I could be helping as a key worker now but I'm not complaining.

Oh and your first responders thing is BS. I'm not saying my wife should be a key worker I'm saying she 100% definitely is.

[GGT]

No complaints.

I wish I'd finished my change of career so that I could be helping as a key worker now but I'm not complaining.

Oh and your first responders thing is BS. I'm not saying my wife should be a key worker I'm saying she 100% definitely is.

But you are complaining. And think your kids deserve special status because your wife is a "key worker". I'm just pointing out that gender/role inequalities are real and rampant, and not readily recognized when the tables are turned. But that's a tangential expression of power shifts; I just wish people could recognize that it doesn't mean more just when it comes from men....and that men don't have much room to complain.

Childcare and Daycare have been dominated by women, just like Nursing and Teaching. It took generations before they were considered "professions" and worthy of higher pay. You see where I'm going....apologies for the tangent, but I think it's relevant in a larger context as "service" industries have replaced manufacturing.

[RandBlade]

I'm not complaining . I don't think my kids "deserve" special status, I never said that, I said from the news reports overnight that they're getting special status because of the choices that others have made and its an evolving situation. I was expecting the rules to be that both parents had to be key workers, not one parent.

Anyway my wife's just had formal confirmation she is a key worker but we've just formally informed the school that although my wife is a key worker our children will NOT be attending school as I will look after them at home. So they will not be going to school afterall, but they are formally registered as children of a key worker so if for some reason I can't look after them (eg if I got hospitalised myself) then they will be able to attend school.

[GGT]

Right, it's an evolving situation during unprecedented times. I didn't mean to harp on you personally, ya know

The only thing that could make us take this more seriously....is if our pets were in danger. Fido can't be petted, and Fifi can't go to the groomer, because they're vectors of a lethal disease that could kill them, and threaten the whole family. The whole world our attitudes would change pretty fast.

[RandBlade]

I feel dirty but I agree with Tucker Carlson. Play with sound on.

Twitter Link

[RandBlade]

So seems 4 US Senators (3R, 1D) have done the same thing, selling between them over $6.4 million of stocks after getting the briefings but without alerting the public in the way they should have.

All 4 grifters should be out on their ears. Although if the D was trying to alert the public I'll let her off, its the inaction while you look after yourself first that is unforgivable.

[Hazir]

So seems 4 US Senators (3R, 1D) have done the same thing, selling between them over $6.4 million of stocks after getting the briefings but without alerting the public in the way they should have.

All 4 grifters should be out on their ears. Although if the D was trying to alert the public I'll let her off, its the inaction while you look after yourself first that is unforgivable.

I find myself agreeing with you. These are strange times.

Appearantly part of the organization where I work is going to be declared essential. I am surprised again. Me personally I doubt I am essential, but I guess if the present lull in my work I could be asked/told to work for another department.