Pandemic 2020

[CunningCanuk]

I spell like the old colonial oppressors, I have no choice in jolly ingland, what’s your excuse for this continued tyranny of spelling the old way?
secondly what do you think of the cunty royals, they are your royals too right?

I have no royals.

If you’re looking for a fight today, take it somewhere else. I’m not biting anymore.

 

[C. Nesbitt]

(SNIP)
... Sending kids back to school right away after the holidays, in winter with the hospitals bursting and staff reduced, might not be wise. Kids need to go back to school, but we need a plan and time to boost some vulnerable folks too, we also need to give the hospitals some slack...

I’ve had conversations with many people on the topic of schools being in person, including here on RIU. We live near Detroit and I work in the City. Detroit area has been a COVID hotspot several times and is again right now. Both Michigan and Ontario are seeing rather alarming numbers this week.
There are some school districts near us that are back to remote learning but most are in-person.
For the ones that are remote, the language has shifted somewhat subtly on these decisions and is more along the lines of “we are going remote due to staffing shortages from COVID” rather than “we are going remote to blunt the spread of COVID”.
Right or wrong, quite a bit of the US (both red and blue areas) have just thrown their hands up at this point and become resigned to omicron burning through the population. It sucks hard to be in healthcare right now.
Ontario right across the River is different though, their shutdown that starts in about 7.5 hours is couched as an effort at slowing the spread.

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

I’ve had conversations with many people on the topic of schools being in person, including here on RIU. We live near Detroit and I work in the City. Detroit area has been a COVID hotspot several times and is again right now. Both Michigan and Ontario are seeing rather alarming numbers this week.
There are some school districts near us that are back to remote learning but most are in-person.
For the ones that are remote, the language has shifted somewhat subtly on these decisions and is more along the lines of “we are going remote due to staffing shortages from COVID” rather than “we are going remote to blunt the spread of COVID”.
Right or wrong, quite a bit of the US (both red and blue areas) have just thrown their hands up at this point and become resigned to omicron burning through the population. It sucks hard to be in healthcare right now.
Ontario right across the River is different though, their shutdown that starts in about 7.5 hours is couched as an effort at slowing the spread.

I think in Canada the plan is to slow it down to protect the healthcare system and boost as many as possible to get through the winter. I think school vaccinations should be mandatory and much of this shit could have been avoided, kids respond well to the vaccine and are generally well protected. I think the plan now is basically vaccine and herd immunity, we have little choice really, but slowing it down as much as we can in winter might be wise, we need time to adjust, not just healthcare will be overwhelmed, services will shut down or be reduced and there will be shortages as everybody needs the same thing at the same time. This is just getting going, but the worse it is, the faster it passes, most vaxxed healthcare workers who are off will be back and immune soon.

 

[CunningCanuk]

I’ve had conversations with many people on the topic of schools being in person, including here on RIU. We live near Detroit and I work in the City. Detroit area has been a COVID hotspot several times and is again right now. Both Michigan and Ontario are seeing rather alarming numbers this week.
There are some school districts near us that are back to remote learning but most are in-person.
For the ones that are remote, the language has shifted somewhat subtly on these decisions and is more along the lines of “we are going remote due to staffing shortages from COVID” rather than “we are going remote to blunt the spread of COVID”.
Right or wrong, quite a bit of the US (both red and blue areas) have just thrown their hands up at this point and become resigned to omicron burning through the population. It sucks hard to be in healthcare right now.
Ontario right across the River is different though, their shutdown that starts in about 7.5 hours is couched as an effort at slowing the spread.

Things must be bad in Michigan if you’re looking up to the Ford government. I thought you had a good Governor there.

Ontario planned to give up as well but public outrage forced Ford to change his strategy. Schools will be online for a while longer. Hopefully they will be back soon.

 

[Fogdog]

Let's put it this way folks, covid mutated into a very contagious strain that we cannot stop, but we can slow it down so that the healthcare system doesn't collapse. Sending kids back to school right away after the holidays, in winter with the hospitals bursting and staff reduced, might not be wise. Kids need to go back to school, but we need a plan and time to boost some vulnerable folks too, we also need to give the hospitals some slack. It's endemic and it looks like most folks will get some version of it sooner or later and some people might get it multiple times. We will learn to live with it, we will muddle through.

I'm OK with differing with you about this. I don't agree that closing schools until the omicron surge subsides is the right choice for me and mine. Closing schools for an undetermined few months makes no more sense than closing grocery stores for a few months.

 

[HGCC]

Personally, I'm kind of at the point of throwing up my hands. Stuff doesn't work if you don't have everyone on board. Our populace here in the US is what it is, I'm angry it's not possible for a better solution to work because people are so stupid and selfish.

 

[captainmorgan]

The only question I have left is, how long will it take covid to kill off the antivaxers so this thing can end.

 

[Budley Doright]

I spell like the old colonial oppressors, I have no choice in jolly ingland, what’s your excuse for this continued tyranny of spelling the old way?
secondly what do you think of the cunty royals, they are your royals too right?

We are not amused

 

[HGCC]

The only question I have left is, how long will it take covid to kill off the antivaxers so this thing can end.

Yep, hopefully we can do better next time.

 

[zeddd]

I have no royals.

If you’re looking for a fight today, take it somewhere else. I’m not biting anymore.

Yeah but seriously why do you value the way I spell when it’s the language of Empire?

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

I'm OK with differing with you about this. I don't agree that closing the school until the omicron surge subsides is the right choice for me and mine. Closing schools for an undetermined few months makes no more sense than closing grocery stores for a few months.

Do you have mandatory school vaccinations in your state? I understand for most youth it is still under emergency use. I'm just taking the state of the hospitals and the incredible spread during the winter months of these new more contagious strains into account. It is a difficult question, but delay for a couple of weeks would be helpful IMHO, we need to see how bad this is gonna get this month. Screw the unvaxxed and protect those who want it and qualify, sooner or later we have to get back to normal. By spring we might even give up on masks too and the Devil can take the unvaxxed.

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

Yeah but seriously why do you value the way I spell when it’s the language of Empire?

You would accept a knighthood!

 

[Budley Doright]

Yeah but seriously why do you value the way I spell when it’s the language of Empire?

Color gets changed to colour, so maybe talk to Mr. Spell Check, end the tyranny!!! (jsyk it tried to change it to tranny )

 

[C. Nesbitt]

Things must be bad in Michigan if you’re looking up to the Ford government. I thought you had a good Governor there.

Ontario planned to give up as well but public outrage forced Ford to change his strategy. Schools will be online for a while longer. Hopefully they will be back soon.

Two things with Gov. Whitmer. First she got kneecapped by the State legislature on emergency executive powers. Second, it’s an election year so she’s making more calculated political decisions and not picking fights.
I’m with FogDog on the school issue. We are strongly in favor of not closing schools for our family - but we are definitely not “COVID is fake” or “masks take away my dignity” assholes.
My older one is 16 and did well in remote learning compared to most kids, but he’s told me this year has been a ton of catch up. There are things that just didn’t get taught well during the ~9 months of remote learning.
Remote learning was a train wreck for my 13-year and most of his classmates.

 

[CunningCanuk]

Yeah but seriously why do you value the way I spell when it’s the language of Empire?

Most every language originated on the European continent is a language of empire. I happen to be the citizen of a country that speaks one of those languages. It has no value to me other than it’s the only way I can communicate with language, as I know no other. My comment was meant as a light hearted dig at my American friends here who speak the same language but spell those words differently.

You seem particularly humourless today. Why is that?

 

[Budley Doright]

Most every language originated on the European continent is a language of empire. I happen to be the citizen of a country that speaks one of those languages. It has no value to me other than it’s the only way I can communicate with language, as I know no other. My comment was meant as a light hearted dig at my American friends here who spell those words differently.

You seem particularly humourless today. Why is that?

Maybe someone crapped on his crumpet

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

Color gets changed to colour, so maybe talk to Mr. Spell Check, end the tyranny!!! (jsyk it tried to change it to tranny )

My keyboard keeps reverting to the French Canadian for some reason, but I usually use American spelling styles and have the checker setup that way. But it's like metric for most Canadians, we are comfortable in both systems.

 

[Fogdog]

Do you have mandatory school vaccinations in your state? I understand for most youth it is still under emergency use. I'm just taking the state of the hospitals and the incredible spread during the winter months of these new more contagious strains into account. It is a difficult question, but delay for a couple of weeks would be helpful IMHO, we need to see how bad this is gonna get this month. Screw the unvaxxed and protect those who want it and qualify, sooner or later we have to get back to normal. By spring we might even give up on masks too and the Devil can take the unvaxxed.

We don't have a vaccination mandate in my school district.

Since September, there have been 144 cases where kids tested positive. The district holds regular updates to kids and parents as well as vaccine education programs. Over 95% of students in the district have been vaccinated for other diseases and 75% aged 12 and up have been vaccinated for Covid.

Vaccinations aren't the only protection the district is pushing. This is how they describe the layers of protection:




Image: Illustrated graphic of a student wearing a face covering sitting in a desk at school. The student is protected from the COVID-19 virus because of the 11 health and safety layers Oregon schools are using. The more health and safety layers in place, the better protected students will be from COVID-19 transmission. Reading from left to right, these layers include: symptom screening; training and education; cleaning and disinfection; hand washing; airflow and circulation; COVID-19 testing; isolation and quarantine; cohorting; physical distancing; face coverings; and COVID-19 vaccinations.

 

[Budley Doright]

My keyboard keeps reverting to the French Canadian for some reason, but I usually use American spelling styles and have the checker setup that way. But it's like metric for most Canadians, we are comfortable in both systems.

Ummm well the older are comfortable but my kids have no clue about Inches, I have to get them to count the little lines on my tape measure lol. But yes I’m a switch hitter lol. My trade still deals in inches and Fahrenheit and never metric in tech guides.

 

[CunningCanuk]

Two things with Gov. Whitmer. First she got kneecapped by the State legislature on emergency executive powers. Second, it’s an election year so she’s making more calculated political decisions and not picking fights.
I’m with FogDog on the school issue. We are strongly in favor of not closing schools for our family - but we are definitely not “COVID is fake” or “masks take away my dignity” assholes.
My older one is 16 and did well in remote learning compared to most kids, but he’s told me this year has been a ton of catch up. There are things that just didn’t get taught well during the ~9 months of remote learning.
Remote learning was a train wreck for my 13-year and most of his classmates.

I was happy to see my 13 year old daughter going back to in person school this fall. We are all fully vaccinated and the schools were taking precautions to be as safe as possible so the risk was minimal vs the harm she faced by missing another year of in person classes.

We don’t know much about this new variant aside from anecdotal data and I’m glad the schools are going online for a few weeks until we know more.