Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston: listing, director, to stay)

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

That flew under the radar here. Appointment only, and only 4 per hour. That’s going to be interesting.

My range opened back up with restrictions in place. Limited number of people on the line, no guests, gotta wear masks.

Yeah, we lead the world by far in gun ownership per capita, but have conniptions over a 6-week closure of gun shops. This is why the rest of the world shakes their head when they look at us.

[OutdoorLover]

"Record 20.5 million American jobs lost in April. Unemployment rate soars to 14.7%" - that's the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression.

I don't agree with the White House approach of simply *pretending* that the pandemic is over and cutting out the public health officials and medical professionals. But it's clear that the collateral damage being done to the economy can't be sustained for long. We need to find thoughtful ways to BOTH keep transmission low, saving lives AND resume economic activity. Certainly there are tensions there, but this doesn't mean we need to throw up our hands and just pick one of the two competing goals.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/08/econo...rus/index.html

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

"Record 20.5 million American jobs lost in April. Unemployment rate soars to 14.7%" - that's the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression.

I don't agree with the White House approach of simply *pretending* that the pandemic is over and cutting out the public health officials and medical professionals. But it's clear that the collateral damage being done to the economy can't be sustained for long. We need to find thoughtful ways to BOTH keep transmission low, saving lives AND resume economic activity. Certainly there are tensions there, but this doesn't mean we need to throw up our hands and just pick one of the two competing goals.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/08/econo...rus/index.html

The numbers are incredibly obvious- people over 80 at high risk, people over 70 also should be careful. Pay nursing home employees for lots of Overtime, maybe even to live on the premises. I'm sure others can come up with better solution, I'm just spitballing. However, one thing I know is that taking a family of 4, laying off the parents, and forcing kids to stay home is not helpful.

[roadstrailstris]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

The numbers are incredibly obvious- people over 80 at high risk, people over 70 also should be careful. Pay nursing home employees for lots of Overtime, maybe even to live on the premises. I'm sure others can come up with better solution, I'm just spitballing. However, one thing I know is that taking a family of 4, laying off the parents, and forcing kids to stay home is not helpful.

It simply isn't sustainable. My kids aren't learning much with this distance learning. Everyone in the family is struggling with the isolation. 12 year old daughter isn't sleeping. So far our income is safe, but for how long if this continues on and on for months??

[OutdoorLover]

Well, we've gone from 3.5% unemployment to 14.7% unemployment in what - 2.5 months? And I imagine we are still on a steep downward slide now. We can't do this for 6 more months- the result could very well be worse than the Great Depression. Even 3 more months is scary to contemplate.

Mind you, I am NOT advocating for just saying, screw the pandemic, go back to the way we were living in February, tomorrow. But I am of the opinion that clear guidelines, also just tips and suggestions should be provided for how businesses can operate safely. And if we haven't solved the availability of things like masks, gloves and disinfectants yet - simple, inexpensive tools to reduce transmission in the workplace, we need to do that ASAP. Then begin easing restrictions.

[BostonMike7]

And the Boston Pops 4th of July celebration has been cancelled

[Bridge781]

Shocking

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

And the Boston Pops 4th of July celebration has been cancelled

This one makes me sad, but I understand. Between the uncertainty about the status of where we'll be with the virus, the massive crowds in tight quarters, and the amount of up-front money that goes into putting the show on, this was inevitable. It's a sad exclamation point on the state of affairs, but I think it's a necessary step. And if all goes well, we'll still be going to the beach, having cookouts, etc. On to 2021.

[redplum33]

Katie Miller, White House coronavirus task force spokeswoman, contracts COVID-19


"The top spokeswoman for Vice President Mike Pence and the White House coronavirus task force tested positive Friday for COVID-19, setting off a scramble to test officials and journalists with whom she worked.

Katie Miller, 25, tested positive Friday morning after testing negative on Thursday. Earlier in the week, a personal valet to Trump tested positive in the first confirmed case of a staffer inside the White House contracting the deadly virus."

[brightdoglover]

Maybe they shouldn't have all clustered together so much.