How COVID-19 is affecting society

[Beebo Brink]

The simplistic idea of “opening up” fails to acknowledge that individual Americans’ risk-and-reward calculus may have shifted dramatically in the past few weeks.

I'm not stepping out of self-isolation until I'm damn good and ready, regardless of what anyone else does. So for all intents and purposes, I've been removed from the local economy for spas, restaurants, movie theaters and casual shopping. I have the luxury to sit this out from home (and I'm well aware how blessed I am to be in that position). I'm sure that I'm not the only one who can do that, so yeah, it's going to be interesting to see the long-term effect of these quasi-permanent changes in behavior.

 

[Sid]

Opening up again can never mean that everybody can participate to their likings.
Every step has to be carefully weight and each individual has to make his/her own decisions wether or not that step is suitable.
When the schools should start again next month, I certainly will not participate as volunteer than.
I see myself in lock down for months to come.
My biggest fear is that people will become more reckless in supermarkets and forget about the distancing within weeks.

 

[Isabeau]

You Clap for Me Now: the coronavirus poem on racism and immigration in Britain – video

You Clap for Me Now features Britons with BAME backgrounds who are essential workers during the global pandemic

www.theguardian.com

Well worth viewing if you have two minutes to spare.

Just saw this. Wow

 

[Isabeau]

I'm not stepping out of self-isolation until I'm damn good and ready, regardless of what anyone else does. So for all intents and purposes, I've been removed from the local economy for spas, restaurants, movie theaters and casual shopping. I have the luxury to sit this out from home (and I'm well aware how blessed I am to be in that position). I'm sure that I'm not the only one who can do that, so yeah, it's going to be interesting to see the long-term effect of these quasi-permanent changes in behavior.

Which article are you quoting?

 

[danielravennest]

News from next week: "Seven of the protestors at the Michigan capitol building have died from COVID-19"

 

[Sredni Eel]

The latest rumor regarding SF Bay Area schools is we may not open till January of 2021.

Ordinarily, the school where I work opens on August 15 or so. The supernintendo has definitely said the earliest we will open is "sometime after Labor Day".

 

[Veritable Quandry]

We had a discussion at our (Zoom) staff meeting today, and we have been told that we should be read for Fall classes to go either way.

 

[Sredni Eel]

I hate that this has happened. My one on one was making so much progress, and now...? I have no idea how he's doing. I see him in the zoom meetings, and he's freaking adorable in his surgical mask (only covering half his mouth), but I don't see him doing much, if any, work.

 

[Eunoli]

This is horrifying. Totally ok if 2-3% of school kids die in Dr. Oz's estimation (that's over 1.5 million children)

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

So, while mostly a joke, I have furloughed myself. I've never made an online sale for my stuff, even when my store was in etsy - I only sell when people can actually pick up stuff, and see either the sparkle, or enjoy the softness.

And well, I don't even know if the first con [I'm due to be in] of next year will happen because of this - I'm hoping because its a nice con...

On the other hand, well, the place I get my needle felting stuff has reopened for online orders only, so... I ordered about $50 dollars worth.

 

[Sredni Eel]

This is horrifying. Totally ok if 2-3% of school kids die in Dr. Oz's estimation (that's over 1.5 million children)

It's a damn good thing that "doctor" has no say in the matter.

 

[Free]

Dr. Mengeloz would simply be written off as a joke if we had a resource for real medical knowledge in the public sphere. And people learned it.

 

[Eunoli]

Dr. Mengeloz would simply be written off as a joke if we had a resource for real medical knowledge in the public sphere. And people learned it.

A dangerous, sick joke.

 

[Free]

It's a damn good thing that "doctor" has no say in the matter.

Don't be so sure.

Opinion | The Unholy Alliance of Trump and Dr. Oz (Published 2020)

They’re pandemic partners, and that’s double trouble.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Caliandris]

[personal opinion]
IMHO it could help a little if it is a professional made but non medical use mask. Good luck laying hands on those.
When homemade with love and a lot of improvisation, it will help [next to] nothing. Mainly a ceremonial function only. Like sprinkling holy water.

Six feet distance.
Wash your hands often.
Limit visitors as much as possible.
Stay at home as much as possible.
That helps.
The number of hospitalizations is dropping over here. You hardly see a mask outside the medical circuit.
[/personal opinion]

If this is true, it's bloody strange that the Czech republic had its first confirmed case a couple of days after the UK and yet we have more than 14K dead now and the Czech republic? They have 177. As far as I can see the only difference between the Czech republic and the UK is that everyone wears a mask. Not hospital-grade clinical masks, but home made cloth masks.

Not only do masks stop the aerosol spread of droplets when someone coughs or sneezes, but they also limit the viral load you receive from other people. So even if they don't stop you being infected, they help to ensure you get a small amount of virus and your body has a chance to react appropriately. If someone sneezes or coughs and you get the full force of their explusion without a mask, the viral load is much bigger.

If there are things I don't know about the low level of deaths in the Czech republic, please enlighten me, but as far as I am aware, the UK is doing all the same things except for the wearing of masks. Why in hell WHO hasn't advised the wearing of masks, I can't imagine.

 

[Tracer]

Trying so hard not to post replies to my (distant) relatives on Facebook who think the fact that grocery stores are open but their church is closed must be due to an atheist conspiracy. Especially when their memes are phrased as a question with an obvious, if snarky, answer.

 

[Free]

Trying so hard not to post replies to my (distant) relatives on Facebook who think the fact that grocery stores are open but their church is closed must be due to an atheist conspiracy.

Well we have known for decades that only atheists require food or paper goods and cleaning supplies.

 

[Sovereignty]

I figured out why I'm upset with MSNBC about last month's covid coverage, at least on their website.

I really enjoyed listening to them last year as the impeachment wore on because that gave me a feeling of control. Of course, I had no control over those events, but the feeling of control was real nevertheless. They explained things. I liked listening to them ... well maybe not Joe what's his name. I learned new words, like "probity".

Along comes January, February, March. The news gets more and more dire about Covid19, but I'm not getting soothed like I did before. By March I've already spent a month trying to think of what I need and shopping. Prepping was new to me. I'm locked in my house essentially, and all I hear about is the stupid Democratic primaries. Sorry to say it, but they seemed stupid. I'd vote for any one of them that had a plausible chance of being nominated without any misgivings. The pandemic seemed a hell of a lot more disturbing. So I missed my soothing voices, the voices I wanted in my head.

I did every thing I could think of to have control over the situation but I missed their damn voices.

ETA: I think that's what Trump's base gets out of listening to him, a feeling of control. God, I can't last a minute with it, but some perverse demon not even Lovecraft thought of is at work here. Stupidity and self-entitlement becoming flesh.

 

[Anya Ristow]

There was $349B allocated to the Small Business Administration paycheck protection program. It is essentially an emergency loan program, but if you meet their qualifications, it is forgivable. That is, you don't have to pay it back. It covers 2 1/2 months payroll. You apply for a loan in that amount, and if you use 75% of it to pay employees, and you don't lay them off and you don't reduce their pay, then you don't have to pay the loan back.

It's out of money already:


Here's what happened to the money. It was given to the banks, as it was in 2008, to administer to small businesses. You are supposed to apply through the banks. But it's not a come one come all kind of thing. The banks gave it preferentially to their existing customers. Those with existing debt. Because the banks want those customers to stay in business, so they can afford to pay their existing debt. Don't owe the bank anything already? You are not a priority.

But even better, they stretched the rules about what constitutes a "small business". Of course they did.


The program is currently out of money, and Nancy Pelosi is setting conditions on negotiating an extension.

Here's Louis again, with another example of where the money went:

 

[Kara Spengler]

There was $349B allocated to the Small Business Administration paycheck protection program. It is essentially an emergency loan program, but if you meet their qualifications, it is forgivable. That is, you don't have to pay it back. It covers 2 1/2 months payroll. You apply for a loan in that amount, and if you use 75% of it to pay employees, and you don't lay them off and you don't reduce their pay, then you don't have to pay the loan back.

It's out of money already:


Here's what happened to the money. It was given to the banks, as it was in 2008, to administer to small businesses. You are supposed to apply through the banks. But it's not a come one come all kind of thing. The banks gave it preferentially to their existing customers. Those with existing debt. Because the banks want those customers to stay in business, so they can afford to pay their existing debt. Don't owe the bank anything already? You are not a priority.

But even better, they stretched the rules about what constitutes a "small business". Of course they did.


The program is currently out of money, and Nancy Pelosi is setting conditions on negotiating an extension.

Here's Louis again, with another example of where the money went:

I have caught some of Louis's vids. He is, well, pissed. I am sure he is hurting too as he just moved and got Eugened so was just getting going again when this happened.