Posted on 04/17/2020 6:22:40 AM PDT by Kaslin
It is untenable to lock down much of the country until a proven-safe vaccine is available in a year or more. Thus, we need to adapt and prepare for life in the time of coronavirus.
By the time we get back to normal, normal will be different. The Chinese coronavirus is a once in a generation plague, perhaps once in a century. Humanity is better equipped to respond to it than at any time in history, but there is still no easy way through this pestilence. A time of death and economic hardship was inevitable once the Chinese communists tried to cover up, rather than contain, the initial outbreak.
We are amidst the first big wave of this sea of troubles, and all of us need to do our part to help get through this. Aggressive measures have been enacted across the country to slow the spread of the virus. Painful as these are, they seem to be keeping the disease from overwhelming us.
But it is untenable to lock down much of the country until a proven-safe vaccine is available in a year or more. Thus, we need to adapt and prepare ourselves for life in the time of coronavirus. Just as the government officials and health-care providers need to plan for life after lockdown, so do the rest of us need to think about how we will need to change our behavior to defeat the viral menace.
If, as government lockdowns ease, we adapt to the coronavirus by behaving responsibly and accepting some limitations, we will be able to have a fair bit of normalcy. On the other hand, if we try to live just as before, we may find the virus making a comeback, with strict government regulations right behind it.
That is what happened here in mid-Missouri (and elsewhere) during the Spanish flu pandemic a century ago, and it could easily happen again. Oscillating between strict lockdowns when things get bad and rapid outbreaks when quarantines are lifted would exacerbate the harm to both public health and the economy.
Thus, if we want to maintain our freedom after the most onerous restrictions are lifted, we will need to live in ways that limit the spread of the disease as well as providing extra protection for the most vulnerable. Some measures will be relatively easy to keep up, such as effective sanitation and hygiene. Frequent handwashing is not hard, and hand sanitizer should be everywhere.
Other changes will be more burdensome and require new cultural norms. For example, we should continue to normalize the wearing of masks in public and encourage people to wear them in crowded public spaces while the pandemic persists.
It will also be important to continue to practice social distancing. When bars, clubs and restaurants reopen, they and their patrons will still need to find ways to keep people spaced out. When church services resume, congregants should not go around hugging and shaking hands just yet.
Additionally, business and public places where people will be packed together should consider screening people before entry. Transmission from those who are asymptomatic will still be a threat, but we can reduce the risk by sending those with fevers or coronavirus symptoms home. Screening should also be instituted to protect the most vulnerable; nursing homes, assisted living facilities, senior centers, and similar places should be checking everyone who comes through their doors—visits to grandma should begin with a temperature check and a surgical mask.
While the most aggressive of these measures will roll back once the pandemic passes, it would be good if we remain more conscientious of those who are more vulnerable to disease than we are. There are a lot of problems with the comparisons between the ordinary flu and the coronavirus pandemic, but they do highlight that we should be getting our flu shots each year—and if you don’t, then stay away from the old folks and the babies.
It would also be better if people just stay home when they are sick. This simple self-isolation is one of the most effective methods of containment, but there are strong headwinds against it in the United States.
For example, keeping sick children home from school requires someone to be home to care for them, but many households depend on schools as childcare. Single-parent homes, or those relying on two full-time incomes earned outside the home, often have limited flexibility to stay home when a child is sick. Grandparents often fill the childcare gap, but this exposure is particularly hazardous to them during the current pandemic.
As for adults, many Americans embrace a culture of working through illness. Some of this is the result of stingy sick leave policies or a corporate culture that discourages their use. But it also arises from turning sick days into vacation days; some people will work through an illness in order to save their sick days for personal use later. Giving workers more sick days needs to be coupled with a cultural change that applies social pressure against both coming into work sick and against using sick days as vacation time.
If Americans are to return to the workplace and marketplace, we need to trust that those around us will not recklessly endanger us. Unfortunately, even if a majority of Americans behave responsibly, an irresponsible few—from the guy who thought it was funny to lick things at Walmart to the guy who exposed a lot of hospital staff while his wife was in labor—can ruin it for the rest of us.
Thus, it will be necessary to stigmatize dangerous behavior that risks spreading the virus and prolonging the pandemic. People who refuse to take personal responsibility to protect themselves and others (e.g., the guy coughing over the buffet) should become social outcasts. Social stigma can crude and cruel, but it is still gentler than government force.
As lockdowns end, our choice is simple: either we adapt and impose responsible behavior on ourselves, or it will be imposed on us by the government.
California has a low # of cases for its size. I can guarantee they are not socially isolating. It’s just not a California thing.
I was an EMT so luckily I know how to do gloves. I keep alcohol wipes in the car for them and wash my gloved hands with tallow soap when I get home. Then I take them off. I have not heard of surface-to-human transmission. It’s really more of a “make other people feel better” type of thing, especially for workers.
I’m considering open carrying a 38 with a bandana and a cowboy hat
If I have to do this I may as well enjoy myself doing it
I realize this is largely overblown but do know a few people who have had it and for 1 it was a close call, some co workers have lost 1 or more family members as well
I dont get the resistance to masks as they can help stop the spread and I thought common courtesy woudl be appreciated by conservatives.
If you go to Kroger here without a mask, everyone stares at you. If you go to Food Lion with a mask, everyone stares at you.
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Change up the names of the stores and this is my experience in 2 counties.
I walk in slowly,observing entering and exiting shoppers. I do the same once inside, as I dutifully sanitize my hands & wipe down cart handles. Then I follow suit.
It’s not just masking/gloving. In the stores w/o masks, people congregate and have conversations and the vibe is light-hearted, including the unmasked cashiers behind their sneeze guards.
This is true in other situations, as well. Some people are terrified and reflexively follow all orders, including, for some reason, totally covering their hair. Others are somewhat wary, keep a distance, but it’s hard to tell if they are observing guidelines or making sure not to stand out too much.
Both places are in WI. One county has no *confirmed* cases, although everyone knows someone who had either a horrid case in January or a light case since. The other county, about 50 miles distant, has 5 confirmed/no deaths.
I think the stats are not all trustworthy.
...have not heard of surface-to-human transmission. It’s really more of a “make other people feel better” type of thing, especially for workers.
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The stores reek of alcohol sanitizer and bleach. Probably does no harm. But in an isolated household, it fosters OCD tendencies and reinforces fear.
Were we sicker than the pampered snow flake kids of today? Did we develop stronger immune systems? Who is more disease resistant... kids living like we did or kids today? So take all this nonsense and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. If you want to protect yourself with good hygiene as you get older and weaker... it is no doubt a good idea, but this type of coercive BS from people saying everything has to change because an illness that most people don't even get symptoms from is nonsense. Nothing is going to change for most people in most parts of the world.
I’ll wear it in the store, that’s not a problem. The problem is governors who are saying kayaks are ok but motor boats are not - so all of their örders” are met with defiance.
nice touch, you never know who is after your TP.
Agree that that most the restrictions make no sense.
Some of the most nasty places for public and businesses are those that have a vast array of foreigners working/living. They came from filth and unsanitary conditions and will exit a stall without flushing or cleaning hands. Signs are posted in five or more languages to try and educate them. SO, we need to send all the illegals home and have them come back identified one by one and have them understand sanitary process. Maids in hotels cannot even speak English!! I’ve seen them wipe down the bathroom by doing the tub, toilet and then the sink with the same towel!! Yes, I go to Walmart and buy cheap spray for the room and also wipe down the sink handles before using!!! Clean your bath and bedroom in 15 minutes and see how much you get done!!
So, we as Americans can just back up our minds and lives decades since we are a mix that isn’t mixing.
God Help Us!
Does this mean they will make Pooping in the Streets Illegal in San Francisco?
“Block Captain”.
I believe the root word you’re looking for is “Gauleiter”.
I agree completely with your assesment. I may have played in mud and manure as a child, but I still always flushed the toilet, or I would have faced the wrath of my parents.
The basics are easy:
Wear a mask in certain situations
Wash hands with soap and water and after after touching unfamiliar stuff in stores etc
Wear plastic gloves? I am not doing this.
I really think we are going to have to imitate Asian nations and cave into wearing masks more often in urban areas.
Proof?
I think it can happen if someone recently sneezed or coughed on the surface, or on their hand right before touching the surface, and you touch it soon after. The metal doorknobs in public places have antimicrobial properties, so do help protect against that.
During a CCP-19 outbreak you’re a FEAR Bro
The other 99 percent of the time your true colors are on display: Hall Monitor.
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