Posted on 05/12/2020 9:09:35 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
China placed 50 million people under quarantine in Wuhan Province in January. Since then, many liberal democracies have taken aggressive authoritarian measures of their own to fight the novel coronavirus. By mid-March, almost all Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries had implemented some combination of school, university, workplace, and public transportation closures; restrictions on public events; and limits on domestic and international travel. One country, however, stands out as an exception in the West.
Rather than declare a lockdown or a state of emergency, Sweden asked its citizens to practice social distancing on a mostly voluntary basis. Swedish authorities imposed some restrictions designed to flatten the curve: no public gatherings of more than 50 people, no bar service, distance learning in high schools and universities, and so on. But they eschewed harsh controls, fines, and policing.
Swedes have changed their behavior, but not as profoundly as the citizens of other Western democracies. Many restaurants remain open, although they are lightly trafficked; young children are still in school. And in contrast to neighboring Norway (and some Asian countries), Sweden has not introduced location-tracing technologies or apps, thus avoiding threats to privacy and personal autonomy.
Swedish authorities have not officially declared a goal of reaching herd immunity, which most scientists believe is achieved when more than 60 percent of the population has had the virus. But augmenting immunity is no doubt part of the government’s broader strategy—or at least a likely consequence of keeping schools, restaurants, and most businesses open.
Anders Tegnell, the chief epidemiologist at Sweden’s Public Health Agency, has projected that the city of Stockholm could reach herd immunity as early as this month. Based on updated behavioral assumptions (social-distancing norms are changing how Swedes behave),
(Excerpt) Read more at foreignaffairs.com ...
That is kind of how I see it...it seems to me to have come to full fruition in the Eighties, because I didn’t get that sentiment fully until then, but I could see it.
That’s a weird comment...odds are that anyone who had it and recovered is now immune for at least a while.
That is how I am coming to see this as well. What the hell use is it living in a world where the thing you fear most is the simple touch of another human being?
Gah. I live in the bluest of states, and my vote never means anything, though I cast it faithfully...so I know what you mean.
I have often thought that what we see now is the result of the Sixties radicals going from being radical to putting on suits and cutting their hair, but not cutting the childish beliefs they held.
They held the root of those beliefs, and codified them in laws when they got their hands on the levers of power.
That's how the lockdown was initially sold to the public. "Flattening the curve" so as not to overwhelm hospitals. Well, it was flattened, and hospitals have plenty of beds and ventilators in non-use. But how the derp state is trying to push permanent home imprisonment because the new goal post is "safe". Life isn't safe.
Build herd immunity now - against all the bugs we spread around amongst ourselves, not just WuFlu - or America is f_ked when the Winter months arrive.
I am becoming angry over this, no doubt.
As for safe humans, I was speaking generally about the bubble-wrap mindset, where if you don’t leave your house, you can’t fall off a bike, get hit by a car, or hurt yourself on monkey bars that don’t have rubber pellets installed underneath them.
I think some people do think the goal is to live forever...you see it in people who are sixty years old, but have blue or pink hair and wear clothes someone forty years junior to them might try to wear.
Man, I was NOT a cheerful bugger last night at all as I contemplated this.
Someone might read our comments and think we have a death wish...or engaging in false bravado.
I certainly don’t have a death wish.
I love life, love it. I enjoy it and am pretty happy.
But I guess as I cross the threshold into senior citizenship, I recognize my mortality is something I have to get accustomed to, and prepare myself to face.
I am trying...
Re: lockdown. That depends how you define the term. True, they didn't shut down school for kids under 16 (which is statistically a wise move). However, it did ban groups of 50+ people for arts and entertainment events including theatre, cinema and concerts, religious meetings, demonstrations, lectures, competitive sports, amusement parks, fairs and markets. The ban did not include gatherings in schools, workplaces, public transport, grocery stores or shopping malls, health clubs or private events. Further, the Swedish approach is based less on govt mandate and more on citizen trust of the govt: so yes, while the govt didn't shut down businesses, the citizens fell in line and at the request of authorities, universities have gone online, and travel is way down with Easter vacationing being rescheduled.
As for the economic and fiscal carnage, SE govt spending total of SEK317bn is comparable to their SEK300bn Coronavirus fiscal emergency package. Unemployment is expected to rise to 14% and GDP is expected to fall 7%.
I read that small business survey. It had a massive sample size of about 375 small businesses. Beyond the headline grabbing 52% of small businesses don't think they can last longer than 6 months (which is not exactly the headline's syntax), many small businesses are bullish about rehiring and other good things were revealed. But let's let the MSM control the narrative vs read for ourselves.
I'm not saying the US' choices were great (they weren't) but I'm also not going to slobber all over Sweden as many have chosen to do. SE made some wise moves - chiefly not shutting down schools for youths which had a positive ripple effect on parents not taking time off from work. I also believe the youths are statistically less likely to contract and die for the virus. People also willingly stayed away from people 70+ though Sweden had many people die in elder care facilities. Municipalities/Counties didn't shut down businesses either.
But Sweden has a largely obedient citizenry that relied on "facts" from their govt. Indeed, the political parties all agreed to basically stand down from politics. Ironically, one of the biggest shut downs in Sweden was its last coal-fired power plant - driven by its citizens' "fact-based" environmentalism. Had the govt chosen to shut down, there would hardly have been a peep from the MSM. And yet, despite the obedience and "herd immunity" the economy is still not great and their size-adjusted fatality totals are 20k+ higher than that in America.
Finally, this is not over. I suspect Phase II when/if we see a winter flare-up may come with cracks in Sweden as many citizens (though not the majority) aren't enamored with their approach...if their zeitgeist changes then people will dutifully fall in line. If it's a toss up between Sweden and her obedient citizenry getting some things right and America with 50 States getting many things wrong but we sort it out our own disobedient way, I'll take America.
CDC is counting everyone who dies of respiratory related disease as Covid 19. On average 522 people per day die of non-Covid respiratory disease in this country. There is evidence that in NY that all deaths in some areas are being reported (as reported by funeral home directors). This is the reason for their outlandish numbers. Pay for play, as these deaths result in huge payments from the government.
Stay home if you are afraid, let the rest of us go back to our normal lives.
Agree. Anyone who is in danger or afraid can isolate themselves.
I agree with you completely, and have been saying much the same since this entire mess started.
I've put some thought into your statement about when this started? I also don't know. I think it's been building ever since we started having mass media, and especially TV. But, as I look back, it's been a clear progression. Starting maybe with the push for mandatory seat belts, and... this one: Missing Kid's pictures on milk cartons. Do you remember that?
It's the "Chick-I-fication" of America. That's the 'polite' term, anyway.
As all politicians no matter where they live are wont to do, the ones in Madrid took a bad situation and made it worse. They imposed a lockdown on the entire country and we don't have a Bill of Rights to sue over it. My town, for instance, has 27,000 people, less than a dozen known infections and no deaths but nobody has been allowed out since March 14th except for "essential" travel like buying groceries. We are just starting a phased easing of restrictions but we were refused to ease because of a small rise in infections in a city 80 kilometers away, which shut down the entire province.
In a scene that is similar to New York, 2/3 of the deaths in Spain have been nursing home patients and the army had to take over many nursing homes because staff abandoned them, leaving the seniors to die alone. Of course the entire country is being treated as if the nursing homes are the norm. Every summer festival has been cancelled and, just to make sure nobody wants to visit, a 14 day quarantine is now mandatory for any international visitors flying in. For a tourist town like mine it makes for a brutal year.
Anyone still talking about “herd immunity” is part of the problem.
Immunologists and doctors I have heard have said that immunity is very likely. It's what happens when you get a virus and you get better.
Viruses mutate.
People who get viruses get better and become immune.
Generally speaking, I believe that's the very common scenario.
Busybodies vs. life
The secret place of the Most High
43% of COVID deaths in this country are at nursing homes.
It's probably similar numbers in Sweden.
Yes it is. The fear is very strong on this thread.
For example 38,000 cases in my county. I've not heard of one case here where a person survived and then got COVID again.
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