COVID-19 Discussion & Resources

[Shoblongoo]

...so my boss actually showed up in my driveway the other day, and we had a nice little (socially distanced) chat. What a nice guy. Wanted to make sure I was doing okay + assure me that the business was still solvent, and that I would have a job to go back do as soon as the governor of New Jersey lifts the stay-at-home Orders.

Been in office group chat with all my coworkers. Swapping memes. Staying in touch from home.

May looks like its gonna be more of the same. Hopefully we get some normalcy back over the summer. Been leaving the house with a face mask and a bottle of purrell once a week to go grocery shopping. And other than that I've been holed up.

I'm hearing that when the New Jersey courts reopen, they're gonna make attorneys wear facemasks when they appear for oral arguments.

And at the security checkpoints to get into the courthouse, in addition to the police officers and metal detectors checking for drugs and weapons, they're going to start putting up thermal scanners + not let you into court if you're running a fever.
 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Shoblongoo

[eclipse]

It's face mask time for Hawaii.

I strongly advise everyone NOT to read the comments section of the articles.  It's utterly depressing.

EDIT:
Thanks, governer dude, your proposed cuts also affect police, firefighters, and other first responders.

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by eclipse

[XRay]

I found toilet paper in my grocery store and dollar store again! If you are in Nor-Cal, you may want to remember to buy some the next time you shop. Not sure about the rest of the nation, but I assume toilet paper should start appearing again soon since there are only so much toilet paper a person can hoard at a time.

Edited April 15, 2020 by XRay

[Jotari]

7 hours ago, Shoblongoo said:

And at the security checkpoints to get into the courthouse, in addition to the police officers and metal detectors checking for drugs and weapons, they're going to start putting up thermal scanners + not let you into court if you're running a fever.
 

How would that work for defendants? Can someone be tried in absentee because they're sick? Seems a little unfair on one hand, but on the other it also seems like there's really no way around it without delaying things massively.

[XRay]

7 hours ago, eclipse said:

I strongly advise everyone NOT to read the comments section of the articles.  It's utterly depressing.

I got curious so I read some of it, but damn some of it is crazy and seems so ignorant.

This is kind of messed up, and while I do not wish death on Republican voters, if they really want to kill themselves with COVID-19 and a lack of health care, I feel like I do not want to oppose their decisions and just let them do their own thing.

It would help Democrats secure the majority sooner and implement nationalized health care and other infrastructure improvements our country needs. And with less Republican voters, it would also make gerrymandering a little more difficult to do.

[Eltosian Kadath]

2 hours ago, Jotari said:

How would that work for defendants? Can someone be tried in absentee because they're sick? Seems a little unfair on one hand, but on the other it also seems like there's really no way around it without delaying things massively.

If I were to speculate the court would simply order a continuance, as otherwise they have left themselves open to any judgment being freely appealed, and overturned due to their constitutional right to face their accuser. The question of whether this would infringe on their right to a speedy trial is at least up for debate, as there is a valid safety concern attached to it, and there is presumably a time when the Covid-19 concerns have died down enough to allow the case to continue.

[Anacybele]

They're saying it's likely now that the virus started when it was allowed to escape a Wuhan bio lab. If this is true, whoever runs that place should be charged with millions of counts of reckless endangerment. Because if this isn't the definition of that sort of crime, I don't know what is. It's despicable to know that this whole damn thing might've been completely avoidable!

[Jotari]

1 hour ago, Anacybele said:

They're saying it's likely now that the virus started when it was allowed to escape a Wuhan bio lab. If this is true, whoever runs that place should be charged with millions of counts of reckless endangerment. Because if this isn't the definition of that sort of crime, I don't know what is. It's despicable to know that this whole damn thing might've been completely avoidable!

People have been saying that since the first days of the virus. To my knowledge there's no more proof now than there was at the outset.

[Anacybele]

2 minutes ago, Jotari said:

People have been saying that since the first days of the virus. To my knowledge there's no more proof now than there was at the outset.

I don't remember anyone saying it until recently. And my parents put on the news every day, so I always end up seeing some of it.

[Jotari]

1 minute ago, Anacybele said:

I don't remember anyone saying it until recently. And my parents put on the news every day, so I always end up seeing some of it.

There is a bio chemestry lab in Wuhan, so connecting the dots there was the first thing conspiracy theorists jumped to. Someone even found a fictional book talking about an outbreak starting in Wuhan years ago. 

 

Not a massive leap in logic, but still a groundless accusation until something comes to light.

[XRay]

53 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

They're saying it's likely now that the virus started when it was allowed to escape a Wuhan bio lab. If this is true, whoever runs that place should be charged with millions of counts of reckless endangerment. Because if this isn't the definition of that sort of crime, I don't know what is. It's despicable to know that this whole damn thing might've been completely avoidable!

We do not really know where it came from besides that it came from China around Wuhan. It is hard to pinpoint when and where it happened. It could have mutated from another version of the coronavirus in a human, animal, lab, interaction with another virus in the same cell, or whatever other possibility. It has been suggested that it most likely came from bats, but we are not sure if it was directly from bats or it travelled through another species first.

While it is possible to have come from a lab, and the way Pooh Bear tries to cover things up certainly does not help their case (Why hide something if it is not your fault?), the mostly likely scenario is that the mutation happened naturally, and Pooh Bear and his Piglets' on their egotistical power trip just plain old mishandled the crisis and are in denial about being responsible for anything bad. Shutting down the flow of information and shifting blame around is basically what Trump is doing too. Having a consistent behavior of denying responsibility helps obscure their wrong doing in this and other matters, and it makes it more difficult to hold people responsible.

[Jotari]

5 minutes ago, XRay said:

We do not really know where it came from besides that it came from China around Wuhan. It is hard to pinpoint when and where it happened. It could have mutated from another version of the coronavirus in a human, animal, lab, interaction with another virus in the same cell, or whatever other possibility. It has been suggested that it most likely came from bats, but we are not sure if it was directly from bats or it travelled through another species first.

While it is possible to have come from a lab, and the way Pooh Bear tries to cover things up certainly does not help their case (Why hide something if it is not your fault?), the mostly likely scenario is that the mutation happened naturally, and Pooh Bear and his Piglets' on their egotistical power trip just plain old mishandled the crisis and are in denial about being responsible for anything bad. Shutting down the flow of information and shifting blame around is basically what Trump is doing too. Having a consistent behavior of denying responsibility helps obscure their wrong doing in this and other matters, and it makes it more difficult to hold people responsible.

 

For anyone who hasn't done so yet, watch the entirety of Yes, Minister. It's an absolutely phenomenal show.

[Anacybele]

9 minutes ago, Jotari said:

There is a bio chemestry lab in Wuhan, so connecting the dots there was the first thing conspiracy theorists jumped to. Someone even found a fictional book talking about an outbreak starting in Wuhan years ago. 

 

Not a massive leap in logic, but still a groundless accusation until something comes to light.

I see. I did say "if" anyway, since yeah, I have yet to see actual proof myself.

7 minutes ago, XRay said:

We do not really know where it came from besides that it came from China around Wuhan. It is hard to pinpoint when and where it happened. It could have mutated from another version of the coronavirus in a human, animal, lab, interaction with another virus in the same cell, or whatever other possibility. It has been suggested that it most likely came from bats, but we are not sure if it was directly from bats or it travelled through another species first.

While it is possible to have come from a lab, and the way Pooh Bear tries to cover things up certainly does not help their case (Why hide something if it is not your fault?), the mostly likely scenario is that the mutation happened naturally, and Pooh Bear and his Piglets' on their egotistical power trip just plain old mishandled the crisis and are in denial about being responsible for anything bad. Shutting down the flow of information and shifting blame around is basically what Trump is doing too. Having a consistent behavior of denying responsibility helps obscure their wrong doing in this and other matters, and it makes it more difficult to hold people responsible.

I see. I do agree that China is doing too much covering up and they need to explain themselves. And honestly, if Trump is shifting blame, he's not the only one. Democrats are throwing blame around too. I just watched Joe Biden blame Trump and call him irresponsible. China is the one at fault for starting it, but there's plenty of blame to go around for spreading it. And just throwing around blame doesn't help anything.

[eclipse]

1 hour ago, Anacybele said:

I see. I do agree that China is doing too much covering up and they need to explain themselves. And honestly, if Trump is shifting blame, he's not the only one. Democrats are throwing blame around too. I just watched Joe Biden blame Trump and call him irresponsible. China is the one at fault for starting it, but there's plenty of blame to go around for spreading it. And just throwing around blame doesn't help anything.

Exactly.

Except one country is out of our hands, while another one has its elections coming up later this year.  Regardless, making this political isn't the point of this thread.

[Anacybele]

25 minutes ago, eclipse said:

Exactly.

Except one country is out of our hands, while another one has its elections coming up later this year.  Regardless, making this political isn't the point of this thread.

True. I wasn't meaning to make it a political argument. I wasn't going to take it further.

[Excellen Browning]

5 hours ago, Anacybele said:

I don't remember anyone saying it until recently. And my parents put on the news every day, so I always end up seeing some of it.

My colleagues started repeating it halfway through february.

[eclipse]

7 hours ago, Excellen Browning said:

My colleagues started repeating it halfway through february.

Same.

But replace "halfway through February" with "as soon as they learned that there was a lab in Wuhan."  Thing is, I can see that particular scenario playing out (though there's no way to prove it).  And by "that scenario", I mean "the one I heard", which is NOT the nonsense that Fox is parroting.

Edited April 17, 2020 by eclipse

[Zapp Branniglenn]

I only remember some screen caps of 4channers trying to prove the virus was manufactured by the chinese government and that there was a leak or some shit. Not really inclined to believe conspiracy theories.

Most of the talk nowadays is what we can reopen, and when. It's a good question to ask since while conventions and concerts probably shouldn't be a thing at any remaining point of 2020, other establishments can be brought back with the right precautions. I don't see the hunger to get schools back online when the risk is so high. Like this nonsense:

2-3 percent. Mortality. Imagine nearly one kid in every grade school classroom just fucking dies. To say nothing of how many will have to suffer an awful sickness yet mercifully survive. How can anybody entertain this possibility with those odds?

[eclipse]

4 minutes ago, Glennstavos said:

2-3 percent. Mortality. Imagine nearly one kid in every grade school classroom just fucking dies. To say nothing of how many will have to suffer an awful sickness yet mercifully survive. How can anybody entertain this possibility with those odds?

Oh, that lovely piece of work.  How 'bout he enrolls his kids into a public school, let them reopen, and see how well that goes?

The kids will probably be okay.  The teachers/parents. . .not so much, if the kids pass it on to them.  Good luck trying to socially distance while teaching a class!

[Anacybele]

Jesus. 😕 Yeah, that post there is a load of crap alright. Those that survive aren't even necessarily safe either, as the virus apparently mutates damn fast, and if a patient had to use a ventilator, then they're likely going to suffer long-term effects. So to just let people get infected and die like that is cruel.

Also, regardless of how the virus originated, my main point was still that if it was indeed from a bio lab, then those who ran said lab should pay for it with criminal charges.

Edited April 17, 2020 by Anacybele

[Zapp Branniglenn]

31 minutes ago, eclipse said:

Oh, that lovely piece of work.  How 'bout he enrolls his kids into a public school, let them reopen, and see how well that goes?

The kids will probably be okay.  The teachers/parents. . .not so much, if the kids pass it on to them.  Good luck trying to socially distance while teaching a class!

Also if there's a confirmed case in a school, I can't imagine that school continuing to be open the next day like it's no big deal, further screwing with the teaching process when you may need to transition to online teaching at a moment's notice.

Ideally, schools should open if a vaccine for the virus is developed and distributed, but that's not happening any time this year. My heart goes out to those kids, I remember being really depressed when school wasn't in session, but we can't risk this until the threat level is as low as it can get.

Edited April 17, 2020 by Glennstavos

[Jotari]

35 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

Jesus. 😕 Yeah, that post there is a load of crap alright. Those that survive aren't even necessarily safe either, as the virus apparently mutates damn fast, and if a patient had to use a ventilator, then they're likely going to suffer long-term effects. So to just let people get infected and die like that is cruel.

Also, regardless of how the virus originated, my main point was still that if it was indeed from a bio lab, then those who ran said lab should pay for it with criminal charges.

In the event that it was made in a bio lab then it was most certainly accidentally released to the public. The Chinese wouldn't have any cause to infect their own population and ruin their international image. That means in the event of a man made accidental leak the people responsible face two possible realities in my estimation. Either they're untouchable as they're considered the foremost experts in the field, or they've already been quietly executed for their negligence and incompetence. Either that or they've already been infected and killed. In any case orderly justice is not something that will likely be found.

[Karimlan]

Meanwhile in Florida...

Pro-Trump PAC run by McMahon pledged $18.5 million the same day DeSantis deemed WWE an 'essential business' in Orlando

Now that's good news for people starved for current WWE content, and people working for them, right? Think again...

WWE announces layoffs two days after Florida deems company an ‘essential business’

I feel for the folks losing their jobs, and that is why I think the decision, while it probably makes financial sense, is patently unconscionable. Not at a time like this. 

Canceled my subscription to the WWE Network on principle.

Edited April 17, 2020 by Karimlan

[Anacybele]

8 hours ago, Jotari said:

In the event that it was made in a bio lab then it was most certainly accidentally released to the public. The Chinese wouldn't have any cause to infect their own population and ruin their international image. That means in the event of a man made accidental leak the people responsible face two possible realities in my estimation. Either they're untouchable as they're considered the foremost experts in the field, or they've already been quietly executed for their negligence and incompetence. Either that or they've already been infected and killed. In any case orderly justice is not something that will likely be found.

Hmm... Yeah, those are good points. And China not wanting to ruin their image is exactly why I think they're being hush hush and covering this crap up. They act like they got something to hide and it wouldn't do well for their precious image if it was proven that one of their bio labs was to blame rather than something more out of human control. They care more about their image than taking responsibility for anything here and that sickens me.

[Jotari]

30 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

Hmm... Yeah, those are good points. And China not wanting to ruin their image is exactly why I think they're being hush hush and covering this crap up. They act like they got something to hide and it wouldn't do well for their precious image if it was proven that one of their bio labs was to blame rather than something more out of human control. They care more about their image than taking responsibility for anything here and that sickens me.

Well the other alternative is that it just was something beyond their control. SARS, the predecessor for Corona virus did also originate in China too, so for it to just be a natural occurrence is completely possible too.