Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #57

[cody22]

New Jersey Department of Health shuts down Atilis Gym

New Jersey Virus News....moo

Mississippi church destroyed by arson was suing city over safer-at-home order

Mississippi Virus News....moo

Protest against virus restrictions held at Montana Capitol

Montana Virus News....moo

Anti-lockdown demonstrators trade guns for scissors at Michigan 'haircut' protest

Michigan Virus News....moo

 

[tresir2012]

New Jersey Department of Health shuts down Atilis Gym

New Jersey Virus News....moo

Mississippi church destroyed by arson was suing city over safer-at-home order

Mississippi Virus News....moo

Protest against virus restrictions held at Montana Capitol

Montana Virus News....moo

Anti-lockdown demonstrators trade guns for scissors at Michigan 'haircut' protest

Michigan Virus News....moo

From the Gym article.

"While it's unclear at this time what the state's embargo on the building means legally, the Atilis Gym co-owner Frank Trumbetti says the building will not open on Thursday. Instead, gym members will workout in the parking lot."

From the haircut protest.

"Demonstrators in Michigan gathered for "Operation Haircut," the latest in a string of protests against the state's stay-at-home order.





Protesters give haircuts in front of Michigan Capitol to protest barbershop, salon closures


May 20, 2020, 8:28 PM BST
By Dareh Gregorian


Hundreds of protesters turned out Wednesday to protest Michigan's stay-at-home order — and get free haircuts.

Toting signs that read "End tyranny," "Live free or die" and accusing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of "killing small businesses," demonstrators rallied outside the state Capitol in Lansing as part of "Operation Haircut."



Several barbers were in attendance, giving free trims to demonstrators. Some of the barbers and protesters were not wearing face coverings. Many of the demonstrators also stood within 6 feet of one another as they waited for their cuts.

At least three of the barbers were given citations for disorderly conduct, the state police said on Twitter."

What a crazy world.

 

[tresir2012]

The UK care home controversy.

Data delay saw care homes ‘fighting losing battle’

PHE has been collecting data on the number of both suspected and confirmed outbreaks in English care homes since 9 March.

The data shows there were more than 500 Covid-19 outbreaks in care homes in the week beginning 23 March - with this figure increasing to almost 800 the week after.

In the week beginning 13 April, there were nearly 1,000 outbreaks in English care homes.

The South East region recorded a more than five-fold increase in outbreaks within one week in early March, at a time when other regions' homes had barely registered cases.

By the time PHE published the information - on 29 April - there had been more than 4,500 outbreaks in care homes.

'Game of catch up'
Vic Rayner, executive director of the National Care Forum, which represents more than 120 not-for-profit care organisations, said: "The consequences of not having that data are huge.

"It has affected our ability to plan, prioritise, identify early outbreaks and bring in the right level of medical and health expertise.

"Having that overall picture of knowing what's going on is absolutely critical. I think it's impossible to operate effectively without that."

"We're now in a terrible game of catch up."

More at link.

 

[CharlestonGal]

The idea of forcing little kids to wear masks in school all day makes me angry. Awful physically and mentally and completely uneccessary. Not to mention likely highly ineffective. jmo

I'd rather put a mask on my child than watch a ventilator tube shoved down her throat. Each to their own, I guess. jmo

 

[tresir2012]

I'd rather put a mask on my child than watch a ventilator tube shoved down her throat. Each to their own, I guess. jmo

Why can't the teachers wear the masks? Their doesn't seem to be much evidence kids are a risk to each other. But I could have missed that evidence.

 

[firebird]

Why can't the teachers wear the masks? Their doesn't seem to be much evidence kids are a risk to each other. But I could have missed that evidence.

There is no evidence. The serious to deadly threat to children is, by all accounts, almost nil. It would be like saying I’d rather my child never ride in a car than see him in icu after an accident. Jmo

ETA: obviously the car example is far more likely to be a serious risk

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Coronavirus: Scotland lockdown to be eased from end of next week

The lockdown in Scotland will be eased at the end of the month, the Scottish government has announced.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a four-phase "route map" for the "relaxation" of the coronavirus lockdown in Scotland.

She said the new rules are "not set in stone" and they will be reviewed every three weeks, as required by law.

Some of the rules will start on 28 May, with some a few days after, Ms Sturgeon said.

The new rules are:

• People will be able to sit and sunbathe outdoors
• People will be able to meet one person from another household, if they stay two metres apart outdoors
• Visits inside another household are not allowed
• Non-contact sports like golf, fishing, bowls and tennis will be allowed
• People will be able to travel - preferably walk or cycle - to carry out activities, but they should try to stay close to home
• Recycling and waste services will resume
• Outdoor industries like agriculture and construction will resume
• Garden centres will be allowed to open
• Some services like social work will resume
• Some parts of the criminal justice system will resume

In the next phases, teachers will return to work in June to prepare for schools to open for the new year after 11 August.

Transition support will be given to children going into primary one or moving from primary to secondary schools.

More children will also have access to critical childcare, which has so far only been provided for children of key workers during the lockdown.

Some of the new Scottish lockdown rules that will be introduced next week came into play in England last Wednesday but Ms Sturgeon said at the time it would not be safe for Scotland to follow the same timetable.

She said this was because the R number - the number of people one person infects - has been higher in Scotland than in other parts of the UK.

But, over the past few weeks the number of people dying with coronavirus has fallen, so has the number of patients in hospital.

 

[cody22]

Georgia to wind down makeshift hospital at Atlanta convention center

Georgia Virus News....moo

Rally to reopen planned outside Delaware County Courthouse

Pennsylvania Virus News....moo

 

[tresir2012]

What is the science behind schools reopening?

"Of all diagnosed cases, children have so far accounted for between 1% and 5%, according to Prof Adilia Warris, a paediatric infectious diseases specialist at the University of Exeter. They have "often milder disease than adults" and deaths have been rare, she says.

There have been some extremely rare cases of children developing an inflammatory syndrome similar to Kawasaki disease and a possible delayed immune response to coronavirus is being explored.

Can children pass on coronavirus?
This is one of the missing pieces of the puzzle about coronavirus and how it spreads.

It is still not clear how infectious anyone is if they have very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all - of any age. To understand this we would need widespread antibody testing to find out who has had the virus across the whole population.

One study looking at cases in Shenzhen in China at the beginning of the year suggested children were just as likely to catch the virus, raising the fear that they were transmitting it without showing any symptoms. But since then studies have had more reassuring findings.

Studies of clusters of infections in family groups across China have concluded, based on contact tracing, that none of the infections were likely to have been introduced by children."

More evidence and charts at link.

So from what I am seeing there seems no chance of kids spreading it. Also not much chance of adults or anyone getting it outdoors at all. Indoors, transportation, pollution seem to be the main risks IMO from what I have linked today.

 

[CharlestonGal]

Why can't the teachers wear the masks? Their doesn't seem to be much evidence kids are a risk to each other. But I could have missed that evidence.

That's really the problem. SARS-COV2 is a novel virus and the long-term effects are not yet known and will not be known for quite a while. For instance, two months ago we did not know that a fraction of exposed children would develop Kawasaki type illness 4-6 weeks after exposure. This is one of those "absence of evidence does not equal evidence of absence" type of situations. Too much is still unknown at this point to draw conclusions with any kind of certainty. I'm not a roll the dice kind of person, so I shall just sit back and watch this situation unfold until more is known. Social distancing in place, of course. jmo

 

[firebird]

Georgia to wind down makeshift hospital at Atlanta convention center

Georgia Virus News....moo

17 patients seen at that one.

 

[tresir2012]

That's really the problem. SARS-COV2 is a novel virus and the long-term effects are not yet known and will not be known for quite a while. For instance, two months ago we did not know that a fraction of exposed children would develop Kawasaki type illness 4-6 weeks after exposure. This is one of those "absence of evidence does not equal evidence of absence" type of situations. Too much is still unknown at this point to draw conclusions with any kind of certainty. I'm not a roll the dice kind of person, so I shall just sit back and watch this situation unfold until more is known. Social distancing in place, of course. jmo

I am sure where kids do go back to school it will be acceptable to keep your children off if you have doubts. That is what they have said in the UK, because you would get fined and could go to court normally.

 

[Sundog]

A lot of hospitals and other health care settings have medical staff and others wearing see-through masks so that the hearing impaired are able to communicate with those wearing face masks. I hadn't seen these articles before, so this may have already been posted. Also see Klodia's Face Masks photo on her Facebook page, she is from Michigan and she is making and selling these masks. I read about her masks in a local news article and went to her web page to see what they look like.

A Wauwatosa woman is creating see-through masks to help the deaf community with reading facial expressions

 

[SouthAussie]

I am sure where kids do go back to school it will be acceptable to keep your children off if you have doubts. That is what they have said in the UK, because you would get fined and could go to court normally.

One of our states, Western Australia, has just made it mandatory for children to return to school. The state has a very good Covid record, their state borders are closed, and the Premier seems to be a straight shooting hard liner.
School attendance being mandatory is definitely an anomoly at the moment. imo


Western Australia has not ruled out fining parents who refuse to send their children to school without a valid reason.
Premier Mark McGowan announced on Thursday that the state will reinstate compulsory attendance at public, Catholic and independent schools from next week.
Parents had the option of keeping kids home from school for the first few weeks of term two but they will be required to attend from Monday.
“It’s time for all West Australian students to go back to school and go back to the classroom,” he said
https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/heal...ows-as-mandatory-attendance-returns-c-1038956

 

[tresir2012]

That's really the problem. SARS-COV2 is a novel virus and the long-term effects are not yet known and will not be known for quite a while. For instance, two months ago we did not know that a fraction of exposed children would develop Kawasaki type illness 4-6 weeks after exposure. This is one of those "absence of evidence does not equal evidence of absence" type of situations. Too much is still unknown at this point to draw conclusions with any kind of certainty. I'm not a roll the dice kind of person, so I shall just sit back and watch this situation unfold until more is known. Social distancing in place, of course. jmo

I have posted some evidence now. If your area schools are planning to go back, assuming they are closed ATM, it may be a choice you have to keep them at home. But most kids catch it at home based on what I posted.

 

[Sundog]

From the Gym article.

"While it's unclear at this time what the state's embargo on the building means legally, the Atilis Gym co-owner Frank Trumbetti says the building will not open on Thursday. Instead, gym members will workout in the parking lot."

From the haircut protest.

"Demonstrators in Michigan gathered for "Operation Haircut," the latest in a string of protests against the state's stay-at-home order.





Protesters give haircuts in front of Michigan Capitol to protest barbershop, salon closures


May 20, 2020, 8:28 PM BST
By Dareh Gregorian


Hundreds of protesters turned out Wednesday to protest Michigan's stay-at-home order — and get free haircuts.

Toting signs that read "End tyranny," "Live free or die" and accusing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of "killing small businesses," demonstrators rallied outside the state Capitol in Lansing as part of "Operation Haircut."



Several barbers were in attendance, giving free trims to demonstrators. Some of the barbers and protesters were not wearing face coverings. Many of the demonstrators also stood within 6 feet of one another as they waited for their cuts.

At least three of the barbers were given citations for disorderly conduct, the state police said on Twitter."

What a crazy world.

I hadn't thought about this before, but I need a haircut badly, but still won't go to my hair stylist, but perhaps when the weather gets warmer it might be possible to get haircuts outside, which is less risky than an inside venue. Something to think about next month, perhaps.

 

[tresir2012]

There is no evidence. The serious to deadly threat to children is, by all accounts, almost nil. It would be like saying I’d rather my child never ride in a car than see him in icu after an accident. Jmo

ETA: obviously the car example is far more likely to be a serious risk

I guess you could make the comparison it is similar to a seat belt. To make parents put seat belts on kids in the UK they had to make it mandatory. We all drove around for years in the 70's never putting on a seatbelt. Babies in a carry cot on the back seat, babies on our laps in the front and back seats. It would probably be seen as child abuse these days. MOO.

 

[firebird]

I guess you could make the comparison it is similar to a seat belt. To make parents put seat belts on kids in the UK they had to make it mandatory. We all drove around for years in the 70's never putting on a seatbelt. Babies in a carry cot on the back seat, babies on our laps in the front and back seats. It would probably be seen as child abuse these days. MOO.

The only reason there are seatbelts is lawsuits. Jmo (actually, I’m quite sure, but tos )

 

[tresir2012]

These are the varying plans for going back to school in UK.

Do I have to send my children back to school?

How will schools reopen?
The Department for Education has issued guidance to schools in England.

It says they should:

• Have classes of no more than 15 children with one teacher, and be kept apart from others, similar to Denmark's "protective bubble" approach
• Stagger break and lunch times, and arrival and departure times
• Clean more frequently, and reduce the use of shared items and outdoor space

In addition, children will be discouraged from taking home things like books.

Scotland's largest teachers' union the EIS says "a new blended approach" to teaching and learning. This could include a combination of part-time learning at school and home or online working.

Wales's education minister has said schools will only return when "it is the right time and it is the right thing to do".

In Northern Ireland, the education minister said "practical measures" like PPE for staff, social distancing at mealtimes and safety for school transport needed to be arranged.

Who is responsible for reopening schools?
Since they were closed in March, schools have been responsible for providing places for vulnerable children and children of key workers in England.

Local authorities are responsible for supporting schools and trusts to ensure that they can accommodate these pupils, plus eligible year groups, for a 1 June reopening.

They are also responsible for monitoring demand and capacity, supporting residential special schools and assessing the risks to pupils.

Do I have to send my children to school?
At present, it is not compulsory for key worker parents to send their children to school, and there are no fines for those who have not taken up the places available to them.

It is expected that this temporary arrangement - where usual sanctions do not apply - will continue for all parents of any year groups going back in England during the summer term.

More info at link.

 

[CharlestonGal]

One of our states, Western Australia, has just made it mandatory for children to return to school. The state has a very good Covid record, their state borders are closed, and the Premier seems to be a straight shooting hard liner.
School attendance being mandatory is definitely an anomoly at the moment. imo


Western Australia has not ruled out fining parents who refuse to send their children to school without a valid reason.
Premier Mark McGowan announced on Thursday that the state will reinstate compulsory attendance at public, Catholic and independent schools from next week.
Parents had the option of keeping kids home from school for the first few weeks of term two but they will be required to attend from Monday.
“It’s time for all West Australian students to go back to school and go back to the classroom,” he said
https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/heal...ows-as-mandatory-attendance-returns-c-1038956

I don't know much about the education system in Australia. Is there no provision for home schooling or is attendance at an institution compulsory?