Coronavirus (NO POLITICAL OR SOCIAL COMMENTARY PLEASE)

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by MrHT

No it's because people here in NY are wearing masks. People in Florida are not wearing masks because either they are not taking the virus seriously or because they think they have a right to choose not to.

Well people in Florida and Texas are wearing masks more now than before, and I think it's helping.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by MrHT

So Florida, Texas and California have all surpassed NY in total cases. So how much longer will it take before those three states reach "herd immunity" like NY??

Florida and Texas are closer than California. But for herd immunity, it's more the hard hit areas within the state, like the cities (LA, Houston, Dallas, Miami and Orlando for example).

Neighborhoods that can't social distance due to their density are the most exposed and are taken out of the susceptible pool first. Also the "super spreaders" and those exposed to (infecting) others the most (due to their jobs or bad social habits during covid) are taken out as well first.

Which means the infection rise falls faster at first, and thus why cases, when they do fall, they fall relatively quickly. We should see that happen in these states during this month (as it's already started).

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by Batman1980

I think it's time to re-open almost everything except stuff like large venues that allow 100+ people in. Continue to keep those over 60 in SIP and let everyone else live their lives with reasonable protocols.

Hey not fair, I'm over 60. Age discrimation!!!

[Batman1980]

Just responding to all the data about how those over 60 are dying from COVID-19 at a far more alarming rate than other demographics. Data you yourself have posted numerous times, including today. I know I'm at higher risk than young adults and teenagers despite being healthy due to my active lifestyle.

[Chaotic]

I went to up to Vail this weekend & about 90% or so of people I saw wore masks while walking around town. So thats good.

[Batman1980]

I think Colorado is definitely taking the protocols more seriously than nearby states like California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, yes.

[Monterey Jack]

Originally Posted by MrHT

Other than that... museums, indoor dining, malls and theaters should be able to re-open as long as there are social distancing rules and mask enforcement. Not sure why we couldn't reopen those yet here in NYC.

Hell YES to movie theaters...less than 30% occupancy should be perfectly safe by this point, provided the theater staff sanitize the theater rooms between showings. Everyone's sitting well away from each other and all facing in the same direction.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by Batman1980

Just responding to all the data about how those over 60 are dying from COVID-19 at a far more alarming rate than other demographics. Data you yourself have posted numerous times, including today. I know I'm at higher risk than young adults and teenagers despite being healthy due to my active lifestyle.

Hey just kidding man.

[MrHT]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

Hell YES to movie theaters...less than 30% occupancy should be perfectly safe by this point, provided the theater staff sanitize the theater rooms between showings. Everyone's sitting well away from each other and all facing in the same direction.

It's working fine at churches, so should be fine for movie theaters. I was very disappointed at the half-assed phase 4 reopening that we got here in NYC.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

Hell YES to movie theaters...less than 30% occupancy should be perfectly safe by this point, provided the theater staff sanitize the theater rooms between showings. Everyone's sitting well away from each other and all facing in the same direction.

The one near me has reclining seats with rows already about 6 feet apart so even safer.

[Batman1980]

Slow, grinding negotiations on a huge COVID-19 relief bill are set to resume Monday afternoon, but the path forward promises to be challenging and time is already growing short. Republicans are griping that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi won’t drop her expansive wish list even as concerns are mounting that the White House needs to be more sure-footed in the negotiations.

Both the Trump administration negotiating team and top Capitol Hill Democrats remain far apart, and talks since Saturday — when the combatants announced modest progress — have yet to lend momentum. Both sides used television appearances over the weekend to showcase their differences.

Ahead of Monday’s talks, all sides predict a long slog ahead despite the lapse of a $600-per-week supplemental COVID-19 jobless benefit, the beginning of school season and the call of lawmakers’ cherished August recess. Several more days of talks are expected, if not more.

The White House is seeking opportunities to boost President Donald Trump, like another round of $1,200 stimulus payments and extending the supplemental jobless benefit and partial eviction ban. Pelosi, the top Democratic negotiator, appears intent on an agreement as well, but she’s made it clear she needs big money for state and local governments, unemployment benefits, and food aid.

Appearances by the principal negotiators on Sunday’s news shows featured continued political shots by White House chief of staff Mark Meadows at Pelosi for turning down a one-week extension of the $600 benefit in talks last week.

Meadows, however, is understaffed during the talks and seems to struggle with his read on Pelosi. He spent much of his time on CBS’ “Face The Nation” attacking her for opposing a piecemeal approach that would revive jobless benefits immediately but leave other items like food stamps and aid to states for later legislation. She is insisting on a complete package.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is so far playing a low-profile role. But he has been a constant in negotiations in four prior COVID-19 response bills, and he is facing time pressure as an antsy Senate yearns to exit Washington. The Democratic-controlled House has left for recess and won’t return until there is an agreement to vote on, but the GOP-held Senate is trapped in the capital.

Areas of agreement already include the $1,200 direct payment and changes to the Paycheck Protection Program to permit especially hard-hit businesses to obtain another loan under generous forgiveness terms.

But the terms and structure of the unemployment benefit remains a huge sticking point, negotiators said Sunday, and Meadows hasn’t made any concessions on the almost $1 trillion Pelosi wants for state and local governments grappling with pandemic-related revenue losses.

“We still have a long ways to go,” Meadows said, adding, “I’m not optimistic that there will be a solution in the very near term.”

Pelosi said she’d consider reducing the $600 benefit for states with lower unemployment rates. Republicans want to cut the benefit to encourage beneficiaries to return to work and say it is bad policy since it pays many jobless people more money than they made at their previous jobs.

“Right now, today, we have an emergency,” Pelosi said Monday on CNN. “A building is on fire and they are deciding how much water they want to have in the bucket. This is very important to stop — millions of people could have fallen into poverty without this $600.”

Another sticking point is that Republicans want to give more school aid to systems that are restarting with in-school learning, even as Dr. Deborah Birx, Trump’s top coronavirus adviser, cautioned that schools in areas with spikes in cases should delay reopening

“In the areas where we have this widespread case increase, we need to stop the cases, and then we can talk about safely reopening,” Birx said on “This Week.”

The House passed a $3.5 trillion measure in May, but Republicans controlling the Senate have demanded a slower approach, saying it was necessary to take a “pause” before passing additional legislation. Since they announced that strategy, however, coronavirus caseloads have spiked and the economy has absorbed an enormous blow.

Source - KRQE.com

[bruceames]

Hopefully they plenty of money for schools reopening and hazard pay as well for the teachers (perhaps 20%?)

[Member-222782]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

Hell YES to movie theaters...less than 30% occupancy should be perfectly safe by this point, provided the theater staff sanitize the theater rooms between showings. Everyone's sitting well away from each other and all facing in the same direction.

How can a movie theater chain make money if they limit capacity to 30% or less? Theater chains stand to lose the most money because profits are based on how many seats they fill. Unless, of course, they raise ticket and concession prices through the roof. Imagine paying $50 for a single ticket and $20 for a small popcorn. If theaters want to survive they'll have to get creative. I suggested the return of drive-ins or a variation thereof on another thread.

[Eye Candy]

Originally Posted by Batman1980

Still gotta get more people on board with 6+ feet, shelter in place and masks. Until those 3 happen with more regularity you're going to see an up and down pattern with numbers in a lot of states.

https://nypost.com/2020/07/31/nj-wom...er-to-mask-up/

[blujacket]

Originally Posted by bruceames

Hopefully they plenty of money for schools reopening and hazard pay as well for the teachers (perhaps 20%?)

Hazard pay? lmao.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by blujacket

Hazard pay? lmao.

I've seen it thrown around as incentive to get teachers a little more motivated to go back to the classroom. The teacher's unions I'm sure would like to see it, and whatever it takes to make it happen I'm all for it.

[MifuneFan]

Thousands of Texans are getting rapid-result COVID tests. The state isn’t counting them.

Texas, unlike 27 other states, excludes the results of increasingly popular, rapid COVID-19 tests from the numbers it reports publicly — obscuring the scope of the pandemic, records and interviews show. The antigen tests are used in doctor’s offices, hospitals and stand-alone clinics and deliver results in less than 30 minutes.

But conflicting guidance from the Texas Department of State Health Services created confusion among local health departments about what test results to report. A reliance on faxed test results has created a paper backlog that makes it impossible for the state to do its own tally.

And while there is no way to independently estimate the scope of the undercount, based on the 11 Texas counties that publish antigen tests results separately of their own accord, the state’s tally is short by at least tens of thousands of cases — but likely far more, a Houston Chronicle analysis found

Jesus

[veritas]

I just wish they would shut down for a couple of weeks shrink r to .3 or .4. Letting 60 or 100k get sick per day just isn’t good for anyone and it’s silly to try and hold r at 1 when it’s this bad.

[MrHT]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

How can a movie theater chain make money if they limit capacity to 30% or less? Theater chains stand to lose the most money because profits are based on how many seats they fill. Unless, of course, they raise ticket and concession prices through the roof. Imagine paying $50 for a single ticket and $20 for a small popcorn. If theaters want to survive they'll have to get creative. I suggested the return of drive-ins or a variation thereof on another thread.

So you think they are better off closed???

I'm sure a lot of businesses are losing money due to this capacity limit, but hey, better than being closed, don't ya think? Or we can just open at full capacity and get a second wave!

[bruceames]

Most of the time I go the theater is less than half full anyway. Not sure what percentage of seats that need to be sold on average to break even, but I bet it's way under capacity.