COVID-19 2020

[Julian, Forum COGNOSCENTI]

As i have since March, i wear my mask everywhere indoors, don't go within 10 feet of anybody outdoors, go to the grocery store at oddball times, telework 100% of the time, have not eaten indoors a single time, etc.....I'll save the tests, which have a high degree of inaccuracy anyway. for those who need and want them. Sorry, that doesn't make me irresponsible.

I appreciate your diligence but I really think you and your family can resume using your dining room this winter. Its cold out there, man.

[sweetcell]

So what would be the motivation for people to take these tests regularly? I tested once for travel purposes back in the summer, and the state I was going to wouldn't even accept this antigen test.

n=1.  we've come a long way (since), baby.

admittedly this isn't everyone, but a lot of people have a sense of personal responsibility, and/or are willing to do their part to slow down the pandemic.  yes, the anti-mask MAGAts get all the attention, but at least around me i see a lot of responsible folks out there on the rare times i go grocery shopping, to the post office, etc.

As i have since March, i wear my mask everywhere indoors, don't go within 10 feet of anybody outdoors, go to the grocery store at oddball times, telework 100% of the time, have not eaten indoors a single time, etc.....I'll save the tests, which have a high degree of inaccuracy anyway. for those who need and want them. Sorry, that doesn't make me irresponsible.

space, you are indeed not irresponsible... you're exactly the kind of person i referenced in the bolded section, above.  not sure how you thought i was targeting you.  i certainly wasn't.

[sweetcell]

Now, if they were forcing my kid to go into school in-person,

Sweets, I read Inslee is sending the kids back

yeah, and it's kind of a mess.  kindergarten, grade school and middle schools may start opening as soon as the end of january, but the situation is chaotic.  i got an email this morning from my kids school saying they couldn't open in a month's time even if they wanted to, so date is TBD but no sooner than february.  it's hard to make the new rules work:

Schools will be required to follow mandatory safety measures established by the state Department of Health. They include screening students and staff for symptoms; maintaining distances of 6 feet, and keeping students in smaller groups or “cohorts” of about 15 if the room doesn’t accommodate that spacing; wearing face coverings; increased hygiene protocols like handwashing, sanitizing and adequate ventilation."

my school's solution it to have a morning cohort and an afternoon cohort - split the class in half and each gets half a day in school.  but no school busses for the morning cohort, so parents need to figure out transpo.  and keeping a class full of 6 and 7 years olds to keep their masks on - how well do you think that's going to go?  it's not all kids, either, only those who want to return to a half-day of classes - many will continue being 100% remote.  so there are issue of how to ensure that everyone is getting the same quality of education, how can teachers deal with both in-person and at-home students, etc...

none of this is relevant to me because we joined a pod that has hired an out-of-work teacher.  so my kids are currently going to "school", which is a converted playroom at one of the pod member's house.  the whole zoom-for-7-hours-a-day wasn't working with the kids, they were miserable and weren't learning much.  this pod school has been a lifesaver.  privilege has its memberships...

[ye-ole-hatch ıll|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|llıl]

sweets is now a pod-person?

[Space Freely]

I'm not even sure what a pod is.

So proud of my daughter. Straight A's in her AAP classes and Algebra 1 so far in DL. Has had one masked playdate in nine months and has barely complained.

I think we got lucky. She got DL for the two middle school years that everyone hates anyways. I don't envy the parents of lower elementary and feel bad for the high schoolers missing the high school experience.

Maybe this should be in the parenting thread.

[sweetcell]

sweets is now a pod-person?

i constantly refer to the other families as "the pod people" and it makes me giggle every time.  thanks for ruining that, as you've correctly pointed out that i, too, am a pod-person.

[sweetcell]

I'm not even sure what a pod is.

pod = isolation unit.  it's a group of people that join together in a "bubble" - they can interact with each other, but no one outside the pod.  in our case most (but not all) got tested in the beginning, and we have signed a contract to not see other people outside the pod (part of the contract with the teacher).  so we've had them over for birthday parties, we pressed apples together (i fermented it for the group, turned out awesome), etc.  however, we cannot fraternize with others - including our own families.  i can spent christmas with them but not my in-laws who live in the state.  we'll keep this up through the end of the school year or until we are all vaccinated, whichever comes first.  we have meetings when anyone wants to do something against the rules (i.e. any covid-risky activity), and we have the right to shoot down a request if the group deems it unacceptable.

thanks to this country's rugged individualism, authorities have been unable and/or unwilling to truly regulate and enforce social distancing.  in many other countries, they have rules related to pods: depending on the severity of the pandemic, you may be allowed to pod with X other individuals or families.  in canuckistan right now, my sister had podded with our mom, so they can visit each other - but can't visit anyone else.  apparently you can get up to a $6,000 fine for breaking quarantine by seeing anyone outside your pod.

uprising against the concept of pods in 3... 2...

So proud of my daughter. Straight A's in her AAP classes and Algebra 1 so far in DL. Has had one masked playdate in nine months and has barely complained.

I think we got lucky. She got DL for the two middle school years that everyone hates anyways. I don't envy the parents of lower elementary and feel bad for the high schoolers missing the high school experience.

i'm sure i should know this, but what is "DL"?  i only know it as meaning "down-low", as in "please keep that story on the DL", or "he sleeps with other men on the DL."

[Justin Tonation]

Excellent article: Hang On for Three More Months

[sweetcell]

ugh.

[Space Freely]

254K today! Could possibly be revised upward slightly!

[hutch]

Bring it!

https://nypost.com/2020/12/21/a-sex-crazed-roaring-20s-awaits-post-pandemic-yale-prof/

[ye-ole-hatch ıll|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|llıl]

welp, the last place on earth not impacted by Covid, until now
Three dozen people in Antarctica have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, marking the first time cases have been recorded on the continent.

[ye-ole-hatch ıll|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|llıl]

whoa, can't imagine that would ever happen here.  I could see airlines/businesses doing this though
https://summit.news/2020/12/22/french-law-would-ban-people-who-dont-get-covid-vaccine-from-using-public-transport/

Edit...don't think this will actually happen in france
France’s vaccination program... will not be mandatory, but a whopping 55% of citizens say they will not get the shot.

[Space Freely]

i'm sure i should know this, but what is "DL"?  i only know it as meaning "down-low", as in "please keep that story on the DL", or "he sleeps with other men on the DL."

I know what the other two DL's are, but i was referring to DL=Distance Learning.

[ye-ole-hatch ıll|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|llıl]

i'm sure i should know this, but what is "DL"?  i only know it as meaning "down-low", as in "please keep that story on the DL", or "he sleeps with other men on the DL."

I know what the other two DL's are, but i was referring to DL=Distance Learning.

Well there is also the DL = Disabled List
and I don't even follow sports