Coronavirus pandemic

[roadman]

Massachusetts declared a state of emergency earlier this afternoon.  Like NJ, this is mainly to provide quicker access to resources.

[Rothman]

My daughter's college is having students vacate in a week, go on break for a couple of weeks and then attend class remotely.

Many places do that. RPI announced that, for example.
It makes some sense, especially since online teaching is already a big thing for a while. I don't know how labs are going to be arranged (postponed), but for a lot of classes this should be pretty easy.

Attending online just isn't the same, as anyone who's attended web meetings can say.

I also just wonder about access to resources.  Horticulture students without access to the greenhouses?  What about the library?

And, of course, mum's the word on any sort of refund for dorm or meal plans.

[kalvado]

My daughter's college is having students vacate in a week, go on break for a couple of weeks and then attend class remotely.

Many places do that. RPI announced that, for example.
It makes some sense, especially since online teaching is already a big thing for a while. I don't know how labs are going to be arranged (postponed), but for a lot of classes this should be pretty easy.

Attending online just isn't the same, as anyone who's attended web meetings can say.

I also just wonder about access to resources.  Horticulture students without access to the greenhouses?  What about the library?

And, of course, mum's the word on any sort of refund for dorm or meal plans.

I certainly agree, actually updated my post above. Hand-on classes are a big thing, no doubt.
Libraries do move online, thats for sure. I, for one,  do have a few shelves of professional literature, but many of those books are not opened for years as electronic copy is just easier to deal with.
Student to student interaction is a HUGE thing, of course. But last things I heard, even dating is moving online...  So maybe old farts like us just cannot fully absorb the change.

[J N Winkler]

I also just wonder about access to resources.  Horticulture students without access to the greenhouses?  What about the library?

I serve on the board of my local public library, which operates as a department of Wichita city government, and I have been mulling over the possibility that we may be ordered to close as part of a wider containment effort.  We do have a pandemic scenario in our continuity-of-operations plan and it provides for staff cross-training and staggered closure so that we can stay open (at no greater risk to the public than other places that also remain open) even if employee absenteeism reaches very high levels, but if we close completely, customers will be limited to ebooks, online services, and other remote resources.  This is a recipe for trouble on the other side of the digital divide.

[jakeroot]

It makes some sense, especially since online teaching is already a big thing for a while. I don't know how labs are going to be arranged (postponed), but for a lot of classes this should be pretty easy.

In one of my classes, we rely on school computers (except for myself, as I have a computer powerful enough to run ArcMap). The class was simply declared over for the quarter; my grades for that class are being submitted in a couple days, at least a week earlier than they should have been.

If the "remote sessions" continue to be the case next quarter, starting at the end of this month (not looking good, since WA is now at almost 300 cases), I have no idea how my lab classes will work. Many of the students need the school computers. If we're not allowed to meet, then ... ?

[kalvado]

I also just wonder about access to resources.  Horticulture students without access to the greenhouses?  What about the library?

I serve on the board of my local public library, which operates as a department of Wichita city government, and I have been mulling over the possibility that we may be ordered to close as part of a wider containment effort.  We do have a pandemic scenario in our continuity-of-operations plan and it provides for staff cross-training and staggered closure so that we can stay open (at no greater risk to the public than other places that also remain open) even if employee absenteeism reaches very high levels, but if we close completely, customers will be limited to ebooks, online services, and other remote resources.  This is a recipe for trouble on the other side of the digital divide.

Well, year without summer introduced the concept of social security to Europe. I can envision this crisis, if managed correctly, leading to reduce digital divide as data access becomes way more important, almost essencial.

[vdeane]

Well, fortunately for us, I would assume the roads would be the last thing to close.
It would be ironic, in the midst of all the fears of traveling, if gas falls to 99 cents a gallon for the first time this century..

Good luck traveling freely in Italy right now.

[stormwatch7721]

This is the scariest thing I've heard in my life.

[roadman65]

The worst part is it has to happen in an election year which means this becomes political.  I am glad I do not watch the news anymore.  No cable since 2017 and do not miss the many channels on TV.

[Max Rockatansky]

This is the scariest thing I've heard in my life.

As opposed to all those near misses that almost started Nuclear War during the waning years of the Cold War?  9/11 was pretty bad, the Oklahoma City Bombing was pretty up there too, and I'm sure that there are others that exceed this virus stuff pretty handily State Side in the past 33 years. 

[bandit957]

This is the scariest thing I've heard in my life.

As opposed to all those near misses that almost started Nuclear War during the waning years of the Cold War?  9/11 was pretty bad, the Oklahoma City Bombing was pretty up there too, and I'm sure that there are others that exceed this virus stuff pretty handily State Side in the past 33 years.

I don't think it's scary except for the potential reaction. I've waded through a lot of germy messes created by slobs, and those probably had a more direct effect on me.

[Max Rockatansky]

This is the scariest thing I've heard in my life.

As opposed to all those near misses that almost started Nuclear War during the waning years of the Cold War?  9/11 was pretty bad, the Oklahoma City Bombing was pretty up there too, and I'm sure that there are others that exceed this virus stuff pretty handily State Side in the past 33 years.

I don't think it's scary except for the potential reaction. I've waded through a lot of germy messes created by slobs, and those probably had a more direct effect on me.

The reaction is kind of bewildering to me.  I can't fathom that the general public, media, and political figure would have been acting with such alarm State Side even a decade ago.  I kind of feel as though the reaction is kind of unnatural or more being driven by a lot of factors that haven't been present in the past.  I guess it remains to be seen if that ends up being a net good or net bad thing. 

[bandit957]

The reaction is kind of bewildering to me.  I can't fathom that the general public, media, and political figure would have been acting with such alarm State Side even a decade ago.  I kind of feel as though the reaction is kind of unnatural or more being driven by a lot of factors that haven't been present in the past.  I guess it remains to be seen if that ends up being a net good or net bad thing.

If the government takes draconian measures to combat this virus, I think the living would envy the dead.

[Max Rockatansky]

The reaction is kind of bewildering to me.  I can't fathom that the general public, media, and political figure would have been acting with such alarm State Side even a decade ago.  I kind of feel as though the reaction is kind of unnatural or more being driven by a lot of factors that haven't been present in the past.  I guess it remains to be seen if that ends up being a net good or net bad thing.

If the government takes draconian measures to combat this virus, I think the living would envy the dead.

I wouldn't go quite that far but it is pretty off putting that some countries have considered or implemented mass scale quarantines.  It's more so concerning that a lot more people than I expected are okay with such measures.  I could be wrong at the end of the day but I'm not seeing the Spanish Flu or Black Death in the works. 

[J N Winkler]

It is 11.45 PM Central time as I post this and the US now has 1025 cases, up from 709 about 24 hours ago.  Today, Italy became the second country (after China) to have a case count in the five figures--10,149 right now.

Upthread, Kalvado predicted 15,000 cases by April 1 and 1 million by May 30.  Today's increase in US cases is basically equivalent to doubling every two days, so if it continues (admittedly a big if), never mind what happens on Memorial Day weekend--we will be at 1 million by April Fool's.

[bandit957]

It is 11.45 PM Central time as I post this and the US now has 1025 cases, up from 709 about 24 hours ago.  Today, Italy became the second country (after China) to have a case count in the five figures--10,149 right now.

Upthread, Kalvado predicted 15,000 cases by April 1 and 1 million by May 30.  Today's increase in US cases is basically equivalent to doubling every two days, so if it continues (admittedly a big if), never mind what happens on Memorial Day weekend--we will be at 1 million by April Fool's.

I know I saw an article that says the pandemic will die down once it reaches a certain number of people - most of whom will show no symptoms. The virus will just have nowhere else to go. But that could take a while - or maybe not, if it keeps spreading this fast.

[RobbieL2415]

Since no level of government here in the US is actually trying to contain the Virus, we can only expect the worst.

C) Those people are 'escaping' Italy's quarantined area if they want to.  So if Italy can't contain them, and they make it to other countries and fly to the US, how exactly is the US supposed to stop them?

The end result with that would be the FAA closing off airspace for international arrivals and departures.

[formulanone]

This is the scariest thing I've heard in my life.

As opposed to all those near misses that almost started Nuclear War during the waning years of the Cold War?  9/11 was pretty bad, the Oklahoma City Bombing was pretty up there too, and I'm sure that there are others that exceed this virus stuff pretty handily State Side in the past 33 years. 

It's up there, honestly; fighting ignorance and "bad" habits is the tough part. Everyone thinks they know better because they're still alive, which a fine attitude for that one time you tried anchovies on pizza, but a brazen attempt at protecting yourself against something you can't see nor detect easily. The good news of this seems to be those in good general health have a higher chance of survival, but those who are older and in poorer health may find themselves in a greater risk.

Personally, they're not awful personal habits; we're breathing skin bags made of 70% water and 105% imperfection. In cases like this, it's hard to get people to change quickly and stop to listen for a change, and try to change habits. Washing hands, keeping clean, and thinking about long-term stoppage. Listening to advice and actually having to trust advice we don't want to follow is even tougher.

Honestly, I'm going to have to stop travelling for work for a while over this, but I'm not sure how far our company wants to take things. And that's the least of my troubles.

It is 11.45 PM Central time as I post this and the US now has 1025 cases, up from 709 about 24 hours ago.  Today, Italy became the second country (after China) to have a case count in the five figures--10,149 right now.

Upthread, Kalvado predicted 15,000 cases by April 1 and 1 million by May 30.  Today's increase in US cases is basically equivalent to doubling every two days, so if it continues (admittedly a big if), never mind what happens on Memorial Day weekend--we will be at 1 million by April Fool's.

I know I saw an article that says the pandemic will die down once it reaches a certain number of people - most of whom will show no symptoms. The virus will just have nowhere else to go. But that could take a while - or maybe not, if it keeps spreading this fast.

This might be a good time to actually post proof of what you're trying to say.

[kalvado]

Since no level of government here in the US is actually trying to contain the Virus, we can only expect the worst.

C) Those people are 'escaping' Italy's quarantined area if they want to.  So if Italy can't contain them, and they make it to other countries and fly to the US, how exactly is the US supposed to stop them?

The end result with that would be the FAA closing off airspace for international arrivals and departures.

There is a lot at play here. Air cargo. Do you think US has enough mask making capacity? China is accelerating after shutdown...
Once you have some traffic across the border, you may not ban citizens from entry. Quarantine, sure.

Israel went further than any other country, 2ith mandatory quarantine for anyone crossing the border. Probably as strict of a control as realistically possible right now.

[RobbieL2415]

Since no level of government here in the US is actually trying to contain the Virus, we can only expect the worst.

C) Those people are 'escaping' Italy's quarantined area if they want to.  So if Italy can't contain them, and they make it to other countries and fly to the US, how exactly is the US supposed to stop them?

The end result with that would be the FAA closing off airspace for international arrivals and departures.

There is a lot at play here. Air cargo. Do you think US has enough mask making capacity? China is accelerating after shutdown...
Once you have some traffic across the border, you may not ban citizens from entry. Quarantine, sure.

Israel went further than any other country, 2ith mandatory quarantine for anyone crossing the border. Probably as strict of a control as realistically possible right now.

The US embassies would coordinate an evacuation of citizens.  They'd probably contract with US-based airlines.

The ban would only apply to civilian, non-essential air traffic.  Cargo flights carrying essentials would be allowed.

I wouldn't worry about Chinese goods getting here.  Those arrive on container ships bound for LA, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.  From there the freight is transferred to intermodal transit, either on the road or via rail to head across the continent.

[kalvado]

Since no level of government here in the US is actually trying to contain the Virus, we can only expect the worst.

C) Those people are 'escaping' Italy's quarantined area if they want to.  So if Italy can't contain them, and they make it to other countries and fly to the US, how exactly is the US supposed to stop them?

The end result with that would be the FAA closing off airspace for international arrivals and departures.

There is a lot at play here. Air cargo. Do you think US has enough mask making capacity? China is accelerating after shutdown...
Once you have some traffic across the border, you may not ban citizens from entry. Quarantine, sure.

Israel went further than any other country, 2ith mandatory quarantine for anyone crossing the border. Probably as strict of a control as realistically possible right now.

The US embassies would coordinate an evacuation of citizens.  They'd probably contract with US-based airlines.

The ban would only apply to civilian, non-essential air traffic.  Cargo flights carrying essentials would be allowed.

I wouldn't worry about Chinese goods getting here.  Those arrive on container ships bound for LA, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.  From there the freight is transferred to intermodal transit, either on the road or via rail to head across the continent.

US embassies can do only that much.
As for goods, there is only that much sense in sending them intermodal (3 weeks at sea, 1 week across US)  when MA will run out in a week at a normal rate, and has to use expired stuff from the national emergency stockpile.

[ET21]

Chicago cancelled all St. Patrick's Day festivities, including both parades and the river dyeing. Sounds like they want to reschedule them but as of now no dates have been announced
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicagos-st-patricks-day-parade-canceled/2234904/?_osource=SocialFlowFB_CHBrand&fbclid=IwAR0KVNx31k0zhEiNcBk07tPdI_NzIe7u2TY7HPVRayqLoLWcIm9Td4RjVKo&fbclid=IwAR0gE2B3pHo5-JY4kXWCeecUO2-wuLO17tejNNm7UK44xYtRrtOACGv8AJU

[Max Rockatansky]

Some food for thought on some of the deadlier pandemics in human history and recent history:

https://alltimelists.com/10-deadliest-epidemics-human-history/

I know that Spanish Flu and the Black Death have been brought up in this thread already.  It's interesting to consider that it wasn't too long ago when this like Small Pox, TB, and even Malaria were common place State Side.  AIDS on the whole in recent decades has been an extremely brutalizing disease but tends to not often get mentioned much anymore. 

[Tonytone]

It's interesting to see everyone go crazy.

What im seeing most is people are stockpiling to prepare to be in the house for 2 weeks to a month.

I wonder after all this passes if people & cities will now be cleaning up more Ie: subway cleaning, trash pickup, people cleaning them selves better.


iPhone

[Max Rockatansky]

It's interesting to see everyone go crazy.

What im seeing most is people are stockpiling to prepare to be in the house for 2 weeks to a month.

I wonder after all this passes if people & cities will now be cleaning up more Ie: subway cleaning, trash pickup, people cleaning them selves better.


iPhone

I'm not really getting the whole stock piling off water...especially Costco water.  Even if someone was told to quarantine in place that doesn't mean the tap would be shut off.  As far as I know there isn't any evidence of the current Coronavirus spreading through municipal drinking supplies.  Maybe think that all services will be shut off?  Either way it probably is a good idea to have a two week stock of supplies even just for a random natural disaster of utility failure.