walkswithblackflies
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Sept 23, 2020 5:18:13 GMT -8
I got a text around lunchtime this past Friday that two of our guests had tested positive for COVID Ugh. That sucks. At least they were able to trace their movements. Question: Why are you in quarantine but your kids aren't? {serious question, not being snarky}
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Sept 23, 2020 7:15:07 GMT -8
The range of situations in our complex society regarding meeting in ways that could be contagious with other people that do not live within one's residence is enormous. Thus every person needs to consider their situation and that of others they might entertain notions of getting together so, while tending to err on the conservative side because the stakes are at this point in our limited understanding of the science involved, potentially considerable to one's very life and long term health. Those at most risk, that appears to be older people and those with identified health issues, need to be most conservative in that assessment while those that are increasingly younger, more healthy, less so on a gradual scale, to that of children that generally appear least in danger. Included in that assessment is if becoming infected how might that endanger others within one's residence and regular necessary contacts with others, like coworkers, and the extent any others depend on you. Making those choices is not a game where a vulnerable person gets several chances and instead the goal at this point with COVID-19 is to NEVER become infected. That noted, it is also true how reliably individuals can evaluate their situation also will vary enormously. Accordingly as a society we ought not be too rigid in how we view others making those choices though we certainly need to guide and advise others including being critical of those making poor choices.
I do think there is wisdom at this stage 7 months along in allowing expansion beyond those living together in residences as that is something everyone will eventually need to confront and the sooner everyone becomes familiar with what to think about, and how to go about doing so, the safer everyone will be long term. In other words, there is never going to be some general announcement that we are all now safe so go about one's activities per pre-pandemic. Even if an effective vaccine and treatments are developed, it will take a long time for those benefits to filter down within our enormously varied local and global communities. That same strategy is now being applied as we allow children to return to schools as we grapple with how to do so while monitoring what is happening both locally and elsewhere. Among young college age persons, this expansion has been greatest, some of which regularly makes critical news and we can expect that to continue because that is also the demographic with the greatest range of being able to make wise decisions and where the motivations to meet with others is greatest.
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foxalo
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Post by foxalo on Sept 23, 2020 11:06:22 GMT -8
walkswithblackflies The reason my kids aren't in quarantine is because of the 6/15 rule. In order to be a direct contact, you have to spend more than 15 minutes within 6 feet of a person. My kids did neither. They are teenagers and become antisocial when it comes to gatherings in our house, so all of their time was spent somewhere else in the house. They did not sit at the dinner table with us either. Now, had I tested positive, they would have had to quarantine for 24 days.
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walkswithblackflies
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Sept 24, 2020 5:56:56 GMT -8
Rolling out in the next few days: The search engine giant announced Wednesday that it’s added a Covid-19 layer to the Google Maps app for iPhone and Android users, showing where outbreaks and cases are in your region. CNET reports the color-coded system will show the density of new coronavirus cases in an area and tell users if cases are trending up or down.
Here’s how to use it:
Open Google Maps app. Tap the “layers” button (which looks like a square on top of another square) on the top right corner of your screen. Click on “COVID-19 info.” A seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people will then display for the area of the map you’re looking at, along with a label indicating if they’re trending up or down.www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2020/09/google-maps-show-coronavirus-outbreaks-in-your-region-how-to-use-it.html
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Sept 24, 2020 11:10:30 GMT -8
I have a guy in voluntary quarantine now whose exposure was to his daughter, who apparently picked it up in school. As a manager of essential workers, he's had considerable contact with quite a few people, albeit masked and properly distanced.
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swmtnbackpacker
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Sept 25, 2020 6:20:03 GMT -8
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walkswithblackflies
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Sept 28, 2020 5:10:36 GMT -8
During the coronavirus lockdown, some birds changed their tuneAlong with her colleague David Luther of George Mason University, Dr. Derryberry had been recording the songs of white-crowned sparrows in both the urban setting of San Francisco and the more rural Marin County to study how the birds responded to the hum of human-made noise. They’d found that the city sparrows sang more loudly, but with a much more limited range, than their country cousins. And the shutdown presented an unprecedented opportunity for the researchers to see if those urban birds changed their tune.
Indeed, the urban sparrows took full advantage of the relative silence. When the research team recorded birdsongs near the Golden Gate Bridge in April and May of this year, they sounded notably different – and of higher quality – from those recorded during previous springs. Their findings were published Thursday in the journal Science. www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2020/0925/During-the-coronavirus-lockdown-some-birds-changed-their-tune
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Post by autumnmist on Sept 28, 2020 7:02:21 GMT -8
walkswithblackflies, this might explain why I'm hearing different bird sounds in my yard. I thought I had a different group of birds, but couldn't see any to make that observation. They were all in the trees, and when they flew out, it was too fast to tell if they were the regular group. But actually, there isn't that much noise in the yard. And there's still the manmade noise of lawn mowers and speeding cars. Somehow, though, the conclusions of the study don't surprise me. I think a lot of birds and animals would prefer the natural sounds of wind and rain to those we humans create.
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walkswithblackflies
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Oct 5, 2020 5:06:27 GMT -8
From our county executive:
“Stay home if you are sick. Too many cases with people going to work with symptoms this week.”
Grrrrrr.
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jazzmom
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Post by jazzmom on Oct 8, 2020 6:45:56 GMT -8
Well, I did it! After a heartbreaking number of aborted trips, I finally got out of dodge in September. First, a long weekend camping with my "boys" (son, his bestie and our crazy puppy, aka sons #1, 2 and 3) at Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes and then almost two weeks in Utah/Arizona ending with a drive home through Colorado/Nebraska/Iowa/Illinois/Indiana.
With respect to Covid, two unexpected observations: First, I was *really* dismayed by the flamboyant displays of Trump and Confederate flags in the rural areas around Sleeping Bear Dunes. This is one of my favorite places in the world, where I've been seriously considering buying retirement property. I guess I shouldn't be surprised but I confess I'm more than a little heartbroken.
The second was the opposite reaction around Utah/Arizona where I'd braced myself to be in "Trump country", but I didn't see a lot of political fervor, just a few small signs here and there. People were generally well-masked indoors and many of the dayhikers we saw on the trails had masks around their necks, etc., putting them on when we passed. I think Rebecca and I only had *one* person make any comments about our mask-wearing -- but this guy was sitting on a rest area bench pontificating about all sorts of things to everyone, so we didn't take it personally...
In any case, I was pleasantly surprised. Granted, the biggest town we were in was Kanab, Utah, so my sampling was pretty skewed. My gut now says Utah is more Mitt Romney country than Trump's and maybe Arizona still loves John McCain. I can live with that.
So, after the wild foray out :D, I've been keeping low this week. While not consciously deliberate, I find that I gap my social interactions with 10-14 days of sequestering at home.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Oct 8, 2020 14:10:04 GMT -8
I’m enjoying not being at home, and am happy to have picked up a negative COVID test en route to Maine. So I’m not staying home, but I am being careful.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Oct 8, 2020 18:51:36 GMT -8
Well, I did it! After a heartbreaking number of aborted trips, I finally got out of dodge in September. I'm happy that you got the chance, and disappointed that it was marred by ill health and unpleasant people.
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swmtnbackpacker
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Oct 9, 2020 6:29:33 GMT -8
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jazzmom
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Post by jazzmom on Oct 9, 2020 6:40:59 GMT -8
So the actual skiing part wouldn't worry me that much. You can eliminate the "singles" line and limit the lifts to one family/pod group at a time. Gondolas might be a little more problematic. It's easy to wear buffs for situations where you might inadvertently get close to someone outside. And just wearing skis enforces some distance between people in lift lines.
It's the indoor stuff that I don't know how they'll control. It's usually very cozy in the lodges at lunch and bars tend to be packed for apres ski -- it's usually a HUGE scene.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Oct 10, 2020 10:39:11 GMT -8
Since the reopening of schools and restaurants, the rate of positive tests has doubled in my county. Elsewhere in NJ it has gone up by a factor of eight or more. At least 11 schools had to re-close within the first two weeks of operation and I have one employee in self-quarantine after being exposed to his child who was apparently infected in school. I think new restrictions are imminent.
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