Super-spreader Situations

[Golden sunsets]

65 people attended an indoor wedding held in Maine in violation of the Governor's max 50 person limit a couple of weeks ago at a place called Big Moose Lodge. 38 people, who either attended the event or were in contact with an attendee have thus far tested positive. The first death of one of those infected occurred yesterday. And that person was not an attendee. This super spreader event has been enough to spike ME's numbers, which have been very low. The lodge has been sanctioned and will lose licenses if they hold another such event. I can't imagine how the bridal couple must feel, having been directly responsible for someone's death. The memory of their wedding will always be tainted.

 

[audreyh1]

I just don’t get why people go ahead with these large weddings, etc., ignoring the risks to their guests.

I do observe that even if they had limited it to 50 attendees the outcome would have probably been about the same or just slightly less worse.

 

[Gumby]

I can't imagine how the bridal couple must feel, having been directly responsible for someone's death. The memory of their wedding will always be tainted.

I'm sure they'll be fine. If they were the kind of people who cared, they wouldn't have held the event in the first place.

 

[Golden sunsets]

I just don’t get why people go ahead with these large weddings, etc., ignoring the risks to their guests.

I do observe that even if they had limited it to 50 attendees the outcome would have probably been about the same or just slightly less worse.

Agreed.

 

[Golden sunsets]

I'm sure they'll be fine. If they were the kind of people who cared, they wouldn't have held the event in the first place.

Sad but likely true. ME has good contact tracing fortunately, so hopefully they will stem this from becoming community spread.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I just don’t get why people go ahead with these large weddings, etc., ignoring the risks to their guests.

I do observe that even if they had limited it to 50 attendees the outcome would have probably been about the same or just slightly less worse.

Often for the same reason people drive without seatbelts, or helmets, or when "just a little tipsy"; because they have done it before, and know others who have, and nothing bad has ever happened to them! It's like playing a game of Russian roulette, but with so many chambers that you've never seen a bullet in one, so you figure maybe there isn't a bullet at all. Until there is.

tl;dr version, most people are really bad at assessing risks and consequences.

 

[LRDave]

I just don’t get why people go ahead with these large weddings, etc., ignoring the risks to their guests.

I do observe that even if they had limited it to 50 attendees the outcome would have probably been about the same or just slightly less worse.

DS and future DIL have pushed out their wedding plans until the end of 2021 at the soonest (no firm date). They are both mortified at the idea that their wedding could potentially harm or kill their friends and the ones that they love.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

I just don’t get why people go ahead with these large weddings, etc., ignoring the risks to their guests.

Because some people have to pee on the electric fence themselves to learn anything.

 

[audreyh1]

I'm sure they'll be fine. If they were the kind of people who cared, they wouldn't have held the event in the first place.

True, they could still have gotten married with few or no attendees and outdoors.

 

[audreyh1]

DS and future DIL have pushed out their wedding plans until the end of 2021 at the soonest (no firm date). They are both mortified at the idea that their wedding could potentially harm or kill their friends and the ones that they love.

That’s tough. They could still get married legally and have a big gathering wedding ceremony later. We know someone who did that for other reasons.

 

[Rianne]

I wonder about golf courses. They're so crowded these days. My DH golfs @ twice/week. They take separate carts. Do not wear masks. He seems to think he's totally safe out there on the course.

 

[audreyh1]

I wonder about golf courses. They're so crowded these days. My DH golfs @ twice/week. They take separate carts. Do not wear masks. He seems to think he's totally safe out there on the course.

It’s easy to socially distance on a golf course if you aren’t sharing carts.

 

[braumeister]

That’s tough. They could still get married legally and have a big gathering wedding ceremony later. We know someone who did that for other reasons.

Now you know another one.
This was long ago, but DW had what I still consider a brilliant idea. We decided to avoid most of the stress involved in a wedding and had a private service at a local church with only a couple of our best friends in attendance. Total of six in the wedding party, including us. Then we left immediately for a honeymoon.

To make up for it with all our other friends, we had our big reception on our first anniversary, so we could enjoy it as much as they did. Worked out wonderfully!

 

[Aerides]

It’s easy to socially distance on a golf course if you aren’t sharing carts.

it's the 19th hole that's a bigger concern imo.

 

[gailwinters]

It’s easy to socially distance on a golf course if you aren’t sharing carts.

Our course has installed glass partitions in the carts, and I have shared a cart with someone who I know is as serious as I am about social distancing. We must wear masks if we enter the pro shop, bathroom, etc.

I take wipes and wipe down my cart before I leave the club house. I also use hand sanitizer several times during the round, and run my hands around the steering wheel each time. The flag stays in, no one touches anyone else’s ball, tee, club, etc. and I decline the club cleaning at the end of the round.

As you said, during the round, it’s easy to social distance.

 

[audreyh1]

Now you know another one.
This was long ago, but DW had what I still consider a brilliant idea. We decided to avoid most of the stress involved in a wedding and had a private service at a local church with only a couple of our best friends in attendance. Total of six in the wedding party, including us. Then we left immediately for a honeymoon.

To make up for it with all our other friends, we had our big reception on our first anniversary, so we could enjoy it as much as they did. Worked out wonderfully!

DB and wife were getting ready to emigrate to Europe where she grew up, and so went by the justice’s office as it made things much easier for DB. Three years later (after her DMs many reminders) on their civil wedding anniversary they had a full blown religious wedding and reception with many guests traveling internationally to attend. And two of their children in attendance as well!

As for DH and me, we had immediate family only attend a civil wedding at our place, and then took everyone to dinner at a restaurant afterwards. We never did have a big reception or party. We didn’t have an immediate honeymoon either, but we had already traveled so much together we felt like we’d already done that!

 

[harllee]

My mountain community , Banner Elk, NC, has just successfully shut down a potential superspreader activity. A roller coaster called "Alpine Coaster" recently opened. It has been chock full of tourists--no masks, no social distancing, very little cleaning. The locals call it "Coronacoaster." The roller coaster was opened illegally since our Governor had banned all amusement rides from opening under phase 2 (our state has been in phase 2 all summer). The local officials and sheriff would not close the coaster because they said it was good for tourism business, but I think it was really a political issue. The town does not have as many Covid cases as some areas but the numbers have steadily been increasing and the small local hospital is full--sick people have to be sent elsewhere. In the end a bunch of locals banned together and got the state health department involved and the coaster was shut down yesterday. Whew, I feel safer already.

 

[Popeye]

Meanwhile in Pennsylvania...

After arguing in court that holding an outdoor gathering that was expected to draw tens of thousands would “put the lives of Pennsylvanians at risk” and threaten to reverse progress on the state’s mitigation of COVID-19, Pennsylvania officials gave the green light to a June car show in Carlisle — as long as organizers capped total capacity at 20,000 people on the fairgrounds at one time.

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/h...covid-19-carlisle-butler/stories/202008190100

I haven’t seen any reports of infections tied to this event but I would not be surprised if it was covered up. They’ve been very reluctant to reveal any of the supposed data they’ve been following. The amazing part is this went on in June and we are just hearing about it now.

 

[harllee]

For large events where you get many people from far away how would you know how many where eventually infected? People attending these events go home with the virus and spread it around. No one at the large event ever hears about these infections in other areas caused by the event. I bet there are many areas of the country just now being impacted by virus spread from Sturgis.

 

[audreyh1]

Here you go: experiments in Germany.

Thousands crowd into an indoor rock concert in experiment on how to return to normality https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/...dzko-concert-wellness-scn-grm-intl/index.html

 

[Chuckanut]

Now you know another one.
This was long ago, but DW had what I still consider a brilliant idea. We decided to avoid most of the stress involved in a wedding and had a private service at a local church with only a couple of our best friends in attendance. Total of six in the wedding party, including us. Then we left immediately for a honeymoon.

To make up for it with all our other friends, we had our big reception on our first anniversary, so we could enjoy it as much as they did. Worked out wonderfully!

Earlier this week I talked to a fellow whose nephew canceled his wedding that was scheduled for July. He and his fiance decided to make use of their existing Honeymoon reservations and took off for a week at an ocean front resort. After a few days there, they decided to not let CV19 control their lives. They found a local minister, had a few hotel employees as witnesses and held a short, outdoor, socially distanced wedding.

Good for them.

 

[Chuckanut]

South Korea has had a spike in new corona virus cases.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-coronavirus-cases-march-200819061419765.html

The 297 new infections reported on Wednesday mark the sixth straight day of triple-digit increase in a country that has managed to blunt several previous outbreaks.

 

[harllee]

Colleges and universities are reopening and then closing after big outbreaks. They are sending the students back home all over the country. A super super spreader event.

 

[JoeWras]

Colleges and universities are reopening and then closing after big outbreaks. They are sending the students back home all over the country. A super super spreader event.

And it has had an immediate (well, 2 week delayed) impact on NC's improving numbers.

They are no longer improving but going backwards.

 

[Gumby]

Colleges and universities are reopening and then closing after big outbreaks. They are sending the students back home all over the country. A super super spreader event.

Well, we can't really blame them for trying. I mean, if you're not around college aged kids on a regular basis, you can't possibly know how careless and/or defiant they are about following directions. Oh, wait ....