What was your COVID news for the day?

[RAE]

Georgia just announced they are reopening their state as of Friday.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ke...sses-to-reopen-in-georgia-amid-covid-19-fight

I saw this also. I predict this is not going to go well, but we'll see, in due time. Georgia has not met most of the criteria the epidemiologists say are necessary before things can be opened back up. I think they are likely to see a second wave of infections by doing this, but whether that wave happens in a month, two months, or longer, or not at all, nobody knows for sure.

 

[audreyh1]

I saw this also. I predict this is not going to go well, but we'll see, in due time. Georgia has not met most of the criteria the epidemiologists say are necessary before things can be opened back up. I think they are likely to see a second wave of infections by doing this, but whether that wave happens in a month, two months, or longer, or not at all, nobody knows for sure.

The governor apparently believes that they have met Phase 1 of the new Federal guidelines as he stated in the press release.

 

[Dtail]

The governor apparently believes that they have met Phase 1 of the new Federal guidelines.

Perhaps he is the only one who believes this, as not even the Administration agreed with him this evening.

 

[Ready]

I have mixed feelings about Georgia. I feel bad for the citizens of Georgia who don’t agree with the Governor’s decision to open things up. But I also acknowledge that some states are going to have to be the first to reopen and test the waters to see how things work out.

The people who are really in a tough spot are the ones who don’t agree with the decision but will be called back to work or face being let go without getting unemployment. For those of us who are retired it is such a relief to know that we are not being put in this position. For those who are not, I feel for them.

 

[audreyh1]

Perhaps he is the only one who believes this, as not even the Administration agreed with him this evening.

The administration appears to have done a reversal on this as yesterday they seemed to be congratulating GA for moving forward, but today “strongly disagreeing” with their opening approach but with lots of qualifiers claiming their confidence in the governor.

So, if it’s a big screw up he’s out on his own. If it’s not so dire more folks can claim the credit?

Wish I could sit on the sidelines to watch this. Unfortunately, elderly care homes are sitting ducks, and DF is in one. And given the outbreaks so far, it seems a lot more spreading is inevitable. I really wonder how many folks will try to go right back to how things were before.

 

[Winemaker]

The decision to open Georgia is optional for business owners and customers. I'm sure it will not look like Walmart on Black Friday.

 

[aaronc879]

The decision to open Georgia is optional for business owners and customers. I'm sure it will not look like Walmart on Black Friday.

Opening is not really optional for small businesses if they want to survive. If businesses offer employees their job back then they will have to get off UE and go back to work. Also not optional if they want to survive. It's optional for customers to come back though. I think the najority will.

 

[Winemaker]

I respect/admire the leadership of the governor to open his state, but he is leaving it up to the business owners/customers to do that. I realize the great risk and responsibility that each have to take to make this a success. Not everyone can work from home, put food on the table, and keep their mortgage current. But Georgians will have the freedom to choose what is good for them. I wouldn't expect a 80 YO nursing home to run out and get a tattoo, nor would I expect a 35 YO diabetic to do so, either. But they can make that choice for themselves, just as someone who wants to shelter and buy their groceries online. If one can go to a grocery/lumber store and practice safe distancing, I don't see how a florist or candy maker couldn't. A huge chocolatier in my area was shut down, selling only to grocers. Easter is/was his biggest time of year; I don't see why he couldn't be open within the guidelines.

 

[ivinsfan]

I respect/admire the leadership of the governor to open his state, but he is leaving it up to the business owners/customers to do that. I realize the great risk and responsibility that each have to take to make this a success. Not everyone can work from home, put food on the table, and keep their mortgage current. But Georgians will have the freedom to choose what is good for them. I wouldn't expect a 80 YO nursing home to run out and get a tattoo, nor would I expect a 35 YO diabetic to do so, either. But they can make that choice for themselves, just as someone who wants to shelter and buy their groceries online. If one can go to a grocery/lumber store and practice safe distancing, I don't see how a florist or candy maker couldn't. A huge chocolatier in my area was shut down, selling only to grocers. Easter is/was his biggest time of year; I don't see why he couldn't be open within the guidelines.

Quit being rational, knee jerk reactions are a dime a dozen during COVID times...

MY governor in his great wisdom, had a "major" announcement yesterday, in a couple weeks

our state will be able to test up to 20K people a day. Never mind that we have the capacity to test 8K now (so they claim) and that Monday they were only able to run 850 tests.... Excuse me governor if I don't believe a thing you say..

 

[Aerides]

I respect/admire the leadership of the governor to open his state, but he is leaving it up to the business owners/customers to do that. I realize the great risk and responsibility that each have to take to make this a success. Not everyone can work from home, put food on the table, and keep their mortgage current. But Georgians will have the freedom to choose what is good for them.

Business owners - get to decide
Customers - get to decide
Employees at those businesses - i guess your boss decides for you

And i get it, if you're say a floor cleaner in a bowling alley, over 50, maybe have a pre-existing condition, running out of savings... your options are already limited. Maybe taking unemployment is the lesser of two evils. But those employees aren't having the same freedom of choice as the customer and business owner.

 

[ivinsfan]

Business owners - get to decide
Customers - get to decide
Employees at those businesses - i guess your boss decides for you

No different then anyone working at a grocery store right now...or at a hospital or any other place deemed essential..

 

[youbet]

Employees at those businesses - i guess your boss decides for you

.

It's not really substantially different now than at any other time. When you accept employment, you generally always relinquish some freedom and personal decision making rights.

Interestingly, that is a key factor in motivating many folks towards FIRE!

 

[youbet]

No different then anyone working at a grocery store right now...or at a hospital or any other place deemed essential..

Yes indeed.

And, at least here in Illinois, where the furloughed worker from a menial job is collecting about $800/wk unemployment benefits while a similar worker still on the job is only making $600, there is beginning to be a lot of ugly back and forth about "the right to stay at home."

 

[Dtail]

Yes indeed.

And, at least here in Illinois, where the furloughed worker from a menial job is collecting about $800/wk unemployment benefits while a similar worker still on the job is only making $600, there is beginning to be a lot of ugly back and forth about "the right to stay at home."

That is why the payments should have been limited to no more than what you were making, but I understand that this concept would have caused much more delays in receipt of the payments.

 

[Rianne]

Article from our local newspaper. Carle Clinic partnering with Mayo Clinic plasma testing from recovered CV19 patients. Glad we're doing this locally. We have almost 80% recovered.


https://www.news-gazette.com/corona...cle_f9c09629-2c24-5be2-8180-743c16192bc2.html

 

[gwraigty]

I respect/admire the leadership of the governor to open his state, but he is leaving it up to the business owners/customers to do that. I realize the great risk and responsibility that each have to take to make this a success. Not everyone can work from home, put food on the table, and keep their mortgage current. But Georgians will have the freedom to choose what is good for them. I wouldn't expect a 80 YO nursing home to run out and get a tattoo, nor would I expect a 35 YO diabetic to do so, either. But they can make that choice for themselves, just as someone who wants to shelter and buy their groceries online. If one can go to a grocery/lumber store and practice safe distancing, I don't see how a florist or candy maker couldn't. A huge chocolatier in my area was shut down, selling only to grocers. Easter is/was his biggest time of year; I don't see why he couldn't be open within the guidelines.

+1

The testimonies from small business owners in Ohio (and a couple of large ones) has been so revealing. They go into great detail. In many cases, their normal business flow is compliant with social distancing anyway without having to make extraordinary adjustments.

A large shoe store chain I've shopped at is seldom crowded, no matter what time of day or even on the weekend. Depending on places like Walmart or Target to get shoes isn't a viable option, especially for DS who wears a size 12 to 13. His work shoes have a rip in them in the outer layer. When it rips all the way through, he's going to have to tape it with electrical tape or something if the shoes stores aren't allowed to reopen. That's ridiculous.

 

[gwraigty]

Some business owners in Ohio have expressed concern about whether their employees will want to come back to work because of the potential to make more sitting at home. They're pushing for it to be made mandatory that when the employee is recalled, they're not allowed to refuse to come back. If they do, they get their unemployment stopped immediately. I'd guess that just firing them if they refuse to come back would get that result. But I'm no expert and I don't know what a good solution would be. I don't think that fits with how the majority of the currently unemployed feel, as follows:

Other business owners say that isn't really a valid concern, because their employees are anxious to come back to work. Maybe that's because so many of them are still waiting for the last 3 to 5 weeks for their unemployment claims to get out of pending status! Ohio has done a miserable job on this. The reporters ask about it in the press conferences every day. Some exact numbers were given yesterday. Out of 1 million first-time unemployment claims, about 401,000 have been approved. That doesn't mean all those people have gotten a penny yet. Over 100,000 have been denied. They're working on trying to figure out a faster way to get the other 500,000 or so out of pending status. A reporter asked why doesn't Ohio temporarily automatically approve all first-time claims as some other states are doing during this crisis? The non-answer was that Ohio is working on removing some of the restrictions that are hindering the process of approving claims.

 

[Chuckanut]

Some business owners in Ohio have expressed concern about whether their employees will want to come back to work because of the potential to make more sitting at home. They're pushing for it to be made mandatory that when the employee is recalled, they're not allowed to refuse to come back. If they do, they get their unemployment stopped immediately. .

I would add that returning to work means working the same average number of hours as one was working in the last quarter of 2019. I know several folks in the restaurant business who were called to come back but just for one day a week. Another came into work on Monday and was sent home in a few hours, when the owner's plans fell through.

I think the urge to return to work will get stronger when the states open up, and as the end of the $600 extra a week gets nearer. It lasts until the end of July, IIRC.

 

[statsman]

I think the urge to return to work will get stronger if the states open up and as the end of the $600 extra a week gets nearer. It lasts until the end of July, IIRC.

If the desire is to cripple portions of the economy permanently, workers won't attempt to return to work until August. And for some people, that would still be too early.

 

[Sunset]

I went to our local restaurant and got curbside pickup of an online order of food.
It was around 1pm, and in the 10 minutes it took, there were 2 other cars there before me, but none after me.
It was totally contact-less.
I gave the worker a 35% tip, it was worth it not to cook lunch today... Like a holiday

 

[Masquernom]

Kentucky announced today that starting Monday 4/27, health facilities will be reopening with certain restrictions. That's dentists, chiropractors, doctors offices, outpatient procedures, etc..

 

[Teacher Terry]

Some states are opening too soon. Our governor said that the number of cases had to decrease for 2 weeks straight before he will consider reopening. We are looking forward to eating at a restaurant outside where there is distance between tables. Takeout isn’t the same by the time you drive home 15 minutes.

 

[Dtail]

Some states are opening too soon. Our governor said that the number of cases had to decrease for 2 weeks straight before he will consider reopening. We are looking forward to eating at a restaurant outside where there is distance between tables. Takeout isn’t the same by the time you drive home 15 minutes.

The fight over Vegas in your state opening up, could be an interesting evolving discussion and ultimate creative process.

 

[Ready]

It was really hot today. We had more people visiting our beach today than we normally have on any day of the year outside of July 4th. I feel like our community is living in a bubble, watching the pandemic unfold all around us while somehow thinking it just doesn’t apply here.

https://www.tmz.com/2020/04/24/hunt...-people-ignore-social-distancing-coronavirus/

 

[Souschef]

It was really hot today. We had more people visiting our beach today than we normally have on any day of the year outside of July 4th. I feel like our community is living in a bubble, watching the pandemic unfold all around us while somehow thinking it just doesn’t apply here.

Ventura County is sort of in a bubble, We have a population of about 800K, we have 465 cases and 16 deaths. In my town of 30K, we have 9 cases.
BUT I will still wear mask and gloves and social distance.
Because of the heat, they have opened up our beaches,too
https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/l...a-county-open-beaches-locals-only/3023824001/