What on earth is the PLAN? Lockdown till a vaccine?

keym

Wed, Sep 30 2020, 8:33 am

youngishbear wrote:

Of course some industries or business sectors were affected more than others. The entertainment world is pretty devastated, with no end in sight.

As others have pointed out, many people don't realize that many businesses would have suffered with or without shutdowns, as people would become afraid to patronize places that contribute to viral spread. I read here about women choosing not to use makeup artists - and that is not because of government shutdowns but because they worry about their health. Look at the NYC DOE struggling to fill positions.

The big bad entity here is the virus, not a specific government or policy.

I kind of disagree.
Uneven or "stupid" government policy is a lot of what's destroying businesses.
I know NJ.
All restaurants were closed for in-person. Not even outdoors.
Ok.
They limped along for 2 months, falling into debt.
Then the announced outdoor limited dining in May, but the governor kept saying we're getting to it soon. But no details. Last minute, they were scrambling for permits, equipment, etc all guessing at the governmental guidelines. And then they changed 3 times. 2 walls, 3 walls, gazebos.
And they were not breaking even on takeout and a few outdoor tables.
Then the governor said indoor dining by July 4, but again no guidelines so everyone had to prepare, guessing based on their best guess.
Then June 30- sorry, pushing it off, let you know when eventually.
Finally indoor dining at 25% capacity in September.
That was government mismanagement and being jerked around.
And dozens if not more of NJ restaurants declared bankruptcy or just closed. And more workers (particularly lower income) are out of jobs.

Note. I'm not in the restaurant business.

amother

Peach

Wed, Sep 30 2020, 8:45 am

amother [ Denim ] wrote:

Yes, I know the lockdown was originally to slow the spread so that hospitals are not filled beyond capacity, but we've been way past that point for months now.

I agree, kids are really getting used to the masks; that's hardly the issue. The remote schooling, the businesses that are only operating at a minimal level, the enforced distancing--those are the issues.

I love how the other side loves to harp about saving lives without ever acknowledging these points:

1. We DON'T know that our actions now are saving any lives. We just hope we are. We may just be prolonging the time it takes for a community to be infected by the virus.

2. The longer we drag this on for, the more deeply it will impact us on every level. Think kids falling desperately behind in academics and various therapies. Businesses going bankrupt and people losing their livelihood. The elderly and the mentally unwell regressing terribly because of the isolation.

Why do these things not matter? Why is it automatically, "Of course we should distance for the next 3 or 5 years until a safe and effective vaccine is found because maybe we can save a few lives this way, even if it means our kids will be schooled at home and we will lose the businesses we spent decades building and the roof over our heads?"

I'm really not understanding the logic here.

"The other side." That sounded like a political comment! Wink

We're not on different sides. We all want to get over this virus and get back to normal. Trust me, I'm freaking out about the prospect of another lockdown.

1. The idea of mass exposure and herd immunity is rejected by virtually everyone. People point to Sweden as a model. Sweden has a monolithic ethnic background, and people there actually CARE about their community. They abide by the social distancing rules and people at risk stay home. That won't happen here.

2. Trust me, I am aware of this. That's why we all want schools and businesses SAFELY open. No one wants lockdowns. But the only way we can even open at all is with masks and social distancing. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. It's not an "either we lock down completely or we go about our business as usual" situation.

Additionally, don't you think that child who is falling behind may suffer even more if, chalilah, Bubby or Zaidy or Mommy or Tatty or someone else they love passes away?

You're conflating masking and social distancing with lockdown. There needs to be more nuance in the conversation.