The Panic over the CoronaVirus [ Covid -19] is both Ridiculous and Unjustifed

[mcgsxr]

I'm not sure what the alternative was.

I spoke with someone this morning who said their employer (one of the Universities) told them to be prepared for another 3 years of this.

Not sure 3 more years of online and home schooling are a better plan.

Guess I can look forward to saving on residence for my 2 girls for higher education?

I cannot imagine taking Uni online for most of a degree (at 18-22). So much they would otherwise learn about life if they left the house and lived wherever school was - god knows most of the learning I did was outside the classroom, and instrumental in success later on.

[Weirfan]

I'm not sure what the alternative was.

I spoke with someone this morning who said their employer (one of the Universities) told them to be prepared for another 3 years of this.

Not sure 3 more years of online and home schooling are a better plan.

A Fall surge , 2nd wave, whatever was by all accounts a certainty....so lets have hundreds of kids gathering daily and multiple locations.....what could go wrong ?

Millions of people are working from home, students can learn from home. So many University courses prior to the pandemic were done exclusively online. Both my kids in University are taking all their courses online. Universities prepared for that, school boards did not. Of course that would have meant doing prep in the summer months.

sure it is not ideal and there are other possible health side effects, but there likely are for people working from home, for restaurants and gyms closing.....those are all being done to curtail the spread. The inevitable is that schools will shut down again, it might take an infected teacher or student or parent to die, but chances are they will be closed by the new year, if not before.

Many students have switched and are continuing to go online only. Some boards are allowing their teachers to teach from home in the afternoons now ....seeing more and more out on the course past few weeks

edit: closing schools is likely only needed for the hot spots and as such much of the province where cases are minimal to none could likely continue......for now

[Ignatius Reilly]

Would you shut down the schools if one infected student/teacher/parent dies?

I don't have a number in mind, but it would take more than a single one IMO.

Pre-Covid, there were about 800 people dying every day in Canada.

Maybe closing some schools in hot spots would be reasonable.

[luv2kruz]

I had an interaction with a 'Karen' today in Dollarama. A person was walking around the store with out a mask like she owned the place. She walks in front of me and then stops beside me to look at something. After a little while, I ask her, "Shouldnt you be wearing a mask"? She repsonds, "No, I dont have to do anything that doesnt make sense. This is a democracy". I said "Ok. Karen" and walked away. After paying for my items, I saw the store manager and walked up to them and asked how that person is allowed to be in the store and walk around without complying with the store's policy? The manager asked where she was, and I pointed out the person to the manager and left her to deal with the Karen and left the store, so i didnt see how it concluded.

Anyway, until we get everyone on board with doing resonable things to protect both themselves and others around them, this will be with us for a long time. Wear the damn masks people and follow the rules!

[Arthur Dailey]

Well long term care homes in Hawkesbury (my home town) . . . they had 1 case Sat. then 8 Sunday and last night I hear they now have 25 cases. 17 residents and 8 staff . . . I don't think they had any cases prior to the week-end. Very sad . . .

That is terrible news. Hope that things clear up soon.

As for students/schools. Each time a school closes or reports an outbreak, less students return. What is more traumatic studying on-line or going to school and then having the school closed or reports of students/staff testing positive?

Universities and colleges have had on-line instruction for years. I have been instructing on-line for nearly 14 years. Some students take all their courses on-line. On-line enrollment was increasing each year prior to the pandemic.

Just as employers will learn to benefit from having employees 'telecommute' so will universities learn to increase their bottom line. The cost of building and maintaining large university buildings is exorbitant. Many of them are located on prime real estate. Decreasing their physical footprint and selling off some of these assets is most likely inevitable.

We were destined to enter into a 'virtual' world, the pandemic has just sped up the process.

As to voluntary measures. The posting above demonstrates just why they will not work.

[pendlebg]

Would you shut down the schools if one infected student/teacher/parent dies?

I don't have a number in mind, but it would take more than a single one IMO.

Pre-Covid, there were about 800 people dying every day in Canada.

Maybe closing
some in hot spots would be reasonable.

One way of looking at it, although I am not proposing this is the right answer, is all of us who have already been there and done that for school, work, travel, etc... really struggle seeing things done differently. We are old and stuck in our ways. There is a huge opportunity here for younger people to carve a new path forward. For them it need not be any worse than what we went through, but would surely be different. I think it is important not to solely call something worse or bad solely because it will be different than our own experiences. If I were a young person and saw the glass half full I would be looking at how I can provide products / services /experiences that will stand up to a new normal and if not be different, possibly be better.

Who says kids cannot learn in an environment that does not include sitting cramped in a room with desks 6 - 8 hours a day being lectured to. Maybe more of a mixed learning environment with more outside than inside and some self directed and some group learning in a different environment will end up being better. Maybe people will invent new ways that make what we did seem obsolete.

Far too many people are stuck on getting life back to what it used to be instead of understanding how to make it all better than it was before.

[Arthur Dailey]

Far too many people are stuck on getting life back to what it used to be instead of understanding how to make it all better than it was before.

[Bladerunner]

Wow...Cuomo now stating that NYC hospitals were never overwhelmed.

That sure does not fit the picture we saw in March/April. Is Cuomo rewriting history?

I’m not sure what to say other than Ontario hospitals were not and are not.

https://nypost.com/2020/10/14/cuomo-...covid-19-peak/

bladerunner

[Chambokl]

Far too many people are stuck on getting life back to what it used to be instead of understanding how to make it all better than it was before.

Talking about Universities . . . actually going to University/College is a big learning curve. It is absolutely the best time of your life and you learn everyday. Having access to gym, pool, ice surface, . . . play hockey, badminton, volleyball, basletball, . . . pretty much 16 hours / day is absolutely awesome. Some, having access to a library or all the different clubs is what makes a difference in somebodies life. I think in a way you are stuck in your way of living (big city) and don't realize how important the University/College life is for so many students.

[SoooSIRIUS]

Millions of people are working from home, students can learn from home.

Millions of people also aren't working from home. Millions of peoples kids are also not in University. Should schools not open again until there is a vaccine? wait until the fall so that we have a 3rd wave? not sure there's a right way to do it, what people suggest as the best option today will be criticized tomorrow.

[Marty Canuck]

Millions of people also aren't working from home. Millions of peoples kids are also not in University. Should schools not open again until there is a vaccine? wait until the fall so that we have a 3rd wave? not sure there's a right way to do it, what people suggest as the best option today will be criticized tomorrow.

Third wave? We’re not in a true “2nd wave” yet. We are having an uptick.

[Arthur Dailey]

Toronto Public Health's daily statistics.
Just under 10% of positive cases have required hospitalization (2,236).
2% have required admission to an ICU (462).
5.7% have been fatal.

https://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-latest-city-of-toronto-news/covid-19-status-of-cases-in-toronto/

[SoooSIRIUS]

Third wave? We’re not in a true “2nd wave” yet. We are having an uptick.

Agreed.

[Pingnut]

A logical next step in our acceptance of the new normal..
https://babylonbee.com/news/some-sta...PLjFfgPFeNUyQg

[Arthur Dailey]

Regarding the outbreak attributed to the spin gym in Hamilton with a reported 60 infections, despite management following local Public Health guidelines:

If they were following guidelines, how did the outbreak happen?

What we know is gym-goers aren’t required to wear masks while working out — that’s allowed under Hamilton’s mask bylaw — and the person who spread the virus was apparently asymptomatic. Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist at the University of Toronto, told The Spec’s Sebastian Bron: “This can happen at any gym ... This is not about how well the gym was run; this is about how COVID spreads. If you let people hangout together, without masks, sharing air, in the same space for a prolonged period of time … this was going to happen anyways.”

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/10/15/how-were-so-many-infected-everything-you-need-to-know-about-hamiltons-spinco-outbreak.html