Octopus Overlords

Kayleigh McEnany: "The President has said unmistakably that he wants schools to open... The science should not stand in the way of this."

German officials said that there had been big changes to the way children were educated in the country, which has been praised for its response to the pandemic after it went into lockdown early, shutting schools and businesses.

“Students of all school types are back in school, but not every day,” Günther Schuster, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education in the state of Bavaria, said. He added that at a typical secondary school class, half of the students attended in the morning and the other half in the afternoon.

“Face-to-face instruction only takes place in small groups,” he said, explaining that student groups are not mixed and social distancing measures are in place in classrooms.

While not directly contradicting Trump's comments, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, the head of the German Teachers' Association, said the situation for schools in that country was full of uncertainty and many colleagues were nervous about returning to full capacity.

“We have different infection patterns in the different German states,” he said. “No one really knows how the infections [across Germany] will develop after the summer school holidays.”

Handal said “infection control measures were quite difficult” at the start, adding that it had been a struggle to get enough teachers and classrooms to accommodate social distancing regulations and smaller class sizes.

Georgia Gov. Brain Kemp is suing the Atlanta City Council and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms following her efforts to require face masks in public places as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to skyrocket across the nation.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday, asserts that Kemp alone, "leads the State of Georgia in its fight against the worldwide novel coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic" and adds he has the power "to suspend municipal orders that are contradictory to any state law or or to his executive orders."

"As the Mayor of the City of Atlanta, Mayor Bottoms does not have the legal authority to modify, change or ignore Governor Kemp's executive orders," the document states.

Smoove_B wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2020 7:37 pm GA Governor is doubling-down on his order from this morning:

Georgia Gov. Brain Kemp is suing the Atlanta City Council and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms following her efforts to require face masks in public places as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to skyrocket across the nation.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday, asserts that Kemp alone, "leads the State of Georgia in its fight against the worldwide novel coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic" and adds he has the power "to suspend municipal orders that are contradictory to any state law or or to his executive orders."

"As the Mayor of the City of Atlanta, Mayor Bottoms does not have the legal authority to modify, change or ignore Governor Kemp's executive orders," the document states.

Off.the.rails.

Kraken wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2020 9:30 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2020 7:37 pm GA Governor is doubling-down on his order from this morning:

Georgia Gov. Brain Kemp is suing the Atlanta City Council and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms following her efforts to require face masks in public places as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to skyrocket across the nation.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday, asserts that Kemp alone, "leads the State of Georgia in its fight against the worldwide novel coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic" and adds he has the power "to suspend municipal orders that are contradictory to any state law or or to his executive orders."

"As the Mayor of the City of Atlanta, Mayor Bottoms does not have the legal authority to modify, change or ignore Governor Kemp's executive orders," the document states.

Off.the.rails.

He's sort of a Bizarro trump. Desantis (FL) is mimicking his role model and devolving all authority to lower jurisdictions -- no policy = no responsibility. Kemp is taking it all upon himself, making the kind of bad decisions trump would make if he hadn't committed to dodging and weaving instead.

Smoove_B wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2020 7:05 pm Wait...what?

https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1283879078374903811

Kayleigh McEnany: "The President has said unmistakably that he wants schools to open... The science should not stand in the way of this."

pr0ner wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 9:38 amTo add more context, she also said that the science is very clear and it's on their side in terms of opening the schools. It's still a wild argument, but The Hill's tweet doesn't provide the full context of what she was saying.

Paingod wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 10:08 am

pr0ner wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 9:38 amTo add more context, she also said that the science is very clear and it's on their side in terms of opening the schools. It's still a wild argument, but The Hill's tweet doesn't provide the full context of what she was saying.

I desperately need a journalist to decide to go rogue and stand up to ask "When you're talking out of your ass, does it ... like ... hurt really bad, or do they numb you from the waist down first?"

Holman wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 10:18 am

Paingod wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 10:08 am

pr0ner wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 9:38 amTo add more context, she also said that the science is very clear and it's on their side in terms of opening the schools. It's still a wild argument, but The Hill's tweet doesn't provide the full context of what she was saying.

I desperately need a journalist to decide to go rogue and stand up to ask "When you're talking out of your ass, does it ... like ... hurt really bad, or do they numb you from the waist down first?"

This new PressSec doesn't even talk out of her ass. She has a binder of topics with tabbed labels, and when she gets a question she flips to the appropriate page and reads a canned talking point. And she's not even good at that.

pr0ner wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 9:35 am Also, this is where some people on the right (someone I follow on Twitter retweeted this) are going in terms of how "red" states are faring better with the Covid fight than "blue" states.

https://twitter.com/justin_hart/status/ ... 2426212352

pr0ner wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 9:38 am To add more context, she also said that the science is very clear and it's on their side in terms of opening the schools. It's still a wild argument, but The Hill's tweet doesn't provide the full context of what she was saying.

"The president has said unmistakably that he wants schools to open. I was just in the Oval talking to him about that, and when he says open, he means open and full, kids being able to attend each and every day at their school," she said, before referencing former Stanford Neuroradiology Chief Dr. Scott Atlas. "The science should not stand in the way of this, and as Dr. Scott Atlas said — I thought this was a good quote — 'Of course we can do this. Everyone in the Western world; our peer nations are doing this. We are the outlier here.'"

...

"... Look at the JAMA Pediatrics study of 46 pediatric hospitals in North America that said the risk of critical illness from COVID is far less for children than that of seasonal flu," she said. "The science is on our side here, and we encourage for localities and states to just simply follow the science, open our schools. It’s very damaging to our children: There is a lack of reporting of abuse; there’s mental depressions that are not addressed; suicidal ideations that are not addressed when students are not in school. Our schools are extremely important, they’re essential, and they must reopen."

Isgrimnur wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 10:43 am

LordMortis wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 10:35 amAnd Mr Hart, how does that total compare since June? And why did POTUS cut off blue states and compete with them for their handling of COVID rather than aid them? Finally, people are still dying and getting crippled. Us "Blue States" (MI voted for Trump to my shame) are trying to help you learn from our poor handling of the spread at the outset. You aren't going to find a long list of "Blue State" residents cheering how we handled things at the outset.

The United States shattered its daily record for coronavirus infections on Thursday, reporting more than 77,000 new cases as the number of deaths in a 24-hour period rose by nearly 1,000, according to a Reuters tally.

The loss of 969 lives was the biggest increase since June 10, with Florida, South Carolina and Texas all reporting their biggest one-day spikes on Thursday.

More than 138,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, a toll that experts warn will likely surge following recent record spikes in case numbers and an alarming rise in hospitalizations in many states.

U.S. deaths peaked in April, when the country lost on average 2,000 people a day. Fatalities have steadily fallen, averaging 1,300 a day in May and under 800 a day in June before rising again in July, according to a Reuters tally.

...

On Thursday, Texas reported over 15,000 new cases, according to a Reuters tally of county data, while Florida reported nearly 14,000 new cases and California almost 10,000.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious diseases expert, has warned that cases could soon top 100,000 a day if Americans do not come together to take steps necessary to halt the spread of the virus.

Officials in Texas and Arizona have requested refrigerated trucks to hold the dead as hospitals and morgues become overwhelmed by victims of the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the hospital, there are only so many places to put bodies,” Ken Davis, chief medical officer of Christus Santa Rosa Health System in the San Antonio area, said in a briefing this week. “We're out of space, and our funeral homes are out of space, and we need those beds. So, when someone dies, we need to quickly turn that bed over.

“It’s a hard thing to talk about,” Davis added. “People's loved ones are dying."

Overall, Texas is seeing a surge in hospitalizations and deaths among people infected with the coronavirus—and reports of new infections are still on the rise. On Wednesday alone, the state reported 10,791 new cases, bringing the total to over 282,000 cases. The state has reported over 3,400 deaths so far.

Several other areas in the state have ordered, bought, or are seeking refrigerated trucks or trailers to hold bodies. That includes Nueces, Cameron, Travis, Hidalgo, and Harris counties, as well as the city of Austin, according to The Texas Tribune.

The picture is not looking much better in Arizona, were hospitalizations and deaths are also spiking. The state, which has counted over 134,000 cases and 2,492 deaths, has reached 90 percent capacity of its beds for adult intensive care patients. The mayor of Phoenix said late last week that the city is working to secure refrigerator trucks.

A similar scenario may play out in Florida, which is also reporting record numbers of cases and deaths. In recent days, the state has had record highs, with over 15,300 cases on July 12 and 156 deaths today. Around 50 hospitals in the state have run out of adult beds in their intensive care units, according to the Agency for Healthcare Administration.

pr0ner wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 11:38 am Sources inside Trump Administration confirm

Zaxxon wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 11:42 am If your tweet begins with...

pr0ner wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 11:38 am Sources inside Trump Administration confirm

...then it is information-free and should be deleted.

malchior wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 11:44 am Anyone with an IT background any sense recognizes that this is unbelievably preposterous. It is beyond magical thinking into blatantly impossible.

Remus West wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 11:50 am

malchior wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 11:44 am Anyone with an IT background any sense recognizes that this is unbelievably preposterous. It is beyond magical thinking into blatantly impossible.

FTFY

LawBeefaroni wrote: Wed Jul 08, 2020 4:45 pm I'm supposed to go to Wisconsin with the wife for an auto race (her birthday present, she's a racing fan) at the end of the month. Private box seating, tower access, all that. Also, garage passes, ride with team Ferrari, dinner, drinks with the teams.

When we planned this last year, her parents were going to fly out and watch the kids. That is not happening, obviously. But the race is still on as of today so not sure what to do. It's a lot to just eat the cost but everything that made it awesome is probably not happening (garage and rides) or is now scary (hanging out with drivers and crews, dinner). And finding a solution for the kids (or bringing them) seems like a monumental undertaking right now.

El Guapo wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 11:54 am I just wonder how far the Trump administration is going to push data manipulation (and, you know, lying). Like, are they going to outright report zero cases? Probably not, because that would be ridiculous on its face, but...

Each student’s desk is topped by a three-sided barrier, about a foot high with a clear window in the front, which adds another layer of protection against airborne transmission of the virus. The barriers and physical distancing allow students to take off their masks for brief breaks, Gilliam said.

Students’ supplies are kept in separate bags to prevent sharing of materials — and, potentially, the virus. They work on laptops that are disinfected every day rather than using books or paper packets, which would be difficult or impossible to clean.

Nearly all businesses and public spaces can gradually reopen as regions enter Stage 3, with public health and workplace safety restrictions in place, while some high-risk venues and activities will remain closed until they can safely resume operations.

Based on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, indoor and outdoor gathering limits will also be increased to as many as 50 people indoors and as many as 100 people outdoors. Physical distancing remains a requirement for all people of Ontario that are not from the same household or social circle.

The following high-risk places and activities are not yet safe to open, due to the likelihood of large crowds congregating, difficulties with physical distancing, or challenges maintaining the proper cleaning and sanitation required to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Amusement parks and water parks
• Buffet-style food services
• Dancing at restaurants and bars, other than by performers hired by the establishment who follow specific requirements
• Overnight stays at camps for children
• Private karaoke rooms
• Prolonged or deliberate contact while playing sports
• Saunas, steam rooms, bath houses and oxygen bars
• Table games at casinos and gaming establishments

As regions enter Stage 3, the following gathering limits apply:

• Indoor gathering limits will increase to a maximum of 50 people, subject to physical distancing of at least two metres with people from outside their households or social circles
• Outdoor gathering limits will increase to a maximum of 100 people, subject to physical distancing of at least two metres with people from outside their households or social circles

El Guapo wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 11:54 am I just wonder how far the Trump administration is going to push data manipulation (and, you know, lying). Like, are they going to outright report zero cases? Probably not, because that would be ridiculous on its face, but...

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 12:02 pm First I've seen - photos of what classrooms might look like from a pilot program in a Newark, NJ summer school:

Each student’s desk is topped by a three-sided barrier, about a foot high with a clear window in the front, which adds another layer of protection against airborne transmission of the virus. The barriers and physical distancing allow students to take off their masks for brief breaks, Gilliam said.

Students’ supplies are kept in separate bags to prevent sharing of materials — and, potentially, the virus. They work on laptops that are disinfected every day rather than using books or paper packets, which would be difficult or impossible to clean.

On a small scale, it seems possible. Scale it up and do it for 120+ days? I have no idea.

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 11:06 am

U.S. deaths peaked in April, when the country lost on average 2,000 people a day. Fatalities have steadily fallen, averaging 1,300 a day in May and under 800 a day in June before rising again in July, according to a Reuters tally.

Zaxxon wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 12:05 pm

El Guapo wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 11:54 am I just wonder how far the Trump administration is going to push data manipulation (and, you know, lying). Like, are they going to outright report zero cases? Probably not, because that would be ridiculous on its face, but...

One would hope that reporting at the state level would prevent that. Like, HHS understands that there are still tons and tons of people that have access to the data at lower levels, right?

malchior wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 12:09 pm

Zaxxon wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 12:05 pm

El Guapo wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 11:54 am I just wonder how far the Trump administration is going to push data manipulation (and, you know, lying). Like, are they going to outright report zero cases? Probably not, because that would be ridiculous on its face, but...

One would hope that reporting at the state level would prevent that. Like, HHS understands that there are still tons and tons of people that have access to the data at lower levels, right?

Yes but CDC was a clearinghouse. Now you have to rely on someone chasing down the data at individual states. Covidtracking already has that infrastructure in place but the Trump administration will probably attack other sources of information or is about to start releasing propaganda. The goal for them is to muddy the waters.

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 12:02 pm First I've seen - photos of what classrooms might look like from a pilot program in a Newark, NJ summer school:

Each student’s desk is topped by a three-sided barrier, about a foot high with a clear window in the front, which adds another layer of protection against airborne transmission of the virus. The barriers and physical distancing allow students to take off their masks for brief breaks, Gilliam said.

Students’ supplies are kept in separate bags to prevent sharing of materials — and, potentially, the virus. They work on laptops that are disinfected every day rather than using books or paper packets, which would be difficult or impossible to clean.

On a small scale, it seems possible. Scale it up and do it for 120+ days? I have no idea.

Zaxxon wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 12:15 pm

malchior wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 12:09 pm

Zaxxon wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 12:05 pm

El Guapo wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 11:54 am I just wonder how far the Trump administration is going to push data manipulation (and, you know, lying). Like, are they going to outright report zero cases? Probably not, because that would be ridiculous on its face, but...

One would hope that reporting at the state level would prevent that. Like, HHS understands that there are still tons and tons of people that have access to the data at lower levels, right?

Yes but CDC was a clearinghouse. Now you have to rely on someone chasing down the data at individual states. Covidtracking already has that infrastructure in place but the Trump administration will probably attack other sources of information or is about to start releasing propaganda. The goal for them is to muddy the waters.

Oh, I hear you. This is definitely terrible. I'm just saying that even with HHS 'taking over,' they can't publish numbers that are just ridiculously low. The states still have the actual data, as do individual hospital networks, etc. You're right, though, that just muddying the waters is probably enough.