Octopus Overlords

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 8:55 am Thank god we're not like Cuba, am I right?

I asked my friend in Cuba today if they're still wearing masks. "Of course we are," she said. "Covid still exists."

Cuba has one of the highest triple-vaccinated rates in the world, 99% over age 2 are vaccinated.

Average 1 death per day.

Still masking, even outdoors. By law.

Follow up:

Spoiler:

This is how it works in a society that is not beholden to the fucking Koch brother(s) and dark billionaire fascist money. You mask until everyone is safe.

Everyone.

The US has fallen 100% to white supremacy and eugenecists, and no one cares. Incredible.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 10:25 am Police states do seem to have better compliance rates.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 10:29 am I'm not sure I'd label New Zealand or Japan as police states. Maybe it's an island thing?

A person who intentionally fails to comply with a COVID-19 order, such as travelling without permission, will have committed a criminal offence and is now liable on conviction for a fine of up to NZ$12,000, up from NZ$4,000, or six months imprisonment. Fines for companies can go up to NZ$15,000.

TOKYO -- Japan, in full reversal of its voluntary compliance approach, enacted bills on Wednesday to fine violators of social distancing rules, as the country sharply steps up its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
...

Japan was once praised for keeping the number of infections low without having to impose strict rules. But the recent surge that started in early November has caused a rethink of the so-called "Japan model" of voluntary compliance, as the nation faces the task of convincing the rest of the world that it can safely host the Summer Olympics, which Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is determined to proceed with. Here are five things to know about the law change.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 10:29 am I'm not sure I'd label New Zealand or Japan as police states. Maybe it's an island thing?

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 10:35 am I'm not going to argue that that don't have much better voluntary compliance but they still have to use force of law to get close to 100%.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 11:06 am

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 10:35 am I'm not going to argue that that don't have much better voluntary compliance but they still have to use force of law to get close to 100%.

We have the force of the law here in the U.S.; We lack the collective will and/or backing from law enforcement. Unless, of course, the conditions are just right...

Does everyone remember Kaci Hickox?

noxiousdog wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 11:00 am

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 10:29 am I'm not sure I'd label New Zealand or Japan as police states. Maybe it's an island thing?

Yes, actually. It's way easier for those kind of measures (say like rabies and the UK) to work and be justified to the populace when you don't have 4,500 miles of open border.

Ontario will scrap most mask mandates — including in schools, restaurants, gyms and stores — across the province on March 21, with remaining COVID-19 regulations also set to drop by the end of April.

The province says improving health indicators, such as a stable COVID-19 test positivity rate and declining hospitalizations, as well as Ontario's high vaccination rate and the availability of antiviral treatments, allow for these steps.

The province's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, announced the new changes Wednesday.

"We are now learning to live with and manage COVID-19 for the long term," Moore said. "This necessitates a shift to a more balanced response to the pandemic."

However, Moore said removing the mask mandate "does not mean the risk is gone" or the pandemic is over.

He noted masking requirements may need to be reinstated if there is another spike in COVID-19 cases, adding that vulnerable people should continue to take precautions despite the easing of restrictions.

"We should all be prepared that we may need to resume mask wearing," he said, adding that he hopes anyone who remains vulnerable will continue to wear a mask.

Dr. Peter Jüni, who heads Ontario's COVID-19 science advisory table, said "it's too early to tell" if removing mask mandates is the right move at this time.

Speaking to CBC Radio's Metro Morning before the announcement, Jüni was asked if the province's move was a scientific or political decision.

"It's not supported by science right now because it's just too early. We would need at least one to two weeks more data to say, 'okay we're stable' and we just make it to the next step," he said.

However, he said Ontarians have done well when it comes to masking and said he hopes many will continue to wear them — adding he will continue to do so himself.

​"There's a lot of solidarity going on," Jüni said. "For the majority of us, masks are not a big deal."

Democratic leaders on Wednesday abruptly abandoned efforts to win approval of $15.6 billion in emergency pandemic response aid to fund the Biden administration’s new coronavirus strategy, announcing they would drop the package from a sprawling, $1.5 trillion spending bill amid disputes about how to cover the cost.

With Republicans refusing to devote any new money toward federal efforts to address the continuing toll of the crisis, top Democrats had agreed to take the funding from existing programs, including $7 billion set aside under last year’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid law to help state governments.

But as rank-and-file lawmakers began to comb through the package Wednesday morning, only hours before it was slated for a vote, some Democrats objected to that proposal, particularly the idea of clawing back assistance that states have been counting on.

Instead, Democrats opted to drop the emergency aid altogether, leaving the fate of President Biden’s new pandemic response plan uncertain. With funding for the entire federal government set to lapse on Friday without congressional action, Democrats had little time to try to negotiate an alternative.

Max Peck wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 11:27 am

noxiousdog wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 11:00 am

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 10:29 am I'm not sure I'd label New Zealand or Japan as police states. Maybe it's an island thing?

Yes, actually. It's way easier for those kind of measures (say like rabies and the UK) to work and be justified to the populace when you don't have 4,500 miles of open border.

How so? What do land borders have to do with whether pandemic mandates exist or are legally enforced/enforcable?

BREAKING: The Biden Administration will extend the transportation mask mandate by another 30 days, multiple industry sources tell CNN. It was set to expire March 18.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Thu Mar 10, 2022 2:48 pmI feel like...people are just being told to collectively forget that kids under 5 still can't be vaccinated.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed Mar 16, 2022 9:30 am Every age brings trials that later generations just won't understand.

My grandmother used to tell about how my grandfather would walk along the railroad tracks looking for coal that had fallen off of the trains. He'd bring it home to heat the house.

My grandparents had the Great Depression.

We have the mask belch.

pr0ner wrote: ↑Wed Mar 16, 2022 2:00 pm Canada will likely be dropping Covid test requirements for international arrivals by the end of the month.

The federal government is expected to announce as soon as tomorrow that travellers entering Canada will no longer have to take a pre-arrival COVID-19 test, CBC News has learned.

Sources with knowledge of the matter confirm Canada is removing the testing requirements at airports and land border crossings.

Currently, travellers entering the country must show proof of a negative antigen or molecular test within a day of their flight or arrival at the border.

That testing requirement will be dropped by the end of the month for fully vaccinated travellers, the sources said.

The move comes two years into the pandemic as travel picks up and provinces and territories ease restrictions involving vaccine passports, gatherings and masks.

The federal government will continue to randomly test travellers upon arrival in Canada to identify and track variants, the sources said. The government has been spending millions of dollars on randomly testing vaccinated travellers entering Canada.

A Massachusetts middle school will be closed for cleaning Friday amid an outbreak of COVID-19 cases.

School officials in Concord said they've been watching the outbreak at Peabody Middle School in grade six. So far this week, they've seen 44 reported cases, and a significant number of absences, according to a letter to families from Superintendent Laurie Hunter.

In light of the rising numbers, district officials, in consultation with local public health officials and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, decided to cancel classes and close school Friday to allow sick students a chance to recover and to curb the further spread of the virus. They expect to reopen Monday.

So @POTUS' polling firm has told @WhiteHouse that they need to declare "the crisis phase of COVID over" so it's not surprising we're seeing Administration officials downplay any threats of a new surge. 1/

This to me is the most important point: our system cannot hold if hospitalizations continue to surge every 2-3 months

(It’s already crumbling)

Time will tell what BA2 does to the US. But we’re fools not to plan for the next wave. Shore up healthcare, tests, meds-& communication

Today, in preparation for travel to Europe, I took a PCR test this morning. That test came back positive, which means I will be adhering to CDC guidance and no longer be traveling on the President’s trip to Europe.