PhineasC

Not a popular opinion in some circles, but I think the remote school thing is only tangentially related to COVID. There are other factors at play involving teacher's unions and school boards, as well as state funding questions.' Definitely annoying to hear people I know without kids opining on how schools need to stay closed indefinitely to "keep us all safe."

The goal of lockdowns needs to remain focused on preventing excess deaths from overwhelmed hospitals. At some point, the public came to believe the purpose of lockdowns should be to “beat” COVID or prevent deaths from it. That was not the original purpose. The messaging on this is hopelessly confused now.

Kind of interesting how that argument was never, ever raised about flu or other communicable diseases. I understand COVID is not the flu, but it isn’t MERS either. I’m sure students have given the flu to teachers who then became deathly ill or died. Probably happens every year. I think the logic of keeping schools closed is going to take some time to shake.

Good, that’s better than clumsy govt mandates anyway. If people are worried about COVID, they first and foremost can choose to stay home and isolated.

I believe what I said is we need to check back after Inauguration Day. But feel free to believe there was a magic anti-COVID shield around the protests and parties that didn't exist at Sturgis and rallies.

Always good to avoid Karens, no doubt about that.

Some people are essentially saying, "because you miscreants didn't wear your masks, now we need to shut down again and destroy your social and economic well-being a second time... thanks a lot..." This message is being absorbed mostly by those who have tried to follow the rules since March and are concerned about being compliant. The minority who ignore mask guidelines altogether are not receiving this message, they are not playing attention to local authorities and Dr. Fauci on this matter. I find the continued focus on shaming people who are trying their best to follow the rules to be counterproductive. I don't have the answer here, just pointing out that banging that same drum again and again is causing diminishing returns and a general sense that the rules are probably pointless. People who wear masks will ask themselves if the mask mandates even work because now we are shutting down again, so what was the point? As for myself, I believe in masks being somewhat helpful and wear one in complete compliance with local rules and regs.

OK, fair enough.

Can we have the intellectual courage to say these parties caused a rise in cases after we spent the entire summer saying that Trump rallies and Sturgis were killing people? Can we be just the tiniest bit consistent on this?

Agreed on that. AP has been a little iffy lately.

There were huge street parties in DC last week.

I am sure there are non-compliant people out there. I don't really see too many, even way up here in rural Coos County. The shame/blame game you guys are doing with the masks doesn't affect those who choose not to wear them, it instead falls on those actually trying to comply as best they can, and it turns them against these rules. This is like certain aspects of gun control. Adding rules and waiting periods for gun purchases just affects the legal gun owners, not the criminals who don't even follow the existing rules...

I can't think of too many news sources left without an obvious slant. Certainly nothing on TV or the major newspapers. I'm guessing we have very different versions of what we consider a slant. People tend to set their own beliefs as the "moderate, factual, centrist" viewpoint and judge news outlets accordingly.

These are singular events. I don't see how that can be extrapolated to the million of cases being detected. I'm sure there are many, many religious mask-wearers contracting COVID.

People are following the rules laid out by the govt. They are told to wear masks in some situations and not in others. I'm sure the scientists would say the best approach is to wear a mask all the time and stay in a secure, positive air pressure room 24/7. People are doing their best to comply while also attempting to work and live. I don't think the finger-wagging blame/shame approach from the summer is going to work this time around. People are tired of it.

I am guessing very few people in DC voted in person, but I haven't seen stats.

I can't think of many journalists left that really just investigate and report the facts. The reporting is always spun one way or another in an attempt to make some larger political or moral point. Basically, everything is one big opinion section.

Is there data backing this up (the people getting infected are not wearing masks)? I see a high-level of mask compliance everywhere I go, and I have been on the road a lot since May. Continuing to browbeat the people who have been trying to follow the rules since March is simply going to turn more people against following those rules.

Cases spiking in DC. I guess the street partying last week was a super spreader deal.

Could be an interesting study one day. I think it's debatable which aspect of all of this caused the most suffering, fear, and dread at a national level. The concern over the risk of dying or a loved one dying from COVID versus the impact of shutdowns, business closures, school closures, and general economic decline. It's a complex problem. I do believe there is very little appetite nationally for more shutdowns over COVID, and an attempted second round of them will get ugly.

The sooner people come to grips with the fact that the vaccine will not eliminate COVID and it will always be here, the sooner they can start being a little more rational about how to deal with it. Folks should realize that the govt and corporations are more than happy to keep you masked-up and at home forever. This has all been great for them on several levels. Every time we panic over case counts and demand a lockdown it gets harder to ever go back to normal. Hope some people see that...

Maybe an odd question, but why not? Eventually the virus will burn itself out. There are already signs that is happening.

Europe is hardly a model for us. They are not doing any better, even with stricter lockdowns and vast social welfare programs.

Paying businesses to stay open is not a sustainable approach.

Like some of us tried to say... the majority of Americans are simply willing to accept some level of death amongst the old and sick part of the populace in exchange for keeping their jobs, businesses, and mental health intact. It doesn’t help that the media spent six months trying to convince everyone that young people were dying from this disease in any appreciable way when it is clear to anyone paying attention that is totally false.