Coronavirus Outbreak: Part 2

Walt Disney World
1371

Yes. That’s true.

Truth is, for the most part, I feel our governor handled things fairly well. But there are certain aspects of what she did I just can’t stand. For example, when it is pointed out to her that a certain rule is in fact arbitrary and/or unfair, she’ll dig in her heals and insist any violation will be dealt with…and then, about a week or two later, quietly open up that area of business as if to make it clear that it is on HER time table and no one elses even though nothing had really changed in that timeframe.

“I won’t be pressured into opening barbershops!”

Two weeks later

“Now is the right time to open up barbershops!”

:confused:

1 Like
1372

Yeah. That seems to be the case, for example, in California related to the re-opening of Disneyland. Clearly, Disney knows how to open safely…so, what’s the delay there? :confused:

1 Like
1373

We’re now operating under the rule of 6 - no more than 6 people can meet indoors or outdoors, even when distancing. No reason for that specific number at all. And my family of 3 can sit indoors at a restaurant with 3 or 4 (distanced) other families, and that’s fine. As long as we didn’t arrange to be there at the same time as a family of 4.

1374

Our governor announced that LA would be footing the bill, but I suspect it will be after whatever disaster aid is applied.

1 Like
1375

We’ve been to all the major Hawaiian Islands several times, and Kauai used to be one of our favorites. (There’s a rope swing there that you kind of have to know where it is that is a ton of fun). But we had a bad experience there one time, did not feel the Aloha spirit which seems best on the Big Island, probably because it’s less crowded.

So that’s where we go now, plus we are divers and that’s the best for diving. And Hawaii Volcano National Park. Actually, with the park, the pickup trucks & cows up in on the mountain, it’s a lot like my little corner of MT, except warmer!

Maybe the Aloha spirit will be back in Kauai now that they’ve had a break from the crowds. I live in a tourist town myself and the patience one needs can be exhausting but we’ve never been treated as badly as we were on Kauai (even the kids, and they were little)- and I’ve been to Paris. :laughing:
…
This is good news for Hawaii travelers, and for Hawaiians. But they weren’t able to keep the virus out, so might as well let the tourists in. I wonder if their quarantine requirement was worth it?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hawaii-to-allow-pre-travel-test-option-to-skip-quarantine-on-arrival/ar-BB198JpV?OCID=ansmsnnews11

1 Like
1376

I’ve been to the Big Island and Kauai. My friend who works for an airline and I usually take a short trip in the fall to celebrate our birthdays. We’ve been to Kauai twice for that. I love it! It feels more like what I thought Hawaii would be. The Big Island is completely different although I like it too. This fall we’re going to WDW instead for our birthday bash.

The volcano on the Big Island is amazing! I’m totally into visiting National Parks (right up there with Disney!) so this was huge for me. We spent a lot of time driving on the Hilo side of the park and a lot of that area has since been destroyed by lava. We went in 2017. I don’t like to be in the water with fish. It’s a weird phobia, I know. I feel like I could probably get over it if I had the time to expose myself gradually, but who knows. Anyway, snorkeling is not for me. But we did a snorkeling expedition with dolphins that was pretty cool even though I just stayed on the boat.

1 Like
1377

I don’t think that’s weird at all! Having your face under water is not a natural condition-your natural instinct is to get out. Some people really have to work at it. I have a friend who can’t snorkel at all, she can’t tolerate the mask. And she wears a surgical mask all day much of the time.

1 Like
1378

After the snorkeling with dolphins, they took us to a spot with excellent snorkeling. I did get in the water and just lounged in an inner tube. I made everyone on the boat lie to me and say there were no fish around me. I couldn’t see them because of the inner tube so it was okay. :rofl:

2 Likes
1379

What you don’t know about, you don’t miss!

I love those snorkeling expeditions. Diving is kind of a lot of work under the best of circumstances, but they really pamper you on the snorkel trips.

And (if you should get in the water :smiley:) can you imagine how wonderful it’s going to be now that the animals have all been left alone for six months? It’s probably been a really good break for all the reefs and other wildlife.

1 Like
1380

The letter below is copied from a fb post of daily covid info from a guy in MO, on 09/16. This Health Dept letter has caused a storm of reaction, from pretty much every point of view. I share it here for your perusal and comment. Neosho, population nearly 12,000, is in extreme SW Missouri, not far from Arkansas, Oklahoma or Kansas.

Here is a letter from Larry Bergner, the Newton County Health Department’s Administrator, dated September 15th, as it reads from the Neosho High School website:

“Dear School Administrator

Last night, the Newton County Board of Health gave authorization for me to make changes that allow more flexibility in how we deal with contacts to a positive COVID-19 case in our Newton County schools. This will demand a high level of cooperation between parents, school districts, and the Newton County Health Department. Currently, a contact to a positive COVID-19 case is sent home for a 14-day quarantine and is unable to return to school until the quarantine time has been completed. I believe this can lead to many lost learning opportunities along with at-risk children not having their nutritional needs met and perhaps being in an abusive situation at home. Mental anguish continues to be a big issue during this time of pandemic, and I believe children have better health outcomes given the opportunity to attend school and participate in school activities. Therefore, at your discretion and upon your time frame, I, as the local Public Health Authority, allow contacts to a positive COVID-19 case to continue to attend school and school activities with the following conditions:

  1. All contacts must always wear a mask/face covering except during a time that proper social distancing can be observed, specifically the ability to have at least 6ft between the contact and others. This includes during sporting or other extracurricular activities. For activities where masks are not feasible, contact must have a negative test for COVID-19 within 36hrs of activity start time before being allowed to participate in the activity.

  2. School personnel and parents must monitor the contact for any symptoms of COVID-19 and must isolate the contact from others immediately upon any symptom development.

  3. Contact must adhere to the conditions of quarantine in that he/she may attend school and school activities but must remain in quarantine at home at all other times until the 14-day quarantine has been completed.

  4. School personnel must continue to identify and report those individuals who become COVID-19 positive and those who are identified as contacts of those individuals to the Newton County Health Department.

  5. School personnel along with the Newton County Health Department will monitor closely those positive cases and the contacts and will immediately move to a more strict policy if the data shows a substantial increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases within the school districts.

Each school district can enforce this policy or a policy that is more strict if you so desire. This more flexible policy, if you choose to adopt, will go into effect at a time and date of your choosing. Keep in mind that these contacts will continue to be monitored. The only difference being they will be allowed to attend school and school activities. My hope is that this more flexible policy will protect all aspects of a child’s health, both mental and physical while at the same time allowing healthy children who happen to be a contact to a positive case the ability to continue to experience and benefit from all aspects of our exceptional educational institutions in Newton County. Also, be aware that if conditions warrant, one school district may be adhering to a more strict policy while another school district follows a more flexible policy. These decisions will be based on specific daily data which could differ by school district or even within the school district itself.

My decision to ask for this flexibility arose from close observation of data, specifically a comparison of positive cases within school districts compared to number of contacts within school districts along with overall county data pertaining to COVID-19. Please contact Larry Bergner, Administrator, Newton County Health Department at (417) 451- 3743 for more information.”

3 Likes
1381

Interesting!

1382

We have had (1) positive case in our middle school - in each grade, there are 3 or 4 “bases” , now divided in half between two days, A and B. Each base is roughly divided into 5 rooms, which have approx. 10 - 15 kids. These kids currently stay together all day in the same classroom (teachers rotate among the rooms each period) and leave the room for gym, lunch, band, and their satellite class (My daughter currently has health and tech). All students are separated by 6 ft. min. (band 12 ft), and outside when possible. They wear masks from the minute they leave home until they return, except for lunch.

The middle school just had their 1st positive case. The entire room (10 - 15ish kids) can not return to school until a 14 day quarantine and a negative test. This seems insane to me. Kids are going to be out for two weeks at a time with limited instruction (normal posted assignments for their home day). How much instruction will be lost?

The county just made a rule Friday that students that are in contact 60 min or more to a positive case must quarantine. This is irregardless of masks, distancing etc.

Under this rule our high school will never have to quarantine (currently 40 min periods). Middle School and Elementary, on the other hand, will have I predict many (healthy) kids home at any given time, not getting instruction.

1383

None of the schools have remote options? If classes are quarantined, wouldn’t the teacher be home too? Is there some reason classes can’t continue remotely?

2 Likes
1384
3 Likes
1385

We do have a remote option, But remote learners needed to sign up for a 1 yr commitment, and although being taught by the same teachers, quarantine kids can not use that option. It does not make sense to me, many parents have asked for schooling to continue remotely on the quarantine days, The district stated that quarantine days would be treated as sick days, with no teaching happening.

Teachers would not have been exposed for 60min or more to the class as the teachers rotate to the classrooms for each period (last year the students moved from classroom to classroom, this is a COVID thing)

1386

That’s ridiculous.

3 Likes
1387

There is a little controversy like this that is being talked among the parents regarding our middle school positive case. The child was in school Monday. The school was notified Tuesday of the positive test. We do not have rapid tests in our area. Tests are taking a minimum of 3 days around here to get results. The math adds up that the child had been tested before Monday, and did not quarantine until results were received. Now the whole class has to stay home.

1 Like
1388

We are at a private school, so it’s a little different. At this point everyone is masked. Distancing is not really well maintained on a classroom level, although kids are spaced as well as possible. Right now “close contacts” to a known positive will require a test. But our school, as are many other private schools (perhaps this is a public health decision), considers a close contact to be less than 6 ft for more than 15 minutes without a mask. So technically, with masks on all day, kids shouldn’t breach that “close contact” designation at any point, regardless if someone in their classroom (or that they pass in the hall) tests positive.

There are a lot of other additional precautions being taken, but I don’t think we will see an entire classroom quarantine unless it becomes clear that more than one person has the virus. Even then, if someone in a class tests positive, the rest of the class will be notified and parents can choose what to do from there and can switch to virtual at any time (but can switch back to in-person only at designated points).

3 Likes
1389

A little remote learning humor …

image
image.jpg515×600 117 KB

15 Likes
1390

I wish I knew. There is no transparency here. The governor says he will soon announce theme park reopening. Disney has successfully opened around the world. What’s “unique” about DLC that prevents it from reopening safely like other Disney Parks? There is no transparency.

I really don’t see DLC as much different than the zoos that were finally allowed to reopen or go bankrupt in late July. And I don’t see it that much different than going to Costco nowadays. In fact, Disney does a better job in terms of social distancing and metering than Costco. Our local Costcos no longer meter.

3 Likes