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greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Facebook Aunt posted:

Luckily the UK has volunteered to be the "do nothing" control group, so we'll be able to compare them to various varieties of "do something" to determine the efficacy of various approaches.

"We didn't Brexit to be told what to do in Spain!"

https://twitter.com/VivaElReyDeEsp/status/1239211245070422016

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greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



This explains a lot too

https://twitter.com/nytimesworld/status/1238818486568321025

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Switzerland's federal government just escalated the crisis and has now taken control of the response, usurping the cantons' authority (which is a HUGE deal). All "non-essential" businesses are now closed, that's everything that's not a supermarket, bakery, pharmacy, post office, bank, gas station, convenience store, etc. Everything will stay shut down, nationwide, until APRIL NINETEENTH. They're also putting 8000 troops into service, mostly those with medical experience. They've stopped just short of full Italy-style lockdown, but that can't be far behind if people can't just voluntarily stay home even though there's nowhere to go.

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/covid-19_switzerland-declares-coronavirus-crisis-an--extraordinary--situation/45620148

greazeball fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Mar 16, 2020

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



large_gourd posted:

so china is not having many new cases because everyone is cooped up and nowhere is open, that makes sense. people aren't getting sick but they also aren't living life, does the shutdown part still continue for months?

i don't know how viruses work. will it die off if it doesn't get a chance to spread?

if everyone in a country is locked down, and all the people who had it upon lockdown either succumb or recover, does the virus just disappear from existence at that point? how long would it take for that? i know a perfect lockdown is impossible, i'm asking if that is the logic of it.

I'm not a doctor but yeah, when you get a virus, it's a fight to the death. The virus can live on surfaces for a few hours but once you recover, you don't carry it anymore. The problem is that people give it to someone else before they show symptoms, then it starts reproducing and that person passes it on, etc. Hence, lockdown.

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Bape Culture posted:

Boris Johnson has corona lol

did he get it directly from the minister of health i wonder? top quality governing there for suer

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



The Daily Mail fuckin sucks so no link but here's the story:

Did Michel Barnier infect Boris Johnson? The EU's Brexit negotiator could be Downing Street's 'Patient Zero' after Brussels meeting

EU’s Brexit negotiator may have 'passed virus' into Westminster's inner circle
Michel Barnier could be Downing Street's 'Patient Zero', according to one theory
Suspicion has fallen on a meeting in Brussels between him and David Frost


quote:

Could this be the ultimate revenge for Brexit? The coronavrius that has laid Boris Johnson low may have passed into Westminster’s inner circle via the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, according to one theory.

The Mail on Sunday has traced connections between those known to have the virus in an attempt to identify Downing Street’s possible ‘Patient Zero’ – the first person in a community to become infected.

And suspicion has fallen on a meeting in Brussels on March 5 between Mr Barnier and David Frost, the UK’s chief negotiator, which opened the first round of talks on a post-Brexit trade deal.

Within the 14-day maximum incubation period, Mr Barnier announced on March 19 that he had tested positive for coronavirus, writing on Twitter: ‘I am following all the necessary instructions, as is my team.’

The following day, Downing Street revealed that Mr Frost had entered self-isolation after experiencing ‘mild symptoms’, becoming the first member of the Prime Minister’s inner circle thought to have become infected.

Soon afterward, other top officials began working from home, including Whitehall enforcer Helen MacNamara.

Two days after first feeling unwell – and a day after a test confirmed that he had contracted coronavirus – Mr Johnson was yesterday running the country from self-isolation in his Downing Street flat.

Aides and advisers gathered in the Cabinet room for a series of video conferences with Mr Johnson, including the morning ‘Covid-19 war committee’, where the latest NHS data and international comparisons are shared.

Similar meetings of the war committee will take place tomorrow morning and throughout next week – assuming Mr Johnson continues to suffer only mild symptoms.

After the PM revealed his diagnosis, sparking a ‘stunned atmospshere’ among Westminster aides who learned the news only moments before it was made public, Health Secretary Matt Hancock tested positive for the virus on Friday, with Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty then announcing he, too, had symptoms.

Yesterday Scotland Secretary Alister Jack became the third Cabinet member to start self-isolating after developing a mild temperature and a cough.

This newspaper understands that Mr Johnson is refusing to countenance the idea of stepping aside to let Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab take temporary charge on the grounds that he feels well enough to work and has no underlying health conditions.

But sources say that although Mr Johnson is trying to maintain his ‘usual sunny self’, he is blighted by a dry cough.

He is continuing to fulfil his duties, speaking on Friday evening to Donald Trump. It is understood the Prime Minister asked for help acquiring more ventilators, while Mr Trump commiserated with Mr Johnson during ‘one-on-one time’, with no aides listening.

The last Cabinet meeting to take place in person was March 17, meaning attendees could have contracted the virus without yet showing symptoms.

Last Tuesday’s meeting took place via video conference with only Mr Johnson, Mr Hancock, Professor Whitty and Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill – the country’s most senior civil servant – attending in person.

Until last week – in violation of the Government’s own social distancing rules – the emergency Cobra meetings on Covid-19 were held in person, with key Ministers crammed around a single table.

Other potential ‘Patient Zeros’ include Prince Charles and junior Health Minister Nadine Dorries.

Mr Johnson encountered the Prince at a Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 9 and the pair engaged in animated conversation, while Mrs Dorries, the first MP to test positive for Covid-19, attended a Downing Street reception with the Prime Minister at the start of the month.

There is also concern about a potential threat to the health of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, a diabetic who started self-isolating last week as a precaution.



ed lol that they include he talked to the queen on the phone

greazeball fucked around with this message at 02:13 on Mar 29, 2020

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Dear Watson posted:

all the arrows are pointing away from Borris, is that telling me he is the source of covid?

what do you think the purpose of the coronavirus press conference was?

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



https://twitter.com/debdrens/status/1261798123418128384

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



CJacobs posted:

This is the most irritating thing about many aspects of daily life today. People are so fuckin impatient. If there aren't results NOW and the problem doesn't get resolved RIGHT NOW then it's not worth doing at all.

They're going to claim that the lockdown wasn't necessary because the health care system didn't collapse (thanks to the lockdown), that it didn't actually help anyway since a bunch of people are still getting sick (since lockdown was such a joke) and that COVID isn't even really that bad (since they don't give a gently caress about anything but their haircuts and TGIFridays).

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Gone Fashing posted:

who can really say whether one number is higher than another number? It's all relative

However I can definitely say that our numbers are clearly the best any way you look at it

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Helios Grime posted:

I'm in Bern and you notice people are just really tired of being inside. I'm interested on covid-19 rates in a week since we just had a long bank holiday with really nice and warm weather and everyone was out and about which forced some of the main outside attractions to close down.

bollig posted:

Same and I personally thought that their decision to close down a lot of green space, at least during the day, was quite short sighted, even at the time. Although I could imagine that people were gathering there at night, but still in general it seemed like people were quite good about keeping apart when out and about, and closing them down just meant that it pushed people closer together. There have been several times, Easter for example, when I"ve kind of held my breath to see if there's an uptick or anything but it doesn't seem to be the case. This could be a big one though. A lot of people traveled.

Hi, I'm in Bern too! I live next to the Rosengarten and it was pretty packed in that first week of "lockdown". The wall overlooking the city and all of the benches were full day after day, you had to make an effort to find some grass to sit on that wasn't right next to somebody so I understand why they closed it. Plus a lot of parents I know just were not taking it seriously at all ("kids can't get it anyway and they can't just stay inside all day"), one guy accused me of lying about the quarantine in Spain and Italy not allowing kids to go to the playground.

In general, I think the feds did a good job of waiting juuuust long enough, so that people were starting to get nervous and starting to wonder when someone was going to do something. I feel like if they had imposed the measures a week earlier, the "it's just the flu" brigade would have been bolder with their protests. Because things were already so bad in Italy and Ticino, and since the measures were less restrictive than other places, I think people were willing to take collective action.

Alan Smithee posted:

What do the Swiss cook at bbqs

I want to go to a Swiss bbq

They share salads, chips, etc. but everyone brings their own meat, it's really weird. And you all huddle over the grill trying to cook your chicken skewer or horrible cervela on this uneven flame and people look surprised when you have extra chicken wings to share.

bollig posted:

I had to explain that you eat fresh salsa with chips once or twice. Whenever my wife makes 7-layer bean dip it's a borderline Copernican revolution. There is a restaurant in town that sells tacos and they want $25 FOR 3 TACOS. I'll stop ripping on the Swiss and their milquetoast palate now. WRT hairdressers, I had to cut my 2y/o's hair which, except for a couple strays, I think I did quite well.

Has 7 Machos reopened on the Bärenplatz yet? Two tacos for $13 but they are at least real tacos (El Mexicano isn't bad but yeah the prices).

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



popewiles posted:

A few years ago my wife and I stayed a couple nights at a bed and breakfast on the west coast of Ireland and one morning we had breakfast with a Swiss family and they were the snootiest, most arrogant people I've encountered in my entire life and from that I've made gross generalizations about Switzerland that no one will ever be able to convince me are incorrect.

HEY! There are also a lot of pig-ignorant small-town rubes and farmers here.

Alan Smithee posted:

I’m not even Mexican and I want to school these euros making a mockery or tacos and burritos

Everything I hear about Mexican food there is always dire

Up until recently, Mexican food has been just kind of a sad disappointment. But now, we have tacos everywhere...



I cannot tell you how angry these things make me.




Sorry for the derail everyone, I'm off to grill my dinner. Happy 100k day! :911:

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Rutibex posted:

and funeral parlors!

This is actually really important because I can't imagine how hard it must have been in Italy for example not being able to hold a funeral for someone after also not being able to visit them in the hospital.

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



bollig posted:

I could go on for days about the Swiss national psyche...

Yeah, love it or hate it, the Swiss mentality is pretty well suited to consensus-reaching. There's an actual history of listening to all* sides, weighing up options, considering alternatives, establishing evaluation criteria, measuring the effects of a decision, etc. (*let's not be naive about this though) So people generally believe in the importance of the decision-making process and therefore trust that decisions are made properly and will generally comply with them. The Swiss are generally rule-followers and also super petty narcs on top of that which also boosts compliance.

That's all completely anecdotal personal opinion though. I rarely read Swiss news in general and I've been avoiding all news for a while now for stress/anxiety reasons so maybe I'm off base with some of that. There are stats on the Swiss trust in the police and federal government though: https://www.credit-suisse.com/media...arometer-en.pdf

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Bleusilences posted:

Just be banned of public places, can only order online.

delivery ONLY by USPS

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Hasturtium posted:

Hurricane season. Then more riots as evictions and debt collection resume with no relief beyond whatever Congress and cash-strapped states can grunt out. Expect essential workers to gradually start acting out as they take a disproportionate brunt of ‘rona-related abuse. Then a heatwave. Then resurgent COVID. Then the election.

That’s nowhere near all-inclusive, or even necessarily in order. Betcha there will be a wildcard in there, too.

You left out the wildfires

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



shame on an IGA posted:

Yeah it's an absurd theory on it's face, dems are hurting the country and it's people to increase his re-election chances.

It's projection as usual, remember Mitch and the republicans proudly declaring that they wouldn't work with Obama out of spite and blocking Merrick Garland, then Trump shutting down the whole loving government in a tantrum? They have demonstrated they have no qualms about loving everything up just to keep a D from getting anything and so they claim any position taken by Democrrats is similarly hollow and craven.

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



boar guy posted:

i mean the car is parked with the windshield pointing in to the street in front of a garage door that gets too hot to touch for 6-8 hours a day due to direct sunlight. it's gonna have some effect, even if it's not a purpose built thing

it's weird how grossed out touching a PIN pad or entering the gate code to get in to our complex makes me feel, now. i also find myself sprinting to already opened doors so that i can catch them with my foot, and wrapping my shirt around my hands when i touch a crosswalk signal or cooler handle

I got one of these and put it on my keychain, it's loving great not only for PIN pads, lift buttons, etc. but also for opening doors and (my favourite) fridges in the supermarket: https://hygienickey.com/product/hygienic-key/ (doesn't work on touch screens tho)

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



it's cute that you think any of the powers that be actually want hundreds of millions of doses, they'll make a couple thou and then lose interest

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



ThermoPhysical posted:

I'm starting to hear from people that the pandemic is "basically over" in the rest of the world and only the US is going to suffer from it.

Well, yes... the first wave is behind us now and Europe is starting to open up again. But the distancing and hygiene measures are still in effect so the second wave won't spread as quickly and hopefully things won't have to shut down to quite the same extent. We aren't all suddenly wandering around hugging and kissing strangers on the street.

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



greazeball posted:

Well, yes... the first wave is behind us now and Europe is starting to open up again. But the distancing and hygiene measures are still in effect so the second wave won't spread as quickly and hopefully things won't have to shut down to quite the same extent. We aren't all suddenly wandering around hugging and kissing strangers on the street.

I should also mention that the SwissCovid app is in testing and people are being encouraged to run it on their phones. It will supposedly detect other app users that are nearer than 5m for more than 15 minutes and then send a notification to those people if someone in your chain tests positive, without saying where or when specifically you came into contact with that person (because it doesn't track location data, just proximity encounters).

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Fartbox posted:

Can you fly to America yet? I can't find any updated info about it

I got an email from the state department yesterday:

quote:

Visa services are still suspended. The travel restrictions from Schengen countries to the United States under Presidential Proclamation 9984 still apply. Individuals who meet one of the categorial exemptions under the PP 9984 (i.e. spouse of U.S. citizen/LPR, parent of U.S. citizen/LPR child, etc.) need to apply for a B1/B2 visa in order to document that they meet the exemption. If you are planning to travel to the U.S., please visit the CDC's Website for Travelers.

So if you're not coming from China, Iran or Europe then maybe? I have a nephew who's studying in the states and we talked to someone in the Border Patrol on the phone and they said they didn't even know if he'd be allowed back in if he came home over his summer holidays. So it seems like nobody really knows anything about when all this might change.


edited formatting and added links that weren't pasted on my phone

found out that the state department forces two spaces after a period using

code:
  
we're doomed

greazeball fucked around with this message at 10:03 on Jun 17, 2020

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



zer0spunk posted:

according to the notes it uses the strength of the bluetooth signal from the other person to determine how close you were if you came across a positive ID

and then if someone self-reports a positive covid test, the app goes back through the people they were in proximity of and notifies them they may have been exposed and to self-isolate and get tested

no location data is stored and you won't be told when the exposure took place, at least that's how it works here

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



just a sham e that you can't distinguish between workers who are somehow essential to public well-being and people who just need ot go to an office because their boss is an insecure little tyrant. guess we all have to die, there's no other way

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



People who got tickets for the rally had to sign a release that they wouldn't hold Trump or the venue responsible, but all the other people those people are going to get sick didn't. Hopefully some energetic scumbag lawyer is already writing up a massive class action suit to drop in 3-4 weeks.

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Michael Corleone posted:

Should I get out of the City (of Cleveland) again and go back to my dad's house? Cases are spiking in the county, honestly they are spiking everywhere, we might just go to the cabin 2 hours east of CBUS in the sticks. IDK anymore.

You don't have to get out of the city to just stay inside though. It depends on your hobbies and also I guess how much time you want to spend in a (small?) house with your dad. If you like going on walks/fishing/hunting/idk, then that should be enjoyable. But if you prefer Netflix and videogames or painting figurines or just being alone, then just plan your trips to the grocery store and buy big or get them delivered and then just hole up. You'll still have to get your food from somewhere out in the country, and you won't have the comforts of home.

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Even a Fox News poll shows a huge majority of people think that people wearing masks is OK, political rallies are a bad idea right now, and are somewhat to very concerned about the spread of coronavirus: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-voters-say-yes-to-face-masks-no-to-rallies They could also only find 23% of people who said the spread was completely or mostly under control.

When these are the numbers Fox is putting out, it should be relatively easy to pass new mitigation measures and get the vast majority of people following them but it's a boring narrative for the 24 hour news cycle so they keep trotting out these "what if...?" gently caress heads as if anybody wants to hear about some tech-fin bro's salvia dream about how blockchain can patent the virus and we'll all profit.

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Nurge posted:

Is it bad that I'm glad Djokovic got the rona for being an anti-vaxxer and hosting that bullshit tennis tournament that infected a bunch of other players?

no he sucks

quote:

"Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions. Our tournament was meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region.

"We organised the tournament at the moment when the virus has weakened, believing that the conditions for hosting the Tour had been met. Unfortunately, this virus is still present, and it is a new reality that we are still learning to cope and live with."

it's basically Ronald Reagan's speech on Iran Contra

quote:

"A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions tell me that's true, but the facts and evidence tell me it is not."

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



I keep thinking about this tweet

https://twitter.com/jennyenicholson/status/1271267475963838467

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



My wife reported 3 Etsy accounts today for selling mesh masks that said "You don't control me" or some other bullshit

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



the virgin COVID vs the ChAdOx1

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



zer0spunk posted:

i feel bad for kids that will have this experience growing up, it's one of those ripple effects no one discusses with the anti-mask stuff...you're extending this whole thing for everyone kids included and we could have this thing at a way more manageable level rather than just what it is now

ugh.

someone post something not as depressing now

My wife and I have been hanging out in our little garden a lot more this spring/summer and the cat likes to hang out in a flowerpot now

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Wendigee posted:

thats a fluffy cat i bet it is very soft :3:

she is indeed very soft and if you were hanging out in the garden she would 100% solicit head scritches from you

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Blitter posted:

There will not be a tested and certified vaccine released in the next 4 months.

Take that as you may. I don't think it's possible to understate how dangerous an untested preliminary vaccine could be, or how strongly medical professionals would object to it being tested on the public.

Republicans in October: "In the past, some people didn't trust medical professionals about the dangers of COVID-19. We have always listened to our team of medical experts* and they are now recommending that everyone** take this vaccine so we can beat this virus by November!"


*not clinicians, not researchers, but, you know, experts
**not us though

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Philthy posted:

I'm not the poster you're referring to, but I've been following along. The worry is that the health care industry is a for-profit industry. Salaries, bonuses, and employment itself is all based around selling product. Anyone that has any understanding of the history of Capitalism knows exactly what we're all worried about.

Basically, until we can socialize the health care industry, we're going to be loving nervous as poo poo about anything being pushed out during a pandemic where the POTUS is willing to let people inject loving bleach into their eyeballs if it meant his approval ratings would go up half a percent.

Plus if the vaccine fails and the company goes bankrupt, the directors will have already received a huge payout for WINNING! against the virus and they'll personally have a golden parachute clause anyway. We did our best, certain things may have been overlooked, good intentions, etc. etc. etc. while thousands more people continue to suffer.

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



We had a very relaxed "lockdown" here in Switzerland, but they ended up having to close the parks because people were just incapable of keeping their distance from each other. The idea behind distancing measures is that people from different households won't come into contact and so the virus can't spread. But people specifically meet friends that they don't live with in parks (or on a river) and spend a good amount of time with them rationalising it with "but we're outside so it's OK". For tubing, people are probably going to ride down to the river together in a car, and there are usually lots of people jammed together at the entry and exit points, so there are plenty of places where you can't maintain that distance.

edit: I fogot that a lot of rental places bus you from the store to the entry point like in that video... yikes

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Being in a river is great on a hot day. Surface water on lakes warms up but rivers stay nice and cool. Here's how we do in Bern:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4tvWsgrFWA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvgYD2pa6Q8

Almost nobody uses tubes, most people use some kind of a beach ball to hold on to or just put a bunch of air in your drybag. You can also take an inflatable boat on the train and pump it up where you get in and then just float home and bring it back on the bus, it's fantastic when it's hot!

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Helios Grime posted:

We are well on our way to catch that second wave, hell yeah :tubular:



At least they realized that leaving it to the people if they want to wear a mask in public transport or not isn't gonna work, so it's mandatory now like it should have been from the start.


Next monday :eng99:

I like how yesterday Berset said we're going to delegate things to the cantons starting in two weeks and already he's said gently caress you clowns, wear a mask dipshits

greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Jeza posted:

I think WRT vaccines, there are many legitimate worries about timing and efficacy, but the chance that a dangerous vaccine is adopted worldwide which is somehow worse than COVID is as close to nil as something can be. If something that is claimed to work arises, this is not a situation where only America will start pumping it out and using it while the rest of the world watches and waits. It will be hitting everywhere at once (well, rich countries first).

And even if that were to happen in some freak circumstance, it would be the biggest scandal in American political history for the government to pump hundreds of millions into churning out a dangerous vaccine that nowhere else adopts. Hellworld or not, no government would survive that. The level of scrutiny on any COVID vaccine will be bigger than any other vaccine in history.

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greazeball
Feb 4, 2003



Lacrosse posted:

Or if she insists tell her to wait until after they burn all the bodies so she has a glut of cheap houses to choose from

Seriously, my parents have a buyer for their big rear end house inbetween Phoenix and Carefree and I am so desparate for this sale to get closed. They put it on the market in the second week in March so just about the worst timing possible but they may still be able to get ~80% of what they were asking. I try not to think about what the housing market is going to look like once those extra unemployment checks stop because I am extremely pessimistic about everything at that point.

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