Wear Your Mask - COVID-19 Thread II

[Labster]

Yeah, why would you want to tax government money you're giving away? Just give out less.

Okay, there are actually good reasons for it. That would be essentially how universal basic income works. Everyone gets paid the same amount in government benefits, but if they earn enough money, the benefit gets taxed to zero... or past zero. But if the goal is disaster relief and economic stimulus, then you actually want people to spend that money, not hold it in reserve to pay taxes later. I think Canada approached it wrong, even though this does help the poor relatively more.

Trump changed the way tax collection worked, so that the government taxed less money in advance. They touted the policy on how the government takes less of your money. And people were totally pissed, because their tax rebate at the end of the year was smaller. Like hey, we're counting on that money for important and/or fun things. It turns out people really like involuntary government savings accounts. Who knew?

[Bob Schroeck]

Oh, forgot to mention that we got our vaccinations on Sunday. I felt a bit nauseous for all of a couple minutes during the 15-minute sitdown and observation after getting the shot, but that was my only adverse reaction. Peg, on the other hand, was knocked completely off her pins for all of yesterday -- tired, achy, and sleeping most of the day.

[Star Ranger4]

Yikes. That could mean she'd have been very succeptable if you'd not watched your exposure.

[Bob Schroeck]

Yeah, we've been paranoid levels of careful for the last year. You should see the small city skyline of disinfectant products living on the table next to the front door.

[robkelk]

I'm sure somebody else must have come up with this already...

American Express: Don't leave home without it.
Pandemic Express: Don't leave home.

[Star Ranger4]

I'm sure somebody else must have come up with this already...

American Express: Don't leave home without it.
Pandemic Express: Don't leave home.

Pandemic express:  No bonus points for home shopping, instead we apply NEGATIVE points for not shopping from home!  *rimshot.mp3*

[robkelk]

Hmmmmm...

Social distancing. Relying on the Internet to be able to work and for entertainment. Having purchases delivered.

All necessary things during this pandemic... and now we know how The Machine Starts.

(We've known how The Machine Stops for over a century.)

[LynnInDenver]

OMFG.

San Diego Comic Con decided to have a mini in-person weekend event on THANKSGIVING WEEKEND. As in, United States Thanksgiving.

I have multiple problems with this.

First, BUSIEST TRAVEL DAY OF THE YEAR TRADITIONALLY. If we're lucky, we're coming out of a pandemic by that point, I don't want to be in metal tubes with a bunch of complete ass strangers by that point; odds are I'm going to be suspect of any situation where I'm stuck in a small space with a LOT of people for a while afterwards.

Second, IF WE'RE LUCKY, WE'RE COMING OUT OF A PANDEMIC AT THAT POINT. We should NOT be having largish events encouraging a bunch of people from all over to congregate, then go back to all over. Con Crud is a thing considered for a reason.

Third, I HAVE NOT SEEN MY FAMILY PROPERLY FOR OVER A FUCKING YEAR NOW. If we're actually coming out of a pandemic at that point, you can be damned fucking sure that I'm seeing my family in person for that holiday. Not a bunch of "once a year" folks, not to cross SDCC off my damned bucket list. And I'd prefer the people who'd be expected to WORK that thing to be given the opportunity to see their families if they so choose.

Seriously, the only reason Mile Hi Con is even ON the potential 2021 list for me is that it's a SMALL convention, especially by today's standards. And even that's dependent on too many factors right now; we may just decide we just don't want to take the chance with even that one this year.

BTW, SDCC has now fallen off my bucket list. Ain't no way, ain't no how. 2022 is likely the earliest I'm even considering most conventions in Denver. I'm not sure I'm considering conventions I'd need to travel to even as late as 2023.

[Dartz]

I'm kind of hoping we'll have conventions by the end of the year. We're running a little slow because someone's hogging all the vaccinnes while leaving it up to the EU to supply most of the world that's not eating Sputnik or that China stuff. It is what it is. Anyway, week 54 of a 2 week lockdown, with at least 6 weeks left to go.

Probably more. Cases are going back up. People have just stopped caring, even at level 5

The despair is real. This is all because of Christmas.

[LynnInDenver]

General eligibility opens for us here in Colorado this Friday. And my husband and I already have an appointment on Saturday to get the first jab. Given that we don't have any anti-vaccer friends (many are scheduled or already have shot #1 in them)... gods willing we'll be able to finally have friends over to our house starting in May.

I will refer to the period in about six weeks as "lockdown lite"... we're still not doing a lot of "out of the house" stuff even once we're vaccinated. But at least we can socialize.

And yeah, the despair is real. We've hit another "floor" in hospitalizations and the positivity rate, and it's still not down where it was in the lull last year. So vaccination is literally the only way those numbers are going to finally tail off... oh, hey, at least we'll finally see how many anti-vaccine folks we really do have, and maybe we can finally have the hard discussion about at what level is avoiding vaccines no longer considered acceptable?

[Inquisitive Raven]

Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving. My traditional Thanksgiving travel plans involve spending 12 hours in a metal tube with a bunch of complete strangers (6 hours each way) so I can visit my family.

Obviously, that didn't happen last year. If I decide to visit family this year, I may go for the one hour each way in a metal tube option instead (i.e. fly instead of taking the train).

[LynnInDenver]

I'm lucky in this regard... the family I want to spend those holidays with is only a half hour away. Our tradition has been my husband and I host either Thanksgiving or Christmas, and my brother and his wife host the one we don't host.

We didn't get to do that in 2020 - the closest we got was Zoom calls, although we did at least drop off/pick up gifts before the Christmas one. I'm hoping we can reestablish the tradition properly in 2021.

[Inquisitive Raven]

We did Zoom calls too, although my sister for some reason decided to show up at my mom's place in person. OT1H, she's the only one of us who could visit without having to share a metal tube with a bunch of strangers. OTOH, she's an EMS responder which puts her at the highest risk of exposure in her day-to-day life.

[LynnInDenver]

Yeah, my niece flew out to see us from Georgia (ugh, she should know better). My mom had to stomp on my aunt to not come out from Missouri for the holiday.

[classicdrogn]

Walp. According to the most recent town report, the rate of new positive COVID tests here is about 1 per 350 residents in the last week. Just what I want to be thinking about before a grocery run.

[Bob Schroeck]

My mother-in-law, who's in her 80s, is going for her second dose of the vaccine tomorrow. Peg's going with her to push the wheelchair she'll be in because she can't stand in line that long.

Hopefully it won't affect her too badly, but basically any kind of Easter celebration is on hold.

Meanwhile Peg and I will be getting our second doses next weekend...

[robkelk]

And I'm still waiting to find out when I'll be allowed to ask for my first dose...

meanwhile, the entire province goes into a month-long lockdown again, one minute after midnight tonight. This time around, "restaurant takeout" will still be allowed... so, not a complete lockdown.

[Mamorien]

Everyone here in the other Commonwealth (God save it, as Brother Charles Pierce says of his Taxachusetts home) aged 16 and up (and I'm way up) will be eligible for vaccination effective April 19.

[LynnInDenver]

BTW, I'm going to express annoyance as I prep for the errands that include our first shots... the fact that it seemed like the various places didn't even want to acknowledge that I'd be eligible as of yesterday to get this thing and make an appointment, and basically had their websites set to deny me entry unless I answered with some sort of added thing that put me in the "previously eligible" categories. OK, yeah, I get it, but at least just present me the appointments that I would be eligible for, don't just say "come back Friday when we've unlocked it all."

[Dartz]

We're still officially at level 5, as it has been for the last three months

Can hear neighbours having garden parties. People are meeting up in open spaces in town sculling pints in massive crowds.

Lockdown has collapsed. People have just stopped giving a shit.

Or they're becoming obnoxious and bitter busybodies.

[LynnInDenver]

Got our first shots. My husband had what he terms the "usual response" to vaccination, which is a headache and fatigue that went away with a 2 hour nap. I only have the sore bicep. I've been strangely absent of any added symptoms with any vaccination I've gotten; I don't know if I'm just lucky or what, but I won't question it.

I am AMAZED at the amount of tension that left me once I got my jab.

I only saw one nose while we were out. Small favors.

We've already begun scheduling the family gathering, because my brother also got his first jab today, as did his wife.

I JUST WANT TO SEE MY FAMILY DAMMIT. FOR REAL. NOT IN THE YARD WITH MASKS ON. I WANT TO PLAY A DAMNED BOARD GAME WITH THEM.

But we're also giving a shit... people don't get to come to our house without also being vaccinated (following CDC guidance)... thankfully any that we'd want over have already been getting theirs, so it's not going to be a struggle to get the people we want to see over here. We're planning our first dine-out dinner... in NOVEMBER, for our anniversary. We figure it will either be no issue by then, or we'll have another lockdown because of a variant.

Otherwise, numbers have clearly plateaued. I suspect that some people are collapsing what lockdown they were following as vaccination have rolled out. I very fully expect to start hearing about businesses starting to ignore capacity restrictions in the coming months.

[Bob Schroeck]

My mother-in-law, who's in her 80s, is going for her second dose of the vaccine tomorrow.  ...
Hopefully it won't affect her too badly, but basically any kind of Easter celebration is on hold.

Welp.  Easter celebrations weren't on hold, but I was only informed of this at the last minute.  And other than sleepiness/tiredness a few hours later, my mother-in-law has suffered no side effects from dose #2.  I'm hoping we'll both be as lucky a week from now.

[robkelk]

I'm going to make a strong suggestion that might not be appreciated...

"Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
-- Jesus, Matthew 18:19-20 (KJV)

He said "two or three", not "half the capacity of the church".

Christians don't have a religious requirement to get together in big groups every week.

Close the churches during the pandemic.

[LynnInDenver]

They've definitely put limits on the churches... the big problem is church members in the U.S. have a tendency to sue in response to that because it's infringing their freedom of religion.

And I say Poppycock... people's inability to do what is asked is violating my right to health... mental because I haven't seen some of my friends in over a year now, and physical because I have to make a choice between getting things done and trying to cut my risks further.

[hazard]

It infringes upon the freedom of religion of others for churches to be permitted large gatherings when any other group is not.