LOVE THIS!
The city of Austin, Texas just developed a color-coded alert system regarding risk levels in Austin.
The COVID-19: Risk-Based Guidelines Chart is a color coded alert system ( like our former terror alter system). The chart provides recommendations on what people should do to stay safe during the pandemic. The chart has different restrictions depending upon whether you are high or low risk as well.
Austin is currently on the Stage 3 level which is yellow. It can move up or down a stage at any given time depending upon how the city is doing in handling the virus.
Why do I like this Chart?
First, we are all familiar with the old color coded national terror chart so this is "familiar" to people.
Second, It is simple to follow.
Third, it has different guidelines based upon your personal risk level.
Fourth, Austin is a BLUE city surrounded by a red state. It is doing what it can to protect its citizens regardless of how lax the state is taking things.
Dr. Rick Bright testified in front of congress and what he said is scary. This is some of the things he said:
...US will face an even worse crisis without additional preparations to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
"Our window of opportunity is closing," Bright said. "Without better planning, 2020 could be the darkest winter in modern history."
Bright criticized the Trump administration for failing to implement a "standard, centralized, coordinated plan" to combat the virus and questioned its timeline for a vaccine. His testimony came a week after filing a whistleblower complaint alleging he was fired from his job leading the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority for opposing the use of a drug frequently touted by President Donald Trump as a potential coronavirus treatment.
Bright claimed that the administration missed "early warning signals" to prevent the spread of the virus. He said that he would "never forget" an email from Mike Bowen, the hearing's other witness and the vice president of the medical supply company Prestige Ameritech, indicating that the US supply of N95, the respirator masks used by health care professionals, was at a perilous level.
He said, 'We're in deep shit,'" testified Bright. "'The world is.'"
Bright said he "pushed" that warning "to the highest levels" he could at Health and Human Services but received "no response."
"From that moment, I knew that we were going to have a crisis for health care workers because we were not taking action," said Bright. "We were already behind the ball."
And forget about a Vaccine..this is what he said:
In his testimony, Bright also cast doubt on the Trump administration's goal of manufacturing a vaccine in 12 to 18 months as overly optimistic, calling it "an aggressive schedule" and noting that it usually takes up to 10 years to make a vaccine.
I have a friend who is a USDA (meat packing plant) inspector in this region. She has been very upset with how things have been running with COVID. She has felt her life has been in jeopardy for over 2 months now with little support from the USDA. She has been documenting her experiences (without too much detail) for months now. It isn't pretty.
@lovendures please put this friend on our prayer list. Can you give her a spirit name so she will not be identified?
A new study found Covid-19 detected in the sperm of men who have had the disease. It isn't known yet if detectable COVID viral particles in semen are infectious. This contradicts a previous study from China which didn’t find traces of the virus in semen of men who had tested positive.
I agree with what you said. That folks who defy the orders need to sign a waiver.
My spouse, who has a background in public health and works in healthcare (research and usability), also has a good spidy-sense. Thanks to her senses, we stocked up on toilet paper, pantry items, etc. in January. She said she had a feeling, combined with the news we were starting to see emerge from China (she minored in pandemics).
Yesterday she said that we need to start re-stocking things now, and then when things open enough to do it, we should take care of what we need to by getting in and getting out. Meaning stuff like getting your hair cut, get any meds you need, new glasses, shoes, etc. Get those things taken care of, then self-isolate again as much as possible. She's not an alarmist (thankfully) but did say based on what we are seeing (Minnesota anyone??) that not only will there be a second wave, but we could lose many health care workers and emergency responders in the process.
I don't think you need to be psychic to know that really, but I wanted to pass it along because she has an uncanny knowing sometimes. (But boy do I hope she's wrong about this one!!)
I agree with what you said. That folks who defy the orders need to sign a waiver.
My spouse, who has a background in public health and works in healthcare (research and usability), also has a good spidy-sense. Thanks to her senses, we stocked up on toilet paper, pantry items, etc. in January. She said she had a feeling, combined with the news we were starting to see emerge from China (she minored in pandemics).
Yesterday she said that we need to start re-stocking things now, and then when things open enough to do it, we should take care of what we need to by getting in and getting out. Meaning stuff like getting your hair cut, get any meds you need, new glasses, shoes, etc. Get those things taken care of, then self-isolate again as much as possible. She's not an alarmist (thankfully) but did say based on what we are seeing (Minnesota anyone??) that not only will there be a second wave, but we could lose many health care workers and emergency responders in the process.
I don't think you need to be psychic to know that really, but I wanted to pass it along because she has an uncanny knowing sometimes. (But boy do I hope she's wrong about this one!!)
As this is , understandable, a US centric forum and topics I would like to tell a bit from Europe. I work for a company that deploys at a swedish furniture giant Digital Signage around the world. As I am in charge of that I travel often, not so much lately. I was a few days in Austria, they adapted pretty well to the new life with Corona. All wearing masks, they kept the country in lockdown for two months, just re-openend , but all wearing mask in buildings and public transport. And keep social distancing. I was in a large mall and everyone had a mask on. Interesting is that in Austroa the younger people adapted masks as fashion item, and that you had two pop-up stores selling design masks :-) , pretty amazing how fast people/retail adapts. The retailers are selling in average 50% a day more than before the lockdown.
Before I allowed to go to Austria I needed a Covid Test not older than 4 days, and an invitation from the company that I visited. All worked fine ( Only the test is not really fine, they put a swap in your nose, almost up to you brains :-( )
Same in Germany, also mask, also good Retail figures. I am from Germany, but live in the Netherlands. Germany has the same system then Austria.
Netherlands, no mask, but social distancing and you need a shopping card and/or 6 feet distance. And only a limited amount of people are allowed inside the stores
In all countries Restaurants are closed but will open in 2 - 3 weeks , but with limited capacity and distancing.
So far it seems to work pretty well
But we see in a couple of weeks ...
My spidey sense is saying the same thing. I told my husband to call his hair cutter, and have her come do a haircut outside in our backyard, with masks and gloves. Our pantry is still well stocked because I've been replacing what we use on the weekly shopping trips, and I'm keeping my eyes peeled for things that disappeared but are still hard to find (Lysol, bleach, rubbing alcohol...).
I'm letting my various group activity leaders know that they should find ways to continue to provide services online, because I have NO intention of returning to any group activity til next Spring. I've moved non-urgent medical appointments to early September.
So here is where I could use some group problem solving:
I'm a "retired" allied healthcare pro with years of infection control training. My husband is a software sales dude who traveled for most of the last 21 years. I've tried and tried to train him, and while he's made some progress, he's not adept at doing what's needed to keep things clean (in his defense he was raised by wolves).
Eventually he will have to start traveling again, mostly to DC to meet with feds, I suspect by late July. Our house is small, with only one bathroom. We know that household transmission is the fastest way to get CV19. I have NO way to isolate him in the house and keep him away from the bathroom and kitchen. I can't isolate myself for the same reason, plus I'm the cook-maid-cleaner-gardener-gofer, and it's been my job to keep our daughter and her boyfriend out of our house and in our garage (which has its own bathroom but not kitchen). They've actually been more considerate of my high risk status than my husband.
So what to do? We can't exactly afford for him to go to a hotel for 2 weeks every time he travels, and besides, once he's on the road the trips are closer together than that anyway.
I'm starting to despair of a solution... we have friends in the larger area with slightly larger homes, but I can't impose on them for either of us to move in with them for what would probably be 6-9 months. And my daughter and her BF were planning to move into a place of their own at the end of the summer, but now with job layoffs, that probably won't happen til next year, and I don't think we can afford to pay for them to move either, right now, because hubby's business has slowed too and money is tight.
On a more positive note, my husband's boss has been terrific - he has promised no layoffs, is not forcing anyone to travel til they feel comfortable, he even sent us some KN95 masks and said he wants everyone to expense some local takeout meals-his treat. But I know my husband, and once the feds he works with tell him he has to go to DC to close a deal, he'll go.
@kateinpdx
im in St. Paul and a teacher. I was feeling low when gov Walz announced opening up- bc why is a dem gov doing this with what we know the day after Fauci says be careful? Add Wisconsin supreme
court decision
I’m just hoping that things get bad enough that we close schools in fall bc I worry mostly about schools transmitting it like wildfire.
after Walz announced I made a grocery store run before it lifts. It’s up to ourselves to protect ourselves. I don’t understand how social distancing is in effect and people are going to bars and drinking- how are you supposed to consume food and beverage and mask up? Anyone with any logic knows this is not a safe decision.