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Post by kds on Jul 30, 2020 14:25:52 GMT
Yeah, we've gone to restaurants a few times. You have to wear masks, except when at your table. And one restaurant actually took our temperatures before we could enter.
I have spring allergies, and they usually subside by mid to late June. But, for the first time in 13 years, I'm still taking my allergy meds. Just like 13 years ago, we didn't have much of a winter, so the pollen counts have been very high.
And I definitely understand people being a little jittery about this whole thing, but don't be a COVIDick about it. If somebody coughs, don't look at them like they're a leper.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 30, 2020 14:30:36 GMT
If somebody coughs, don't look at them like they're a leper. What if they cough and clearly have leprosy? Then can I look at them like they're a leper?
Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Jul 30, 2020 15:02:13 GMT
Seeing reports that Herman Cain passed away from the virus. Am I remembering correctly that he caught it after attending the Trump rally in Tulsa? Maybe this will sober a few people up. Or probably not.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 30, 2020 15:13:29 GMT
Yes, that's correct.
I'm not sure it will change many people's perspectives much. Especially since he was of an age that many people leery of the precautions acknowledge is a risky one. (It seems most people who oppose masks, distancing, etc., admit that older people should take precautions, and just think of it on a sliding scale based on age and health.)
I've seen some online reactions having a great time with Cain's passing, a real "serves him right!" kind of thing. Gross. Whether he got it at that rally or not, whether he should have known better or not, is irrelevant to a large degree. Somebody's dad, grandpa, etc., died.
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Post by kds on Jul 30, 2020 15:50:12 GMT
Social media comments tend to represent the absolute worst that humanity has to offer.
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 2, 2020 16:42:12 GMT
Well this seems like a terrible idea! The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, an annual event that draws hundreds of thousands of people and hundreds of millions of dollars to Sturgis, South Dakota, is going ahead as scheduled this month despite 60% of residents opposing the idea. Local businesses pressured their city council to proceed.
Only about half the typical crowd--which is still 250k people--is expected this year. Apparently the decision also took into account the likelihood that people were going to come regardless of any official events or sanction.
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Post by kds on Aug 3, 2020 17:02:29 GMT
I'm a little surprised it took so long, considering per our governor's orders, big gatherings are still a no-no, but Ocean City, MD's annual Bike Week / Bike Fest event for September was cancelled. The event includes a live music stage which was to feature Kid Rock, Joan Jett, KIX, Foghat, George Thorogood, Great White, and Billy Idol. Despite no official event happening this year, soon after the announcement of the cancellation, a Facebook Event was created for an unofficial Bike Week for September.
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 22, 2020 17:12:52 GMT
Surprise! Cases are emerging in Minnesota--15, so far, to be specific--with people who went to Sturgis... Who could've predicted such a thing!?
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 23, 2020 12:16:16 GMT
Minnesota is experiencing more confirmed cases than at any time since the pandemic began. Our seven highest daily totals have happened since Aug. 27. Hospitalizations and fatalities seem to be rising slightly, but not nearly as much and those are not approaching their highs from last spring.
Meanwhile obviously schools have (to some degree) just reopened and this week the high school league voted to restart football and volleyball--which is strange considering many schools aren't even doing in-person classes.
I think this disease seems to be hitting a sweet spot: it's bad enough to damage and even kill, but it's not bad enough to do so consistently, and so people are just kind of zoning out on it, getting used to it. I wonder if the fatality rate were higher, if we'd have fewer cases as people took it more seriously.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Sept 23, 2020 12:24:53 GMT
Minnesota is experiencing more confirmed cases than at any time since the pandemic began. Our seven highest daily totals have happened since Aug. 27. Hospitalizations and fatalities seem to be rising slightly, but not nearly as much and those are not approaching their highs from last spring.
Meanwhile obviously schools have (to some degree) just reopened and this week the high school league voted to restart football and volleyball--which is strange considering many schools aren't even doing in-person classes.
I think this disease seems to be hitting a sweet spot: it's bad enough to damage and even kill, but it's not bad enough to do so consistently, and so people are just kind of zoning out on it, getting used to it. I wonder if the fatality rate were higher, if we'd have fewer cases as people took it more seriously.
I watched my nephew's high school football game...standing outside the stadium behind a chain link fence.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 23, 2020 12:30:23 GMT
My understanding is fans won't be allowed in Minnesota, but I'm even concerned for the kids. Obviously they won't have the kind of daily testing, full-amenities bubble environment, and other perks that make pro sports possible.
Yes, those kids are likely more resilient if they do catch the disease. But they have parents, grandparents, etc. And we're still learning about possible long-term effects from people who have recovered that seem to imply lung, heart, and brain damage. It's not like catching and recovering from a cold or normal flu, after all. It might end up more like--though apparently not as serious as, to be clear--polio.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 29, 2020 12:51:10 GMT
Surprising, counterintuitive (on a few levels) results of a poll in Minnesota related to coronavirus: those aged 18-34 (and 35-49, for that matter) report being more concerned about getting seriously ill from coronavirus than older Minnesotans.
Counterintuitive because: - Obviously the younger group is less likely to actually get seriously ill - The storyline has been that young people aren't taking it seriously, are partying, etc.
My cynical best guess is that political affiliation actually is a big part of it: older Minnesotans are more likely to be Republicans, and Republicans report far lower concern (71% of Democrat-affiliated Minnesotans are somewhat or very concerned; 30% of Republican-affiliated Minnesotans are). A less cynical guess is that older people have come to terms more with mortality and simply don't panic.
It is kind of amazing, though, considering the death rates by age are skewed so high for people above 50 (and exponentially above that).
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 1, 2020 11:26:44 GMT
This morning I'll be heading in to the office for a morning-long meeting. It'll be the first time I've been in the building since May and the first time I've worked in the office since mid-March. It feels weird.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 1, 2020 19:22:46 GMT
This morning I'll be heading in to the office for a morning-long meeting. It'll be the first time I've been in the building since May and the first time I've worked in the office since mid-March. It feels weird. That was indeed weird. Everything, from showering and getting into my business-casual attire immediately in the morning, to driving downtown, to parking (in an entirely empty ramp...), to stepping into my office that had been abandoned for months and was a little gross with dust on some parts of it, to sitting in a conference room, masked, with seven other masked people, all six feet apart...
I prefer working remotely these days. No question. Especially in this pandemic era.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 17, 2020 12:16:59 GMT
We're really trending the wrong direction in Minnesota. August 27 was our first day with 1,000 cases diagnosed. Since then, we have had something like 23 days over that mark, including every day since Oct. 8, and with yesterday at a record-high 2,290. Hospitalizations and death are also going up, so it isn't just about testing.
I think most of it is just people being sick of taking precautions.
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