The kids are going back to school today, and I have mixed feelings about it.
I guess have mixed feelings because among other things, it sends a mixed message.
On one hand is the reality that schools have worked well hereabouts and have been very safe. And we know that actual school is better than online learning for most of the kids for most of the time although not necessarily for all kids at all times.
But on the other hand, the rest of us remain under a Stay at Home order although it remains hard to figure out exactly what that means. Just last week, our conservation areas posted that they were open for walking. But you have to drive to them. That isn't quite staying at home. Is it?
Nevertheless, whatever it means, children are being sent back to school while the stay at home directive is in place. So that is a mixed and confusing message to me.
Still, the back to school directive only applies to the safer areas such as ours, and schools will remain online in the harder-hit regions. So, I guess that part is good for it seems fair to treat different regions differently according to the circumstances. I am still somewhat conflicted, however.
Meanwhile, the lockdown measures seem to be working. The daily new case toll has fallen by about a 1000. It's still far too high with more than 2000 new cases daily, but it is better. The right end of the following graph shows a dramatic drop in just three weeks, That rise from October to January did not have to happen, though. and certainly not as significantly as it did.
I fail to understand why people couldn't have behaved properly without having to be coerced. The facts are so doggone easy to understand. The virus doesn't move; only people move it. If you take all of the precautions such as isolating, distancing and masking, you will pretty well stop the beast in its tracks. It doesn't seem like a difficult concept, but then again, I am but a simple man.
17 comments:
You have written about much that's going on in my own head. What I find frustrating, annoying & raises my blood pressure, are the businesses & people trying to find loop holes or ignoring the gathering rules of lockdown. Having to rely on the common sense of others is so dangerous. Our little village as most of our region have had low numbers, but we have the problem of being bordered by areas that are high, so if we get released from strict lockdown rules, they flood our area & our numbers go up... grrr, I'll say no more for now.
We are tired of it all here too. Mixed messages don’t help, especially in areas of large populations. The messages here are clear and the island is doing okay. Bring on the vaccine.
I too am frustrated with the slow rollout of the vaccine. My arm is ready and has been for some time! I'm one of the old ones who needs it. And we are all tired of lockdown. I hope the kids will be alright. :-(
Our grandkids are back in school after two weeks of remote learning. That happened because of a case or two at school. Precautions taken. We are counting down the days to our shots, Feb 23 and then the second one and then immunity so we can travel to see other granddaughter in Buffalo. Looks like by mid-APril!
My dilemma is that in a couple of months, the anti-maskers may no longer just be those who refuse to wear masks, because after their second shots, some folks won't have to wear masks because they have an immunity (supposedly). They are told to continue wearing their masks...but I bet at a certain point they will gladly walk around barefaced and proud to think they can't catch it. And how about those who have recovered? They might not have to wear masks either. So at such a point, us still in masks will be the only ones who have to worry about catching Covid. Won't it be a nice day when we can burn our masks?
My cousin died of Covid a few months ago. He was 86 and lived in California. Sad.
Although I say this with the preface that we just recovered from Covid that may have been brought home by our youngest from school, I still think sending out children to school for in person learning is a very safe things to do, at least for the students and parents. The teachers not so much.
In our area, we have been in person since last August. Out of 5000 students, less than 60 have contracted Covid. There have been probably 250 teachers and staff that have contracted it. For some reason, Covid just doesn't spread easily among students. They aren't good transmitters of it, I suspect because the vast majority are asymptomatic and they aren't expelling vapor clouds through coughing and sneezing like the adults do.
At least in the U.S., I think the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas are largely responsibly for the surge that you show on your graph. People listened up until the point where officials said you shouldn't go spend traditional family holidays with your families and then went and spent them with their families anyway and thus everyone else went too. Like you said, that just spread the virus as we traveled. The one saving grace I think is that there really aren't any big family oriented holidays here until late spring so perhaps by then vaccines can make more of a difference.
I am glad the rules are being at least a bit tailored to the situation. I think it is good for everyone to have the kids in physical school. And we are getting some vaccine out here, even though there is no news about it. A couple who are our neighbours and work in LTC have had their first shot.
I note the misery with masks from some of y our commenters. My husband is also miserable in a mask but he wears it. I don't enjoy masking, but it is not that hard. My worst problem is that I also wear glasses and those, plus hearing aid balanced on ear plus mask is a real bummer to take on and off. I leave the mask on, hoping the hearing aids will stay put. And get glasses fog. However, it is a lot better than being in the ICU on a ventilator, yes?
I agree with your frustration ... we get mixed messages here too but it sounds like you are being very careful. I have such mixed feelings about opening the schools. I know how important it is and especially, in our country anyway, for other reasons than mere learning. For so many children that come from poor families the lunches are critical. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that we actually have families going without the bare essentials. Let's hope that we get a handle on it sooner than later.
Mary et al. If hearing aids are a problem, there are masks with two bands that don't go over the ears. I have one which I like well enough, but I don't wear it often as it also makes wearing and removing a cap more of a nuisance. And my hearing aids are in and not on the ears. When you lose enough hearing IN seems preferable to ON.
They're wanting to open up the schools here too, but not putting teacher vaccinations at the top of the priority list. Those two should go hand in hand. The situation is very complex, and even more so here with our vocal and aggressive anti-maskers. They are the same ones who won't get the vaccine which means I better get used to wearing masks for the next couple of years. Good job on the numbers! I'm not sure how ours are headed, except that, like many states, we need more vaccine!!
We agree. There is a group of us who feel invincible. Perhaps they think they are going to live forever. There is another group who don't believe it is real.
The virus doesn't have legs somebody has to give it a ride. Some of those rides are very long . Either some people don't understand or just don't give a damn.
I think the best part of the ignorance of the general population is, we have defeated the flu this season by masking and staying home. If half of us could do that, think what all of us wearing masks and staying home would do to Covid.
Seems like mixed messages to me, too. I think everybody is trying to figure out how to get back to normal. They did it too fast here and never did do a real lockdown...and we are paying the price. Nobody is sure of anything, I don't think. It is all guesswork.
I'll admit, at this point I'm exhausted of everything Covid.
I don't get it either. It almost seems to me as if people are choosing ignorance, and they are darned proud of it.
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