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NY partygoers get subpoenas after stonewalling COVID-19 contact tracers:
Test, isolate, trace, quarantine: these are the bedrock public health measures proven effective at stamping out an infectious disease before it flares to the point where the only option left is to foist draconian lockdowns on whole populations.
[...] On Wednesday, officials in Rockland County—just north of New York City—reported a cluster of cases linked to a recent party of up to 100 people largely in their early 20s. At the time of the party, the host was infected and had symptoms but held the party anyway.
So far, at least eight attendees have tested positive for the virus. But many partygoers have refused to work with public health officials to track the potential spread and notify others who may have been infected and could go on to spread the disease further.
"We are not receiving the necessary cooperation when we contact those who are positive for COVID-19 or those who have been at some of these gatherings," Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, Rockland County's health commissioner said at a press briefing Wednesday.
She explained:
My staff has been told that a person does not wish to, or have to, speak to my disease investigators. They hang up. They deny being at the party even though we have found their name from another party attendee or a parent provides us with the information. Many do not answer their cell phones and do not call back. Sometimes parents answer for their adult children and promise that they have been home consistently when they have not been.
This must stop.
In response, Ruppert announced that the county will issue subpoenas to anyone who refuses to cooperate with contact tracing. So far, the county is processing eight subpoenas. In addition, those who do not comply will face civil fines of around $2,000 every day they are out of compliance.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 06 2020, @09:32AM (10 children)
Hong Kong and South Korea have experience with SARS. They haven't needed lockdowns because people are generally cooperative about wearing masks and participating in things like contact tracing. They also greatly restricted people entering, requiring 14 day quarantines. Contact tracing, masks, and travel restrictions weren't just required in some areas but were implemented everywhere. These measures have allowed them to avoid lockdowns, but they also require cooperation and coordination.
Contract tracing isn't going to be entirely effective, particularly with the significant amount of people who are asymptomatic but still spread the infection. More testing is needed to identify people whose contacts need to be traced. But contact tracing is useful in identifying small clusters and stopping them before they become large clusters. It's a very useful tool that can be used in conjunction with others to allow everyone to return to a much more normal way of life.
In the US, we have many people who will arrogantly refuse to cooperate with contact tracers. There's misinformation being widely spread that masks are dangerous. We don't have adequate testing, nor do we have a government that even acknowledges the problem. As a result, we're stuck with the lockdowns. Perhaps when we have a long enough lockdown and enough people die, maybe our culture will change and we'll decide to be more prepared next time.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 06 2020, @09:43AM (4 children)
There's probably a large dose of anti-snitch mentality and refusal to admit to drug use or criminal associations influencing people not to cooperate. Americans aren't huge fans of authority in the first place, and people get tight lipped fast when outsiders are asking questions.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 06 2020, @03:24PM (3 children)
Bwwahahaa you American's literally CREAM in your jockstraps when anyone in uniform stands to attention and salutes the flag. You LOVE that shit.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 06 2020, @06:28PM (2 children)
not all of us, motherfucker. There's still an handful of Real Americans (tm) left.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 06 2020, @09:09PM (1 child)
Typical that "Real American" would be trademarked, proprietary, and non-existent. Mercenary prostitutes to the almighty Dollar, every last one of the scumsucking lime lizards! Prepare to receive a seize and decease letter from my very capable intellectual perversity lawyer!!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 06 2020, @10:21PM
Your trolling is dull
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 06 2020, @11:08AM (1 child)
It's not about arrogance, it's about trust. The US has a long history of being built on distrust; it's ingrained in every fiber because every seed of trust has been systematically eroded for over two centuries now.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Opportunist on Tuesday July 07 2020, @08:38AM
Well, with all due respect, but trust is something that's earned, not given freely. Much like respect. Demanding respect or trust is futile, you will be granted either by deserving it.
And, bluntly, the US government has not earned either in a long, long time.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 06 2020, @01:40PM (1 child)
I went to HK during SARS. You won't find people more selfish than Hong Kong people. They warehouse a lot of common people who think nothing about spitting and shitting on the streets, several people left their quarantine area to take buses somewhere. And they didn't restrict anyone's transit through the territory.
This was during episode 1, about 20 years ago.
(Score: 1) by Opportunist on Tuesday July 07 2020, @08:40AM
Well, maybe those assholes who thought they know better than the scientists that told them to stay the fuck inside are dead now and what's left is the sane people, hence their low death toll.
In other words, there's hope for the next pandemic for the US.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Tuesday July 07 2020, @03:26PM
In the US, we have many people who will arrogantly refuse to cooperate with contact tracers. There's misinformation being widely spread that masks are dangerous. We don't have adequate testing, nor do we have a government that even acknowledges the problem. As a result, we're stuck with the lockdowns. Perhaps when we have a long enough lockdown and enough people die, maybe our culture will change and we'll decide to be more prepared next time.
I don't see why we even have these lockdowns at all any more. We should just lift them entirely, and go back to life as normal, and let the virus run rampant. Clearly, it's what the American people really want. We've happily elected an incompetent government that, as you say, doesn't really even acknowledge the problem, and much of our population refuses to cooperate with the measures necessary to get it under control. So, why bother any more?
And no, I seriously doubt our culture will change, no matter how many people die. This place is hopeless.