SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
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: 4, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Monday July 06 2020, @04:33PM (12 children)
Thinking about this . . .
I'm on record for opposing all that mask nonsense. I'm also on record as being opposed to closing down all the parks and outdoor recreational facilities. The whole "stay indoors" thing is stupid. We're doing a lot of things wrong here.
But, the whole quarantine thing is on target. Sick people are to be isolated, and to have no contact with unsick people, other than medical personnel. If some sick people are resisting efforts to track and quarantine sick and potentially sick people, they need to be dealt with.
These young adults had their party. It was stupid, but they had their party. Some of them got sick, at that party. Lying about it is so very wrong - I don't even know what crime to charge them with.
As much as I am opposed to the stupid measures we have put into place, I would cooperate fully with medical personnel who were trying to track when, where, and from whom I contracted Covid19. FFS, don't people cooperate if they get a sexually transmitted disease? Why should Covid be less serious than syphilis or AIDS?
I haven't heard of instances of people being sent to prison for going to a party or anything. Just cooperate. You might even save a buddy's life by being open and honest. Or a whole bunch of lives of people you've never met.
(Score: 4, Informative) by DannyB on Monday July 06 2020, @06:13PM (1 child)
Problem: there is this thing called an incubation period where one may not feel sick, not realize they are sick, may not exhibit any symptoms, yet be contagious.
This is as old as time. How do you think chicken pox spread? Even the common cold?
We're in a post Trump world now. Masks, isolation, quarantines are no longer a medical or science issue, they are a political issue. I remember my arthritis dr a couple months ago saying masks aren't about politics, it's about medicine and science -- as we both sat there with masks on.
A virus doesn't care about anyone's politics.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Monday July 06 2020, @11:10PM
Absolutely correct, and very important to add to your list: tests NEGATIVE for COVID. OP fails to consider: TIME. Those many days when someone is spreading the disease for days and nobody's the wiser. We have mass Typhoid Marys.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 06 2020, @06:23PM (2 children)
The problem with cooperating is that these motherfuckers can't be trusted not to kidnap and kill you, take your kids "for their own safety", etc. It's not like they say "oh, you're sick? Well, get well soon. Thanks for letting us know."
What happened to the American spirit of freedom? Oh that's right, the Jews brainwashed everyone.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Monday July 06 2020, @11:17PM
To what end?
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday July 07 2020, @02:03PM
I thought it was the deep state?
Sorry, I can't keep up with the conspiracy theories. Because Trump and his sycophants / acolytes make so much sense.
All this concern over a virus that is a hoax? No more serious than the flu? Everyone will just get better. It will go away in the summer.
I remember when Spicer seemed to realize that he was on the wrong side of history and would be forever remembered as the official liar for this failure of an administration. But Sanders was dumb enough to think the job was a good career move. But then she seemed to realize that maybe there were some lies that were just too big for even her to tell with a straight face. And boy did she tell some whoppers. Before she left I remember her saying she wanted to be remembered for being honest and transparent -- with a straight face. So then a gap of more than a year without a press conference. Look what we've got now. Someone who tells us fantasies such as "Trump can read", or try this one: "is the most informed person on Earth", etc. This is where we end up when science and fact become the enemy. When the press becomes "The Enemy of The People" (quote) because they do their actual job of quoting officials and asking questions about what was officially said. It's anti-vaxxers, climate change deniers, and flat earthers running the asylum. And racists.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 06 2020, @08:06PM
How, um, special! And the majority of SN is on record opposing all that Runaway nonsense. So what?
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Wednesday July 08 2020, @09:55AM (4 children)
We may debate the sensibility of the lockdowns, but the masks? Care to inform me about the drawbacks of them?
We're talking about a side-effect free, fairly cheap method of lowering infection rates. Yes, they ain't perfect. Not by a long shot. But they're essentially SO cheap that even if they avoid a single infection they're worth it.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday July 08 2020, @10:21AM (3 children)
I've posted multiple times - wearing a mask is unhealthy for healthy people. Also, in my journal entry, I've made mention of claustrophobia. Some of us just can't bear to have something wrapped around our faces. It's alright for short periods of time, for me, personally. But I simply cannot put something over my face, and LEAVE IT THERE. If I'm to walk up to someone, and do a transaction, yeah, I can pull the damned thing up over my face for five minutes. Forget leaving it there.
Now, you might want to discuss this rationally.
Alright - what are your phobias? Let us discuss them rationally. I have a guy at work who will hurt himself, trying to get away from a spider. I've seen a lot of people put themselves in danger, trying to avoid a wasp. Snakes - I almost hurt myself once, trying to avoid a snake that came out of nowhere.
On second thought - no, we aren't going to discuss claustrophobia rationally. I've got it. It ain't real bad, but it's there. Fifteen minutes with that mask over my face, and I'm ready to tear SOMETHING apart. It could be a Karen, if she happens to be harping at me.
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Wednesday July 08 2020, @07:55PM (2 children)
Why is wearing a mask unhealthy for healthy people? That would be interesting to see, I couldn't find anything about that, if you have any information that would be great.
The claustrophobia argument is actually the first good one I have heard against the masks. That's really a problem. What's worse is that you'll have enough douchbags who just can't be assed to do something sensible because of "muh freedumz" who'll claim claustrophobia to "stick it to da man". Like the assholes who claimed Asberger's to act like total douches.
Don't have a solution for that, but I admit, that's a problem.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday July 08 2020, @10:18PM (1 child)
I can only refer you to Blaylock and Fauci.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/face-masks-pose-serious-risks-healthy/5712649 [globalresearch.ca]
Blaylock cites studies of health care workers who develop headaches with long-term use, and finds some reasons for that.
https://youtu.be/PRa6t_e7dgI [youtu.be]
Fauci is more like "It's a waste, it's not doing much good, but I have no real reason NOT to wear them."
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200315/Wearing-masks-may-increase-your-risk-of-coronavirus-infection-expert-says.aspx [news-medical.net]
Jenny Harries is in line with Blaylock, claiming that you are MORE LIKELY to get a virus, while wearing the mask.
(Score: 3, Informative) by martyb on Monday July 13 2020, @12:58AM
First off, phobias suck. Irrational feelings take hold to the exclusion of all else. I've had a few encounters myself. There is help through desensitization techniques. It takes time and is not entirely gone but has become manageable. I wish you well.
As for your links, Blaylock sounds plausible but provides no citations to back up his claims. Also the site it is quoted on — globalresearch.ca — seems (from the titles of other sections and documents on the site) to have an agenda. Kind of a of a contrariwise bent, if you will.
Dr. Fauci, was quoted in March when the pandemic was really starting to get going... and when PPE for healthcare workers were in very short supply. He leads off with ''The masks are important for someone who is infected to prevent them from infecting someone else.'' It is important enough to basically repeat himself later in the interview: ''But when you think masks, you should think of healthcare providers needing them and people who are ill.''
We've learned since then that people can be infected, and be able to spread the virus, without experiencing or displaying any symptoms. How I feel right now could be 100% A-OK fine, and I could be walking around and spreading the virus to all I come into contact. This factor was not clearly known at the time of this interview. What was known in March was that healthcare workers (HCW) who needed masks could not get them anywhere. Sending everybody in the country out to get masks would make a dire situation for HCW even worse! Now that we know that anybody could be transmitting the virus and that PPE supplies are very much improved (but not entirely, I'll grant you that), preventing the transmission of the virus by wearing a mask makes more sense to advocate.
Lastly, the link to Jenny Harries is also from back on March 15th — again before we knew that apparently well people could be infected and unknowingly transmit the virus. There is also a strong caution in that piece about correct mask-wearing behaviors. That if not followed, could increase one's chance of getting infected.
From my perspective, I see out-dated advice that may have been seized as a justification for not wearing a claustrophobia-inducing mask. I understand the motivations, but am concerned that the conclusions derived from that perspective and promulgated here could actually cause harm.
I do not think I am infected, but there is no reasonable 100% sure way for me to know. (We need more, faster, and inexpensive/free testing.) So, just in case I am infected and contagious, I choose to wear a mask to protect others. As does the doctor who heads of my state's disease control and prevention department. During his regular briefings he continues to strongly encourage that everyone were masks when in proximity to anyone else.
Wit is intellect, dancing.
(Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Wednesday July 08 2020, @10:04PM
The problem with your thinking is that with Covid we are still unable to determine to a high probability when someone is or is not infected. There are plenty of asymptomatic cases, where an infected person shows no symptoms, but they are still quite capable of infecting others, and there is as of yet no discernible pattern among those they go on to infect as to whether they end up with asymptomatic, mild or severe infections. So you wear a mask when you are going to be in close contact with other people or when you are visiting enclosed spaces that are frequented by many other people (i.e. supermarkets). They are not perfect, but every study I've seen reported seems to show they are at least partially successful in preventing transmission of the virus. The same with "stay at home". It reduces unnecessary contact between people, thus cutting down on the number of possible vectors of transmission. The parks and whatnot get shut down because in these days of austerity they are generally far too understaffed to begin with, and there is no way for the remaining staff to be able to keep up with sanitizing the shared facilities in the parks where the vast majority of the people visit.