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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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 06 2020, @05:51PM
"and the hospital was a virtual ghost town."
Yep, that sounds as expected at step 6.
The interesting question is if street wise NewYorkers are smart enough to avoid step 7?
(Repeating above with step numbers)
This is an interesting virus.
So far, given it has no brain, it is doing very well at outsmarting the humans.
It's game plan is to get the humans to follow this script.
DO the following
1) Have a great time without regards to the virus (Fun, easy step)
2) Notice a big jump in virus cases
3) Put another wave on the scoreboard
4) Do a big painful lockdown (PITA step)
5) Notice a big drop in cases
6) Continue to be moderately careful without a lockdown (Pretty easy step compared to a lockdown)
7) Eventually forget about the virus and stop doing simple things like masks (Normal reaction for pesky humans without leadership to remind them of the program)
Repeat (until herd immunity or vaccine)