GRAND OPENING - GRAND CLOSING (Florida)

[wombat_5606]

This happened to me on Friday in Costco. Everyone coming in has the mask on. I was up hear the checkouts and some young woman just pulled hers down and started having a conversation with another woman she was shopping with. I can't tell you how much this infuriates me.

Our governor, this past week, talked about no letting our guard down. Doesn't want to become a "Florida" and said not to relax on the mask wearing. Then pointed out that you could go on the Dept. of Health website and report businesses where you are seeing no mask compliance or enforcement. I doubt one complaint will cause a problem, but if they see a pattern, I'm sure they'll do something. So I was in Target yesterday and there were four shoppers without masks (one was a family and they were hovering over in the in-store Starbucks waiting for their drink, and another was just a regular shopper. Call me a Karen, but I got home and sent of the notice on them.

I see no problem with reporting either. It is evidently going to take something major to get some people to comply.

Someone replied to one of my posts, that the non-mask people are probably in the minority, but the most vocal. I think it's time the mask-wearers turn that around!!!

 

[cmp3400]

deleting to confirm

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Bingo. I saw a post yesterday that said basically exactly that. The poster was happy to see Disney open because it means “we are finally getting back to normal.” This is the problem with nonessential businesses like Disney being open. For many people if something is open it means it must be okay and safe to go there and they should not have to worry or consider any risk. It is infuriating. I work for a cultural institution and some of the first arguments against closing back in March were basically that people would see they should stay home and would do that on their own but that didn’t happen - we were busy right up until the moment we closed and when we finally announced the closure people were calling furious about it. I kept arguing that we could not rely on people to make the right decision on their own and needed to take away their opportunity to put all of us at risk and just close.

Many people see Disney open and say “phew, we are getting back to normal” or think that if Disney is open things can’t be that bad as 10,000 new cases a day keep getting diagnosed in Florida.

Very true. It’s also how people didn’t take this virus seriously until Disney closed. Interesting that as a society, the actions of Disney really determine how we view public health.

 

[KBoopaloo]

Testing was way up - 142,000 tests but a big number of new cases today.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1282330868573515779

 

[wombat_5606]

Testing was way up - 142,000 tests but a big number of new cases today.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1282330868573515779

and

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Very true. It’s also how people didn’t take this virus seriously until Disney closed. Interesting that as a society, the actions of Disney really determine how we view public health.

I think that's more because Disney doesn't close. They've closed for a handful of hurricanes and then a portion of a day for 9/11 IIRC.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

15,300! Jesus.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I think that's more because Disney doesn't close. They've closed for a handful of hurricanes and then a portion of a day for 9/11 IIRC.

I know. But it would be nice if people took their health advice from health experts. And that people felt they could trust those health experts. While Disney has a moral obligation to make wise decisions regarding health, they are in fact still a business who will run as a business.

I can tell you the virus was a problem in CA prior to Disneyland closing. There were people in my own circle, despite overwhelming evidence in our community, who didn’t believe it was a thing until Disney closed. That’s sad to me.

 

[JimMIA]

How long has the mandatory mask requirement been in force?

Just within the last 3-4 days, but it will last for a while.

I like the fines for the businesses, but I'm assuming that is employers/employees not wearing masks. But are they walking up to people not wearing a mask in Walgreens and handing them a citation?

I believe the business citations have all been to restaurants for violating social distancing regulations. They were supposed to operate at reduced occupancy and repeatedly packed their restaurants. We've now also closed all indoor dining.

The mask enforcement is supposed to be the police actually walking up to unmasked people and issuing citations, but that will vary from city to city. Some cities have other enforcement departments who have that authority.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

Our county is giving our students 4 options:
--Physical learning (at school) K-12 Recess is allowed, but will need social distancing, masks, and cleaning of equipment after.
--Online Virtual Academy K-12 (this has been here since 2010; students work with teachers that are only associated with this option; email, texting, phone calls, and web based classrooms) *This is what we chose for DS (11th grade, age 16)
--Online K-6 (this is through each school; students will work with the teachers from their schools, which is different from the academy)
--Blended (7-12) Students work through their home school, coming to school for specific courses and other courses through the Academy using those teachers.

Closed campuses, so no visitors or volunteers, no parents dropping off books or lunches; appointments off hours for IEP, 504, etc; all other meetings through phone conference or Google Meet. Staggered arrival/drop offs; assigned seating and desk spacing; no beanbags/rugs/etc. One way hallways and stairwells; masks needed in high traffic areas. They are trying to pull as much carpeting as possible from all schools; bathrooms will be cleaned more frequently (as well as other high traffic areas). Sanitizer available all over school.

Lunches are going to packaged items only (sandwiches, fruit, salads, etc) with no buffet, so students can transport food easily; only use student id cards for purchase, no cash; outdoor eating now allowed, as well as using bleachers in gym, etc. No sharing pencils/crayons/glue, etc. No outside food (so no birthday celebrations, etc).

 

[dvcgirl67]

15,300! Jesus.

Wow. I see they did test more though according to the Orlando sentinel...coming in at 99,000 tests, also a record for the state.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.or...6xbdgbdjag7mdx7g3u4-story.html?outputType=amp
As this article states host, the virus is spreading more prolifically in only one other State, Arizona.

And sadly, there are several articles today reporting that the virus is now predictably moving beyond the young bar-hopping cohort and into nursing homes.

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/...cilities-hit-record?__twitter_impression=true

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Wow. I see they did test more though according to the Orlando sentinel...coming in at 99,000 tests, also a record for the state.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.or...6xbdgbdjag7mdx7g3u4-story.html?outputType=amp
As this article states host, the virus is spreading more prolifically in only one other State, Arizona.

And sadly, there are several articles today reporting that the virus is now predictably moving beyond the young bar-hopping cohort and into nursing homes.

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/...cilities-hit-record?__twitter_impression=true

While this is true, a 15% positive rate is way too high.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I know. But it would be nice if people took their health advice from health experts. And that people felt they could trust those health experts. While Disney has a moral obligation to make wise decisions regarding health, they are in fact still a business who will run as a business.

I can tell you the virus was a problem in CA prior to Disneyland closing. There were people in my own circle, despite overwhelming evidence in our community, who didn’t believe it was a thing until Disney closed. That’s sad to me.

I agree but I will also say the health experts don't all agree and I mean that on a personal level. The health experts of my state don't always match what one of the main hospital systems in my metro who doesn't always agree with the health director of my county and my health director of my county doesn't always agree with the heath department of other counties in the metro, and so on. Some of our paths that differentiate in my metro are a direct result of those opinions of the health communities. So me following the advice of my local health director may not be what you (general) you thinks is correct for instance.

The basis though of what you're talking about back then I totally agree with as in the type of place Disney was NOT a place that should stay open when it was clear a national and global public health crisis such that the amount of people in a given area was a huge factor and Disney is all about having a lot of people in a given area. Nowadays though there's more approaches out there. So when it comes to trusting those health experts (micro level is more what I'm talking about) it becomes a game of which one. And to be fair that's how it is in the medical (and many other) communities; they don't all have a consensus.

 

[wombat_5606]

Our county is giving our students 4 options:

What state are you in?

Seems to be a good, comprehensive plan. I'm going to forward your post to my daughter to get her reaction for my granddaughter. Our area is still in the planning phase and I believe they surveyed all parents. It will be interesting to see what finally gets approved.

 

[godisney14]

FL achieved a new record with ~15,300 cases in one day.

Orange: 18,001 (+1,371) !!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Here are today’s update on Florida’s daily new cases. FL achieved a new record with ~15,300 cases in one day.

Orange: 18,001 (+1,371) !!
Seminole: 4,229 (+146)
Volusia: 3,805 (+171)
Brevard: 3,369 (+132)
Osceola: 4,167 (+306)
Lake: 2,517 (+123)
Sumter: 655 (+33)
Marion: 1,489 (+86)
Flagler: 493 (+20)
Polk: 7,246 (+263)

Florida and Orange County both need a stay at home mandate.

 

[JimMIA]

Testing was way up - 142,000 tests but a big number of new cases today.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1282330868573515779

I've seen several numbers for Saturday tests: 142,000; 99,000 (uncited), and the source that I rely on (one of our local TV stations) says 136,711.

It's silly to pull one number out of a ton of numbers and focus on that -- which is why I like the much more detailed analysis Channel 10 uses. It gives not only a more accurate picture, but also enough historical data to see the trends. Link below.

I suspect that the 142K and 136K numbers are correct and that the 142K includes inconclusive test results. The 136K number includes only new positives and negatives.

The new case positivity rate for Saturday was 11.2%, down from 18+% a few days earlier. That rate is the rate of new positive cases, divided by the total number of results (15,299/136,711). Inconclusive results are not counted one way or another.

If you use the 142,000 number, 15,300 divided by 142,000 = 10.8%.

Still too high.

Here's a link to Channel 10's detailed analysis: https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/07/10/coronavirus-florida-cases-covid-19-latest-data-update/

 

[wombat_5606]

I encourage anyone that's interested to follow CovidActNow.

Covid Act Now
Guided by common values, Covid Act Now is a multidisciplinary team of technologists, epidemiologists, health experts, and public policy leaders working to provide disease intelligence and data analysis on COVID in the U.S.

We published the first version of our model on March 20. Over 10 million Americans have used the model since. We’ve engaged with dozens of federal, state, and local government officials, including the U.S. military and White House, to assist with response planning.


They have a quick visual of what is happening in Florida and around the US.

This is Florida, updated yesterday.

https://covidactnow.org/us/fl?s=662109

 

[wombat_5606]

I've seen several numbers for Saturday tests: 142,000; 99,000 (uncited), and the source that I rely on (one of our local TV stations) says 136,711.

I suspect that the 142K and 136K numbers are correct and that the 142K includes inconclusive test results. The 136K number includes only new positives and negatives.

The new case positivity rate for Saturday was 11.2%, down from 18+% a few days earlier. That rate is the rate of new positive cases, divided by the total number of results (15,299/136,711). Inconclusive results are not counted one way or another.

If you use the 142,000 number, 15,300 divided by 142,000 = 10.8%.

Still too high.

Here's a link to Channel 10's detailed analysis: https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/07/10/coronavirus-florida-cases-covid-19-latest-data-update/

Here's the problem with Florida's testing data. The bold paragraph explains some things. Notice the date, that is important, too!

As bad as Florida sounds to some of us, it's really not a true picture and it's actually worse. Those who aren't worried about the reports, might want to look at the results with this information in mind.

Mixed PCR and antigen testing data
The FDA has approved two different COVID-19 diagnostic tests: PCR tests and antigen tests. The PCR test is a molecular test that detects the presence of the genetic material of the virus. It is seen as the gold standard of diagnostic tests. It is the most accurate test available, but it can take days to get test results. Antigen tests are a newly approved, rapid form of COVID-19 diagnostic test that detects the presence of a specific protein on the surface of the virus. Results are quick, but they are not as sensitive as PCR tests and have a higher chance of false negatives.

On July 1, the Florida Department of Health started mixing antigen test results with PCR test results and calculating an overall percent-positive rate using this commingled data. The state does not break out the number of each type of test reported. Because these tests perform differently and antigen tests are more likely to provide false negative results, these tests should not be combined in reports. They should also not be used to calculate the percent positivity, which is likely to be artificially lowered by the inclusion of a test with a greater percentage of false negatives.

Antigen tests are also not considered to be “confirmatory” tests, so people with positive antigen tests alone don’t count as confirmed cases of COVID-19. In fact, they don’t even count as probable cases without additional epidemiological or clinical evidence. Antigen test totals and results should be provided separately.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I encourage anyone that's interested to follow CovidActNow.

Covid Act Now
Guided by common values, Covid Act Now is a multidisciplinary team of technologists, epidemiologists, health experts, and public policy leaders working to provide disease intelligence and data analysis on COVID in the U.S.

We published the first version of our model on March 20. Over 10 million Americans have used the model since. We’ve engaged with dozens of federal, state, and local government officials, including the U.S. military and White House, to assist with response planning.


They have a quick visual of what is happening in Florida and around the US.

This is Florida, updated yesterday.

https://covidactnow.org/us/fl?s=662109

I haven't found that to be an accurate source in all honesty. They still haven't updated the contact tracers where we have at least double what they state for my state and that was over a month ago so I imagine there's been more hired. I can't seem to match up their positivity rate either for my state, for my County in particular they aren't discriminating enough on the ICU beds because we share beds in the metro area, etc.

I'm sure for some places it's more accurate than others but for mine over time I just haven't found it to be the source to use for my particular area.