I love that you tucked a laugh in with not good news. Well done, Joshua.
I may stand alone, but I find Baker’s explanation for not putting an indoor mask mandate in place to be ridiculous. How does he not know that being vaccinated does not mean you can neither get nor spread covid.
From the Globe…
“ Amid growing calls for a statewide mask mandate to blunt surging COVID-19 cases and rising hospitalizations, more communities are starting to take action.
Several, including Georgetown, Lowell, Chelsea, and Salem, have in the past two weeks reimposed mask rules for indoor public spaces.
But Governor Charlie Baker has resisted those calls, reiterating on Monday that he had no plans for a statewide mask mandate, noting that 5 million residents in Massachusetts are fully vaccinated and 1.5 million of those have booster shots.”
Another odd approach to masks is from the Governor of VT who has unquestionably been brilliant throughout. He said he doesn’t want to put a mask mandate in place because it punishes those who have done the right thing and been vaccinated. When did wearing masks to protect yourself and others become a punishment.
I give up!
I can’t look at this any more because I am going to go
and an expletive rant like you have never seen before.
If you could hear me, you’d feel right at home.
Cornell in Ithaca shutting down with the spread of omicron in the school. I don’t understand that since covid comes from outside the schools and doesn’t spread from within. 🙁
I’m seeing headlines “People are fed up with masks,” and “It’s too much to ask of people.” This reminds me of the placards demonstrators displayed in the spring and summer of 2020: “I need a haircut,” “Social distancing is communism.” I can tell you one thing, had we had this attitude in the 1940s we would have lost to the Germans.
Wearing a mask is NOT a sacrifice. It’s not a punishment. If it is seen as such, then we as a society are a bunch of wimps.
The Dutch, Austrians, Germans, and others are clearly a lot tougher than we are. They really are sacrificing quite a bit during this holiday season, with gatherings (family, friends, office co-workers) curtailed or canceled altogether, restaurants and bars closed after 5pm, schools shut down as well. Very few Dutch, Austrians, and Germans view this as punishment. When interviewed, young and old in Holland tend to say the same thing, “I wish we didn’t have these Covid measures in place, but it’s for the greater good … we need to save lives and help relieve the hospitals.”
The entire world has gone nuts. When we should be working together, we are pulling further and further apart.
New York Times ..
“ A group of people handcuffed a principal in northern Greece and took him to the police, suggesting that officers arrest him for enforcing Covid measures at a school.
Instead, the group was detained and now faces abduction charges.”
You are oh so right.
With regard to masks, especially younger kids, will not be able to recognize or understand facial expressions in people. I’m not saying I necessarily agree but that is one argument I’ve heard against masks from child experts.
Where the heck is Biden? PM Boris Johnson is on TV every day discussing the public health emergency. See tweet below which contains a clip from today’s speech. Note also the important things the UK government is doing that we are NOT. Shameful. PM Mark Rutte in the Netherlands is also on TV every day, emphasizing the critical situation that is unfolding. I can go on and on listing European leaders. Biden is absent on this particular issue; AWOL, really. This is utterly inexcusable. https://twitter.com/BloombergUK/status/1471167907459645449
Hospitalization percentage increase in the last 2 weeks:
CT is up 73%
RI is up 59%
MA is up 51%
DE is up 51%
NY is up 22%
PA is up 22%
Even a number of Southern states are now showing increases (these are states that had a blistering Delta wave over the summer), with cases this week exploding in several Southern states (hospitalizations are a lagging indicator):
Meanwhile, Canada is considering closing the border with the U.S. to non-essential travelers.
At the same time, the U.K. – recognizing that Omicron is already in Britain and spreading fast – is to lift all red list travel restrictions with African nations.
Fenway Park will open as a site to receive boosters.
Just as it was with vaccines, the easier access simply isn’t out this way. Uxbridge had a battle getting a vaccine site there and baker never ever once mentioned it
Joshua, what good could President Biden do to go on tv every day if he has nothing really new to report? Last year at the beginning of the pandemic, Trump was on every afternoon and I quickly tuned him out after a couple of appearances. The normal local and National tv news is plenty for now imo unless there is some new breakthrough information.
Philip, I believe that one of the President’s main jobs is messaging. And, right now, there isn’t much messaging going on. I’m hearing lots of people saying this by the way. Certainly there is no messaging in prime time, or in places where large numbers of people are watching. As I said yesterday, there are a number of things the President could say in a national address and isn’t:
1. Offer a stern warning about Omicron, and the opportunity NOW to act to prevent Omicron’s imminent onslaught from wreaking havoc;
2. Provide a plan to send free tests to ALL citizens (and to tell people to isolate if they test positive, and to contact trace);
3. Remind people over and over again to boost – PM Johnson’s constant reminders are working in the UK; their boosting program is 3 times our rate. In fact, our boosting curve is relatively flat compared to the UK (and now other European countries, too)
4. If gathering for the holidays, test prior to and after gathering, and be especially careful – avoid close physical contact – with those over 65 and those who are otherwise vulnerable.
You mentioned Trump being on TV every day. But that was counterproductive messaging. In fact, that was mostly anti-messaging. It was ALL about him. I certainly wouldn’t expect Biden to do that. He’s a MUCH better person than Trump. He cares about others. Trump does not.
Trumps game plan was to tell a lie so many times tag folks believed them to be truth. His one strength is manipulating. People still believe that he won the election. People still believe that january 6 was a typical visitor day to. People still believe Jan 6 was a normal visitor day to the capital or that it was antifa.
Sadly, Biden shows a heart when he speaks and Joshua you are very correct about his needing to be in the forefront. .
Joshua, I absolutely agree with you on #2.
Re: Biden
Kentucky tornado is very much overshadowing Omicron for now. Biden visited the state today. In all fairness, Europe has no major weather disasters like here, so there is no “media” competition if you will, and their leaders can focus on Omicron only.
Fwiw, the WH has officially put out the word to GET BOOSTED!!!
While I agree with Joshua, you have made Excellent points. Biden has so much on his plate that I cannot begin to imagine. The most surprising and worrisome part is media has gotten itself into a vicious cycle of feeding division.
Philip the rescue plan I found yesterday may be a pipe dream. This from NYT ….sad indeed
“ There is no playbook as restaurants head into a second pandemic winter
Heading into a second pandemic winter, restaurants are grappling with a host of challenges: lack of funds, the new Omicron variant, temperamental guests ready to get back to normal life, supply chain issues, and quiet downtowns. There is no playbook. Risk tolerance varies widely. Restaurants make their own vaccine policies for customers and employees.
Meanwhile, the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund has denied relief to two-thirds of applicants. On Tuesday, Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley issued a letter urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer to add up to $60 billion in additional funding. In the meantime, businesses need customers, and they’re muddling through with less guidance than before.”
12-16’s C-19 ready
Comments are closed.
Your no-hype southeastern New England weather blog!
Thanks TK.
Boston wastewater doesn’t look good (well, it never looks good, of course, but you know what I mean). Last week’s blip, which showed declining Covid-19, lasted about a day. https://twitter.com/michaelmina_lab/status/1471010582115586050
I love that you tucked a laugh in with not good news. Well done, Joshua.
I may stand alone, but I find Baker’s explanation for not putting an indoor mask mandate in place to be ridiculous. How does he not know that being vaccinated does not mean you can neither get nor spread covid.
From the Globe…
“ Amid growing calls for a statewide mask mandate to blunt surging COVID-19 cases and rising hospitalizations, more communities are starting to take action.
Several, including Georgetown, Lowell, Chelsea, and Salem, have in the past two weeks reimposed mask rules for indoor public spaces.
But Governor Charlie Baker has resisted those calls, reiterating on Monday that he had no plans for a statewide mask mandate, noting that 5 million residents in Massachusetts are fully vaccinated and 1.5 million of those have booster shots.”
Another odd approach to masks is from the Governor of VT who has unquestionably been brilliant throughout. He said he doesn’t want to put a mask mandate in place because it punishes those who have done the right thing and been vaccinated. When did wearing masks to protect yourself and others become a punishment.
I give up!
I can’t look at this any more because I am going to go
and an expletive rant like you have never seen before.
If you could hear me, you’d feel right at home.
Cornell in Ithaca shutting down with the spread of omicron in the school. I don’t understand that since covid comes from outside the schools and doesn’t spread from within. 🙁
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/12/14/1064197606/cornell-university-omicron-campus-shut-down-covid?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&fbclid=IwAR2puN5i9Yp4q_gAthUeoxUKD-Ode3ESXfK4Tk_UEmdsDz9zNovgCKYtxcM
I’m seeing headlines “People are fed up with masks,” and “It’s too much to ask of people.” This reminds me of the placards demonstrators displayed in the spring and summer of 2020: “I need a haircut,” “Social distancing is communism.” I can tell you one thing, had we had this attitude in the 1940s we would have lost to the Germans.
Wearing a mask is NOT a sacrifice. It’s not a punishment. If it is seen as such, then we as a society are a bunch of wimps.
The Dutch, Austrians, Germans, and others are clearly a lot tougher than we are. They really are sacrificing quite a bit during this holiday season, with gatherings (family, friends, office co-workers) curtailed or canceled altogether, restaurants and bars closed after 5pm, schools shut down as well. Very few Dutch, Austrians, and Germans view this as punishment. When interviewed, young and old in Holland tend to say the same thing, “I wish we didn’t have these Covid measures in place, but it’s for the greater good … we need to save lives and help relieve the hospitals.”
The entire world has gone nuts. When we should be working together, we are pulling further and further apart.
New York Times ..
“ A group of people handcuffed a principal in northern Greece and took him to the police, suggesting that officers arrest him for enforcing Covid measures at a school.
Instead, the group was detained and now faces abduction charges.”
You are oh so right.
With regard to masks, especially younger kids, will not be able to recognize or understand facial expressions in people. I’m not saying I necessarily agree but that is one argument I’ve heard against masks from child experts.
Where the heck is Biden? PM Boris Johnson is on TV every day discussing the public health emergency. See tweet below which contains a clip from today’s speech. Note also the important things the UK government is doing that we are NOT. Shameful. PM Mark Rutte in the Netherlands is also on TV every day, emphasizing the critical situation that is unfolding. I can go on and on listing European leaders. Biden is absent on this particular issue; AWOL, really. This is utterly inexcusable. https://twitter.com/BloombergUK/status/1471167907459645449
Hospitalization percentage increase in the last 2 weeks:
CT is up 73%
RI is up 59%
MA is up 51%
DE is up 51%
NY is up 22%
PA is up 22%
Even a number of Southern states are now showing increases (these are states that had a blistering Delta wave over the summer), with cases this week exploding in several Southern states (hospitalizations are a lagging indicator):
GA is up by 20%
FL is up by 13%
SC is up by 15%
CDC estimates that Omicron will be dominant starting on Christmas. https://twitter.com/JPWeiland/status/1470970350913609733
Meanwhile, Canada is considering closing the border with the U.S. to non-essential travelers.
At the same time, the U.K. – recognizing that Omicron is already in Britain and spreading fast – is to lift all red list travel restrictions with African nations.
Fenway Park will open as a site to receive boosters.
Just as it was with vaccines, the easier access simply isn’t out this way. Uxbridge had a battle getting a vaccine site there and baker never ever once mentioned it
Joshua, what good could President Biden do to go on tv every day if he has nothing really new to report? Last year at the beginning of the pandemic, Trump was on every afternoon and I quickly tuned him out after a couple of appearances. The normal local and National tv news is plenty for now imo unless there is some new breakthrough information.
Philip, I believe that one of the President’s main jobs is messaging. And, right now, there isn’t much messaging going on. I’m hearing lots of people saying this by the way. Certainly there is no messaging in prime time, or in places where large numbers of people are watching. As I said yesterday, there are a number of things the President could say in a national address and isn’t:
1. Offer a stern warning about Omicron, and the opportunity NOW to act to prevent Omicron’s imminent onslaught from wreaking havoc;
2. Provide a plan to send free tests to ALL citizens (and to tell people to isolate if they test positive, and to contact trace);
3. Remind people over and over again to boost – PM Johnson’s constant reminders are working in the UK; their boosting program is 3 times our rate. In fact, our boosting curve is relatively flat compared to the UK (and now other European countries, too)
4. If gathering for the holidays, test prior to and after gathering, and be especially careful – avoid close physical contact – with those over 65 and those who are otherwise vulnerable.
You mentioned Trump being on TV every day. But that was counterproductive messaging. In fact, that was mostly anti-messaging. It was ALL about him. I certainly wouldn’t expect Biden to do that. He’s a MUCH better person than Trump. He cares about others. Trump does not.
Trumps game plan was to tell a lie so many times tag folks believed them to be truth. His one strength is manipulating. People still believe that he won the election. People still believe that january 6 was a typical visitor day to. People still believe Jan 6 was a normal visitor day to the capital or that it was antifa.
Sadly, Biden shows a heart when he speaks and Joshua you are very correct about his needing to be in the forefront. .
Joshua, I absolutely agree with you on #2.
Re: Biden
Kentucky tornado is very much overshadowing Omicron for now. Biden visited the state today. In all fairness, Europe has no major weather disasters like here, so there is no “media” competition if you will, and their leaders can focus on Omicron only.
Fwiw, the WH has officially put out the word to GET BOOSTED!!!
While I agree with Joshua, you have made Excellent points. Biden has so much on his plate that I cannot begin to imagine. The most surprising and worrisome part is media has gotten itself into a vicious cycle of feeding division.
Philip the rescue plan I found yesterday may be a pipe dream. This from NYT ….sad indeed
“ There is no playbook as restaurants head into a second pandemic winter
Heading into a second pandemic winter, restaurants are grappling with a host of challenges: lack of funds, the new Omicron variant, temperamental guests ready to get back to normal life, supply chain issues, and quiet downtowns. There is no playbook. Risk tolerance varies widely. Restaurants make their own vaccine policies for customers and employees.
Meanwhile, the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund has denied relief to two-thirds of applicants. On Tuesday, Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley issued a letter urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer to add up to $60 billion in additional funding. In the meantime, businesses need customers, and they’re muddling through with less guidance than before.”
12-16’s C-19 ready