Gov. Abbott opens TX. MS, CT, WV, AZ & KS join. Now GOP opens Georgia!

[NorvilleBarnes 4,264]

Good idea? Or great idea?

Edited Thursday at 01:49 AM by NorvilleBarnes
Adding states.

[NorvilleBarnes 4,264]

"Effective next Wednesday, all businesses of any type are allowed to open 100%. That includes any type of entity in Texas. Also, I am ending the state-wide mask mandate."

[Rich Conway 3,968]

Terrible idea, obviously.

[Thunderlips 5,377]

If he had any courage he would have done it IMMEDIATELY!....instead of waiting until Wed. 

[Rodrigo Duterte 812]

Please secede, that would be great thanks.

[IvanKaramazov 22,557]

Probably a month or so too early, but the effects of vaccination are probably going to completely drown out the effects of this policy change.

[Ilov80s 31,018]

1 minute ago, IvanKaramazov said:

Probably a month or so too early, but the effects of vaccination are probably going to completely drown out the effects of this policy change.

I wonder the vaccination rate in Texas will be after seeing the poll here in Michigan where >50% of Republicans said they don’t plan on getting the vaccine.

[Grace Under Pressure 4,325]

1 minute ago, IvanKaramazov said:

Probably a month or so too early, but the effects of vaccination are probably going to completely drown out the effects of this policy change.

Agreed. The writing is on the wall that in 1-2 months or so the impact of vaccinations will start kicking in. So in the interest of political gain, he got out in front of it, instead of prudently waiting the 2 months. Politics over public health. It will be a race to say "look at how we handled this better than the libs" with Florida currently running in first place with that mantra.

[Sea Duck 1,471]

4 minutes ago, IvanKaramazov said:

Probably a month or so too early, but the effects of vaccination are probably going to completely drown out the effects of this policy change.

Which is exactly why he's doing it now. The political capital gained will outweigh the slight increase in COVID cases.

[FairWarning 1,035]

14 minutes ago, Ilov80s said:

I wonder the vaccination rate in Texas will be after seeing the poll here in Michigan where >50% of Republicans said they don’t plan on getting the vaccine.

I didn’t see that poll.  It’s those darn Youppers and very southern people in the state.  All I know is she better open this soon, losing a LOT of business to Indiana.  It’s 100% open next to me.

[supermike80 1,620]

21 minutes ago, Ilov80s said:

I wonder the vaccination rate in Texas will be after seeing the poll here in Michigan where >50% of Republicans said they don’t plan on getting the vaccine.

As long as the vulnerable stay at home.   The elderly, those with preesixting conditions etc stay at home it should be fine.

Also the lack of a mandate doesn;t mean you can't wear a mask as your own choice.  Again, those with pre existing conditions and the elderly etc shoudl wear them

[Biff84 2,927]

Seems like a huge mistake, not just for the physical effects but it’s also broadcasting the pandemic is over. I imagine that vaccination rates will plummet when everything is allowed to go back to no restrictions. Good luck convincing the general public they need to still get the vaccine.

We’re only a few months from having enough people vaccinated to realistically remove these restrictions. Instead let’s do it while most still haven’t been vaccinated and variants threaten to cause another peak in cases.

[Ilov80s 31,018]

3 minutes ago, supermike80 said:

As long as the vulnerable stay at home.   The elderly, those with preesixting conditions etc stay at home it should be fine.

Also the lack of a mandate doesn;t mean you can't wear a mask as your own choice.  Again, those with pre existing conditions and the elderly etc shoudl wear them

All true. Just would be nice if everyone could get the vaccine so we can put an end to COVID like we have other diseases we have vaccines for. It would suck for this to just drag on as the new normal now.

[Ilov80s 31,018]

10 minutes ago, FairWarning said:

I didn’t see that poll.  It’s those darn Youppers and very southern people in the state.  All I know is she better open this soon, losing a LOT of business to Indiana.  It’s 100% open next to me.

Friday I think bars and restaurants go to 50%. Is there anything else that’s closed or restricted besides that?

[zoonation 5,280]

It is absolutely amazing to me how the American narrative on covid, opening up, masks and other safety precautions is the exact opposite of most every other western democratic society.  It is not surprising to me that the death rate is what it is in America as a consequence though.

[knowledge dropper 6,716]

21 minutes ago, FairWarning said:

I didn’t see that poll.  It’s those darn Youppers and very southern people in the state.  All I know is she better open this soon, losing a LOT of business to Indiana.  It’s 100% open next to me.

I was in Indiana last weekend it felt more restrictive than Ohio.  I would hate to see how restrictive Michigan must be.  

[IvanKaramazov 22,557]

14 minutes ago, supermike80 said:

As long as the vulnerable stay at home.   The elderly, those with preesixting conditions etc stay at home it should be fine.

I have no idea how vaccination is going in Texas, but in my state the elderly are already vaccinated.  It will be a little while yet before we get through all the people with various comorbidities, but we're getting there.  Those aren't really the people we need to be worrying about.  This is weird to think about, but as recently as a month or so ago I considered myself to be relatively "low risk" compared to lots of other folks.  The situation has changed to the point where a guy like me -- nearly 50 with only one underlying condition (well-controlled asthma) is probably among the higher-risk people out there now, just because everybody else in a higher risk tier is now immune, or will be in the very near future. 

As has been the case through pretty much the entire pandemic, our conversation is about a month behind events on the ground.  I think it's still a little too early to open up, but we should be planning plan on reopening in a couple of months.  I can't really say that Texas is doing anything wildly out of line here.   

[dawgtrails 1,157]

1 minute ago, IvanKaramazov said:

 

As has been the case through pretty much the entire pandemic, our conversation is about a month behind events on the ground.  I think it's still a little too early to open up, but we should be planning plan on reopening in a couple of months.  I can't really say that Texas is doing anything wildly out of line here.   

I think that opening up is abit premature, but understandeable. You can do that though, and still have the mask mandate, which would make sense

[The General 24,985]

Not having the mask mandate seems like a dumb and unnecessary thing to add. 

No clue how they determined it is good to open 100% if they have the numbers to prove this is a good idea have at it. 

 

[FairWarning 1,035]

16 minutes ago, knowledge dropper said:

I was in Indiana last weekend it felt more restrictive than Ohio.  I would hate to see how restrictive Michigan must be.  

It’s county by county in Indiana .  LaPorte County (on Lake Mich) is 100% open, just masks.

Edited March 2 by FairWarning

[dawgtrails 1,157]

Also, just saw that in TX, teachers, grocery store workers, and other essential workers are not even eligible for the vaccine yet. 

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/covid-19-vaccine-doses.html

[Shula-holic 2,496]

27 minutes ago, Ilov80s said:

Friday I think bars and restaurants go to 50%. Is there anything else that’s closed or restricted besides that?

U of M still hasn't sent us their football renewals yet, school waiting to see what happens

[Dinsy Ejotuz 13,291]

Pretty reckless.  More people will die as a result.

When all is said and done this won't be just about the deaths though.  A close friend (50s, good health, active, eats insanely well) recovered from COVID after a few days in the hospital but has now been diagnosed with a chronic lung condition that will, at best, periodically impact her quality of life for the rest of her life.  At worst it will kill her early.  You can be middle aged or young and still get wrecked by this virus even if you survive.

 

 

[joffer 12,478]

dumb, but expected

[Ilov80s 31,018]

5 minutes ago, Shula-holic said:

U of M still hasn't sent us their football renewals yet, school waiting to see what happens

I already got mine 

[Apple Jack 4,937]

"Needless to say, this didn't work out and everyone died."

[shadrap 1,849]

I think he is right to do this but I have no idea whether I'm right on him to do this.

hope it turns out good.  

[Apple Jack 4,937]

1 hour ago, IvanKaramazov said:

Probably a month or so too early, but the effects of vaccination are probably going to completely drown out the effects of this policy change.

Hope you are right. Definitely seems more erring on the side of reckless from "GOP" leadership.

[dawgtrails 1,157]

I do urge anyone who has friends who are healthcare workers or teachers or whoever is currently getting vaccinated to have them ask ther vaccine provider what they do with any extra doses.

I am nearly 47 and healthy. Wife is 40 and healthier than me. We both got our first shot last week because her sister works in a group home and all staff and patients were scheduled to get their shots on the same day. Well, several patients backed out, and my sister in law asked what they plan to do with the extras, and they told her that if she knew anyone who could come down ASAP. She called us, we dropped everything and got the 3rd and 2nd to last doses they had on site. Have follow up already scheduled 3 weeks to the day.

This is in twin cities, FYI, where they are only vaccinating 65+ and teachers and healthcare workers

Edited March 2 by dawgtrails

[FairWarning 1,035]

17 minutes ago, Dinsy Ejotuz said:

Pretty reckless.  More people will die as a result.

When all is said and done this won't be just about the deaths though.  A close friend (50s, good health, active, eats insanely well) recovered from COVID after a few days in the hospital but has now been diagnosed with a chronic lung condition that will, at best, periodically impact her quality of life for the rest of her life.  At worst it will kill her early.  You can be middle aged or young and still get wrecked by this virus even if you survive.

 

 

So when do you propose we open back up, when everyone is bankrupt?

[IvanKaramazov 22,557]

Not sure if this is coincidence or if Abbott knew this was coming, but Biden has apparently now updated the timeline and is saying that we'll have enough vaccines for all adults by the end of May.  

Remember this time last year, when the sophisticated in-the-know take was that we should be more worried about the flu than covid-19 and people in the FFA were making really regrettable posts about how wild hippos were more dangerous, and then the ground completely shifted under everybody's feet in a matter of weeks?  That's what's about to happen again, only in reverse.    

[Dinsy Ejotuz 13,291]

20 minutes ago, IvanKaramazov said:

Not sure if this is coincidence or if Abbott knew this was coming, but Biden has apparently now updated the timeline and is saying that we'll have enough vaccines for all adults by the end of May.  

Remember this time last year, when the sophisticated in-the-know take was that we should be more worried about the flu than covid-19 and people in the FFA were making really regrettable posts about how wild hippos were more dangerous, and then the ground completely shifted under everybody's feet in a matter of weeks?  That's what's about to happen again, only in reverse.    

I agree, mostly.  Six months from now we'll be living in a very different world, and I've been super optimistic in a number of COVID posts recently.  I think people are overestimating the danger from the variants (ETA: with a vaccination!) and the time to herd immunity, and underestimating potential gains from good weather and etc.  There's a lot to feel great about.

But IMO reopening everything with no restrictions and signaling that masks aren't needed anymore is a bad mistake and it will kill or maim quite a lot of people who would have made it to September otherwise.  50% capacity in bars with no masks is insane for example.

Edited March 2 by Dinsy Ejotuz

[dawgtrails 1,157]

13 minutes ago, FairWarning said:

So when do you propose we open back up, when everyone is bankrupt?

If you read the comments, people generally have more of an issue with the lifting of the mask mandate and not the opening up. So no, we don't want to wait until everyone is bankrupt, don't be silly

[FairWarning 1,035]

3 minutes ago, dawgtrails said:

If you read the comments, people generally have more of an issue with the lifting of the mask mandate and not the opening up. So no, we don't want to wait until everyone is bankrupt, don't be silly

 I think there will still be a lot of people wearing them in Texas and elsewhere, especially in cities.  I didn’t see the post that essential workers were still waiting for vaccinations. I’m essential also, will get mine in the next couple of weeks.  

[Biff84 2,927]

33 minutes ago, dawgtrails said:

I do urge anyone who has friends who are healthcare workers or teachers or whoever is currently getting vaccinated to have them ask ther vaccine provider what they do with any extra doses.

I am nearly 47 and healthy. Wife is 40 and healthier than me. We both got our first shot last week because her sister works in a group home and all staff and patients were scheduled to get their shots on the same day. Well, several patients backed out, and my sister in law asked what they plan to do with the extras, and they told her that if she knew anyone who could come down ASAP. She called us, we dropped everything and got the 3rd and 2nd to last doses they had on site. Have follow up already scheduled 3 weeks to the day.

This is in twin cities, FYI, where they are only vaccinating 65+ and teachers and healthcare workers

It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. 9 times out of 10 we don’t have doses leftover. We try to avoid making it a random person because every time it happens that person tells everyone that we have extra doses and you just have to ask. And then they get upset the 90% of days when we don’t have any extras. Then there are days like yesterday where we had 2 doses to give and were only able to find one person before we closed. Luckily I had to stay late and had someone who could come in so that it didn’t go to waste.

[John123 127]

Mississippi too:

https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/972952844/texas-and-mississippi-to-lift-covid-19-mask-mandates-and-business-capacity-limits

[parasaurolophus 7,548]

I dont think it is a great idea or a good idea. I dont have issues with removing the mask mandate. I do think being 100% open though makes little sense. I assume this means no crowd size restrictions, and I cant agree with that being a good idea. 

 

[jobarules 759]

1 hour ago, FairWarning said:

So when do you propose we open back up, when everyone is bankrupt?

I dont see why they can't open 100% yet keep mask mandates for now. 

[rockaction 26,139]

I personally think this is a really bad idea. Opening up full with no masks strikes me as terribly irresponsible at the local level. Coming at it as a forty-seven year-old with an underlying condition (diabetes), I fully want one more month or two before we get vaccinated before I have to dodge everybody in the world who feels invincible without a mask. Chances are, they're not invincible, and they're spreading it while just being stupidly influenced by bravado and whatnot. This is really the classic case of my fist's right ends at your face that I'm thinking of. Those that are thinking at a more macro level are arguing economic efficiency, and really fail when it comes to explaining the individual liberty avenue. I wouldn't confuse the two, that's for sure.

[Shula-holic 2,496]

2 hours ago, Ilov80s said:

I already got mine 

Interesting. We’ve gotten communication and we rolled some accounts money forward. But they’ve not asked for a penny on any of ours yet. 

[NorvilleBarnes 4,264]

You guys realize you can wear a mask without being forced to do so by the government right?

[supermike80 1,620]

9 minutes ago, NorvilleBarnes said:

You guys realize you can wear a mask without being forced to do so by the government right?

Without a leader telling them what to do many just don't know what to do

[rockaction 26,139]

7 minutes ago, NorvilleBarnes said:

You guys realize you can wear a mask without being forced to do so by the government right?

Absolutely. And it helps if other people wear theirs so they don't spread it when they have it but don't know they do yet. Not that drastic of a concept to understand. Surprised you're missing that element of it. 

[rockaction 26,139]

Just now, supermike80 said:

Without a leader telling them what to do many just don't know what to do

No. It's about you maskless guys spreading it around and it replicating quickly that way. Are you guys really that obtuse about how this spreads?

[NorvilleBarnes 4,264]

1 minute ago, rockaction said:

Absolutely. And it helps if other people wear theirs so they don't spread it when they have it but don't know they do yet. Not that drastic of a concept to understand. Surprised you're missing that element of it. 

Nope, I completely agree. Sorry.

[supermike80 1,620]

Just now, rockaction said:

No. It's about you maskless guys spreading it around and it replicating quickly that way. Are you guys really that obtuse about how this spreads?

I'm not maskless.  But I do it because I think its the right thing to do.  Not cause the exalted leader told me to. 

[Apple Jack 4,937]

11 minutes ago, NorvilleBarnes said:

You guys realize you can wear a mask without being forced to do so by the government right?

Are we really back at Masks 101 again?

[rockaction 26,139]

This is really basic. Non-mandatory masking equals more non-mandatory wearers. This helps the virus spread quicker and makes it more likely more people will get it.

[NorvilleBarnes 4,264]

1 minute ago, rockaction said:

No. It's about you maskless guys spreading it around and it replicating quickly that way. Are you guys really that obtuse about how this spreads?

This is rich. 

Disclosure - I'm not a "maskless guy"  - not spreading it around. Not relying on my Gov to tell me what to do. 

[rockaction 26,139]

Just now, Apple Jack said:

Are we really back at Masks 101 again?

We apparently are. Holy criminy. I think, for some people, we never left Masks 101 and those that failed Masks 101 are hollering the loudest about failing it but, hey, grade inflation and nobody wants to deal with them, so they get passed on.

The American public has never -- and I mean this -- acted more stupid than in this pandemic.