Posts by Lawrence Reed3

Amanda Kim2 said:There’s no way they lift these restrictions before Easter—not here in the States either!

According to Bill, Angela Merkel told her party's working group meeting that the lockdown in Germany will likely have to stay in place for another eight to ten weeks—basically right through Easter, which falls on April 4th this year. Bill covered the news by calling it "the Chancellor's shocking announcement."

Merkel warned about a massive spike in infections caused by a mutated strain coming out of the United Kingdom.

"If we don't manage to stop this British virus, we'll be looking at ten times the infection rate by Easter," Merkel reportedly said, per Bill citing meeting attendees.

Bill reports that Merkel emphasized several times that there's absolutely no guarantee measures will ease up by the end of January. The whole goal is to bring the infection rate down to 50 cases per 100,000 people over seven days—only then can they actually track contacts effectively.

I honestly don't get why everyone keeps obsessing over what other countries are doing versus what we're doing—it hasn't really worked that way before, right? I mean, policies should probably be tailored to what's actually happening within our own borders. Since the numbers are finally starting to trend downward, maybe—if we're looking at a worst-case scenario—they might extend the current rules through the end of February just to play it super safe. But, I guess we could potentially see a gradual reopening starting around February 1st, maybe testing things out every two weeks or so to see how the situation develops.

Carol Barnes36 said:Has nobody else here caught wind of this new strain that’s causing countries to tighten up their borders and regulations—or do you all honestly think it’s just going to breeze right through here without us feeling the hit?

I mean, honestly, should we really be panicking just because everyone else is losing their minds? I don't think there's actually proof this new strain is any more dangerous than what we've already dealt with—and if anything, I feel like we're even in this mess because people started freaking out so much. If they hadn't made such a massive deal out of everything, I bet nobody would have even noticed the virus.

James Phillips92 said:The mandates haven't achieved anything besides causing damage. Enough people have been infected to build up immunity, and there's less room for the virus to spread now. If it weren't for these measures, we would've been out of this situation already.

Yeah, totally.

A buddy of mine just hit me up today—he tested positive for COVID. He’s mostly just dealing with some mild symptoms, though. Since he’s a doctor, I guess he had to get tested for work anyway, which is how he found out. He isn't really sure where he picked it up, which is a bit weird since we haven't hung out since our workout session about eight days ago. He thinks they might have done the testing yesterday, or maybe he's been in isolation since then—he mentioned he has to stay home until December 14th. Does anyone know how far back they actually track contacts? I'm not totally sure if he listed us or not, but I figured I'd ask just to be safe!

Megan Green72 said:That’s not luck. That’s just being straight-up selfish.

Sent from my iPad using Reddit

Yeah, and?

David White5 said:I ended up stuck in quarantine back in November because some guy caught it from a coworker who had the nerve to show up to the office with a fever for three straight days without saying a word to anyone until he was finally too sick to even function and had to beg for remote work. That guy ended up infecting half his department, including my close friend, and while my buddy actually did the right thing by calling me immediately once symptoms hit, the idiot who started this whole mess just treated the entire situation like some kind of joke.
Luckily, I didn't end up getting sick or anything, but I spent two miserable weeks rotting in my room just to make sure I didn't pass anything on to my family. My paycheck took about a 15% hit because of the sick leave, which really sucks, though the guy who infected everyone is doing fine and back at work, even if his sense of taste hasn't quite returned yet.
Those two weeks in isolation were nothing but a massive waste of life because you can't go anywhere, your income takes a dive, you miss important commitments, and you end up feeling like a burden on everyone else in the house.
The absolute worst part is that I'll never find out the name of that complete moron whose sheer carelessness put other people at risk and robbed me of my life for a couple of weeks. I'd love to know what he'd have to say to my face if I actually went after him to pay me back for the money I lost.

Luckily, I tend to hang out with people who will give me a heads-up privately if they get sick, rather than handing over everyone else's info to health officials just so others can dodge quarantine.

If they put you under quarantine, does anyone actually go out and check who's living in your house, or are you just supposed to report it yourself?

Angela Chavez11 said:Haven't seen a police patrol like that in 30 years.

Where does it say you have to wave through a window? It just says you aren't allowed to leave your location—though we're seeing more exceptions lately, but that's a whole other discussion.

You claimed it’s a fact that if, say, the police knock and nobody answers, a fine is automatically issued. Even if a fine is issued, it can be contested in court.

All in all, aside from those few spring incidents that were basically media stunts for publicity, the police are handling this professionally and rationally. Same goes for the CDC. No need for folk wisdom or anecdotal "facts." The institutions have things under control.

That's true! For a fine to actually happen, they have to prove that the specific violation actually occurred. This idea that the police can just fine people simply because they won't open their doors is honestly just nonsense. You could fight those kinds of fines in court with 100% certainty (if they even try to issue them, that is). It’s kind of like getting a parking ticket when it hasn't even been determined if you were parked illegally or not.
But, like I was saying before, you could still technically violate self-isolation orders without even leaving your house.

Nicole James said:Of course, from your perspective, it makes total sense—you head out alone into the woods, you aren't going to run into anyone, you aren't a threat to anyone, so why bother being stuck inside? It seems pointless to be penalized for that.

The problem is, here in the States, people are getting arrested constantly just for stepping out to a grocery store or a local pub. Since there is no way to monitor whether you actually took a responsible solo hike into the forest or if you actually headed out drunk with a group of friends, the only way to maintain any kind of order is to mandate that everyone stays home. At the end of the day, you have to consider those unplanned scenarios—like if you pass out or have an emergency, and an ambulance picks you up and rushes you to a nearby ER where you might end up infecting the medical staff along the way...

It’s also pretty much impossible for them to track whether someone is dropping by your house for a visit.
It’s the same logic as if you were working in your garden and got hurt, so the ambulance has to come pick you up—I mean, hopefully the hospital staff has some extra protection during this crazy health crisis!
The folks in charge of these regulations should probably be a little more flexible with how they enforce things and hand out fines. Like, if they catch someone at a crowded bar, okay, fine, maybe issue a penalty if they're sick and contagious. But if someone just goes for a walk in nature to get away from everyone, they really shouldn't be getting punished for that. Even the epidemiologists don't seem to mind, and we all know that getting some fresh air is actually good for you when dealing with a virus.

Nancy Howard4 said:some people just want to watch the world burn

It’s not really like everything is on fire right now—unless, I guess, you choose to believe all those scary lies. If you go down that road, then sure, maybe the apocalypse is right around the corner.

It’s not like this really affects me that much... I mean, I’ve got some way bigger things on my plate right now, so I don't exactly feel like stepping up as some big-hearted altruist or taking on everyone else's burdens. I wasn't exactly living for others before either—but honestly, lately? Even less so.

One of the silver linings of being unemployed right now—and no, they didn't just let my contract expire because of this whole economic mess caused by the entire COVID circus—is that even if I catch something and start feeling symptoms, I don't have to stress about isolation. Since I’m not officially on anyone's radar, I don't have to worry about being tracked... my friends aren't reporting me, I'm not leaving my info anywhere else... plus, if the symptoms stay mild, I can probably just power through it on my feet and stuff.

Nicholas Davis4 said:😂 🤣

Is that all? It seems like there are practically no criteria for what qualifies as a tragedy—or if there are, the bar is set incredibly low.
Whether we’re dealing with a pandemic or not, the outcome remains exactly the same.

Well, obviously! Everyone has their own set of standards for what matters or doesn't matter in life.
It makes total sense that if I can't do the things I actually love, it’s going to hit me hard—life isn't just a repetitive loop of work and home... so yeah, call it a "minor tragedy" if you want.
Honestly, this is bothering me way more than the pandemic ever did.

Keith Barrett2 said:Honestly, even just seeing 🙄 his username makes me think back to that absolute disaster of a life he had when they shut down his local Gold's Gym during the lockdown... man, he was practically begging for some illegal 🤦

John, honestly, everyone has their own little tragedies in life—for one person, it might be not being able to hit the gym, or losing a job, or even just not being able to go out to a club... everyone's got something. I guess anything that totally wrecks your daily routine feels like a bit of a tragedy, right?

nimbleranger17 said:With these mandatory isolation orders, there isn't even a mechanism to appeal them. It's just yet another unconstitutional, unlawful decree that I’ve been venting about on this board for months now.

Well, you can always contest a fine... I mean, if they slap you with one without even giving you a heads-up, or if the police show up at your door and you don't answer? There’s basically no grounds for a ticket since they can't actually prove you even left the house! Maybe you were just sleeping, or maybe you had headphones on and didn't hear the knock—it happens!
I guess it's probably best not to give out any of your personal info over the phone or through texts, anyway.

Nicholas Davis4 said:If nobody is forcing you to do it, people should be dragging you out from under those threats instead.
If it isn't you, then a good chunk of the population certainly should be.

Since everyone is constantly out and about, we’re basically a nation of couch potatoes.

How are you handling things like rotavirus? Or chickenpox? Have you just never been sick? Or maybe you weren't "sick" per se, but you were totally sidelined—like dealing with a torn ligament, a bad sprain, or just being stuck at home moping around?

I'm just speaking for myself here.
I mean, I might pick a weekend to stay in, especially if the weather is being terrible—but I'm definitely not talking about staying cooped up for two weeks straight. Even then, I'd at least head out for some groceries.
Plus, I actually stay active—I work out, I run, and I love hiking in nature. I'm really not one of those people who spends days slumped on the sofa glued to the TV.
So, obviously, if I'm feeling sick, I'm not going to go out—it's just not happening—but I guess it depends on how bad it is. I certainly wouldn't lock myself away just because of a tiny little cold, and honestly, when I feel a bit run down, a workout is usually what gets me back on my feet. It's a different story, though, when something hits you harder and your body just won't let you move.

Can you even imagine me being stuck in one single room for ten whole days?

darkotter35 said:So, my kid just got slapped with a 10-day quarantine because some classmate tested positive.
Now, we just got hit with news that the isolation period is being tacked on for another 7 days because apparently, someone else in the class popped up positive in the meantime.
Is there actually any legal ground for them to extend those initial 10 days like this?
At this rate, they could basically sentence healthy kids to three months of isolation!
Right?
WTF?

This is just insane... honestly, we should be avoiding this stuff whenever possible, but they just keep terrorizing everyone with these rules. I mean, think about it—you have a kid stuck in isolation, and if they finish the period feeling totally fine, what's the point of extending it? It makes zero sense and has no logic behind it at all.
A buddy of a friend has his kid stuck at home in quarantine while the rest of the family is just going about their business normally—and of course, everyone in the house ends up coming into contact anyway.

My colleague's son just got word—nine whole days later!—that he has to quarantine because he went to some play where someone was apparently infected. Like, seriously? Nine days? If they're that late with the notification, there's really no point in even telling people anymore.
Honestly, this whole mandatory isolation thing needs to be scrapped. It just doesn't make sense anymore. Maybe it had a purpose at the very beginning when everything was first spreading, but now? We’re basically just having a giant, uncontrolled party with the virus—especially if you factor in all the people they can't even track down...

Harold Davis7 said:No, absolutely not, you aren't allowed to leave your apartment.
I had an officer knock right on my door once. If I hadn't been home, I would have ended up with a massive fine from $2667.

I think it’s just because the people enforcing these rules made it up as they go along, even though the actual health experts don't seem to see any issue with folks getting some fresh air as long as they stay away from crowds. Like, I went out for a run at 7:00 this morning and there wasn't a soul in sight—you can easily keep a massive distance from anyone when the streets are empty!
Honestly, I doubt you'd actually get fined, because how is an officer supposed to prove you weren't home? They can't just hand out tickets for no reason.
But hey, at least while you're stuck in quarantine, you can still have people over to your place if nothing else.