I'm starting this thread as a side discussion of all things Corona Virus related. I understand that this is going to be discussed in almost all other topic threads but we could collect news and other items here. 

 

At work, many conferences have been cancelled.

NBA - Suspended.

NHL - About to be suspended. 

NCAA March Madness - Playing - no crowd. 

 

Political Rallies have been cancelled. 

Travel bans. 

 

Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks tested positive. They're in Australia where testing is available. If they were in the US, they wouldn't have been tested. 

14 hours ago, Mr Dee said:

Letter signed by 100 experts accuses China of making the pandemic worse by withholding facts

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/china-coronavirus-pandemic-covid-who-1.5531968

There is so much blame to go around the globe over this pandemic but China no doubt shares the brunt of it. I'm not sure what the WHO could've done differently in dealing with such a secretive and reticent gov't regime there. What authority does the WHO even have in trying to get information from countries, anyway?

https://apnews.com/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9

Quote

In the six days after top Chinese officials secretly determined they likely were facing a pandemic from a new coronavirus, the city of Wuhan at the epicenter of the disease hosted a mass banquet for tens of thousands of people; millions began traveling through for Lunar New Year celebrations.

President Xi Jinping warned the public on the seventh day, Jan. 20. But by that time, more than 3,000 people had been infected during almost a week of public silence, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press and expert estimates based on retrospective infection data.

Six days.

That delay from Jan. 14 to Jan. 20 was neither the first mistake made by Chinese officials at all levels in confronting the outbreak, nor the longest lag, as governments around the world have dragged their feet for weeks and even months in addressing the virus.

This doesn't excuse the lack of action by other countries but the buck ultimately stops with the Chinese gov't.

4 minutes ago, blue_gold_84 said:

 What authority does the WHO even have in trying to get information from countries, anyway?

 

They are an agency of the United Nations, with over 190 countries as member states, each with their own delegates. The idea is to pool knowledge and expertise, share information and collaborate towards common goals. I'm not sure it's about authority to demand information so much as an expectation to receive information, and accurate information at that.

The WHO is not without controversy, and like any government agency they are only as good as the people that run them, but member states need to play their parts and be forthcoming with their statistics rather than trying to save face by fudging numbers

 

 

 

                                           

2 minutes ago, MOBomberFan said:

The WHO is not without controversy, and like any government agency they are only as good as the people that run them, but member states need to play their parts and be forthcoming with their statistics rather than trying to save face by fudging numbers

I agree. And in this instance, China chose not to do its part. It'd be great if WHO officials were able to go kick down doors and get the right and accurate information from shadier regimes but I don't think that's the case. The WHO is no doubt without controversy but I'm quite sure it doesn't have some blanket authority to do whatever it wants vis a vis its mandate.

29 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Yeah but none of this matters in terms of his core.  Who cares about his core.  No one wants to win over the core.  Racist gun nut morons are pretty stuck in their ways.  These important facts, however, will weigh on moderates or people just dumb enough to consider voting for Trump but think maybe they shouldnt.

Yup I agree. And in normal sane times I get your point about moderates. However this is no longer about politics and differing perspectives that have levels of merit on their own. This is about a madman surrounded by people cut from the similar ilk. Therefore I’m starting to question people who consider themselves moderates who haven’t made up their minds yet. I look at them the same way my dog looks at me when it’s not understanding what I’m doing.

I like the UN on paper; Canada's legacy as a peace keeping nation was a great source of national pride as a youngster. Sadly, the UN is toothless when it comes to things like this... a stern finger wagging accomplishes nothing in the face of tight-lipped (or brain-dead) governments.

Where is Batman crossing international borders to commit espionage for the greater good when you need him?

36 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Yeah but none of this matters in terms of his core.  Who cares about his core.  No one wants to win over the core.  Racist gun nut morons are pretty stuck in their ways.  These important facts, however, will weigh on moderates or people just dumb enough to consider voting for Trump but think maybe they shouldnt.

40-49% of Americans group don't care bout anything as long as they pay less in taxes. They don't care about gun deaths, universal health care, national debt or the environment. 

About time.  Doesn’t apply to me but people close to me.  Good work 

49 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Yeah but none of this matters in terms of his core.  Who cares about his core.  No one wants to win over the core.  Racist gun nut morons are pretty stuck in their ways.  These important facts, however, will weigh on moderates or people just dumb enough to consider voting for Trump but think maybe they shouldn't.

The cardinal mistake that the Democrats have made and are making is in their assumption that the rabid, monomaniacal Trump supporters can be won over. There may be a few, but they are too few to expend the disproportionate amount of time, money and effort the Democrats are making. The only way they might be swayed is by the Democrats implementing a assertive progressive agenda like real universal healthcare, ecological reforms, a $15.00 minimum wage and appropriate taxation levels for big corporations while closing as many of the loopholes as can be found. It will probably take more than one presidential term to change any thinking, and some GOP voters will not change their votes even if it means their lives or the lives of those close to them, and it does. Trump's wish to destroy Obamacare will harm his redneck supporters among the worst, but that seems to have no impact on them at all. Pretty insane, if you ask me. The clearest definition of sanity is the ability to act in one's best interest, and that reflects poorly on right-wing supporters.

53 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

About time.  Doesn’t apply to me but people close to me.  Good work 

Wondering who qualifies as a seasonal worker 

https://abc7.com/health/study-social-distancing-practices-may-last-until-2022/6104716/

https://www.wilx.com/content/news/Operation-Gridlock-protest-underway-569659601.html

1 hour ago, Tiny759 said:

Wondering who qualifies as a seasonal worker 

Gardeners, greenhouse and tree nursery workers come to mind... for some reason lawn care and arboriculture is deemed essential, as are some garden supply retailers and commercial landscapers... yet a vital part of the supply chain - the very people who buy the most from garden suppliers, and the people who grow the plants landscapers install and garden centers sell - are told to stay home when they should be ramping up staffing and production. There is about an 8 week window of opportunity for greenhouses to turn out plants and fulfill orders at the same time gardeners and landscapers install plants, many of which they already paid for last season when they accepted contracts and placed their orders with greenhouses! An entire industry still awaiting it's fate, and growing/planting season can't be put off til later; any decision made now will impact the entire year (and subsequently next year). Obviously the same can be said for many industries, but with the flick of a pen this one may yet be saved.

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/we-re-all-just-hoping-to-survive-greenhouse-and-nursery-industry-asks-to-be-considered-essential-service-1.4880807

Edited April 15, 20205 yr by MOBomberFan
'asked' to 'told'

Anything to do with planting trees, should be considered an essential service - no questions asked.  COVID 19 should not be a reason to forget about the health of the planet.

 

 

Manitoba reports 5th #COVID19 related death. Woman in her 60s from Prairie Mountain Health Region. Two new probable cases reported, bringing the total to 246. Two former probable cases now ruled as negative.

More Manitoba #COVID19 stats: - 132 active cases. - 9 in hospital (4 in ICU) - 108 recovered - 5 deaths - 17,902 total tests conducted at Cadham Provincial Lab, 305 yesterday.

 

Note : When pasting text other then youtube urls you gotta post as plain text. Some of these posts are Donald Trump huge.

 

Edited April 15, 20205 yr by FrostyWinnipeg

 

Two new cases today, scary to say that I know one of them... so stay inside! 

1 hour ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

https://www.wilx.com/content/news/Operation-Gridlock-protest-underway-569659601.html

This is just the start.

“Quarantine is when you restrict movement of sick people. Tyranny is when you restrict the movement of healthy people,” Meshawn Maddock of the Michigan Conservative Coalition told the network. “Every person has learned a harsh lesson about social distancing. We don’t need a nanny state to tell people how to be careful.”

Edited April 15, 20205 yr by J5V

Expect more of this as Trump pounds on the idea of economy over health even after the States had a record amount of deaths yesterday.

 

41 minutes ago, J5V said:

This is just the start.

“Quarantine is when you restrict movement of sick people. Tyranny is when you restrict the movement of healthy people,” Meshawn Maddock of the Michigan Conservative Coalition told the network. “Every person has learned a harsh lesson about social distancing. We don’t need a nanny state to tell people how to be careful.”

Sweden and South Dakota say hello. 

Yup. South Dakota is getting almost as many new cases per day than we have active. With a much smaller population.

Edited April 15, 20205 yr by Super Duper Negatron

55 minutes ago, J5V said:

This is just the start.

“Quarantine is when you restrict movement of sick people. Tyranny is when you restrict the movement of healthy people,” Meshawn Maddock of the Michigan Conservative Coalition told the network. “Every person has learned a harsh lesson about social distancing. We don’t need a nanny state to tell people how to be careful.”

Funny, you are all about keeping the 1% accountable and for the lower and middle class to take back power... and that the Powers that be are robbing the rest of the classes of wealth and so on... yet- this stunt in Michigan has Koch foundation all over it.

34 minutes ago, Super Duper Negatron said:

Yup. South Dakota is getting almost as many new cases per day than we have active. With a much smaller population.

You can thank Smithfields Foods for that.

https://www.msnbc.com/mtp-daily/watch/south-dakota-pork-plant-closes-after-over-400-workers-test-positive-for-covid-19-82045509661

Edited April 15, 20205 yr by FrostyWinnipeg

 A nurse explaining the situation she just returned from and pleading people to stay home!

It’s not comfortable to watch, but it is real.
 

 

1 hour ago, wanna-b-fanboy said:

Funny, you are all about keeping the 1% accountable and for the lower and middle class to take back power... and that the Powers that be are robbing the rest of the classes of wealth and so on... yet- this stunt in Michigan has Koch foundation all over it.

I have to admit I had to look up Koch Foundation as I didn't know who they were. A charitable foundation. I don't get it. Is there something bad about them?