Why?

[TheFloatingBear]

I'm in full social distancing mode in a Boston suburb. Kids are out for two weeks at least, husband is setting up his office (self-employed) so employees can work from home. It's hard to convey to kids why we can't treat it like a snow days, but they seem to be getting it as our small way to contribute to the community, and try to protect both the first responders/health care workers and the most vulnerable. I hope it's okay to post this article, I found it helpful.

https://medium.com/@ariadnelabs/social-distancing-this-is-not-a-snow-day-ac21d7fa78b4
I watched Dr. Fauci on a couple of the morning shows too and I thought this was a helpful excerpt with respect to social distancing measures (paraphrasing)..."if it looks like you're overreacting, you're probably doing the right thing."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1239201030241488896

 

[hopemax]

Do you have a solution for those who can't afford to miss a paycheck? How do they pay rent? Food? Medicines? Utilities?

Seattle has ordered a moratorium on rent-based evictions (you can still be evicted for being a psycho), and utility shutoffs. Countries like Italy are working with their banks on a debt moratorium and skipping mortgage payments. I would expect those to expand. People will still owe what they owe, but no finance charges, no fees for late payments, etc.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Do you have a solution for those who can't afford to miss a paycheck? How do they pay rent? Food? Medicines? Utilities?

It's a difficult question, and certainly a situation exacerbated by our delayed response, but Congress is working toward relief packages, and so are state governments (at least mine seems to be). My understanding also is that declaring a National Emergency would also free up some relief monies, but not sure about specifics. But not attempting to mitigate the effects of the outbreak isn't going to help either in the long term.

 

[Boardwalk Jedi]

Do you have a solution for those who can't afford to miss a paycheck? How do they pay rent? Food? Medicines? Utilities?

You do your best. I work for the city health department. So far, we are still going in but that will likely change or where I'm needed will change. Schools in the city are still making breakfast and lunch available to kids who qualify...something I have mixed feelings about, not because they should starve - but how this can be done without putting people in transmission risk. Meals on Wheels is handling seniors. Plenty of workplaces are paying employees during shut down and utility companies have promised to work with people who are out of work for the time being. I slowly stocked up on food and saw plenty of people (from all income levels) doing the same. Personally, I have found people who have/do struggle be some of the most resourceful cooks imaginable, including my own grandmother who remained that way even when she became financially comfortable. It is something we all need to get through.

 

[gwynne]

Do you have a solution for those who can't afford to miss a paycheck? How do they pay rent? Food? Medicines? Utilities?

I think you would be the right person to assist your locality in finding solutions in your community. Your questions
might best be addressed by working with folks through your Mayor's office, city council, or United Way.

Go down the list. Brainstorm together. I'm fairly sure those who work with housing/food insecure families are thinking through options for many of your concerns.
They are also thinking about vulnerable elderly and how to best assist them.

Federal assistance will play a part too. Hopefully Federal and local can work together.

In the meantime, remember what works in one town or state may not work in another.

 

[b2k1121]

Do you have a solution for those who can't afford to miss a paycheck? How do they pay rent? Food? Medicines? Utilities?

Temporary UBI.

 

[Hikergirl]

yes, it is starting to ramp up. I’m just saying officials in a given area may not have a confirmed case yet to tell you about, hence the more generalized pleas to adhere to rules.

In our case they announced that there are 4 positives in the county, but said they will not be releasing locations as there’s no immediate threat of people being infected. They state they are tracing who had direct contact.
Then they declare a state of emergency and tell people to avoid crowds.
Seems like mixed messages

 

[Farro]

Seattle has ordered a moratorium on rent-based evictions (you can still be evicted for being a psycho), and utility shutoffs. Countries like Italy are working with their banks on a debt moratorium and skipping mortgage payments. I would expect those to expand. People will still owe what they owe, but no finance charges, no fees for late payments, etc.

phew!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

In our case they announced that there are 4 positives in the county, but said they will not be releasing locations as there’s no immediate threat of people being infected. They state they are tracing who had direct contact.
Then they declare a state of emergency and tell people to avoid crowds.
Seems like mixed messages

I think the issues sometimes with the state of emergencies (and in one county in my state it was a state of disaster after 1 case was found) is because they all can mean different things and be for different time periods.

The powers that each of these do at different levels, state, city, county, can be different.

Right now KCMO's is for non-essential city employee travel and events with 1,000 attendees ban and is for 3 weeks and that made a lot of sense because we had the Big 12, Home and Garden show, Comicon, etc all of which would be drawling high attendance.

My county's state of emergency is for more than what KCMO's is but is also a severe reduction in number for attendees. It's 250 or more events but it's for only 7 days at this point on that aspect with the option to renew. But like I said there's other things with the county's state of emergency mentioned it's just too much to list.

My state's state of emergency is for resources to become available AND it activated the anti-price gouging law (from March 11th-April 11th at the moment).

Most of the state of emergency will at the basic level free up the resources and money that may be desperately needed in the near future for the given communities-removing the red tape if you will, but it can become quickly confusing to keep track and not only that to hear and listen to all the various advices out there.

In the meantime, remember what works in one town or state may not work in another.

Which is why this ends up being missed but is very important. Many people talk on the various threads about measures but not all will work or be necessary for each area. I do often see many of these measures done to try to mitigate but sometimes one area may be hit so much harder by the consequences of such mitigation tactics than another. Some areas have such high spread cases that they are trying to do anything that they think will help contain.

 

[Farro]

I have some whys?

There is a cruise-ship with 600 passengers, 5 with virus. It's not being allowed to dock anywhere. Why? Have already really come to this?

If it's going to be as bad as everyone is predicting with hospitals overcrowding with too many patients, why aren't we already readying our empty conventions centers and sports stadiums? Making make-shift hospitals/isolation centers? If China can do it, so can we. The National Emergency Declaration freed up billions. They should already be starting.

 

[okeydokey]

Do you have a solution for those who can't afford to miss a paycheck? How do they pay rent? Food? Medicines? Utilities?

As we have said over and over, solutions are coming, in some cases already being implemented. I don't know what you want here. What do YOU think we should do, since you don't want to believe anyone else? What is YOUR solution and if implemented, how do you see your solution working in the next two weeks, four weeks or twelve weeks?

 

[Searc]

I have some whys?

There is a cruise-ship with 600 passengers, 5 with virus. It's not being allowed to dock anywhere. Why? Have already really come to this?

If it's going to be as bad as everyone is predicting with hospitals overcrowding with too many patients, why aren't we already readying our empty conventions centers and sports stadiums? Making make-shift hospitals/isolation centers? If China can do it, so can we. The National Emergency Declaration freed up billions. They should already be starting.

It's a British-based cruise ship and the Bahamas won't allow it to dock in their country. Most of them are British Nationals no Americans are on board.

 

[Searc]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...p-braemar-has-five-cases-on-board/5050510002/

 

[Farro]

It's a British-based cruise ship and the Bahamas won't allow it to dock in their country. Most of them are British Nationals no Americans are on board.

I know, I didn't mean we as a country, I meant we as all of us!

I just don't think that's the right thing to do.

 

[Searc]

I know, I didn't mean we as a country, I meant we as all of us!

I just don't think that's the right thing to do.

It's no different than Canada not allowing any cruise ships in or out of any of their ports until July.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

If it's going to be as bad as everyone is predicting with hospitals overcrowding with too many patients, why aren't we already readying our empty conventions centers and sports stadiums? Making make-shift hospitals/isolation centers? If China can do it, so can we. The National Emergency Declaration freed up billions. They should already be starting.

Because of how our country is set up. We aren't set up like China.

Certainly we can build make-shift hospitals but the hows and the whos may not be the same as what was done in China.

 

[Farro]

It's no different than Canada not allowing any cruise ships in or out of any of their ports until July.

That's future though, I get that.

These people are sick and stuck and need help.

 

[Farro]

Because of how our country is set up. We aren't set up like China.

Certainly we can build make-shift hospitals but the hows and the whos may not be the same as what was done in China.

How are we set up that we can't start readying now? The alarms have been sounded. People are being told how dire things are going to get. Yet we wait until it happens?

What, all the money is tied up? Where is FEMA?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

How are we set up that we can't start readying now? The alarms have been sounded. People are being told how dire things are going to get. Yet we wait until it happens?

What, all the money is tied up? Where is FEMA?

I meant because of how our system is set up.

We have Federal Government, we have State Government, we have cities and counties, etc.

China can order their entire country to do this or do that a heck of a lot easier than we can because the fundamentals of their country are different than ours.

That's not saying I don't think we should be doing these things, I think we should, just that it's not quite the same here as it would be for China. My husband was talking about an opinion piece he was reading where a suggestion was the military could set up field hospitals strictly for treatment of the virus just outside metro areas--the idea was to ease up on the strain in some of these larger populated areas.

But you are right haven't heard about FEMA..normally one thinks of natural disasters so how do they fit in here and would they be used. Have they even fully recovered from all the Midwest flooding?

 

[Farro]

I meant because of how our system is set up.

We have Federal Government, we have State Government, we have cities and counties, etc.

China can order their entire country to do this or do that a heck of a lot easier than we can because the fundamentals of their country are different than ours.

That's not saying I don't think we should be doing these things, I think we should, just that it's not quite the same here as it would be for China. My husband was talking about an opinion piece he was reading where a suggestion was the military could set up field hospitals strictly for treatment of the virus just outside metro areas--the idea was to ease up on the strain in some of these larger populated areas.

But you are right haven't heard about FEMA..normally one thinks of natural disasters so how do they fit in here and would they be used. Have they even fully recovered from all the Midwest flooding?

I get it.

It's just everyone is getting worked up into a frenzy at this point about stay home, isolate, so many will get this, months and months, we're all going to DIE!!! ( hyperbole ) Yet we see so much inaction by those who need to act, it's frustrating.