OT: Covid-19 (Part 35) Hit me with your best shot

[Kriss E]

I am not living in Quebec but my opinion on how its been handled there through yours and others discussion here is that they wont make the tough decision early enough. Then they half ass the decision they do make when they make it too late.

No doubt it is more of a grind being there because the caseload is so high and every time they are too late to enact restrictions, the effect of those restrictions are reduced and it seems like nothing will work.

The first wave they took some measures fast. People were annoyed during first announcement came but seeing the spread explode everywhere else people were pretty pleased, until the shitshow in our CHSLDs happened.
By mid-end of April though people were getting really pissed that we still weren't even allowed to see a single person, but then it improved.

For the second wave, the most frustrating part is they knew right from the beginning that fall would bring cases back up. A big reason is schools, under normal circumstances they already are big spreaders of viruses and then you add the covid affect. Despite this, no real preparation was made. No new installations. No new equipment provided other than maybe some PPE but from what I'm understanding, teachers just wear their own cute masks they bought from whatever retail shop.
Cases started rising, government closed down Food and Beverage industry, gyms, theatres/cinemas/libraries/spas, kept everything else open, in october.
Cases keep rising until he closed schools a week earlier than planned, he left businesses open though despite the virus being prevalent, until xmas.
We were already around the 2000 mark, so obviously with the holidays, people gathered more, virus kept climbing.
Now they use this as an excuse...say it's on the people for gathering, and they put in a curfew. But at the same time, they're reopening schools....superspreaders.

We are better off than many other places, but they still do some weird ass shit.

 

[Lshap]

I got released from a hospital late last night (10-ish). Had my step-dad pick me up and drive me home. Literally a block away from my building we were stopped by police who were asking why we're breaking the curfew. Good thing I had a hospital paper.

Good to hear you're home safe and ticket-free, but why were you in the hospital?

 

[Andy]

Second day cases are under 2000 in QC. It's more or less two weeks since the first crack down around xmas time where everything was shut. Seems to have worked so far?

 

[A Loyal Dog]

Second day cases are under 2000 in QC. It's more or less two weeks since the first crack down around xmas time where everything was shut. Seems to have worked so far?

To me what's alarming is the high rise in cases of hospitalizations/ICU these last 2 days.

 

[Kriss E]

Second day cases are under 2000 in QC. It's more or less two weeks since the first crack down around xmas time where everything was shut. Seems to have worked so far?

Making the curfew unnecessary, or so it seems. We are seeing the effects of business closures.

 

[Lshap]

Unfortunately I believe politics are a much bigger factor in the current wave then the first wave. During the first wave everyone was shell shocked and just did what the government told us to do, and we were all more or less on the same page or understanding of the measures.

How it’s been handled since things reopened has been nothing short of a boondoggle. Months of time to plan, no results. No real sense of direction, and like you said - very slow to react and often with half measures. I think it comes down to public opinion and re-election for a lot of these people, so part of it may just be self-preservation at this point.

There are no new ideas out there and no bold plans. Decision makers are simply copying models from other countries. Our current lockdown/curfew is straight out of Australia's playbook, with a concession to working parents by leaving schools open. Like every other measure, it's half-assed and unfocused. Plug one hole, leave 10 other leaks.

That said, the goal was never only about reducing cases. North America isn't Australia, neither geographically nor by temperament. We'd never stand for an extended, total, no-bullshit lockdown like they had in Melbourne. Plus, there are too many people traveling between provinces and US states to seal us off like down under. Here it was always a balancing act between health resources and our North American sense of personal entitlement.

 

[Crusher117]

To me what's alarming is the high rise in cases of hospitalizations/ICU these last 2 days.

Hospitalization always lags behind 7 to 14 days after a case is discovered. Hopefully by next Monday we see hospitalization stabilize and start to decline.

 

[llamateizer]

Good to hear you're home safe and ticket-free, but why were you in the hospital?

Earlier

This is not COVID-19 related at all. Just wanted to share.

Going to a hospital again tonight (generalized anxiety disorder) and will stay there until Monday. Boy, is that going to suck.

You best keep me entertained on this forum!

 

[Runner77]

I got released from a hospital late last night (10-ish). Had my step-dad pick me up and drive me home. Literally a block away from my building we were stopped by police who were asking why we're breaking the curfew. Good thing I had a hospital paper.

Hoping your hospital stay was beneficial and that you now have a better path forward to where you want to be. Also, thanks for sharing your journey with us. You know there will be better days. Just stay the course.

 

[llamateizer]

Looks that majority of population would have access to the vaccine until summer.

 

[MasterD]

Second day cases are under 2000 in QC. It's more or less two weeks since the first crack down around xmas time where everything was shut. Seems to have worked so far?

Interesting how the narrative is "Quebecers dropped the ball during the holidays and everyone gathered and the population is being a bunch of a******* to the healthcare workers by not caring" while cases are dropping 2 weeks after Christmas and the closing of businesses. Could it be that transmission happens in businesses like the stats show

To me what's alarming is the high rise in cases of hospitalizations/ICU these last 2 days.

Definitely. Numbers cases doesn't mean much if it's happening in a non-at-risk population, but people in the ICU is a big big problem.

 

[Perrah]

The first wave they took some measures fast. People were annoyed during first announcement came but seeing the spread explode everywhere else people were pretty pleased, until the shitshow in our CHSLDs happened.
By mid-end of April though people were getting really pissed that we still weren't even allowed to see a single person, but then it improved.

For the second wave, the most frustrating part is they knew right from the beginning that fall would bring cases back up. A big reason is schools, under normal circumstances they already are big spreaders of viruses and then you add the covid affect. Despite this, no real preparation was made. No new installations. No new equipment provided other than maybe some PPE but from what I'm understanding, teachers just wear their own cute masks they bought from whatever retail shop.
Cases started rising, government closed down Food and Beverage industry, gyms, theatres/cinemas/libraries/spas, kept everything else open, in october.
Cases keep rising until he closed schools a week earlier than planned, he left businesses open though despite the virus being prevalent, until xmas.
We were already around the 2000 mark, so obviously with the holidays, people gathered more, virus kept climbing.
Now they use this as an excuse...say it's on the people for gathering, and they put in a curfew. But at the same time, they're reopening schools....superspreaders.

We are better off than many other places, but they still do some weird ass shit.

I live in NS, here they send a class home for 2 weeks once a student in that class tests positive. Then if a few classes spike a case they shut the whole school down for 5-7 days, depending on if there is a weekend mixed in there.

We shut restaurants/bars/gyms once there was an uptick in cases, 37 to be exact, in mid to late November. They lead to us almost having to be locked down again, because some dip shit that should have been quarantining from travel went to a Martini bar. That's the equivalent of 300-350 cases in QC. It took until January to post a 0 case day here but numbers dropped to 15 and under pretty quickly. Of course it is a smaller population here, and the majority of the infections were in that 18-35 range but it seems to me nipping it earlier is the way to go.

The Restaurant/bars/gym shutdown is the way to go early but Quebec didnt do that until 18o0 cases wasnt it? They missed their window on using that to slow the spread, and I dont know if they shut many schools down there or not.

Restaurants etc were shut down from Nov 23-Jan 4th in Halifax and surrounding areas, the rest of the province didnt have a shutdown at all of those industries.

I know it is more difficult in Quebec but the quarantining after travel and early shutdowns of things has worked very well here.

 

[CrAzYNiNe]

We finally turned a corner on cases over a 2 week period! Let's hope we keep trending down

 

[CrAzYNiNe]

To me what's alarming is the high rise in cases of hospitalizations/ICU these last 2 days.

While alarming, it was expected. Hospitalisations and ICU cases lagged behind by a 2-4 weeks during the entire pandemic.

 

[Kriss E]

Interesting how the narrative is "Quebecers dropped the ball during the holidays and everyone gathered and the population is being a bunch of a******* to the healthcare workers by not caring" while cases are dropping 2 weeks after Christmas and the closing of businesses. Could it be that transmission happens in businesses like the stats show

You leaving out schools didn't go unnoticed mate!

Schools are spreading COVID-19 in Montreal, new study finds | Montreal Gazette
Symptomless cases in schools could be key driver in spread of Covid-19
Montreal study claims schools major vector for COVID-19 transmission — Global News

I know you want your kids back in it, but schools are super spreaders. Over 21 000 cases coming from schools from september to december. But I guess we can stay blind to that.

 

[Kriss E]

I live in NS, here they send a class home for 2 weeks once a student in that class tests positive. Then if a few classes spike a case they shut the whole school down for 5-7 days, depending on if there is a weekend mixed in there.

We shut restaurants/bars/gyms once there was an uptick in cases, 37 to be exact, in mid to late November. They lead to us almost having to be locked down again, because some dip shit that should have been quarantining from travel went to a Martini bar. That's the equivalent of 300-350 cases in QC. It took until January to post a 0 case day here but numbers dropped to 15 and under pretty quickly. Of course it is a smaller population here, and the majority of the infections were in that 18-35 range but it seems to me nipping it earlier is the way to go.

The Restaurant/bars/gym shutdown is the way to go early but Quebec didnt do that until 18o0 cases wasnt it? They missed their window on using that to slow the spread, and I dont know if they shut many schools down there or not.

Restaurants etc were shut down from Nov 23-Jan 4th in Halifax and surrounding areas, the rest of the province didnt have a shutdown at all of those industries.

I know it is more difficult in Quebec but the quarantining after travel and early shutdowns of things has worked very well here.

We closed restaurants/gyms/etc in October, we were still under 1000 cases back then. People were upset because most cases were coming from schools and workplaces so it made very little sense to shut those things down as they attempt to reverse the trend. Unsurprisingly, it didn't reverse anything, didn't even stop the rise, just slowed it down a bit.

They closed businesses here on the 25th. So ya, that's surely going to help. They should have done that earlier. But elementary schools have reopened this week, high schools will go back next week, which is counterproductive. A lot of kids are asymptomatic, but they're not tested, that's a problem.

 

[MasterD]

You leaving out schools didn't go unnoticed mate!

Schools are spreading COVID-19 in Montreal, new study finds | Montreal Gazette
Symptomless cases in schools could be key driver in spread of Covid-19
Montreal study claims schools major vector for COVID-19 transmission — Global News

I know you want your kids back in it, but schools are super spreaders. Over 21 000 cases coming from schools from september to december. But I guess we can stay blind to that.

Sure. But schools were closed starting dec 17th, and only now are cases going down, just in time for 2 weeks post businesses closing.

 

[Adam Michaels]

 

[Kriss E]

Sure. But schools were closed starting dec 17th, and only now are cases going down, just in time for 2 weeks post businesses closing.

Yes because, according to a poll, 50% of people still gathered for xmas.
There's a lot more businesses than schools though so of course, it'll have a bigger impact.

 

[LyricalLyricist]

They asked Legault about it during his press conference so obviously it's on the mind of many people.
And no, not any other company who employ people can do the same even if they wanted, that's the point. The NHL is getting a pass from the government, which is fine for me, but it annoys others.

Again, I said the habs should play within operating hours and not after curfew. That I agree with.

You're upset they get private testing. That is not 'getting a pass'. Any company can employ nurses and a lab to do testing for them. That part has nothing to do with government.

 

[LyricalLyricist]

I'm upset Of the double standard.

Rich enterprises have a free pass because they can purchase freedom. They are not affected by the curfew and they aren't essential at all.

It's just better for the economy for little to no risk

As I said to Kriss: Habs should play within operating hours.

If they played at 2 PM and people are still upset I am unsure what to say.

 

[CrAzYNiNe]

As I said to Kriss: Habs should play within operating hours.

If they played at 2 PM and people are still upset I am unsure what to say.

It's absurd to care at what time they play. If you like and watch hockey, it makes it easier to be home if a game is on. If you don't care about hockey, then why should that person care how they spend their private money? I guess they are upset that some part of the population get's special treatment... it took a world pandemic to notice that? Seriously we are such a stupid species.

 

[McGuires Corndog]

There are no new ideas out there and no bold plans. Decision makers are simply copying models from other countries. Our current lockdown/curfew is straight out of Australia's playbook, with a concession to working parents by leaving schools open. Like every other measure, it's half-assed and unfocused. Plug one hole, leave 10 other leaks.

That said, the goal was never only about reducing cases. North America isn't Australia, neither geographically nor by temperament. We'd never stand for an extended, total, no-bullshit lockdown like they had in Melbourne. Plus, there are too many people traveling between provinces and US states to seal us off like down under. Here it was always a balancing act between health resources and our North American sense of personal entitlement.

I am definitely picking up what you’re putting down, mr. Lshap.

Well said!

 

[llamateizer]

As I said to Kriss: Habs should play within operating hours.

If they played at 2 PM and people are still upset I am unsure what to say.

Having them playing at 2pm is more acceptable.
Legault used the excuse that the first home game is on January 27th. so it shouldn't be a big issue.
That bothers me the most.

I understand all the benefits, the risks, the reasons behind it.
I'll be watching and enjoying habs games.

Like I'm cautiously enjoying my daughter back to school.
Ultimately, schools should've been closed.

 

[Lshap]

As I said to Kriss: Habs should play within operating hours.

If they played at 2 PM and people are still upset I am unsure what to say.

It's not like hockey players gain any additional privileges. They can't go to clubs or shop after hours; everything's closed. The only thing they're doing after 8:00pm is working.

The only people gaining any social benefit from hockey is us. We get to watch it.

Another factor: TV revenue is much higher for evening games than mid-day.