weird text.😊

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

 

In New York State,  it's not the business that require masks, it's state law.

 

In my community, about an hour outside NYC, there have been many charities, civic groups, community organizations that have been donating masks and organizing food drives for the less fortunate.  Delivering food to those that can't leave the house. High school students sewing masks.  One restaurant has been donating 300 meals a day - every day for the past 6 weeks - to front line workers at testing sites who don't have the time cook or shop.

 

Even cold and heartless NYC has 7 million masks to give to the poor.

 

Bottom line: Everyone has access to a mask, scarf or face covering of some kind. Those that don't have one, it's because of their choice.

 

Sad that in your area, one has to make a choice between eating and being healthy. I guess that is why South Carolina ranks #43 out of 50 in terms of healthy states.

 

 

We may rank #43 by some experts calculations, but we sure are healthier than most in this pandemic.   😊 Probably the reason our part time NY neighbors have all returned here to hunker down.
 

Please don’t generalize about what the needy in your area have access to be the needy in rural South Carolina...or what your media assumes about places they never visit. 

16 hours ago, Dinglebert said:

I'm so glad I don't live in your view of the world.  I am certain some people are taking advantage. I am equally certain the vast majority are not. 

I used to hear that term “working poor” and had no idea what it really meant...till I volunteered at that school and met their children.

I  was the one who received an education.
 

I met a young man once...a single Dad...waiting for his turn at teacher conference. He was very happy that the school accommodated him having the two conferences on one day because he didn’t have enough gas to get to the school twice and still get back and forth to his job...couldn’t fill up till the next paycheck. He wasn’t complaining ...just expressing his gratitude to the school secretary.
 

Do you have to make calculations like that? Me neither.

We tried to keep lice kits on hand because they are an unexpected luxury when you live paycheck to paycheck. The school sends the children home, but they are back the next day...because the parent has no babysitter and has to work. There was a backpack program in place to send food home on weekends. Their parents work and often work hard...waiting tables, cleaning houses, doing yard work.
 

I met many of these parents,...for the most part they were not lazy grifters...this is an area where the good paying jobs went overseas. The mills closed.  They make do with the minimum wage service jobs to live where generations of their families have always lived.
 

We may not have much virus here now...but economically, many  working poor are really suffering. Please don’t generalize their situation. I used to do that...till I got out of my Bubble and got educated by their reality.

https://nypost.com/2020/05/16/cnn-reporter-caught-removing-face-mask-when-she-thought-camera-was-off/

CNN Reporter removing mask as soon as she thinks cameras are off....don’t they believe what they preach? 

I noticed something interesting about masks at the grocery store yesterday. Mask wearers in Ingles still definitely a minority...but I could swear they were mostly “affluent” shoppers.  We have a lot of the rural poor in this county.  In their clothes, in the food or lack of...in their baskets...a majority of the unmasked seemed to be in that disadvantaged category.

I volunteered at the local school here for several years and the number of children living below poverty level in that school was in the mid seventies percentage! I also volunteer with Family Promise due to a large number of homeless in our area. This was once a big textile manufacturing area but those jobs went overseas. Now this area has a contrast been rural poor...and a few gated communities on the lake.

If...you believe in masks...and are going to call people “selfish” for not wearing them...you’d better consider their financial circumstances. Maybe just affording food...especially at this time...is burden ENOUGH! If essential businesses demand masks, then  they need to supply them for free.

And, a comment on the “We are all in this together” ...virtue signaling ...about masks. Before you call anyone “selfish”...check if you have contributed to your local food bank, rescue mission, etc.  If you are lucky enough that your worst problem in this pandemic is not getting your cruise refund, and you are demeaning strangers for not wearing masks to keep YOU  safe...what have YOU done to keep them economically safe?
 

Have you donated food to your local food pantry, have you bought local restaurant gift certificates, paid the cleaning lady even if she can’t work for lack of sitter?  If you can’t get out and you have the budget to cruise, send a little of that now suspended budget to a local charity helping out those ECONOMICALLY affected in your community.

Because those of us with “essential jobs”...or comfortable retirements are NOT “all in this together” economically with those whose livelihoods have been decimated by this virus. If ...”we protect each other” is your mask mantra on here...make it your economic mantra too.
 

Have a great day. 😊

1 hour ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

I’ll try to explain this one more time, sorta like the zip code thing. 
 

Your daughter should have been able to explain this to you (and thank her for her service on the frontline). 
 

Only N95+ masks protect the wearer.  Surgical masks, although pretty good, are worn to protect the patient. In the beginning, there was a huge shortage of N95+ masks and surgical masks. That supply is now being stocked and supplies are good. That’s why we were asked not to use up the inventory. It used to piss me off to go to the grocery store and seeing people using N95 masks, and worn improperly at that, with no eye protection. I said to myself, the boss can’t get one nor my son, both working in and around COVID19 patients in the hospital, but these people are using them improperly. Both now have good access to PPE including N95+ masks. 
 

Outside of healthcare , masks are worn to protect others from the wearer. Sure it might cut down on some viruses. 
 

The terrible thing about this virus, so many Asymptomatic with the virus. Unknown to them. Not wearing a mask while infecting others. 
 

Contact tracing is showing the likely sources are Asymptomatic people, many young and healthy people, who are not wearing a mask. This was the source (s) for a nursing home here. Temperature screening was of no value. 

My two cents.....

But if the science is that any homemade mask protects others from you...asking patients to wear some sort of covering would not have reduced those needed for hospitals.
 

Patients can be asymptomatic too. The DollarStore has never run out of bandanas...I-mean if the science is so set in stone.

And, of course, there’s also Chris Cuomo, confidante of Fauci, brother of the Governor,..and he KNOWS he has COVID, is feverish, and rides in a car,...unmasked... 30 minutes with his kids. 
 

Well, whatever. If people get comfort from the mask protocol, that’s worth something. But I sure wouldn’t rely on a masked cruise population to keep me safe from infection.

2 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

 

Simple answer fuzzy science.  If you learn something from TV or the internet you probably didn’t actually learn anything true.

 

jc

Sad but true. If you can read an actual sworn document, (or many) why allow the media to translate for you?  If you can watch an unedited video of a speech, why let the media tell you what was said?

23 hours ago, JCDCA said:

You do realize wearing masks in public, as inconvenient as it may be, reduces the spread of this disease, right?  Like, if we'd been actually staying home and actually wearing masks in public the last two months, we could probably be a lot closer to resuming cruising (and normal everyday life) right now.  

I thought this was interesting. My daughters hospital requires her to change her mask and gloves with every patient. But it was just a few weeks ago that they finally required the patients Coming into the hospital to wear masks as well.  Talking to .another friend today,  this was apparently “the science.” that most hospitals were following.

So...if the Doctors masks were being worn because of science that showed that MASKS protected the patient...why didn’t that same science require MASKS on patients...to protect the Doctors?

How did the Mask science change?
 

You can say that this was due to the “lie” preserving masks for Doctors.  But lots of you say...the mask is to protect OTHERS, not yourself.

So then, if Masks are so effective, why weren’t they, at the least,  making patients coming to the hospital wear them to protect the very same Doctors?
 

Patients and visitors required to wear masks when at Mayo Clinic Health System facilities

• MANKATO, Minn. – As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, Mayo Clinic Health System continues to assess and adjust practices to best protect the safety of patients, visitors and staff.

“Before operations resume, CLIA will issue a revised set of screening protocols reflecting what the medical community has learned about COVID-19. As Salerno explained, it's tough to determine the criteria at this point because 'the knowledge base on this virus is changing almost daily.'

At the terminal

Screening at the terminal should ensure infected persons don't embark. Testing everyone for COVID-19 is the ideal solution, however given the uncertainty about the availability of test kits, that may not be practical.

Salerno said temperature screening is still on the table and most likely will be part of the protocols. All technologies are being looked at, and all or a combination may be suitable. These could include infrared and airport-type portals that measure temperature and respiration.”

Very interesting article. I won’t be doing anything until we know what these protocols are. 

2 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Some people have a "contrarian" personality. They like to go against the grain. When everyone zigs, they will zag.  While Infectious disease experts across the globe recommend that wearing a mask offers some limited protection and doesn't hurt, there will be that those focus on the fact that it doesn't guarantee 100% protection and anything less than a Hazmat suit is a waste of time. I am of the mindset that every little bit helps.

 

Having said that, I won't cruise if a mask is a requirement.

 

 

True. But the situation is constantly evolving so what was true yesterday might not be true tomorrow.  There are some reports that children are dying due to "Covid-19 related" illness, similar to toxic shock syndrome.  So far, only 3 and much more data will need to be collected & studied so it's too soon to hit the panic button.  But soon, it'll be a lie, er, I mean myth that Covid affects only elderly people with underlying conditions. 

 

 

So my daughters professional opinion is based on her being a “contrarian? “   

36 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

Even if you don't think masks help, whats the harm of using them in the context of the other personal distancing measures we do?   Masks do filter stuff, and if you need 1000 virus particles to get sick and the mask reduces that by 50%, how is that not helpful?  Why is perfection required to be effective?  Wearing a mask is better than doing nothing, and it's not hard (unless you don't have access to one).

 

People are not being asked to storm a beach under gunfire.  They are being asked to stay apart and add a mask.  Is that really that hard?

I don’t know Ocean Boy. But I gave birth to my personal physician. I know she loves her Dad and me...and she is crazy attentive and sometimes aggressive in getting us to do what we must...to protect ourselves.
 

She was trained at one of the finest hospitals in this country....so there’s that component too.

She agrees with Ocean Boy.

Now as far as what Dr Fauci says...initially he said just the opposite about masks. Now supposedly he just lied back then...a nice lie....in order to preserve masks for medical workers. So now he says to wear them. Well, maybe now it’s a  nice lie to make us feel we have some control. Which version of advice is a lie...we just really don’t know. 
 

My daughter....when it comes to our health...hasn’t lied to me yet. (Though in high school there were two incidents regarding curfew ) lol

The problem is people are being forced to do something they truly think has little value...just because other people...truly think it does.  
 

We have much more information on second hand smoke...yet the debate between smokers and non-smokers who believe their second hand smoke harms others...goes on.

This discussion has no chance of convincing anyone...in either direction. 
 

For me I’ll wear a mask to shop for essentials where it’s required. I’ll wear a mask when with concerned friends who ask me to. 
 

Otherwise, no. 
 

I certainly won’t spend money to vacation on a cruise ship or at a resort that has that requirement. 
 

Unless required by the government, this may be a tough call for a Cruise industry trying to survive. 

3 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

The Staten Island Ferry as well as subways, buses, and all of the major commuter rail roads are running. Social distancing isn't an issue because the only people using them are essential workers. Masks are required in New York State. Once we open for business again it's anyone's guess how social distancing will work. Having traveled on all of these MTA vehicles the only way it can happen is if they add more cars and schedule more trains, buses and Ferries. 

Stunning that it was weeks into the pandemic before they shut down the subways overnight and finally sanitized it. 😱

1 minute ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Mine is Temple trained and I’ll raise you 2. 😇

 Yes, and I believe yours is on the front lines in Miami. Very impressive. You should be very VERY proud.

33 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Every day we all come in contact with people who have asymptomatic infections and could be exposed to whatever microbes they are harboring at the moment. Do we wear masks forever to protect others from ourselves? Do we wear them to protect ourselves from them? Is it only Corona that we concern ourselves with? What about Tuberculosis? Anyone coughing Mycobacterium into the air of the elevator you happen to be on? That scares me more than Corona. Maybe a little streptococcus for good measure though, granted, much easier to treat than TB. But certainly a nuisance to get while on vacation.  How far do we go and when, if ever, does it end or do we just protect ourselves from each other forever by covering our faces? Do people who are at higher risk for a bad outcome from Corona have any sense of duty to stay away from other people and cruise ships for awhile? I don't know the answer to the questions. 

 

This is what I think wearing a mask mostly does besides forcing me to rebreathe some of the air I exhale and dropping the pO2 level in my blood. It gives people the feeling that they have some control over Corona. That feeling of control reduces panic.  Imagine the reaction to politicians and the media proclaiming there is nothing you can do. So after scaring the crap out of people they come up with something you can do besides not getting too close to other people.  Maybe it helps a bit. It might help a bit for all kinds of illnesses.  It might just give you more reason to have your hands near your face because you are fiddling with the thing. The bottom line is the microbial world can be a dangerous and scary place where common microbes entering the wrong body can wreak havoc. But is hard to have an adequate discussion about this on a cruise message board. But I don't think not being pro-masks has anything to do with not giving a hoot about fellow cruisers.

My Mayo trained physician daughter says exactly this.  Excellent post!

21 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

My comprehension issues. Didn't realize that being under 40 for purpose of this discussion is fundamental to cruising.

 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107149/covid19-cases-age-distribution-canada/

31.87% deaths 0-39 years of age = 1,591.

Are you looking at the chart?  The chart is positive cases not deaths. 

8 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

Thank you. Many people just don't seem to comprehend that.

Well, I’ve done the best I can. This is an actual picture of me...making do with what I could find at home....heading out in early April on an errand.

So if someone wants to avoid quarantine. Just go to France and take the Chunnel over?

This makes no sense. How is there less chance of getting infected from a French citizen or anyone who can make their way to France?

This is like quarantining  flights from NYC airports...but New Jersey flights from Newark are okay.

12 minutes ago, bigeck said:

Flights are the problem. Probably more than cruising. 

Every country except France have to self isolate

Why is France exempt? 

Our London based daughter arrived on March 15...and has had two (or three?) BA flights cancelled...now has a voucher. She will try again to get back to London in the next few weeks. She understands she must stay in her apartment. I guess a friend will have to food shop for her if she isn’t allowed to leave. 
 

It’s not a good feeling that I couldn’t get to her if she needed me. 

Yes, this is the best and worst of times in how we treat each other.

On one hand I have been overwhelmed with gratitude for the the amazing, kind and thoughtful people that live in my neighborhood. So much checking in on each other..”need anything from the store”...”I have extra...I’ll drop It over.”...that kind of thing. Two neighbors sent out an email early on to everyone..they will make a cloth mask for free...pick your fabric. When the Food Bank put out an SOS, neighbors put together 90 lbs of supplies. We truly love our neighbors!!
 

Old friends from far away...now are calling frequently...yes, partly  time on our hands. But I know a lot of these reconnections will continue...we won’t lose each other again. . Spent over an hour Saturday laughing about old times and old romances with my college roommate now in NJ. 

But then...social media...and even here sometimes. If someone doesn’t agree with another poster’s view, prediction, or politics..there is just no tolerance. We are politicized without even talking politics..we can’t even talk about or work together in regard to a killer virus. I hope that’s just the anonymity of the Internet.

I know, in my real life...I see so much more positive than negative.
 

When SC closed the restaurants, our Club started a nightly delivery service of dinner. We felt it was important to support the Club and the great people who work there, so suddenly we were having huge 3-4 course meals every other night. 
 

The good news is the Club hasn’t furloughed anyone...not even the wait staff.
 

The bad news...we are fat. 🐷 

The reports of breaks in the food chain have resulted in my feverish online searches for stuff that has oddly disappeared. My three main quests have been Diet Tonic, yeast, and a new bread machine.
 

I was waitlisted all over the Internet for the tonic...they would take the order but never ship. Several of our neighbors started donating to “my cause” and depositing a bottle or two on the doorstep from time to time.  Even two...gift wrapped them...lol  My goddaughter sent me 5 bottles from Atlanta...each wrapped exquisitely with layers of plastic wrap...as befitted  their status as precious and rare.

Then, one day last week...the Motherload from various websites all arrived on the same day! I was thrilled! Mr H however seemed to view my success with head-shaking disdain. 🧐 Lol...Guess the diet tonic ship has finally come in...if any of you have been looking for it too.

Bought the 2lb RedStar yeast from Amazon and splitting to with a friend. It can freeze, she tells me.

After  weeks of frustration...the bread machine has shipped....Wayfair.  This will not be helpful with the weight loss issues though...

On 5/10/2020 at 8:52 AM, LXA350 said:

  

 

I might not express myself always the most diplomatic but as you know, the truth somethimes hurts and I am touching sensitive topics here, you don't need to comment but give it a though:

 

That the eating habits in the US are considered as very unhealthy and probably the most unhealthy in the Western World is a fact. If you go into windjammer for instance and you see what people load on their plates the saying "You are what you eat" perfectly applies. Unfortunately the US has many propblems and the food issue is just one of them, maybe also connected in a way to the bad or almost inexistent healthcare system same as for almost inexisitent employer rights. No country is perfect but it is such as shame that this "great" America that might have existed in the past is becoming always more a banana republic. Another examples the guns, how many 1000's of additional civilians need to be killed that the american people and their politicians will implement strong laws against weapons.

 

there will need to remain a option on board where a relatively large crowd can be fed fast, hence it will still be more effective to have staff serving food to plates than adding another sit down venue. They will just need to limit the amount of guests in the venue and have staff serving them. Also the concept could be adjusted for the salad bar and burgers into a made to order, where you have one counter to order and another one to pick your meal up once your number will be called / shown on the display (ticket system). At the other stations same setup as today you would just have a staff member serving the food onto oyur plate instead of you taking it yourself.

Stop watching CNN international. Read the transcripts of sworn testimony in the Russia Russia probe and then compare to what those very same people said on CNN when not under oath. 
 

Fox is just as slanted but I doubt you see that.
 

Truth hurts, as you say. Just take that little test and educate yourself.