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Covid-19
Sept 5, 2020 6:01:31 GMT
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JoeP likes this
Post by Elis on Sept 5, 2020 6:01:31 GMT
I have to admit we're living life a bit more as usual. We went for a holiday at the Baltic Sea in August and went there and back by train since we don't have a car, and spent the holiday with my mother. I was very worried since she should really not get Covid-19, but she wanted to see us and was ready to take the risk. During the holiday, she avoided going into shops if they were crowded and once, an elderly man sat down right next to her on a bench outside when she was packing something into her bag. She moved to the end of the bench, saying she was still doing social distancing and the man said there was no reason to worry. She just said "For me there is, actually. " This ignorance made me angry. In supermarkets, people were often not keeping a distance even when they could and we went to an outdoor museum and when we were in one of the buildings (which were small and my mother stayed outside) a group of five women and one man came in, none of them wearing masks and standing in the narrow entrance so we couldn't get out. That made me very angry, but we didn't dare to say anything.
I have to admit that occasionally, we take out little guy with us when we go shopping and he will attend a sports group again with Frank from next week on. The doctor strongly recommended it, despite the risk. And I've realized we can't isolate our little one too much because at some point there might seriously be developmental problems. But we still try to mostly avoid public transport and not wearing a mask on there is now illegal as well. I have not been to the monthly service at the church so far and just watch the live-stream, the other services are still held via Zoom.
Its not easy to always make decisions on the compromises we can make. And with a small child, we make quite a lot of those. We'd considered seeing my family in Southern Germany again this autumn, but I'm not sure that is safe. We miss my parents in law in Birmingham, but flying there, two planes and two airports, seems like too much of a risk, considering they are both in their mid-eighties. We don't want to pick up the virus on the way and give it to them. Our pastor has been visiting his parents (same age) and drove all the way there in his car. I'm afraid we can't. But I do miss my parents in law a lot and so does Frank.
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Covid-19
Sept 5, 2020 6:03:00 GMT
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Post by Elis on Sept 5, 2020 6:03:00 GMT
Everyone for the most part wears masks and still not sure how effective that is. Studies have shown that masks are very effective if everyone wears them. They cut down the transmission of flu viruses by 80%. And then idiots say the masks take away our freedom and go tk Berlin for a demonstration without masks or social distancing.
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Covid-19
Sept 5, 2020 6:48:47 GMT
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Post by Mari on Sept 5, 2020 6:48:47 GMT
Well, those idiots are everywhere. With placards stating that the covid rules are obstructing their freedom etc. *rolls eyes*
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Covid-19
Sept 5, 2020 23:15:40 GMT
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Post by Elis on Sept 5, 2020 23:15:40 GMT
My parents and I know one of them. He is one of my father's friends. It's exhausting to chat with him (we are both in a chat group together). Sadly, quite a few Christians seem to be buying into all these conspiracy theories around Covid-19. I'm glad my church and its members are being sensible and careful.
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Post by tangent on Sept 6, 2020 0:42:14 GMT
It seems Facebook has magnified these conspiracy theories enormously. If I mention that denying the moon landing is also a conspiracy theory, it has a sobering effect on Americans who are on the border line into believing them.
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Post by JoeP on Sept 6, 2020 9:19:51 GMT
Apparently a bunch of non-right-wing people have a theory that there's a conspiracy to create all the conspiracy theories - to keep the public divided and distrustful.
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Post by tangent on Sept 6, 2020 11:02:31 GMT
Apparently a bunch of non-right-wing people have a theory that there's a conspiracy to create all the conspiracy theories - to keep the public divided and distrustful. Yes! My theory is that a Russian agent called Q decided to create QAnon three years ago as a cauldron for cooking up conspiracy theories. Footnote: I don't actually believe in conspiracy theories.
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Post by kingedmund on Sept 7, 2020 16:01:31 GMT
Lol. Masks aside. You can get it through your eyes but no one thinks of that.
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Post by kingedmund on Sept 7, 2020 19:54:30 GMT
All stuff aside. My cousin is having her weeding in Maryland. I’d like to go but I am not comfortable with that idea so I’m not. Now all of a sudden most of my sisters and cousins will be flying their to the wedding and staying. Taking kids too. My mother and I are like heck no. ... with that being said. I get it. People here are done with it all and could care less and they have resumed life as normal. But I can’t play with this.
Of course Jenn will be flying back here to pick out a wedding dress this weekend. Again I’d love to do that too and would most certainly do so under normal circumstances. But she is flying and I’m still not comfortable.
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Post by tangent on Sept 7, 2020 21:59:22 GMT
But I can’t play with this. I understand this completely. I reckoned in April with my age and health conditions, I probably had a 1 in 10 chance of dying. And if I survived, I had a 50:50 chance of contracting a life-changing condition such as heart disease. That's too high for me, so like WG I'm keeping away from people.
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Post by kingedmund on Sept 8, 2020 20:00:27 GMT
Yes. We are in the same boat. I have lung issues
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Post by kingedmund on Sept 21, 2020 17:09:43 GMT
England is shutting things down after 10 PM?
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Post by tangent on Sept 21, 2020 17:21:29 GMT
I don't think anyone over the age of 30 cares very much. Well, maybe the odd few.
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Post by ceptimus on Sept 23, 2020 7:21:44 GMT
I don't think closing the pubs an hour early will be enough to bring the R-number below one.
It's pretty obvious that the recent explosion in virus transmission is because the schools are now open: they opened in Scotland and transmission went up; they opened in England a couple of weeks later and, sure enough, transmission went up there too.
The government keep telling us that kids aren't much affected by COVID, and don't transmit it: the first part is true but the last part isn't.
The government is quite happy to lie to us, or to put it more charitably, they are often wrong and later change their minds: remember how they told us that there was no point in mask-wearing, but now threaten fines to non-wearers?
The infection figures have shown a recent increase amongst "women aged twenty-five to forty-five." Why are the government using that convoluted term instead of just saying "mothers of schoolchildren" ?
It's ludicrous that children are made to closely mix in groups of a hundred or so at school, but once school is over, in England the children are breaking the law when they gather in groups larger than six. Many schools don't allow mask-wearing in crowded classrooms.
The schools will become less effective transmission places as they send children home once one child or staff member has to isolate. The current lack of available tests, and the shambolic tracing system, means that more people are isolating than would otherwise be necessary, so we may well end up with most schools partially or completely closed for much of the time.
If schools do remain largely open, and the government still wants to get R below one, then I think they will need to close pubs/restaurants/gymns/hairdressers... and ban all social contact between households.
We shall see.
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Post by JoeP on Sept 23, 2020 11:41:55 GMT
The government is quite happy to lie to us, or to put it more charitably, they are often wrong and later change their minds: remember how they told us that there was no point in mask-wearing, but now threaten fines to non-wearers? Less charitably, they are wrong despite their own advisers having warned them of the truth. "If we had known that X" = "If you had believed the people who told you X instead of your business and finance backers."
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Post by tangent on Sept 23, 2020 12:41:37 GMT
The WHO, I believe, still says the evidence for aerosol transmission is inconclusive even though studies showed two months ago that aerosol transmission* is a real danger. CDC minions believe this, and posted a note on their website to say that aerosol transmission was real, but it was taken down yesterday with a note saying the message was posted 'in error'. I suspect politics.
*Transmission by particles small enough to float in the air.
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Covid-19
Oct 1, 2020 10:54:23 GMT
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Post by Mari on Oct 1, 2020 10:54:23 GMT
We're now strongly advised to wear masks in public places and required to in others. My husband has to wear one at work and I am asked to wear one when seeing the midwife. I ordered a few extra washable ones. Mine has blue flamingos on it.
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Covid-19
Oct 1, 2020 13:00:50 GMT
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Post by tangent on Oct 1, 2020 13:00:50 GMT
I understand it's dangerous for new born babies to wear masks, as you will be aware, I'm sure.
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Covid-19
Oct 1, 2020 17:40:14 GMT
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Post by Mari on Oct 1, 2020 17:40:14 GMT
I... didnt intend to make my children wear one...
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Covid-19
Oct 2, 2020 20:20:58 GMT
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Post by Elis on Oct 2, 2020 20:20:58 GMT
In Germany, children under 6 years old are not required to wear one. Malcolm has two, but has only worn them for very short times at home and takes them down quickly. Though a few nights ago he pulled his scarf over his face after saying "Nose is sticking out". Celebrating is restricted to 50 people or 25 in private flats and houses. Too much in my opinion, with people who celebrate the usual birthdays with lots of alcohol and not caring about much else.
The large club in our neighborhood has been closed since the Lockdown. Not that I miss the noise of drunk people outside at night, but even though we didn't go there, I'd feel sorry if they didn't survive the Covid-19 crisis.
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Covid-19
Oct 2, 2020 20:42:54 GMT
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Post by Mari on Oct 2, 2020 20:42:54 GMT
Today we got our new washable masks in and Girl keeps trying to wear them. It's cute. Kids under 12 don't have to wear masks but as of yet they're only mandatory in public transport at the moment anyway. We figured we'd better buy a few extra now that wearing a mask in public places is still strongly advised rather than mandatory. Parties etc. Are restricted to 4 people not from your household. I'm just hoping having friends over won't be banned completely again. I would like for friends and family to be able to see Frodo from inside the house when he's born...
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Post by Kye on Oct 2, 2020 22:01:09 GMT
We're in level red here in Montreal at the moment --the highest level. No visiting in homes at all, bars and restaurants closed, but the kids are all still in school and people are going to work. Church is open at this time, but we can't have more than 25 people attending.
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Covid-19
Oct 3, 2020 5:49:44 GMT
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Post by Elis on Oct 3, 2020 5:49:44 GMT
Wow. Makes me wonder why Germany can't restrict parties a little more then. I found it tough when even visiting a friend was not allowed, but ai don't see how 50 people can still be allowed to party at this point.
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Post by tangent on Oct 3, 2020 12:01:58 GMT
In the UK, there is guidance and there are legal restrictions. It is illegal to meet in a group of more than six people (with some exceptions) but we are only advised not to meet friends in pubs and restaurants. Some people follow the advice meticulously, some people ignore it completely. It's all very unsatisfactory.
Weddings are limited to 15 people, funerals to 30 people but other church services have no limit provided everyone is social distancing.
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Covid-19
Oct 3, 2020 18:31:51 GMT
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Post by juju on Oct 3, 2020 18:31:51 GMT
Today was my first stewarding session in the gallery since March. We have very careful sanitation rules and a sneeze screen. They’ve provided visors but I just wore a mask, as I think visors are slightly pointless unless you’re in close proximity.
Most of the visitors were great - followed the arrows and kept their masks on. However I have noticed that it’s older men that have the most trouble with the rules, not just today but in general. Two of our visitors (both older men) took their masks down to speak to me. Thankfully both times they were at least two meters away, but instead of asking them to pull their mask up I tried to keep the conversation short.
Older men are the most at risk, but do seem the most likely to ignore the precautions (present company excepted, Tangent and WG 😁). And you only have to look at Trump to see where that gets them. 🙄
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Post by JoeP on Oct 3, 2020 18:42:27 GMT
They’ve provided visors but I just wore a mask, as I think visors are slightly pointless unless you’re in close proximity. Idea: put the visor on (with a flourish) when a maskless visitor talks to you!
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Covid-19
Oct 3, 2020 21:04:05 GMT
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Post by Elis on Oct 3, 2020 21:04:05 GMT
Weddings are limited to 15 people, funerals to 30 people but other church services have no limit provided everyone is social distancing. That is something I'd be fine with. At our church, the rules are so strict (they are only beginning to do more in-building services) I'm not too worried because it's all well organized and it shouldn't be too hard for people to keep there distance there. 50 people at a party and alcohol is a different story, though. My mother told me about rumors that are being spread where they live about three kids having died from wearing face masks. Am beginning to wonder if Southern Germans are more prone to believing conspiracy theories because a lot of that stuff seems to originate in the south.
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Post by tangent on Oct 3, 2020 22:11:53 GMT
My mother told me about rumors that are being spread where they live about three kids having died from wearing face masks. Am beginning to wonder if Southern Germans are more prone to believing conspiracy theories because a lot of that stuff seems to originate in the south. It is fairly well established that a 14-year old and a 15 year-old in China died whilst exercising while wearing masks but it is not known whether the masks caused their deaths. I rather think, if young people are sprinting around a running track whilst wearing masks against their wishes, some of them might well come to grief. News of these children has quickly spread around the world and has been reported in America. On the other hand, if three children in southern Germany have died whilst wearing masks, why has nothing been mentioned in the mainstream media? I'm sceptical myself.
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Covid-19
Oct 4, 2020 8:55:22 GMT
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Post by Elis on Oct 4, 2020 8:55:22 GMT
Apparently, the only case in Germany which is really known officially is that of a 13 year old boy who died, but they don't yet know why. All the other cases could not be officially confirmed.
I get that wearing face masks could be a problem with severe asthma or similar conditions, in which case face masks are not required.
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Post by kingedmund on Oct 18, 2020 3:40:16 GMT
I’m starting to notice masks becoming less used and group events rising. Never even thought about kids much less babies wearing masks but I guess it would not be good for them.
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