Texas Re-Opening Announced

[Captainant 27447]

4 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Are you even allowed to tell other employees that a specific employee is sick with anything? In a small office, it can be easy to figure it out, but I don't think anyone should say that Nancy the receptionist has COVID-19. There are govt rules about privacy regarding health that I would be cautious to violate. 

That's a public safety issue though. If the employer knowingly allowed an infected worker to continue working and took no preventative/mitigating efforts, I'd think their customers and other employees would have a justifiable complaint against them. If coughing in someone's face is assault, then isn't talking in their face assault too? It's the same health risk and exposure

[Nice Guy Eddie 13411]

1 minute ago, Captainant said:

That's a public safety issue though. If the employer knowingly allowed an infected worker to continue working and took no preventative/mitigating efforts, I'd think their customers and other employees would have a justifiable complaint against them. If coughing in someone's face is assault, then isn't talking in their face assault too? It's the same health risk and exposure

Yes, I meant I wasn't sure if you could out someone as having COVID-19 but that doesn't mean that you continue to let them work. If Nancy isn't at the receptionist's desk today, that isn't necessarily anyone's business why she's not there.

Personally I think a business with customers on-site should basically operate as if any employee might be sick, and when confirmed, send them home.  Waiting to do anything until someone is sick with symptoms is a bit passive. hopefully everyone is taking masks and cleaning serious but I doubt it.

[InkaUtexas 25507]

5 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Nope. It is up to the employee in Hays. Then up to the business to decide. Main reason I see here is the lack of contact tracing and a County Judge who will follow Abbot's lead. River was packed yesterday, we are back to normal. meanwhile over the past 3 days reported we went from 80+ to 98 to 140+ new cases. 

Just saw this. Goes completely against the article in the local paper I read this morning. 

SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra is criticizing Gov. Greg Abbott for taking away local authority when it comes to curbing the spread of COVID-19.

“I will be asking the governor to please give local control back to the local leadership,” Becerra said in a video posted to his Facebook page.

The post comes as Hays County continues to see a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, reporting nearly 200 over the weekend.

“Right now, everything that I can do is being done,” he says in the video.

Judge Becerra says he is writing a letter to the governor.

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/hays/as-covid-19-cases-increase-local-judge-says-texas-needs-to-give-local-leaders-authority-back/

[kevwun 15643]

Good luck with that Judge.

[InkaUtexas 25507]

2 minutes ago, kevwun said:

Good luck with that Judge.

Yeah, he will write a letter, but doubt he will start enforcing local guidelines. His first stance was allow the mayors to decide. Then told them to follow State (Abbot's) guidelines. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13411]

35 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Yeah, he will write a letter, but doubt he will start enforcing local guidelines. His first stance was allow the mayors to decide. Then told them to follow State (Abbot's) guidelines. 

Perhaps its has something about respecting his authority but Abbott is playing with fire to put so much risk on himself. If deaths increase too much, Abbott will take most of the blame.

I can also understand that if he gives too much control to county officials, the texas economy will suffer. The top 5 counties (Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Travis and Bexar) account for 53% of Texas' GDP based on 2018 #s while only accounting for 44% of the population. Shut down those counties and the remaining counties and overall state will suffer economically as well. If a county of 4,000 people wanted to lockdown, I doubt Abbott would really care. Attempt to shut down Harris, and the national guard will step in.

[Wanker Bob 379]

1 hour ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Restaurants that have a COVID positive employee face a tough decision. The easy part is to quarantine that employee as much as the employer can control, deep clean the entire restaurant and then test everyone.  the tough question is how long do you stay closed while the above occurs? 

You also create a situation where a sick employee may decide to hide a positive test because there could be some anger directed towards them if the entire restaurant (or store) closes for a significant time.

Not to mention there's basically zero financial relief for any employee that tests positive and has to miss at least 2 weeks of work. In an industry where virtually zero of those employees can afford to miss 1 week much less 2 of pay they're going to be hiding it like crazy just to keep working and earning. 

There's zero chance by now it isn't in a ton of restaurants in the state. 

[Post Oak 20184]

3 hours ago, babysdaddy said:

Better now than during the season, imo.

Sure.  You just hope he doesn't have the long term cardiovascular, respiratory effects that many people seem to have.  Asthma, decreased lung capacity, lung damage etc.

[CooterBrown 17905]

I know of a dental office where an assistant tested positive, was told by the two doctors who own the practice not to tell anyone (in a threatening manner, from the sound of it), and given time off. None of the employees or customers were made aware of this. No cleaning or other measures were performed. The only reason it came out is because the girl who got the Rona told someone I know. The Covid+ girl had been in tight-spaces meetings with the rest of the staff, no masks.
If one wanted to drop an anonymous dime, how would they go about doing that?

Just confirm it’s not 38th Street Dental since that’s where I go.

[BradInATX 9208]

23 Austin hospital admits today, lower than yesterday, but I believe there's some lag on Mondays usually. Last Monday there were only 9, so the 7 day average still took a big jump from 20.6 to 22.6.

The days I'll be watching are Weds-Fri. The big jump started last Wednesday. So as this Wednesday overwrites last Weds in our 7-day average, we'll see if it keeps going up, or if we're going to sort of hang in this mid-20s range. Basically learning whether we are at the foot of a big mountain, or if we just jumped up to another little plateau that we're going to hang out at for awhile. I would probably see anything under 30 per day between Weds and Friday to be a win.

Edited June 15, 2020 by BradInATX

[4th&Five 41459]

Good luck. 

 

[BradInATX 9208]

21 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

Just confirm it’s not 38th Street Dental since that’s where I go.

It's not. It's a pretty rural place. Nowhere in any of the major cities. If I told you what town it was in you'd probably have the least amount of surprise as is humanly possible (which doesn't narrow it down, I know).

Edited June 15, 2020 by BradInATX

[Bama Chick 28596]

And the finger pointing begins.

[Wanker Bob 379]

43 minutes ago, Bama Chick said:

And the finger pointing begins.

 

Yeah, that doesn't explain the shitloads of 60+ yr olds I see all over the place with zero masks and acting like the pandemic ended. 

Fuck Abbott. He and trump caused this to be as bad as it is. 

[safe sex 11678]

When in doubt, blame young people

[High Plains Drifter 10974]

10 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

Just saw this. Goes completely against the article in the local paper I read this morning. 

SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra is criticizing Gov. Greg Abbott for taking away local authority when it comes to curbing the spread of COVID-19.

“I will be asking the governor to please give local control back to the local leadership,” Becerra said in a video posted to his Facebook page.

The post comes as Hays County continues to see a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, reporting nearly 200 over the weekend.

“Right now, everything that I can do is being done,” he says in the video.

Judge Becerra says he is writing a letter to the governor.

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/hays/as-covid-19-cases-increase-local-judge-says-texas-needs-to-give-local-leaders-authority-back/

 

I hope its a strongly worded letter.

[Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand 13546]

50 minutes ago, Bama Chick said:

And the finger pointing begins.

 

Let's see...I'm the governor of Texas during a declared public health emergency due to a global pandemic and hospital capacities are, as predicted, reaching a critical mass in the abyss of my leadership.

What should I do? 

Shit.

Issue orders for business restrictions?

Require mandatory mask usage?

Institute a track and trace system?

Think...think...

!!! 

I know! I'll blame the 20-year olds! Way to go Millennials! Is there anything you kids can't screw up?
 

Well, looks like my job is done here. Looks like some of you youngins need to learn a little about what us older folk like to call *chris farley air quotes* "personal responsibility". Kthxbai!

[Grade of D as in David 13253]

1 hour ago, Bama Chick said:

And the finger pointing begins.

 

This is bullshit. Also, how are 20-somethings supposed to avoid a quickly spreading pandemic when this fuckwad couldn't even avoid a goddamn tree?

[wildcat09 29237]

Some county officials need to sue Abbott. His order overturning stricter local requirements is probably illegal and is getting people killed.

[Bartles 769]

6 hours ago, trauma babe said:

When in doubt, blame young people

Yep, they ain't voting anyway

[miguelito 11218]

7 hours ago, Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand said:

Let's see...I'm the governor of Texas during a declared public health emergency due to a global pandemic and hospital capacities are, as predicted, reaching a critical mass in the abyss of my leadership.

What should I do? 

Shit.

Issue orders for business restrictions?

Require mandatory mask usage?

Institute a track and trace system?

Think...think...

!!! 

I know! I'll blame the 20-year olds! Way to go Millennials! Is there anything you kids can't screw up?
 

Well, looks like my job is done here. Looks like some of you youngins need to learn a little about what us older folk like to call *chris farley air quotes* "personal responsibility". Kthxbai!

[HenryJames 65889]

 

[kevwun 15643]

Get your "Whose Fault is it?" bingo cards ready.

[gmr548 16503]

Get your "Whose Fault is it?" bingo cards ready.

Youths, democrats, liberal media.

$9.95 please.

[Fudge Nuggets 19149]

9 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

Youths, democrats, liberal media.

$9.95 please.

You forgot Mexico. 

[Wanker Bob 379]

Abbott should be crucified. Just have to find big enough nails for the wheels

[4th&Five 41459]

 

[Dirk X West 772]

31 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

You forgot Mexico. 

BLM

[Wanker Bob 379]

12 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

 

The worst part is being only 3 weeks from memorial day we likely still are at the very beginning of the lag delay from then. Even if everything shut down today this likely gets far worse for a few weeks. 

[Biff Tannen 45492]

58 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

 

So William Joy is, according to his handle, an emmy award winning reporter.  One of the replies trying to debunk him with a fishy-at-best graph has a location of Geneva, Switzerland and his account basically just retweets pro-trump propaganda.  Seems legit.  Twitter sucks so bad.

[safe sex 11678]

As of last Saturday, our COVID ICU has expanded by several beds, now making up more than half of our medical ICU. The surgical ICU is close to capacity, because people in Austin have been really violent towards one another lately (not even referring to the protests). Nothing to worry about here!

[Anastasis 23394]

Just now, trauma babe said:

As of last Saturday, our COVID ICU has expanded by several beds, now making up more than half of our medical ICU. The surgical ICU is close to capacity, because people in Austin have been really violent towards one another lately (not even referring to the protests). Nothing to worry about here!

Domestic violence cases, or other types of assaults?  

[safe sex 11678]

Just now, Anastasis said:

Domestic violence cases, or other types of assaults?  

Other types of assaults. It's pretty rare that we get a DV patient that needs ICU-level care, thankfully. 

[BradInATX 9208]

As of last Saturday, our COVID ICU has expanded by several beds, now making up more than half of our medical ICU. The surgical ICU is close to capacity, because people in Austin have been really violent towards one another lately (not even referring to the protests). Nothing to worry about here!

Didn't you guys also recently tell the other hospitals in your system locally to keep their own covid admits vs sending to you?

[safe sex 11678]

41 minutes ago, BradInATX said:

44 minutes ago, trauma babe said:

As of last Saturday, our COVID ICU has expanded by several beds, now making up more than half of our medical ICU. The surgical ICU is close to capacity, because people in Austin have been really violent towards one another lately (not even referring to the protests). Nothing to worry about here!

Didn't you guys also recently tell the other hospitals in your system locally to keep their own covid admits vs sending to you?

I don't know about that, but I would assume at this point it's happened. Administration barely tells us anything other than to shut up and be happy that we still have jobs.

[BradInATX 9208]

I don't know about that, but I would assume at this point it's happened. Administration barely tells us anything other than to shut up and be happy that we still have jobs.

Definitely happening at one of them, I'm very close to someone in management. They had been sending you (assuming you're where I think you are) their covid+ for awhile and are now taking them on in-house.
Electives still going though.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13411]

Abbott’s next move will be to tell hospitals to reserve more icu beds for covid patients. Which hurts non covid patients and financially kills the hospitals. 

[Dnaguy 11772]

12 hours ago, Bama Chick said:

And the finger pointing begins.

 

 

[CowboyFred 1151]

On 6/13/2020 at 3:02 PM, GRHorn said:

Unless you’re a 50 year old sugar daddy, or either one of y’all are morbidly obese, the chances of that happening are incredibly small in your late 20s. Especially from a one off bar trip. 

you have got to be the most tone deaf doctor I've ever "interacted" with.  My younger brother got COVID from his first trip to a bar.  31 years old and in great shape.  Another bartender I know, 26 years old and got COVID.  No previous conditions and in good shape but is still in the hospital and will probably be for the foreseeable future as his lungs are permanently damaged.  I currently know 3 other people not counting those 2 I mentioned that are in their mid 20s and all 3 tested positive after their one trip to the same bar.  Thankfully I know for a fact you're not my doctor because my doc is from Monterrey and gives me a sense of relief but damn do I feel for your patients if thats the type of advice you give.

[GRHorn 105]

21 minutes ago, CowboyFred said:

you have got to be the most tone deaf doctor I've ever "interacted" with.  My younger brother got COVID from his first trip to a bar.  31 years old and in great shape.  Another bartender I know, 26 years old and got COVID.  No previous conditions and in good shape but is still in the hospital and will probably be for the foreseeable future as his lungs are permanently damaged.  I currently know 3 other people not counting those 2 I mentioned that are in their mid 20s and all 3 tested positive after their one trip to the same bar.  Thankfully I know for a fact you're not my doctor because my doc is from Monterrey and gives me a sense of relief but damn do I feel for your patients if thats the type of advice you give.

First of all, nobody “knows” for certain when and where they get it unless you had sustained, close contact with someone that you know was positive.  
 

Secondly, I’m sorry someone you know got Covid and is hospitalized, but I’d say being a bartender is a higher risk position than just a one night patron.
 

That was the point of my post. Wanker Bob’s wife went to the bar with some friends one night. He was worried about ending up in the hospital due to that one night. I stand by the statement that the odds a 28 year old going to a bar one night and ending up hospitalized with Covid are extremely small. 
 

You think I’m dumb for making that statement. I think you’re dumb for believing that I stated anything absolute. 

[royiv 9154]

Going to a crowded bar where there is potentially an infected individual is the very definition of sustained close contact. The risk level is high as you don't know who in that bar could have the virus. It's not like they're doing a rapid COVID test on all the patrons before they enter. Plus it's summer in TX so the a/c is going full blast spreading droplets around. 

[Wanker Bob 379]

1 hour ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Abbott’s next move will be to tell hospitals to reserve more icu beds for covid patients. Which hurts non covid patients and financially kills the hospitals. 

Any deaths that occur because a non covid patient is denied cared due to a covid overload should be counted as Covid deaths. Fucking Abbott is going to murder thousands. Got damn wheelchair butcher

[GRHorn 105]

40 minutes ago, royiv said:

Going to a crowded bar where there is potentially an infected individual is the very definition of sustained close contact. The risk level is high as you don't know who in that bar could have the virus. It's not like they're doing a rapid COVID test on all the patrons before they enter. Plus it's summer in TX so the a/c is going full blast spreading droplets around. 

You’re missing the second part of the argument that even if she somehow contracted it at a bar which is not a given, the chances that she or her husband would get hospitalized were still small. 

[mchookem 16208]

my niece had participated in multiple austin protests, the last one about a week ago. she was able to get a test easily when she went in for a vaccine yesterday, just asked them.

put her in the negative column... the positive negative... you know,  the perfect one 😁

we weren't super worried but it was still a relief.

i'm really just focusing on my zip code right now and sticking to the neighborhood...if Texas is going to be the wild west, i figure tracking cases to the smallest unit is safest. 

[Wanker Bob 379]

1 hour ago, GRHorn said:

First of all, nobody “knows” for certain when and where they get it unless you had sustained, close contact with someone that you know was positive.  
 

Secondly, I’m sorry someone you know got Covid and is hospitalized, but I’d say being a bartender is a higher risk position than just a one night patron.
 

That was the point of my post. Wanker Bob’s wife went to the bar with some friends one night. He was worried about ending up in the hospital due to that one night. I stand by the statement that the odds a 28 year old going to a bar one night and ending up hospitalized with Covid are extremely small. 
 

You think I’m dumb for making that statement. I think you’re dumb for believing that I stated anything absolute. 

It's not just one night. It's a mindset. If the best positive outcome happens and she didn't contract anything from that night that will only reinforce the idea it's overblown and safe. That gives a false sense of security going forward and will lead to riskier behavior the longer the luck holds. 

If you keep playing Russian roulette eventually you get the bullet. Then consider we both come in contact with our semi elderly parents and in my work I come in contact with compromised and elderly people. Her risky actions puts them at danger if I get the virus and am shedding it even if I'm not symptomatic yet or at all. 

That's the whole point, in this society we are not in a vacuum. Our actions right now potentially kill those we come in contact with. Yet so many are selfishly rejecting that responsibility to our society. 

[Texas Jeff 1932]

Video from Abbott's presser today:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?473118-1/texas-governor-abbott-coronavirus-news-conference

He said we are having record cases but you have to look behind the numbers.  Lots of prisoners have tested positive for COVID, some counties have made math errors, and lots of cases have come from retirement homes or other communal gathering areas.  He was speaking words but it sounded like he was whistling past the graveyard.  Hays County is going to put up a big number today, following a few days of zeros.

He said people under thirty were not social distancing, thus contributing to the spread.  He asked everyone to wash their hands, wear a mask, and keep at a distance from others.

From the hospital numbers, it looked to me like the numbers can get maybe 4x worse before we start stacking sick people where they shouldn't be stacked.  So the numbers can double, and then double again, and sometime around there we are full.

 

[SizzleChest 8275]

There's a tweet for this.

 

[GRHorn 105]

14 minutes ago, Texas Jeff said:

He said people under thirty were not social distancing, thus contributing to the spread.  He asked everyone to wash their hands, wear a mask, and keep at a distance from others.

Sounds good. 

17 minutes ago, Wanker Bob said:

It's not just one night. It's a mindset. If the best positive outcome happens and she didn't contract anything from that night that will only reinforce the idea it's overblown and safe. That gives a false sense of security going forward and will lead to riskier behavior the longer the luck holds. 

If you keep playing Russian roulette eventually you get the bullet. Then consider we both come in contact with our semi elderly parents and in my work I come in contact with compromised and elderly people. Her risky actions puts them at danger if I get the virus and am shedding it even if I'm not symptomatic yet or at all. 

That's the whole point, in this society we are not in a vacuum. Our actions right now potentially kill those we come in contact with. Yet so many are selfishly rejecting that responsibility to our society. 

Sir, this is a Red Lobster.

Now, would you and your wife like to dine inside, outside, or first available? 

[4th&Five 41459]

 

[gmr548 16503]

There's a tweet for this.
 

I'll never not lol at "morality rate."

But also it's infuriating a governor who I know is smart enough to know better shares that disengenuious, misleading trash.