How would you rate how Mayor Bowser has handled DCPS reopening?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This widget from The New York Times says it’s safe to reopen elementary and middle schools (but not high schools) in DC

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/14/opi...hool-reopening-guidelines.html

Not found.

Sorry

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/14/opinion/politics/covid-school-reopening-guidelines.html

Says it’s safe to open elementary and middle schools in DC but not high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This widget from The New York Times says it’s safe to reopen elementary and middle schools (but not high schools) in DC

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/14/opi...hool-reopening-guidelines.html

Not found.

Sorry

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/14/opinion/politics/covid-school-reopening-guidelines.html

Says it’s safe to open elementary and middle schools in DC but not high school.

Interesting except the surrounding areas are red, that gives me pause. Hope it looks this good in late October.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This widget from The New York Times says it’s safe to reopen elementary and middle schools (but not high schools) in DC

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/14/opi...hool-reopening-guidelines.html

Not found.

Sorry

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/14/opinion/politics/covid-school-reopening-guidelines.html

Says it’s safe to open elementary and middle schools in DC but not high school.

Interesting except the surrounding areas are red, that gives me pause. Hope it looks this good in late October.

+1

[Anonymous]

The virus is spread by groups of people breathing the same air. Opening the schools would last 15 minutes. Magical thinking isn't going to make this right.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/17/coronavirus-schools-reopening-teacher-spreadsheet/

[Anonymous]

The R(t) in DC is back over 1. It hasn't been trending in the right direction and this is where we are now. Let's react and plan accordingly. Like reasonable adults.

[Anonymous]

The New York Times says elementary and middle schools in DC should be open. Not high schools though


https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/14/opinion/politics/covid-school-reopening-guidelines.html

[Anonymous]

DC is hosting a 100,000K plus march/demonstration at the end of this month. Bowser, is hopeful that folks will wear masks etc.

The result of this will be a spike in transmission, positive cases, and then deaths - following the pattern of July.

So, instead of protecting DC residents as is her mandate, Bowser is inviting a ton of folks to the Mall.

DCPS is not reopening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC is hosting a 100,000K plus march/demonstration at the end of this month. Bowser, is hopeful that folks will wear masks etc.

The result of this will be a spike in transmission, positive cases, and then deaths - following the pattern of July.

So, instead of protecting DC residents as is her mandate, Bowser is inviting a ton of folks to the Mall.

DCPS is not reopening.

I’m no Bowser fan, but she doesn’t control permits for federal property.

[Anonymous]

Bower has the political climate on her side. If she raised a fuss about DC and its universal mask policy, its quarantine rules, its no 50 plus gatherings - she would be successful in getting the permit denied - and yes, it is the Park Service.

So - DCPS and all other schools will remain closed. Bowser might want to use some of her political posturing for DC kids.

[Anonymous]

Both Bowser and Nesbitt have said there are three things that are keeping our coronavirus numbers unacceptably high: out-of-DC travel, large gatherings and indoor dining.

DC cannot really do anything to forbid travel, and its quarantine rules for those who travel to hotspots are completely unenforceable.

DC has shown zero interest in cracking down on large gatherings despite having a rule against them, so those won't be ending anytime soon. Bowser is too much of a coward to demand that MPD step in. She seriously said it's the ANCs' responsibility to get people to stop throwing big parties. The ANCs, in case you forgot, have zero actual power.

That leaves indoor dining, gyms and the like. Bowser could shut them down with one stroke of the pen, yet refuses to do so and makes every excuse in the book not to. It's literally the one coronavirus driver that she has control over and she's doing nothing to stop it.

She's an utter failure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both Bowser and Nesbitt have said there are three things that are keeping our coronavirus numbers unacceptably high: out-of-DC travel, large gatherings and indoor dining.

DC cannot really do anything to forbid travel, and its quarantine rules for those who travel to hotspots are completely unenforceable.

DC has shown zero interest in cracking down on large gatherings despite having a rule against them, so those won't be ending anytime soon. Bowser is too much of a coward to demand that MPD step in. She seriously said it's the ANCs' responsibility to get people to stop throwing big parties. The ANCs, in case you forgot, have zero actual power.

That leaves indoor dining, gyms and the like. Bowser could shut them down with one stroke of the pen, yet refuses to do so and makes every excuse in the book not to. It's literally the one coronavirus driver that she has control over and she's doing nothing to stop it.

She's an utter failure.

That's a little harsh. How are we a failure if our numbers are about as low as any city in the country, despite irresponsible federal leaders and too many people who refuse to believe in or follow the simplest rules? At some point you can't lower them much more, indoor dining or not. I don't think that would make the difference for schools -- at least I haven't seen it work anywhere else. Other places that are opening are already closing -- how safe or useful is that, really? And there are plenty of restaurant employees who need paychecks as much as anybody else.

[Anonymous]

The coronavirus numbers in DC look pretty good. The positivity rate is now below 2 percent on a sustained basis which is well within commonly accepted standards for reopening schools. The only reason schools aren’t opening is Bowser refuses to take on the teachers union. If the union has its way, schools will never reopen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The coronavirus numbers in DC look pretty good. The positivity rate is now below 2 percent on a sustained basis which is well within commonly accepted standards for reopening schools. The only reason schools aren’t opening is Bowser refuses to take on the teachers union. If the union has its way, schools will never reopen.

Good. The WTU is right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The coronavirus numbers in DC look pretty good. The positivity rate is now below 2 percent on a sustained basis which is well within commonly accepted standards for reopening schools. The only reason schools aren’t opening is Bowser refuses to take on the teachers union. If the union has its way, schools will never reopen.

Good. The WTU is right.

Actually, DC's own website shows a rolling average positivity rate for DC residents of over 3 percent -- which is good, but not below 2 percent. And even if it were, that's not enough under the city's standards that also require a R rate under 1 (currently it is over 1) and a sustained decrease in numbers of cases (currently we are still above the low ebb we had back in June.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The coronavirus numbers in DC look pretty good. The positivity rate is now below 2 percent on a sustained basis which is well within commonly accepted standards for reopening schools. The only reason schools aren’t opening is Bowser refuses to take on the teachers union. If the union has its way, schools will never reopen.

Good. The WTU is right.

Actually, DC's own website shows a rolling average positivity rate for DC residents of over 3 percent -- which is good, but not below 2 percent. And even if it were, that's not enough under the city's standards that also require a R rate under 1 (currently it is over 1) and a sustained decrease in numbers of cases (currently we are still above the low ebb we had back in June.

Here are the numbers from the city’s spreadsheet:

Aug. 18 — 2181 tests, 29 positives, 1.33 percent positivity rate
Aug. 17 — 3823 tests, 52 positives, 1.36 percent positivity rate
Aug. 16 — 2803 tests, 53 positives, 1.89 percent positivity rate
Aug. 15 — 3636 tests, 61 positives, 1.68 percent positivity rate
Aug. 14 — 2911 tests, 41 positives, 1.4 percent positivity rate
Aug. 13 — 6656 tests, 94 positives, 1.4 percent positivity rate
Aug. 12 — 2908 tests, 65 positives, 2.24 percent positivity rate