Question about priorities in Reopen DC Plan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The political reality is that once businesses start opening back up, the pressure on schools to reopen as well will become inexorable.

We're not going to be in a place where all the stores are open but the schools remain closed. That just isn't going to happen.

I think that's right. I think the pressure will be even more intense if a place like NYC reopens--which is very much possible even Cuomo's reluctance to close them to begin with.

Definitely. Bowser follows what other people do. If you want to know the future, look at what Cuomo does or what Mike DeWine does in Ohio. Ohio has been way, way, way ahead of the curve on all this stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The political reality is that once businesses start opening back up, the pressure on schools to reopen as well will become inexorable.

We're not going to be in a place where all the stores are open but the schools remain closed. That just isn't going to happen.

I think that's right. I think the pressure will be even more intense if a place like NYC reopens--which is very much possible even Cuomo's reluctance to close them to begin with.

Definitely. Bowser follows what other people do. If you want to know the future, look at what Cuomo does or what Mike DeWine does in Ohio. Ohio has been way, way, way ahead of the curve on all this stuff.

Which curve has Ohio been ahead of?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The political reality is that once businesses start opening back up, the pressure on schools to reopen as well will become inexorable.

We're not going to be in a place where all the stores are open but the schools remain closed. That just isn't going to happen.

I think that's right. I think the pressure will be even more intense if a place like NYC reopens--which is very much possible even Cuomo's reluctance to close them to begin with.

Definitely. Bowser follows what other people do. If you want to know the future, look at what Cuomo does or what Mike DeWine does in Ohio. Ohio has been way, way, way ahead of the curve on all this stuff.

Which curve has Ohio been ahead of?

Ohio has been the nationwide leader on coronavirus. Gov. Mike DeWine started shutting things down on March 4 (almost three weeks before Bowser got around to closing anything). At the time, people thought DeWine was nuts. And those ping pong ads the state ran illustrating the risk of coronavirus were really effective.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/did-ohio-get-it-right-early-intervention-preparation-for-pandemic-may-pay-off/2020/04/09/7570bfea-7a4f-11ea-9bee-c5bf9d2e3288_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/10/ohio-coronavirus-video/

[Anonymous]

I was wondering to myself whether the DC government actually wants parents of young children to leave for other states that do open schools. It will probably cost DC more to educate my two kids annually than we pay in taxes, so if we leave now after living here for more than a decade, DC wins (looking only at a balance sheet, which doesn't value things like community).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was wondering to myself whether the DC government actually wants parents of young children to leave for other states that do open schools. It will probably cost DC more to educate my two kids annually than we pay in taxes, so if we leave now after living here for more than a decade, DC wins (looking only at a balance sheet, which doesn't value things like community).

My understanding is that schools anywhere pretty much operate at a loss, but having a growing population has been a win for the city financially. I very much doubt they "wanr" people to leave for open schools in others states. the schools will run here regardless, so not much opportunity for a savings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The political reality is that once businesses start opening back up, the pressure on schools to reopen as well will become inexorable.

We're not going to be in a place where all the stores are open but the schools remain closed. That just isn't going to happen.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The political reality is that once businesses start opening back up, the pressure on schools to reopen as well will become inexorable.

We're not going to be in a place where all the stores are open but the schools remain closed. That just isn't going to happen.

+1

Stores are totally different from schools. You can go in and out of stores, on your own schedule, and they can enforce very good distancing and hygeine practices. Less so re-opening a school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The political reality is that once businesses start opening back up, the pressure on schools to reopen as well will become inexorable.

We're not going to be in a place where all the stores are open but the schools remain closed. That just isn't going to happen.

+1

Stores are totally different from schools. You can go in and out of stores, on your own schedule, and they can enforce very good distancing and hygeine practices. Less so re-opening a school

Yes, stores are different from schools. Specifically, unlike many stores, schools serve a critical societal function.

[Anonymous]

DC to phase 1 on Friday

https://wtop.com/coronavirus/2020/05/dc-coronavirus-update-may-27/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC to phase 1 on Friday

https://wtop.com/coronavirus/2020/05/dc-coronavirus-update-may-27/

And PG is supposed to open June 1. I guess I know where I'm going to buy things and eat out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reason everything closed was so that everyone doesn't get sick at the same time and overwhelm the hospital system.

It's not that everything is supposed to remain closed, and everyone works from home, until a vaccine is available for everyone.

Except isn’t that what one of the mayor’s advisors was advocating- that schools stay closed until a vaccine is available?

It seems to me that most public officials are still operating on the belief that a vaccine will be available relatively soon (a few months to a year). That may not be the case, and long-term plans for dealing with the virus, while resuming essential activities like school/childcare, are needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The political reality is that once businesses start opening back up, the pressure on schools to reopen as well will become inexorable.

We're not going to be in a place where all the stores are open but the schools remain closed. That just isn't going to happen.

+1

Stores are totally different from schools. You can go in and out of stores, on your own schedule, and they can enforce very good distancing and hygeine practices. Less so re-opening a school

Stores aren’t going to limit entry forever, and they sure as heck aren’t enforcing distancing once people are in the store. At least not where I shop. Or good hygiene- do you not see people picking things up and setting them down again? Is there some worker following behind wiping down these abandoned objects?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG enough with the schools. We know you don't want to watch your kids -- too bad.

Construction workers are not packed into a 12-foot room with 25 other students for 8 hour days.

They are outside, spread out, often the solo person manning heavy machinery.

Its actually safer to be on a construction crew breathing fresh air than the recycled air classrooms with 3,000 coughing students in the same building.

+1000 Jesus Christ, people. We’re sorry that you had kids you can’t deal with being around 24 hours a day, but we’re not going to send little Petri dishes to school just so you can get a break from them and then unleash them on to the rest of society. We all know half of you aren’t keeping your kids quarantined anyways and the other half would sue the school system and government to kingdom come if your kid got it at school anyways so there’s no point. I cannot believe the selfishness of the parents that continue to spout on about schools and pools reopening despite common sense.

Actually I think it’s pretty selfish to keep kids home from school indefinitely when they are not as vulnerable to the virus and may not even be responsible for much of its spread. I hope we learn more over the next couple of months so that schools can resume in the fall.

[Anonymous]

I can’t believe the selfishness of some of the teachers, who think they will get paid next year to sit at home and post random worksheets online.

[Anonymous]

I do not understand the recommendation on pools staying completely closed until Stage 3. In other states, including VA, outdoor pools can open for lap swimming with one per lane in stage 1. Why can't DC do the same? The priorities here seem very strange to me.