Return to Normalcy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who is a hospitalist and has worked with Covid patients. She predicts 3 years before schools can reopen and have a normal life back. I was surprised by that but she would know better than me what to expect.

The physicians I know share the two to three year time frame. The big elective surgeons who do cardiac and plastic surgery are doing fine but the orthopedic surgeons are not making money because no one wants to risk Covid recovering from a knee replacement in a rehab hospital.

So what? Even people with MDs behind their names have opinions and agendas like any other human. Most of them don’t know any more about infectious disease or epidemiology than a criminal lawyer knows about antitrust law. Most experts are not saying that schools won’t reopen for 3 years.

That’s right. They share an opinion just like you did. Just as a criminal lawyer and an antitrust lawyer share a basic background in constitutional law, physicians share a basic background in medicine. I would pay more attention to the opinion of an orthopedist on Covid than a lawyer.

[Anonymous]

My Boston-based company just announced 6/1 as our return-to-office date. Had previously been 1/4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who is a hospitalist and has worked with Covid patients. She predicts 3 years before schools can reopen and have a normal life back. I was surprised by that but she would know better than me what to expect.

Her perspective has been skewed by her trauma. No way is she a prognosticator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who is a hospitalist and has worked with Covid patients. She predicts 3 years before schools can reopen and have a normal life back. I was surprised by that but she would know better than me what to expect.

The physicians I know share the two to three year time frame. The big elective surgeons who do cardiac and plastic surgery are doing fine but the orthopedic surgeons are not making money because no one wants to risk Covid recovering from a knee replacement in a rehab hospital.

So what? Even people with MDs behind their names have opinions and agendas like any other human. Most of them don’t know any more about infectious disease or epidemiology than a criminal lawyer knows about antitrust law. Most experts are not saying that schools won’t reopen for 3 years.

That’s right. They share an opinion just like you did. Just as a criminal lawyer and an antitrust lawyer share a basic background in constitutional law, physicians share a basic background in medicine. I would pay more attention to the opinion of an orthopedist on Covid than a lawyer.

Sure, if their opinions weren’t extremist and whacky and in contradiction to what the epidemiologists are saying? Three more years of no school? Really? Doctors can be whackos too you know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think next year things will begin to return to normal, maybe during the summer.
Why?
I hope we have a new president. This will mean we'll have more targeted fast testing, which will quickly pin point hot spots, and stamp out any flare ups.
This will mean most of us can go back to normal life. Movies, etc.
I think there will be a cell phone app that will read your results from a rapid test, so you'll be allowed to go into stores, movie theaters, etc. How this will work so people don't switch phones, etc., I don't know, maybe a fingerprint ID system?
Vaccines will start to appear, but it will take time to get most people vaccinated, and to find out if there are any side effects that are dangerous.
Many of the new vaccines will only be 50% effective, so people will still have to wear masks and socially distance.
I think 4-5 years before things really return to "normal", but I may be optimistic. We may never return to the way things were here back in February 2020.
There are so many unknowns. The virus may mutate to the point where it's no longer infectious, or only causes a common cold, nothing nefarious or fatal.
Or the virus may be with us forever, like flu, with different strains circulating throughout the world.
We may need annual covid vaxes in addition to flu vaxes.
BUT given that covid is so much more dangerous than flu, we may still have to wear masks and socially distance if we are not armed with daily rapid tests we can show everywhere we go.
A treatment may appear (like penicillin in the 1940s) that will end the illness.
This all depends on a DEMOCRAT in the White House leading and sending appropriate funding to the correct areas, based on scientific research and advice from experts who actually know what they are talking about.
Pray Biden wins, else this scourge will continue, deaths will increase...no, no no no no

a) this is not the Politics Forum

b) you have NO knowledge of how public health works in the U.S. and what has been done since January

c) you have NO knowledge of what Joseph Biden would have done in response to COVID, nor what he would do as President (except he has acknowledged that he would not have authority to mandate masks - see b)

d) you are correct that a fingerprint ID system to allow people into stores would only happen under a Democrat

[Anonymous]

Some of you are nuts. People will be in concert halls and sports stadiums and arenas at this time next year. And they will be there at full capacity. Schools will all be back next year as well. (One of my kids already is in school in person every day). Either the country will get vaccinated or people will give up on social distancing and masking and take their chances.

[Anonymous]

I know Joe Biden would have handled this infinitely better because he and Obama had a Pandemic Response Team in place as well as a pandemic plan. Trump got rid of both of them.

But not to be political, things will change for the better in January if we have a new administration. I know this. We’ll have a national plan.

Our schools(not DC) are already back and the precautions of our governor are good. We’re prioritizing school (no parties, no playdates) and still taking all precautions.

But normal? Pre-covid normal where we hugged people, went to concerts and plays, hung out at friends homes inside for hours... not coming back for at least another year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Random benign questions I have:

- when will Trader Joe's allow baskets again?
- How long are all the SOCIAL DISTANCING!!!!1111 signs going to remain? We know. But how long are the signs going to be everywhere?
- when will the Whole Foods hot food bar come back? Will it ever come back?
- who bought stock in plexiglass, and can you share?

Ha! I'm a TJs employee. The companywide policy is that stores are allowed to use baskets again, but it's up to the individual stores to decide if they want to. Some stores have done this already, others haven't because it's just another logistical challenge to figure out when it comes to cleaning. I'm thinking that we'll be 100% back to baskets pretty soon, though

[Anonymous]

I am on page 1. I hope that around January we will start getting signals that it’s not dangerous to be outside with no masks; that it’s ok to be inside if you wear masks etc.
The paranoia will change to saving the economy and all those guidelines will become more reasonable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who is a hospitalist and has worked with Covid patients. She predicts 3 years before schools can reopen and have a normal life back. I was surprised by that but she would know better than me what to expect.

Her perspective has been skewed by her trauma. No way is she a prognosticator.

How is it traumatizing fir a trained physician to treat people she was trained to treat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of you are nuts. People will be in concert halls and sports stadiums and arenas at this time next year. And they will be there at full capacity. Schools will all be back next year as well. (One of my kids already is in school in person every day). Either the country will get vaccinated or people will give up on social distancing and masking and take their chances.

And some of these people will still be hiding 5 years from now.

[Anonymous]

Our kids are back in school and doing sports. We are back at work. We eat out once a week. We have friends over most weekends.

The only thing that is different for us is the mask wearing and lack of travel outside of MD and VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who is a hospitalist and has worked with Covid patients. She predicts 3 years before schools can reopen and have a normal life back. I was surprised by that but she would know better than me what to expect.

That's about how long the Great Influenza took.

I'm sure they will figure out some way for schools to be open in some fashion, but it will take everyone wearing masks and preventing idiots (or people without child care or paid leave) from sending their kids to school sick.

I think it will be about three years as well, it's going to take some time for a vaccine to come out and then the disease seems to be acting more like the seasonal flu and the vaccine probably won't have 100% effectiveness. If people are willing to go about their business with masks and at least six feet away, then we can start doing more things we want to do.

The longest period any school district in America was closed during the Spanish Flu was 14 weeks, I believe. Feel free to correct me.

Anne Arundel County has just announced they're bringing elementary kids back on a hybrid basis this November. Most of the Baltimore privates have full elementary schools and hybrid for middle and high. Coworkers in Florida have their kids back in public schools.

If there is no real second wave (and no hint of one is appearing) I don't see any legitimate reason to keep achools closed.

[Anonymous]

Normalcy like we all experienced prior to March 13th??

That will likely happen in 3-5 years at minimum.

Even as things slowly open up again >>> there will always be people who are afraid to completely let their guards down.
I know that I will never take anything for granted ever again & that life can change completely in less than a day.

I also live w/the reality that all the bad times did not just exist “a long time ago.”

[Anonymous]

We can’t even begin to approach normal until we first topple capitalism and start seriously addressing income inequality.