Starting Sunday at 10 p.m, a stay at home order will be issued by direct order of Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California. This will force the major counties in the Bay Area, San Francisco, Marin, Santa Clara, Contra Costa and Alameda counties to shut down all outdoor dining, personal care services and entertainment locations. This means that gyms, movie theaters, zoos and other possible super-spreader environments will be shut down with only the essential businesses operating at a lowered capacity. This would force restaurants to do takeout and delivery along with grocery stores operating at 20% capacity. The reason for this order is based upon the availability of ICU beds.
The statewide order issued depended on ICUs dropping to 15% of available beds, however this order came early at the fear of a "dark Covid winter" dropping the amount of available care even further. Currently, the counties are averaging around a 25% ICU bed availability with the most drastic being 14% in Santa Clara. Director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health Grant Colfax claims that "We need urgent intervention now to dent the trajectory of this surge." Many regions in California hold true to Dr. Colfax's statement as hospitalizations hit a record high every single day. This would see counties such as Santa Clara, losing all available ICU beds. This stay-at-home order is going to take place over the course of a month, attempting to limit the spread of the virus until a vaccine can be distributed to boost the fight against it. With the holiday season approaching, many have already thought about traveling and this stay-at-home order, according to many, is untimely.
My personal opinion on this is that this stay-at-home order is the absolute correct thing to do. Regardless of holiday traditions, visiting family or socializing with friends, a lockdown needs to be in order as a new record of Covid-19 highs are being hit everyday. Simply being outside, masked or not, puts people at risk and in order to limit this, strict orders have to be instated. This isn't a "normal" time so normal traditions should be put on hold until us, as a people, can make it out of this war without so many casualties. I'm not saying to throw away Christmas, but to celebrate as a family, because being alive, not needing to fight for every single breath of air is the ultimate gift for this holiday season, regardless of what we usually have.
1. What is your opinion on this state order? Is it too harsh? Not harsh enough?
2. What will the impact of this be on the economy? Is it worth it to shut a large portion of it down?
3. With this statewide stay-at-home order in place, do you think we should return to school following the winter break?
I agree with you, these measures should definitely be taken, as cases are still increasing after over a year. There should be no reason that people would need to get their hair done, go to the movies or eat at restaurants during these times. This order is the right thing to do, and is definitely not too harsh, especially for those who refuse to wear a mask in public. I don't think we should return to school because cases are still getting worse, and school is not a very sanitary place that is also crowded. Why would we put staff and students at risk because we can't wait to hold off for a little more? Is it worth it to have people back at school and risk someone getting sick... which would most likely happen? If someone did get sick, what protocols would the school have to follow in order to ensure no one else does? If online learning is going fine, why wouldn't we just wait until it is absolutely safe to come back to school? There is too much up in the air and it's best to see how levels are after this quarantine before further decisions are made.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your position, it is totally true that people are be overdramatic with their needs during this time. There are protocols that should be followed and many issues with other parts of the United States which don't pay attention to the rising numbers of the case. Your position on school is totally true as well, it is simply too risky to put students at risk of this virus. Many claim that the online environment is difficult but I haven't found any trouble with it yet, so yes, we should definitely stay at home.
DeleteI think that these measures are a great idea, especially now that California is in purple tier. It's infuriating to see people who frankly do not care about the wellbeing of others yet have the audacity to complain about something so trivial as getting their nails done. However, I do wonder how this will affect those who are homeless and have to sleep on the streets. Will there be accommodations for them? Or would it be a constant fine? I think that the lockdown will most likely impact the economy, but seeing that New Zealand went into a strict lockdown and managed to lower their cases to barely any, this is still worth it. I don't think we should be returning to school following winter break; it frankly is not safe for students and teachers alike nor is it worth the risk. Yes, teaching and learning distantly is difficult but minor inconvenience is better than spreading a deadly disease.
ReplyDeleteYour position on homelessness is extremely interesting and I can give an answer to that. Homeless don't get impacted because they are in circumstances where they have no choice and no way staying at home. This isn't safe for them and really lets them get the worse end than a lot of the more privileged claiming that they can't get their nails done or go outside. Many people forget that people fight for their last breath because of this virus and actively go around spreading it to people who are less fortunate than them. I agree with you on the fact that we shouldn't return, you make some great points about how we all have to sacrifice a little for the greater good.
DeleteThe state of California and it's relationship with COVID-19 has not gotten better over time at all. I think it is great that they are applying these measures and strict rule. I believe the order should be as harsh as possible because evidently there are still a lot of people who refuse to follow the rules, whether that's because they don't believe in COVID or they don't have much care for the wellbeing of others. We should not be returning to school for a very long time, even a bit after a vaccine is released. It is not safe for students or teachers to risk their lives just to learn and teach in person. Learning is hard online But I admit that I am learning and improving in my classes. I'd be okay staying at home for awhile until I am sure others and myself have no way of getting COVID-19.
ReplyDeleteI think this stay-at-home order is a smart idea, and possibly should be implemented in other counties as well. Covid-19 cases are only rising, and if this stay at home order with the shut down of more restaurants and zoos was more wide spread, I think it would help reduce the spread of the virus. As for returning to school, I don't think it would be a good idea. As much as I miss it, Aragon has about 1650 students, and in order to best protect both students and staffulty returning to school would not be best. Even if there is a vaccine, it is going to take a while to distribute that to everyone, and health care and essential workers will most likely get it first (and for good reason). I think that if people wear masks, social distance, and don't travel for winter break it will reduce the spread of the virus. -Rowan CC
ReplyDeleteWhile lockdowns haven't always been effective or the best course of action throughout this pandemic, at this moment I do feel like they are necessary. To be honest, I don't know why the lockdowns were ever lifted in the first place-- covid rates never fell significantly below the level that they were at when the lockdowns were first implemented. When they lifted the lockdowns, it felt like governments were "giving up" on total control of the virus and instead supporting small businesses. However, the new lockdowns seem to reverse that mentality. I think that constantly changing conditions are detrimental for everyone, especially as it makes it much harder to plan out our lives much in advance, and it is a source of tension for both small businesses and just the general public. The solution? Pick an approach: either maintain the lockdowns until the pandemic is over, or don't implement them at all and allow small businesses to thrive. Governments should take as many steps as possible to reduce the instability in Americans' lives right now.
ReplyDeleteI believe it would be a largely good idea to implement a strict, enforced stay at home order, in order to drive down transmission rates. If everyone avoided everything except for essential activities for a month or so, it is undeniable that the COVID situation would be considerably improved. However, a concern I have is that even with a SAH order, people would continue to meet with friends without distancing/masks. Such a scenario would undermine the effectiveness of the order and may make economic costs of a shutdown not worth it. I think the best collective course of action would be to avoid (or at least limit the extent/take minimizing steps for) gatherings during the winter holidays.
ReplyDeleteIf we are still in the purple tier, or if conditions have worsened to require the stricter COVID measures, we should not return to school. Even if the situation has improved, we should not all return to school. There is an argument to be made to allow those who need more support from schools to be able to return, so contingent on better conditions, I believe that there should be a limited return to school, with all normal precautions, for those who need it. I don't believe we will be able to return to school in the Spring based on how COVID has not been improving, but rather getting worse. Until the situation is considerably better, possibly once vaccines are available, I don't believe we should return to school.
These aren't particularly draconian in my opinion. I would have a problem with it if it went further. I'm not a fan or government, nor restrictive mandates, but there aren't exactly any personal liberties left to enjoy when you're "out of breath."
ReplyDeleteEconomic costs of a shutdown for as long as we are doing it are too high. Government expenditure is at an all-time high, the unemployment rate skyrocketed and then fell to 6.7% in November (BLS), and small businesses are dying out while megacorporations are inflating faster than Venezuela. The long term effects of this shutdown are going to be astronomical for a virus that doesn't affect those that are young to a significant degree. Only 0.2% of all deaths are under the age of 25 and only 2% are under the age of 45 (CDC). Those that can spread it to the elderly should protect their elderly and quarantine, those that are healthy and have no interactions with the elderly shouldn't be mandated to.
Returning to school is a mixed bag. Knowing teenage irresponsibility and the fact many teachers and family members are in groups that are at risk, I don't think it's viable. I would suggest a choice to be available, but I have no clue how that would work, if at all.
BLS: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm
Personally, I believe that the precautions California is taking is great. Transmission and rates have been higher than ever before, so hopefully with these new restrictions they can be lowered. Gyms, movie theaters, zoos are all not essential business; they are just meant for luxury. This is not a time for luxury, but rather to protect ourselves and others from this virus. Previously, California has used lockdowns, and in fact, we were the first state in the US to implement it. However, after it was lifted, people went out and attempted to restart their social lives which started the heavy increase in cases. I wish we could go back to school for next semester after the break, but I don't think it will be possible while following all the safety guidelines. And even though everyone wears a masks and wash their hands often, it isn't 100% effective, so COVID transmissions will still occur. I also wouldn't know how teachers would space out desks 6ft apart, since most desks are less than 3ft. Our safest chance of going back I believe is fall of 2021, as a large mass of the population would've already taken the vaccine, and cases should be lower by then.
ReplyDeleteI don’t find this state order harsh; I think orders such as this are necessary. As this coronavirus is becoming increasingly worse, now is the time to take steps to stop any more spreads of the virus, even if that means we have to stay at home for an extended period of time. The outings people are making to the mall, restaurants, salons, etc. are both unnecessary and unsafe. Even though people may think they are having safe interactions with others, they might actually be transmitting the virus – we have already found that those with the virus may be asymptomatic. Going to school following the winter break does not sound like a good idea at all, especially after this statewide order is being put in place. It’s quite obvious that the pandemic is not getting better, and sending children back to school in the coming weeks is a disaster waiting to happen.
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