posted January 15, 2021 11:02 AM            

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Originally posted by Voix_de_la_Mer:
Open up what?

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business
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/01/14/mayor-lori-lightfoot-wants-to-reopen-restaurants-and-bars-as-quickly-as-possible-to-reduce-risk-of-underground-parties/

Thursday morning, Lightfoot said she plans to have a conversation with Gov. JB Pritzker about how to begin rolling back virus mitigation efforts ASAP.

“I want to get our restaurants and bars reopened as quickly as possible,” she said.

posted January 15, 2021 11:28 AM            

I do agree that it would have been sensible in the first place to just shield vulnerable groups and not everyone, but that opportunity has long passed.

posted January 15, 2021 05:41 PM            

The economy was one of Trump’s accomplishments- they wanted to suppress the economy to take that away from him so a good economy wouldn’t get him re-elected.

They will give Biden all the credit for the economy once they open up! Just watch.

The virus has been in our country for almost a year. What changed to make it safe to reopen now?

posted January 15, 2021 07:29 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Voix_de_la_Mer:
I think that would be unwise until those who are most vulnerable to serious disease have had the vaccine. It is too widespread now.

I do agree that it would have been sensible in the first place to just shield vulnerable groups and not everyone, but that opportunity has long passed.

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posted January 16, 2021 06:20 AM            

China and Vietnam showed how to utilize a lockdwon: 14-21 days of virtual house arrest with supplies from workers in Hazard Suits, while entire city was sprayed by disinfectant.

No more COVID19 after that.

posted January 16, 2021 06:25 AM            

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Originally posted by Randall:
It was never about the virus. It was about getting rid of President Trump. Closing down only created many more problems and didn't help much if at all in transmission.

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America has locked down pretty much in tandem with most of the world to reduce the transmission of the virus. If it was to get rid of Mr Trump, who was the rest of the world getting rid of? If your politicians decided to politicise lockdown with their timing, fair enough, but to sit in America and say that this means lockdown is part of a political agenda for the whole world is an outrageous speculation.

Lockdown can't NOT work if people actually lock-down. The virus can't come and open your door and enter your home. You have to bring it there by mixing enough with others. Lockdown is common-sense.

The trouble with it is that very paranoid people have been screaming heebie-jeebies about it being an assault on their civil liberties and then choosing to flaunt the guidance. It's a public health crisis! Any loss of liberty is temporary and proportionate to the goal. At least it has been here.

If America opens up without sufficient vaccination they will be the biggest causality of this whole pandemic.

Do I think we could have just locked down vulnerable groups - yes. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. However, I am glad that my leader didn't take that gamble in March when they didn't know enough about the situation and decided to move to protect all lives.

posted January 17, 2021 07:06 AM            

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Originally posted by Randall:
We locked down because, like everyone else in the world, we knew very little about this virus. Then we opened up, but Dem controlled cities and states stayed closed to hurt President Trump's chances. Lockdowns haven't had an effect according to studies. The virus is still there when we open back up. We can't lock down forever.

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Studies also show that had compliance been higher lockdowns would have had more impact. Lockdowns did have an effect Randall, it's not accurate to say there was no reduction in numbers, however, it could have been greater, yes, if compliance had been greater. Studies have found a direct correlation between level of compliance and transmission.

Several factors will have impacted compliance, but conspiracies around COVID19 being a hoax, or not being as dangerous as the medical community advised it was, I suspect are responsible for most non-compliance.

posted January 17, 2021 10:05 AM            

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Originally posted by Randall:
Freedom is important to Americans. We were guilted into compliance, but we have had enough.

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I don't understand why anyone guilted Americans into compliance, the data speaks for itself - they did not have to do this. Was it just to have more control? The pandemic appears to have been politicised more in America than it has been in the UK, probably because of the differences in health care systems and provision. We effectively own our health care system as it is paid for through tax and NI contributions, so perhaps this means it is less likely to be corrupted. Who knows. Corruption runs deep in the research and media communities in both America and the UK, and this is what many political and medical decisions are apparently based on. Maybe they are just better at hiding it over here behind a veneer of 'propriety' (AKA snobbery)

My heart genuinely goes out to Americans right now, I don't know how well I would have navigated my way through the nightmare politics and corruption that you have. I never realised just how complicated things were for you guys until recently. GU has been a real eyeopener.