All things Chinese CoronaVirus

[Bart]

What you say makes perfect sense and would probably help tremendously but we can not even keep people who have tested positive to stay home. You think people are going to walk around with masks on? After all, it is just a cold........right? At times we are our own worst enemy.

If I was a university president, for example, I would tell everyone that they can't attend class or enter a university building without some kind of face covering. I bet a bandana or a disposable dust mask (while not a 100% bio barrier) would have a big impact. If for nothing else, as a visible reminder to change behavior.

Seems dumb not to try that.

I would love to see that done, just to see the reaction in the student news paper..................... You would still have to prepare on line courses for those students who choose not to wear them. I think the term used around here is "flexability".

[a fan]

What you say makes perfect sense and would probably help tremendously but we can not even keep people who have tested positive to stay home. You think people are going to walk around with masks on? After all, it is just a cold........right? At times we are our own worst enemy.

If I was a university president, for example, I would tell everyone that they can't attend class or enter a university building without some kind of face covering. I bet a bandana or a disposable dust mask (while not a 100% bio barrier) would have a big impact. If for nothing else, as a visible reminder to change behavior.

Seems dumb not to try that.

Wouldn't liability be an issue?

[RedFromMI]

Pay Close Attention to South Korea’s Apparent Success

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/pa ... nt-success

We should pay close attention to what is happening in South Korea. According to the latest data, South Korea has the second largest outbreak of COVID-19 in the world after China. Italy and Iran have only slightly fewer cases though it’s likely that South Korea’s higher number is driven in part by more aggressive testing.

But they appear to be making progress getting the outbreak under some control. In the last four days the numbers of new cases have been 518 (Thursday), 483 (Friday), 367 (Saturday) and 248 (Sunday). The country is doing sufficient numbers of tests at scale that those decreases likely correspond to a significant degree to what’s happening in the larger community. South Korea has so far done more than 190,000 tests. They currently have the capacity for approximately 15,000 tests per day.

Why all of this matters, beside the relative good fortune of South Koreans, is that it suggests aggressive efforts at containment and mitigation have a big effect. For South Korea, aggressive testing at scale looks critical to that. Just as important, South Korea is a much more open society than mainland China. From the start, the government has tried a much more open approach to trying to contain the disease, doing aggressive non-pharmaceutical interventions but generally not restricting people’s movement. As TPM Reader AK reminded us this morning in his report from Shanghai, even outside of Wuhan the level of clampdown was and remains intense and likely way beyond anything that is possible in the US or other industrial democracies, either from a state capacity or legal-constitutional perspective.

South Korea is different. I want to be clear that we certainly don’t know that South Korea has turned the corner on its COVID-19 outbreak. Everything we know about this pandemic has to be considered tentative. They only have a string of days when the number of new infections has gone down each day. But it seems like they’re headed in the right direction. And their model is one that should be adaptable to the US, at least from a technological and civil liberties perspective

[Kismet]

All of Italy is now on lockdown. The whole country of Italy is now on lockdown, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced at a news conference on Monday. Conte said the measure was taken in order to protect citizens, especially the most fragile.

[RedFromMI]

All of Italy is now on lockdown. The whole country of Italy is now on lockdown, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced at a news conference on Monday. Conte said the measure was taken in order to protect citizens, especially the most fragile.

From the Guardian:

The announcement in Italy spells out the restriction of movement of more than 60 million people.

The decree provides for banning all public events, closing cinemas, theatres, gyms, discos and pubs, funerals, weddings and all sport events, including Serie A matches. All schools and universities will remain close until 3 April

[Trinity]

Rep Matt Gaetz (Fla-R, mocking gas mask) was also in the Beast with Trump today. When do we meet CPAC patient zero? Trump’s gonna gut that dude.

[ggait]

South Korea is different. But it seems like they’re headed in the right direction. And their model is one that should be adaptable to the US, at least from a technological and civil liberties perspective.

FWIW, every picture from SK shows every single person wearing some kind of face mask. SK is also doing a ton of testing.

Seems a lot easier than trying to lock down an entire country...

[jhu72]

Today Germany reported their first deaths (2). Out of almost 1200 confirmed cases. Another shining star.

[HooDat]

I read that Princeton has told students to plan on not returning after spring break - that the school will come up with a way to deliver the remainder of the semester's course work on line.

First of all - can anyone confirm if this is true?

Second - keep an eye on the long term impact if the colleges go this route. It could change the face of higher education forever. Once the genie of not needing to attend classes in person or on campus is out of the bottle, it is a very, very short walk to slashing higher education completely. It will raise the kinds of questions that will have college administrators waking up screaming in the middle of the night.

- Why have classes at all if you can deliver the content on line?

- Once classes are being delivered on-line, why should there be more than a very small handful of the worlds' top experts teaching any subject? (just enough to make sure different personalities and learning styles are served, but certainly no more than what 10?)

- Once there are 5 to 10 people teaching every course - isn't every other tenured college professor at best a TA that helps grade the lecturing professors tests and papers?

- At that point why is a particular college's degree worth more than the capability of their screening process? What are we to make of the fact that the top schools were selling away the value of that screening process to "student athlete children of the wealthy"?

- Think of a future that has 10 top-of-their-field professors teaching every subject to any/everyone who wants to study it. The lecturing professor won't need a university - he can charge $10/head for thousands of student to listen on-line. Personally. Anyone can have access to learning anything.

- Employers then pay someone else (a new business/division of headhunting) to screen applicants knowledge of relevant subject matter in their search for self-starters who have learned -rather than partied for 4 years on mummy's nickle....

[a fan]

You've never gotten a job, or a contract, or business from a fellow UVa alum?

We literally just received free IT work from my brothers frat brother today.

Networking is your answer.

[Typical Lax Dad]

I read that Princeton has told students to plan on not returning after spring break - that the school will come up with a way to deliver the remainder of the semester's course work on line.

First of all - can anyone confirm if this is true?

Second - keep an eye on the long term impact if the colleges go this route. It could change the face of higher education forever. Once the genie of not needing to attend classes in person or on campus is out of the bottle, it is a very, very short walk to slashing higher education completely. It will raise the kinds of questions that will have college administrators waking up screaming in the middle of the night.

- Why have classes at all if you can deliver the content on line?

- Once classes are being delivered on-line, why should there be more than a very small handful of the worlds' top experts teaching any subject? (just enough to make sure different personalities and learning styles are served, but certainly no more than what 10?)

- Once there are 5 to 10 people teaching every course - isn't every other tenured college professor at best a TA that helps grade the lecturing professors tests and papers?

- At that point why is a particular college's degree worth more than the capability of their screening process? What are we to make of the fact that the top schools were selling away the value of that screening process to "student athlete children of the wealthy"?

- Think of a future that has 10 top-of-their-field professors teaching every subject to any/everyone who wants to study it. The lecturing professor won't need a university - he can charge $10/head for thousands of student to listen on-line. Personally. Anyone can have access to learning anything.

- Employers then pay someone else (a new business/division of headhunting) to screen applicants knowledge of relevant subject matter in their search for self-starters who have learned -rather than partied for 4 years on mummy's nickle....

Colleges aren’t going away. If someone doesn’t want to spend the money, there are plenty of affordable on campus or on line programs.... two week hiatus after Spring Break and then resume classes at Princeton.

[a fan]

Just when I thought I couldn't despise Trump any more.....

Trump added that he is working with leaders in the cruise ship and airline industry “very strongly” for potential relief from coronavirus-related losses.

_@*#$*_ of a #{*)@{_#!!!!

I just had a group cancel because it was a company outing, and the company shut down all travel for their employees. Lost a grand.

Where's my check from Trumpy-Pants? Oh, right. I don't get one because I don't cut checks to Trump's reelection campaign.

Neat. Bend over folks. Here come the taxpayer bailouts for the "chosen businesses" owned by the 1%ers......small businesses, of course, won't get a penny.

(Told ya, JHU72)

[ggait]

Rep Matt Gaetz (Fla-R, mocking gas mask) was also in the Beast with Trump today. When do we meet CPAC patient zero? Trump’s gonna gut that dude.

If Gaetz and Collins have both been in contact with Trump, is it now time for Trump to self-quarantine? Maybe he could do that somewhere in Russia?

[ggait]

I read that Princeton has told students to plan on not returning after spring break - that the school will come up with a way to deliver the remainder of the semester's course work on line.

Add UW, Cal, Stanford, USC, Fordham, Columbia, Vanderbilt. I'm sure there will be plenty of others.

Given the time of year, you could easily see the rest of the academic year being wiped out. In-person May commencement ceremonies looking pretty iffy.

[Typical Lax Dad]

I read that Princeton has told students to plan on not returning after spring break - that the school will come up with a way to deliver the remainder of the semester's course work on line.

Add UW, Cal, Stanford, USC, Fordham, Columbia, Vanderbilt. I'm sure there will be plenty of others.

Given the time of year, you could easily see the rest of the academic year being wiped out. In-person May commencement ceremonies looking pretty iffy.

Princeton students were told to take two weeks after Spring Break and then return to campus.

[ardilla secreta]

I read that Princeton has told students to plan on not returning after spring break - that the school will come up with a way to deliver the remainder of the semester's course work on line.

Add UW, Cal, Stanford, USC, Fordham, Columbia, Vanderbilt. I'm sure there will be plenty of others.

Given the time of year, you could easily see the rest of the academic year being wiped out. In-person May commencement ceremonies looking pretty iffy.

Trump U. No classes until further notice.

[jhu72]

Just when I thought I couldn't despise Trump any more.....

Trump added that he is working with leaders in the cruise ship and airline industry “very strongly” for potential relief from coronavirus-related losses.

_@*#$*_ of a #{*)@{_#!!!!

I just had a group cancel because it was a company outing, and the company shut down all travel for their employees. Lost a grand.

Where's my check from Trumpy-Pants? Oh, right. I don't get one because I don't cut checks to Trump's reelection campaign.

Neat. Bend over folks. Here come the taxpayer bailouts for the "chosen businesses" owned by the 1%ers......small businesses, of course, won't get a penny.

(Told ya, JHU72)

Indeed you did.

[Trinity]

Oh look, Trump wants to help hotels. Imagine that.

[DocBarrister]

Oh boy ... 752 confirmed cases, with 26 dead. We will hit 1,000 cases within two days. So far, mortality rate has been close to the global rate of 3.5%

Not good. Coronavirus is not anywhere near being well-managed in the U.S.

DocBarrister

[Trinity]

We could have started testing 2 months ago with the WHO test that everyone else is using. We’re still weeks away from widespread testing. St Patrick’s Day in Boston is cancelled.