[teejers1]

I agree sending kids to school — especially younger ones — *should* be a priority, but it isn’t.

All you have to do is close the bars (and stop restaurants from serving alcohol), require churches to have large gatherings outdoors (there is precedent for this as I recall Jesus gave many of his sermons outdoors), close indoor gyms and indoor dining, require people to wear masks indoors at all times and actually enforce the rule strictly, and reduce large social indoor gatherings using large fines and curfews if necessary.

This would reduce the cases to the point that we could open schools safely without putting older staff members, multigenerational households and communities at risk.

Other countries have been able to do this. In Vancouver, my nieces are going to school because the case counts are low enough to do this safely. Canada has a competent prime minister and communities in Canada apparently prioritize their children enough to wear their masks consistently.

Tenet, the latest Christopher Nolan movie, has now grossed over $200 million globally, but less than 30 million in North America and that includes the much-safer Canada, which has kept its southern border closed to keep out Americans. It’s as if most developed countries have controlled Covid so capably they are able to actually watch movies in theaters, an idea that feels like sci-fi to sad Americans.

1.  What "point" is that?

2.  And doesn't any such "point" assume competent track and tracing capability to contain the inevitable cases that will arise?

3.  Didn't realize that Utah (and other states where in-classroom schooling is tried) became part of Canada.

None of the above alters the fundamental point that the US has responded very poorly to the pandemic.  But we are where we are.  And I don't see further shutdowns being embraced unless and until we actually have the much-feared and discussed (but never really seen yet) Hospital Armageddon.

[teejers1]

I agree sending kids to school — especially younger ones — *should* be a priority, but it isn’t.

All you have to do is close the bars (and stop restaurants from serving alcohol), require churches to have large gatherings outdoors (there is precedent for this as I recall Jesus gave many of his sermons outdoors), close indoor gyms and indoor dining, require people to wear masks indoors at all times and actually enforce the rule strictly, and reduce large social indoor gatherings using large fines and curfews if necessary.

This would reduce the cases to the point that we could open schools safely without putting older staff members, multigenerational households and communities at risk.

Other countries have been able to do this. In Vancouver, my nieces are going to school because the case counts are low enough to do this safely. Canada has a competent prime minister and communities in Canada apparently prioritize their children enough to wear their masks consistently.

Tenet, the latest Christopher Nolan movie, has now grossed over $200 million globally, but less than 30 million in North America and that includes the much-safer Canada, which has kept its southern border closed to keep out Americans. It’s as if most developed countries have controlled Covid so capably they are able to actually watch movies in theaters, an idea that feels like sci-fi to sad Americans.

1.  What "point" is that?

2.  And doesn't any such "point" assume competent track and tracing capability to contain the inevitable cases that will arise?

3.  Didn't realize that Utah (and other states where in-classroom schooling is tried) became part of Canada.

None of the above alters the fundamental point that the US has responded very poorly to the pandemic.  But we are where we are.  And I don't see further shutdowns being embraced unless and until we actually have the much-feared and discussed (but never really seen yet) Hospital Armageddon.