# Anyone else questioning the extent of "social isolation"? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 17, 2020, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-questioning-the-extent-of-social-isolation/849671 "2020-03-17T18:26:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 500
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-questioning-the-extent-of-social-isolation/849671/500 "2020-03-31T23:52:49Z")
I asked a question upthread that I didn’t mean to be just rhetorical, but no one ever responded: is Joe Biden wrong (both personally and in terms of setting an example) to sit on his porch and talk to his grandkids who are standing out in the yard? I doubt they are any further away than **Manda Jo’s** 25 feet. > [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > If the laymen suggests that “How is it that a brief chat won’t infect anyone but a long one will”, then I’m going to take the advice of the expert and not the laymen who is “just asking questions” and hasn’t actually offered any advice. > > I think its been pointed out over and over again the failures to learn from Asian countries over this. And the failure of the US Administration has been criminal. But you don’t think we should be talking about that either, so lets just pretend that isn’t happening. Oh, FFS, I’m trying to follow the rules about what content belongs in this thread. In other threads, OTOH, I have posted plenty about that, which would be off topic here. Such as this post, for example, from way back in February: > [@A coronavirus pandemic provides a HUGE opportunity for Democrats](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-coronavirus-pandemic-provides-a-huge-opportunity-for-democrats/848630/1): > > [Coronavirus in U.S.: Trump cut funding to CDC, other disease response efforts | Fortune](https://fortune.com/2020/02/26/coronavirus-covid-19-cdc-budget-cuts-us-trump/) > > > [@](#): > > > > The Trump administration recently requested $2.5 billion in emergency funds to prepare the U.S. for a possible widespread outbreak of coronavirus. Critics, though, are pointing out that money might not be necessary if the administration hadn’t spent the past two years largely dismantling government units that were designed to protect against pandemics. > > The cuts started in 2018, as the White House focused on eliminating funding to Obama-era disease security programs. In March of that year, Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer, whose job it was to lead the U.S. response in the event of a pandemic, abruptly left the administration and his global health security team was disbanded. > > That same year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was forced to slash its efforts to prevent global disease outbreak by 80% as its funding for the program began to run out. The agency, at the time, opted to focus on 10 priority countries and scale back in others, including China > > David Axelrod said you should never waste a crisis. Democrats need to make Trump and McConnell pay DEARLY for this. Just absolutely BURN them to the ground. And actually, I _have_ been offering advice: as noted above, I’ve been saying for a while now that the official advice not to wear masks was bullshit propaganda, and it is increasingly becoming clear with each passing day that I was right about that. I also passed on my exercise tips for getting good cardio and resistance exercise in the home without risking going outside. > [@MandaJo](#): > > I also think that inverse square law applies. If 2 meters has been determined to be “safe enough”, then 3 meters is going to be substantially safer–and 4 meters dramatically safer. This was my intuition too. But I just saw somewhere (I don’t recall exactly where, but I’m sure it was a trustworthy source) that it turns out not to be like EM radiation at all. Instead, 12 feet apart is not even twice as safe as 6 feet apart, much less four times as safe. > [@Helena330](#): > > I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to shelter-in-place since March 8th. So have a lot of others around here and the Seattle area is reporting a slowing. The people that aren’t doing their part really, really piss me off. I can’t tell you how heart-breaking it is that you’re one of them. What a weird, false, unfair, strawmannish allegation. :dubious: --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-questioning-the-extent-of-social-isolation/849671)._