# Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2020 Breaking News

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758>\
**Category:** The Quarantine Zone\
**Tags:** covid-quarantine\
**Created:** [February 11, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758 "2020-02-11T01:16:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 141

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**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2808 "2020-04-28T15:52:36Z")

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> [@kayaker](#):
>
> Wow. We rode our horses Saturday. We were always on our property or the property of adjacent land owners who allow us to use their land. Saw nobody (other than a car as we crossed a back road).
> 
> Wearing a mask while riding would have been strange.

Visiting the website for Cambridge MA led to this list, that defines the applicable outdoor areas:  
The order applies to everyone over five years old “without limitation, when on, in or about” public places, defined as:

Sidewalks  
Streets  
Parks  
Plazas  
Bus stops  
Non-residential parking lots and garages  
Any other outdoor area or non-residential parking facility which is open and accessible to the general public.

It doesn’t seem like your ride would require a mask, apart from the time on a public road. And that seems like something the authorities would let slide, unless they wanted to nail you for some other reason:  
Residents are reminded to serve as positive community role models by wearing their masks during this order. The Cambridge Police Department will be focused on educating violators and may issue warnings to those residents who do not cooperate. For those who willingly refuse to comply, they may be subject to a $300 fine. There will be a one-week grace period to allow time to comply.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2809 "2020-04-28T15:59:48Z")

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> [@Baal\_Houtham](#):
>
> It doesn’t seem like your ride would require a mask, apart from the time on a public road.

It would have been interesting if the police wanted to talk with us. No way he could catch us on foot.😃

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2810 "2020-04-28T16:18:39Z")

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Re: Cambridge/Somerville, as I read it, if you rode a horse in a park, or on your own land where the building has more than 2 units, that would be prohibited. Not that there’s a lot of riding going on in Cambridge, bu other towns may be adding similar restrictions.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2811 "2020-04-28T16:22:06Z")

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> [@filmore](#):
>
> Is there any tracking to see what happens to people who test positive? I was assuming the large numbers of unresolved cases are because people got tested and then recovered on their own without doing any followup.

Yeah, nobody is following up. Cases listed as “Resolved” on Worldometer account for _19%_ of the total cases in the US; the other 81% are listed as “Active.” This might have been plausible at the beginning of the outbreak, but it isn’t now.

Note that all 46 of the US cases from the _Diamond Princess_ cruise ship outbreak back in February are listed as “Active.” It’s certainly possible that there might be a few of them still in a hospital somewhere, but it’s wildly implausible that _none_ of them have recovered by now.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2812 "2020-04-28T16:41:06Z")

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> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#):
>
> Yeah, nobody is following up. Cases listed as “Resolved” on Worldometer account for _19%_ of the total cases in the US; the other 81% are listed as “Active.” This might have been plausible at the beginning of the outbreak, but it isn’t now.
> 
> Note that all 46 of the US cases from the _Diamond Princess_ cruise ship outbreak back in February are listed as “Active.” It’s certainly possible that there might be a few of them still in a hospital somewhere, but it’s wildly implausible that _none_ of them have recovered by now.

Ohio has 0 listed as “recovered” for example. Although I know some people who had it (confirmed by testing) who are now all better. I’m sure they are just counted in active cases. Due to there not being nearly enough tests we’re not doing re-tests here to determine if the person is now technically “recovered.”

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![raspberry\_hunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@raspberry\_hunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raspberry_hunter)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2813 "2020-04-28T16:58:14Z")

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> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> 3,064,837 total cases  
> 211,609 dead  
> 922,397 recovered
> 
> In the US:
> 
> 1,010,507 total cases  
> 56,803 dead  
> 138,990 recovered.

_blinks_

That means a third of the cases in the world, and a quarter of the dead, are in the US. I mean, we all think that China, etc. are probably undercounting, but… still.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2814 "2020-04-28T17:44:39Z")

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> [@raspberry\_hunter](#):
>
> _blinks_
> 
> That means a third of the cases in the world, and a quarter of the dead, are in the US. I mean, we all think that China, etc. are probably undercounting, but… still.

Every number on that Worldometer site (or any other site that gives Covid counts) is an undercount, except (probably) number of tests (those are more likely to be padded). That means number of cases, number of deaths, and number recovered. The number of active cases is a computation based on undercounts (# cases - (# deaths + # recovered)), so it’s totally wrong; just ignore that column. The ‘serious, critical’ numbers have, I expect, absolutely no relationship at all to reality, so ignore that column too.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2815 "2020-04-28T18:56:08Z")

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> [@septimus](#):
>
> This optimistic(?) message inverts if we focus on just New York State. NY has higher population than a large majority of the world’s countries.
> 
> With total covid-19 deaths of 1144 per million, NY state is only barely behind San Marino; and has almost double the death rate of #3 Belgium.
> 
> In confirmed covid-19 cases per million, NY state has 14,800 and is again barely behind only San Marino. With 6000 cases per million, Luxembourg is highest among all but micro-countries, but has only 40% of the NY rate.
> 
> Of course, if NY is singled out then to “compare apples with apples” Lombardy, Madrid, Catalonia and Greater London would also need to be singled out. And some countries are publishing deflated numbers. Still, what’s happening in parts of the USA is brutal.

Absolutely. Covid has hit the USA hard. Even assuming bad numbers out of China, India, and maybe others, our numbers are way too high.

It is just that you can’t compare raw numbers for USA vs raw numbers for say, Canada.

Per capita is the best comparison, and there the USA does poorly, just not terribly.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2816 "2020-04-28T20:19:02Z")

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[Nearly 70 dead in ‘horrific’ outbreak at veterans’ home](https://apnews.com/687bdfc0989928bf6e75165ab13e9231)

> [@](#):
>
> While the death toll at the state-run Holyoke Soldiers’ Home continues to climb, federal officials are investigating whether residents were denied proper medical care while the state’s top prosecutor is deciding whether to bring legal action.
> 
> “It’s horrific,” said Edward Lapointe, whose father-in-law lives at the home and had a mild case of the virus. “These guys never had a chance.”
> 
> Sixty-six veteran residents who tested positive for the virus have died, officials said Monday, and the cause of another death is unknown. Another 83 residents and 81 staff have tested positive.
> 
> The home’s superintendent, who’s been placed on administrative leave, has defended his response and accused state officials of falsely claiming they were unaware of the scope of the problem there.
> 
> The superintendent, Bennett Walsh, said earlier this month state officials knew that the home was in “crisis mode” when it came to staffing shortages and were notified early and often about the contagion at the facility.
> 
> Staffing problems that plagued the home for years contributed to the virus spreading like wildfire, said Joan Miller, a nurse at the home.
> 
> Because staffing was so tight, workers from one unit were constantly moving to other units to help out — and bringing their germs with them, she said. At one point, a unit was shut down because there wasn’t enough staff to operate it, and those veterans were moved into close quarters in other parts of the building, she said.
> 
> “Veterans were on top of each other,” she said. “We didn’t know who was positive and who was negative and then they grouped people together and that really exacerbated it even more,” said Miller, who spoke through a mask during a break from her job at the facility.
> 
> “That’s when it really blew up,” she said.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2817 "2020-04-28T20:57:23Z")

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> [@Monty](#):
>
> _I am cross-posting this in this thread and in the STRIOTD thread in The BBQ Pit._
> 
> [Republican leader wants anti-lockdown protesteros to wear medical scrubs](https://www.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-covid-19-kelli-ward-just-wear-scrubs-stay-at-home-protests-183731319.html).
> 
> More nuttery at the link.

I’m sorry if I get yelled at but Kelli Ward is a complete waste of skin & a disgusting piece of trash. Remember her comments about McCain.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![raspberry\_hunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@raspberry\_hunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raspberry_hunter)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2818 "2020-04-28T20:59:27Z")

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> [@dtilque](#):
>
> Every number on that Worldometer site (or any other site that gives Covid counts) is an undercount, except (probably) number of tests (those are more likely to be padded). That means number of cases, number of deaths, and number recovered. The number of active cases is a computation based on undercounts (# cases - (# deaths + # recovered)), so it’s totally wrong; just ignore that column. The ‘serious, critical’ numbers have, I expect, absolutely no relationship at all to reality, so ignore that column too.

Well, sure, I misspoke a bit as everyone is (as you’ve said) undercounting. But if everyone were undercounting by about the same (percentage) amount, you’d expect the fractions to work out the same.

But what I meant was that there are probably some countries that are undercounting substantially more than the US, so it’s very likely the US in reality has less than a quarter of the total deaths. But it’s still rather sobering to look at.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2819 "2020-04-28T21:00:26Z")

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> [@Larry\_Borgia](#):
>
> I just came in to post this. So sad. The PTSD on this will be brutal. ☹

Definitely. This experience will haunt them for the rest of their lives. If they survive. ☹

**[Health care workers are reportedly having dreams reminiscent of combat veterans and 9/11 responders](https://theweek.com/speedreads/911486/health-care-workers-are-reportedly-having-dreams-reminiscent-combat-veterans-911-responders)**

> [@](#):
>
> Dreams are getting a lot of attention during the coronavirus pandemic, which isn’t surprising considering experts believe there has rarely ever been “collective dreaming” on such a broad scale, The Associated Press reports.
> 
> It’s even less surprising that health care workers are bearing the brunt of the nightmares. Many people, no matter their profession, have reported having what are considered lower-level anxiety dreams during the pandemic, but “health care providers are the ones who look like a trauma population,” said Deirdre Barret, a Harvard University professor who is surveying dreamers across the world (she has collected 6,000 dream samples from about 2,400 people.)
> 
> Barrett has previously studied dreams of survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as well as those of British prisoners of war in World War II. The samples she’s collected from health care workers battling the coronavirus, she said, are reminiscent of both groups. “They all have the theme that ‘I am responsible for saving this person’s life and I’m not succeeding and this person is about to die,’” she said. “And when they dream about their child or parent getting it, for the care providers there’s always the next step in the dream where they realize … ‘I gave it to them.’” Read more at [The Associated Press](https://apnews.com/b7fb8585527db3a7f06563dce7982eff?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP&utm_campaign=SocialFlow). Tim O’Donnell

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2820 "2020-04-28T21:20:41Z")

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> [@raspberry\_hunter](#):
>
> That means a third of the cases in the world, and a quarter of the dead, are in the US. I mean, we all think that China, etc. are probably undercounting, but… still.

While cases are massively undercounted in the third world (because most are not doing any significant amount of testing), if you just look at the western, industrialized countries I expect you will find in a few months that the proportion will be much higher for the U.S. This is because other that the U.S. those countries have decided to get the pandemic under control.

In contrast what do you see happening in the U.S.? In my state packing plants are the number one problem (second is nursing homes). So what is Trump going to do about this?

> [@](#):
>
> President Donald Trump is expected to sign a five-page executive order under the Defense Production Act to compel meat processing plants to remain open amid the coronavirus pandemic…  
> We’re going to sign an executive order today, I believe, and that’ll solve any liability problems," Trump said on Tuesday.  
> The President is expected to sign the order after some companies, such as Tyson Foods, were considering only keeping 20% of their facilities open. The vast majority of processing plants could have shut down – which would have reduced processing capacity in the country by as much as 80%, an official familiar with the order told CNN.  
> By signing the order, Trump will declare these plants as a part of critical infrastructure in the US.

[https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/28/politics/defense-production-act-executive-order-food-supply/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/28/politics/defense-production-act-executive-order-food-supply/index.html)

In other words Trump is going to make the infection problem from packing plants much worse.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2821 "2020-04-28T21:31:11Z")

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Today in Austria:

[ul]  
[li] It’s been two weeks since the relaxation of the lockdown rules and there don’t (yet) seem to be any negative consequences. The daily number of new cases and the replication factor have not increased. The federal, state, and municipal governments will therefore be pressing ahead with their **plans to further loosen the restrictions** :[/li]  
[list]  
[li] From 1 May, there will no longer be any restrictions on leaving one’s home. (Until now, one could leave only to go to work, to go shopping, to help those in need, and to exercise.)[/li][li] From 1 May, public gatherings of up to 10 people will be permitted, or up to 30 in the case of funerals. These restrictions will remain in place until at least 30 June.[/li][li] Public demonstrations and protests will also be allowed, though subject to special rules that the government is still formulating. (Police in Vienna have already received 15 requests for demonstrations on 1 May. The proposals come from a variety of groups, including the anti-lockdown group whose demo last Friday was cancelled, though not all of the proposed demos have anything to do with the pandemic.)[/li][li] From next week, children’s playgrounds in Vienna and Innsbruck will reopen.[/li][li] From 15 May, cafés, bars, and restaurants will be permitted to open for table service, albeit only between the hours of 06:00 and 23:00, and with a maximum of four adults (plus their children) per table. Tables must be separated by at least one metre. There will be no bar service; venues must seat all customers at tables. Customer-facing employees must wear face coverings.[/li][li] From 15 May, outdoor zoos can open, subject to social distancing restrictions.[/li][li] From 29 May, hotels, tourist attractions, and recreation centres (including indoor and outdoor swimming pools) can open, subject to social distancing restrictions.[/li][/ul]

The vice chancellor cum sport minister says that irrespective of any further loosening of the lockdown measures, the general one-metre social distancing rule will likely remain in effect past September of this year. This would necessarily exclude the possibility of most contact sports.

[li] While the government has no plans yet to allow **movie theatres** to reopen, the theatres themselves have presented proposals for seating arrangements that would ensure patrons maintain at least one metre distance from one another.[/li]  
[li] When the lockdown was first introduced, police nationwide were issuing 1000 citations per day to **lockdown violators**. Lately that number has fallen to 100 citations per day. It will likely drop off even more from 1 May with the further loosening of the lockdown rules.[/li]  
[li] Contrary to renewed fears that it would be made mandatory for everyone, or for those wishing to attend public events, the use of a **cell phone tracking app** remains voluntary. [/li][li] Current statistics: 15,286 confirmed infections, 569 deaths, 12,580 recovered.[/li][/list]

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2822 "2020-04-28T22:30:47Z")

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> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> [Nearly 70 dead in ‘horrific’ outbreak at veterans’ home](https://apnews.com/687bdfc0989928bf6e75165ab13e9231)

> [@ThelmaLou](#):
>
> Definitely. This experience will haunt them for the rest of their lives. If they survive. ☹
> 
> **[Health care workers are reportedly having dreams reminiscent of combat veterans and 9/11 responders](https://theweek.com/speedreads/911486/health-care-workers-are-reportedly-having-dreams-reminiscent-combat-veterans-911-responders)**

There is a certain symmetry to seeing these posts appear on the day that US losses surpass those of a decade in Viet Nam.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2823 "2020-04-28T22:42:31Z")

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> [@psychonaut](#):
>
> Also, it depends on _which_ curve you are talking about. Even if you flatten the curve of new infections, the curve of new deaths could continue rise for some time, since the people who died will have contracted the disease some days or weeks earlier.

That’s right; the time-lag aspect of this particular virus is playing havoc with the human tendency to expect ‘right now’ results. But for almost any change in our conduct, whether good or ill, we won’t see a movement of the numbers for two weeks or more.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2824 "2020-04-29T00:53:51Z")

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> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> You were right the first time: we will definitely reach 60,000 US deaths from covid-19 before May.

I’m afraid you are right.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2825 "2020-04-29T00:54:58Z")

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> [@PastTense](#):
>
> In contrast what do you see happening in the U.S.? In my state packing plants are the number one problem (second is nursing homes). So what is Trump going to do about this?
> 
> > [@](#):
> >
> > President Donald Trump is expected to sign a five-page executive order under the Defense Production Act to compel meat processing plants to remain open amid the coronavirus pandemic…
> 
> In other words Trump is going to make the infection problem from packing plants much worse.

He seems to think the primary problem is liability, and that exempting them from liability will make the whole problem go away. As if the only problem with having your workers die were that the survivors might sue.

I don’t see how he can order individual workers to show up. He certainly can’t order them not to get sick.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2826 "2020-04-29T01:12:39Z")

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> [@thorny\_locust](#):
>
> He seems to think the primary problem is liability, and that exempting them from liability will make the whole problem go away. As if the only problem with having your workers die were that the survivors might sue.
> 
> I don’t see how he can order individual workers to show up. He certainly can’t order them not to get sick.

Can he draft the workers into the military? Can he order the military to staff the factories?

The former would be a little ironic, since aren’t most meat plant workers illegal aliens?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2827 "2020-04-29T01:15:54Z")

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> [@TokyoBayer](#):
>
> I’m afraid you are right.

You are right that Bo is right that I was right before I was wrong.

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