What I've Learned From This Pandemic

The following is a list of things that I find amusing. I'm not trying to start any debate on any of these topics. I'm just posting some observations that personally amuse me. You may want to add some of your own observations to the list.

You don't need an army or even a weapon to bring a nation to it's knees.

People can be controlled by fear.

Fear is as serious a debilitating contagion as any virus.

You can be esteemed an expert, yet change your ideas on your expertise almost daily. No one will notice. You'll still be considered an expert.

During a disaster you can declare someone an "expert," parade them on national media, and fear will drive people to follow their suggestions in a cult like fashion.

When being questioned on live T.V. before an anxious nation, it's quite acceptable for an "expert" to answer most of the questions with something like, "We just don't know."

Vanity and fear do strange things to people. A surgical face mask is neither a fashion statement or a reliable means of preventing a viral infection. And when you wear it riding low so it's merely covering your chin, it's even less effective at either one of those objectives.

The millions of Chinese people you see on television wearing masks is not proof that masks help stop the transmission of the Corona virus. They've been wearing masks in China for a couple of decades now. The air pollution is so bad over there that they do that to protect their lungs.

I've discovered that every day I touch my face an average of 10,387 times. It's miraculous that I'm still alive.

It's strange that "non essential workers" were forced to stay at home. Among the groups of people who have still not returned to work are our members of the House of Representatives. We've known for years how non essential they are to our well being, but somehow that awareness has finally caught up with them.

You don't need an army or even a weapon to bring a nation to it's knees.

EXACTLY RIGHT!!

People can be controlled by fear.

Again EXACTLY RIGHT!!

Fear is as serious a debilitating contagion as any virus.

I've seen that in friends and then be afraid of me, cause I'm going everywhere.

During a disaster you can declare someone an "expert," parade them on national media, and fear will drive people to follow their suggestions in a cult like fashion.

Yeah!

The millions of Chinese people you see on television wearing masks is not proof that masks help stop the transmission of the Corona virus. They've been wearing masks in China for a couple of decades now. The air pollution is so bad over there that they do that to protect their lungs.

Have a friend that spent 3 years in China teaching English. Her N95 came from there.

I've discovered that every day I touch my face an average of 10,387 times. It's miraculous that I'm still alive.

It's strange that "non essential workers" were forced to stay at home. Among the groups of people who have still not returned to work are our members of the House of Representatives. We've known for years how non essential they are to our well being, but somehow that awareness has finally caught up with them.

Laura

Completely agree!

Vanity and fear do strange things to people. A surgical face mask is neither a fashion statement or a reliable means of preventing a viral infection. And when you wear it riding low so it's merely covering your chin, it's even less effective at either one of those objectives.

anytime we're at any of the 3 DCs we're required to wear a cloth face mask. Also in all stores we're required to wear a mask. Most night stockers don't wear theirs while the store is closed and those that do only cover their mouth with it or take it off when talking. They're also elbow to elbow in groups restocking shelves so they can talk amongst themselves. I forgot mine today and at the DC the other drivers didn't care but at the stores the dirty looks were everywhere. The brightside is customers and employees got out of my way quite quickly!

They also take our temp as we pull onto the property before exiting our vehicles. Temps over 100.3 gets you sent home for 72 hours after your fever drops without use of medicine. I've come to find out 5 minutes with the window down on the interstate at midnight in 50 degree weather has my temp down to 93.6 and they still allow me in! We had 1 driver and 1 warehouse employee test positive which is what prompted them to begin this.

I've learned that the flu is very bad and we don't do enough to protect ourselves. That heart disease and car crashes are extremely deadly. That our elected officials believe we have zero common sense.

Agree with all of it OS.

Mine:

Many of the people who preach the most about scrutinizing our leaders' actions are the least critical of such actions in practice.

People will believe what they want to be believe despite undeniable evidence to the contrary.

AGREE O.S> !! lol When we hit Calif. on the 20th, the I-15 down the Cajon Pass into the basin, was same as always people flying down at 80+ no care in the world in a thick overcast fog....And the rest of the freeways the same also.

This was the same in Salt Lake City 2+ weeks ago lol People are getting fed up right about now. Even here at home in Victorville area , I see no real change in traffic at any time of day!

I am very confused. Three months ago, if I had entered a bank lobby wearing a face mask, they would have called the police on me. But strangely, if I enter a bank lobby today without a face mask they will call the police on me.

"Garbage" seems a little strong. There were places that were overwhelmed. There was an alarming upward mortality trend before precautions were put in place.

I agree the whole thing with the ship is pretty weird. Truckloads of victims and stressed out caregivers, yet they didn't take advantage of the ship to its fullest. Fake news? Bureaucracy? Lack of coordination?

It's always difficult to decide what might have been; to reconstruct a different history out of "what if". Or in this case, "what if we hadn't..."

Someone referred to the precautions of Y2K and how unnecessary it turned out to be. Similar for the virus.

All this cost. All this sacrifice. What would have happened if we had taken no preventative actions?

The infection rate and the death rate would have leveled out. But where?

what if we hadn't...What would have happened if we had taken no preventative actions?

Well, look at Sweden. No lockdown, schools stayed open, businesses stayed open, no one is wearing masks, and the death rate is very low. Look at Japan and South Korea and Taiwan. Again, very low rates.

You can't stop a virus. You can only hope to slow it down a bit.

There's clearly something very fishy going on here. A severely deadly virus doesn't kill tens of thousands in some areas while leaving most areas virtually unscathed. Ironically, the areas with the harshest restrictions are claiming the most deaths, while the areas that did little or nothing are claiming very few.

If this virus was anything like 1918 there would be tens of millions of people dead at this point. It wouldn't be limited to the elderly and medically fragile and it wouldn't be limited to just a few areas. It would be devastating to all age groups throughout the globe.

"Garbage" seems a little strong.

Imprisoning us in our homes and devastating the global economy seems a little strong.

Told by my friends in the Philippines, they have it a bit worse. Can't leave home, they have check points, so you need permission to be on streets.

Store days are limited as well, can't drag the kids along, and they also have 1 of the lower rates of infection somewhat.

Each "village/province captain (like a mayor) does sporatic food hand outs of the basics, rice, a live chicken or 2. Supposedly they are going to give out 8000-10,000 pesos aid per month , but we can imagine how effective that will be with all the corruption there