COVID-19 CONVERSATION: No Masks Here
May 21, 2020 Leave a comment
A random observation this morning going out in Coral Gables near South Miami, many people going around in shops and stores without masks. We will have hell to pay in the coming weeks.
CONVID-19 CONVERSATION: Miami-Dade County Big Share of Infections and Deaths
May 21, 2020 Leave a comment
Miami-Dade County, which includes dozens of municipalities including the cities of Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Homestead, Hialeah, among others, has 13% of Florida’s population and 34% of proven Covid-19 infections and 28% of the state’s deaths.
Miami-Dade County is rushing to open and we will wait to see the consequences some 14 days in the future because of the current, recognized lack of extensive testing, tracing and isolation measures.
We are waiting for a final decision by the University of Miami on the Fall Semester on the manner and return of students. So far the information from the university has been a little ambiguous.
COVID-19 CONVERSATION: Fl is Manipulating the Data
May 19, 2020 Leave a comment
No doubt, FL has been manipulating data to force an early opening. Miami-Dade County politicians have been following obediently along. The Miami Hearld reported that infections in Miami-Dade are 10 times! higher than those reported.
There are no easily available Covid-19 data published by local governments in Miami-Dade County. One may wonder on what basis Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables and others are making decisions, except from political pressures, business pressures and poor workers’ pressures. Are there objective criteria like Gov. Cuomo developed for NY.
Rebekah Jones, the manager of Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard has been involuntarily removed from her position because she refused to censor some data to, in her own words, “drum up support for the plan to reopen.”
COVID-19 CONVERSATION: Opening South Florida is Missing Something?
May 18, 2020 Leave a comment
Maybe I am confused but it seems like Miami-Dade is jumping way ahead very fast without the protection and management data needed to supervise infections and deaths in the area. Looks like a political, Trumpian move.
How much testing can government really do. So far the testing has been of just coronavirus sick candidates. But testing is widely needed for employees, not just when one worker gets Covid-19.
We need wide testing for all citizens, residents and travelers to ascertain infection rates and the reproduction rate, r.
First, the opening will have the effect of accelerating the opening of carefully isolated stay-at-home family members to go shopping, restaurants, hair salons….For access to infections.
Second, by opening the business community locales “Moving to a New Normal” (Miami-Dade County) there will be an increase in infections, hospitalizations and deaths. How many? We don’t know, but there will be ones for sure. It is inevitable.
The so-called “Move to a New Normal” brings extreme danger to seniors and those with pre-existing conditions who should NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE NEW NORMAL until the benefits are certain. Where is the warning and where are instructions.
The “Move to a New Normal” guidelines and the supporting government decrees are almost impossible to follow, to understand, to evaluate and to guide one in personal protection unless you are a lawyer.
CONVID-19 CONVERSATION: Florida and Cities–Open or Not?
May 15, 2020 Leave a comment
“UNLESS THE CORONAVIRUS IS OVERCOME WE WILL CONTINUE IN A DEPRESSION ECONOMY” (Jeffery Sacks, MSNBC interview, May 15)
Local governments, including Miami-Dade County and its municipalities, the City of Coral Gables (@citycoralgables) are applying relatively nonspecific, weak, general criteria to open businesses without the benefit of a strong current public database.
None of the rules is prescriptive enough to guide business behavior in opening up. Rather they are a basis for future trouble in overcoming the coronavirus. At best the rules are a conglomeration of many different proposed criteria. To this date Miami-Dade county has been incapable of publishing opening guidelines.
This picture will ensue from the near-term opening:
- There will be a push to reopen business, placing health protection on a secondary plane;
- Infections and deaths will increase, which is the true cost of returning to business operations and increasing tax revenues to local governments;
- The community will weaken social distancing and mask-using behavior;
- Small businesses–hair salons, small gyms, small stores, restaurants… will operate at a dangerous edge of coronavirus hygiene and protection for its employees and customers;
- Local authorities will find it hard to enforce social distancing and masking.
COVID-19 CONVERSATION: Breaking Down Social Distancing and Masking–An Example
May 13, 2020 Leave a comment
Customers were asked to wear masks for the first few days while moving around the dining room or going to the restroom. The restaurant provided them, she said, but many guests either refused, or took the mask and didn’t use it. By the weekend, that idea had been mostly scrapped.
https://www.tampabay.com/arts-entertainment/food/2020/05/12/tampa-bay-restaurants-are-open-and-hiring-owners-say-theyre-ready-for-more/
You should not doubt that opening up will lead to dangerous increases in infection and deaths in Florida. This is a clear warning for South Florida.
COVID-19 CONVERSATION: Miami-Dade County. A Hotspot? Business Over Deaths?
May 13, 2020 Leave a comment
Very simply, Miami-Dade county is 13 percent of the Florida population of 22,000,000. it represents 34% of the Covid-19 infections and 28% of the deaths as of today. Infections and deaths are under counted for sure.
If not a hotspot in the some sense, Mayor Gimenez and the Commission should not be running so fast to open in 5 days. Irresponsible people will rush to restaurants, stores and hair salons. Poor social distancing and mask use is prevalent.
More and accelerating deaths will be seen in the country for sure.
