CDN/US Covid-related political discussion

[OceanBonfire]

Canada extends ban on most foreign travellers to at least July 31

Order requiring travellers to quarantine for 14 days on arrival also extended to end of August

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/travel-ban-extended-july-1.5632625

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/canada-extends-ban-on-foreign-travellers-to-july-31-1.5005997

https://globalnews.ca/news/7125697/coronavirus-canada-extends-ban-on-most-foreign-travellers/

 

[stellarpanther]

Donald Trump now says he's all for wearing masks and he would have no problem wearing one in public. He likes the way he looks with one and thinks it makes him look like the Lone Ranger. I'm not making this **** up.  I'm waiting for Mike Pence to start calling him Kemosabe!

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53258792

 

[OceanBonfire]

Trump says he thinks coronavirus is 'going to sort of just disappear, I hope'

...

Despite the resurgence of coronavirus across the U.S., President Donald Trump spoke Wednesday about the virus as if it were a nuisance he hopes will eventually just go away.

"I think we are going to be very good with the coronavirus," he said in an interview with Fox Business. "I think that, at some point, that's going to sort of just disappear, I hope."

...


https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/trump-says-he-thinks-coronavirus-is-going-to-sort-of-just-disappear-i-hope-1.5007334

 

[Stoker]

As a person who frequently deploys to the US on ship, I think it will be years before another Canadian ship pays a visit.

 

[OceanBonfire]

Two-thirds of Canadians support closing businesses again if COVID-19 cases spike: survey

As scientists and policy-makers anticipate a second wave of COVID-19 later this year, a new survey suggests a majority of Canadians support closing non-essential businesses again if cases spike.

The new poll conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News surveyed 1,049 Canadians within the past week, and found that two-thirds of respondents support, or somewhat support, another round of business closures in the event of a significant rise in cases and hospitalizations.

Forty-two per cent of respondents said they support the closures, while another 28 per cent said they somewhat support them. About one in four Canadians oppose (16 per cent) or somewhat oppose (11 per cent) the idea.

Support for shutting down businesses during a second wave was strongest in Ontario (53 per cent) and weakest in Quebec (24 per cent). Those older than 55 -- who are more susceptible to the virus -- were more supportive of the closures, at 77 per cent, than younger Canadians aged 18 to 34, at 64 per cent support.

...


https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/two-thirds-of-canadians-support-closing-businesses-again-if-covid-19-cases-spike-survey-1.5011280

 

[daftandbarmy]

As a person who frequently deploys to the US on ship, I think it will be years before another Canadian ship pays a visit.

If they do, there's a good historical precedent for how to deal with them

The word quarantine comes from quarantena, meaning "forty days", used in the 14th–15th-centuries Venetian language and designating the period that all ships were required to be isolated before passengers and crew could go ashore during the Black Death plague epidemic; it followed the trentino, or thirty-day isolation period, first imposed in 1347 in the Republic of Ragusa, Dalmatia (modern Dubrovnik in Croatia).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarantine

 

[OceanBonfire]

Trump-connected lobbyists reap windfall in federal virus aid

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trump-connected-lobbyists-reap-windfall-covid-19-boom-71625706

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-connected-lobbyists-secure-coronavirus-financial-aid/

Trump donors among early recipients of coronavirus loans

https://apnews.com/00a34243825661313f2cb6a0f6a21720

Televangelists, Dallas megachurch that hosted Pence approved for millions in pandemic aid

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-ppp-religious/televangelists-dallas-megachurch-that-hosted-pence-approved-for-millions-in-pandemic-aid-idUSKBN2480CB

https://apnews.com/88a957426a09eb3b7db2dbceeffa25c0

 

[stellarpanther]

Andrew Sheer appears to be a bit of a hypocrite IMO.  A photo has been released today of him and his group not wearing a mask in an airport even though there is a policy in place staying that masks are required in the airport.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/andrew-scheer-pearson-airport-no-mask-1.5640979

 

[FSTO]

He's a witch!
Burn Him!!!!!


We are a nation of Stern Hall Monitors!

 

[mariomike]

We are a nation of Stern Hall Monitors!

Right.

Well well well, talk about leading by example look at who it is. The mayor himself ignoring social distancing rules and treating PPE like it's a joke.

Way to go Mayor Tory.

Scolding 178 paramedics for wearing masks,

That's a lot of wasted masks for a graduation ceremony and picture opportunity.

It's the new normal (and the new standard working uniform).  These newbies will be on the street the following day (some, maybe, immediately following the ceremony).  As they make their way home (probably a high proportion by public transit - it is NYC after all) for a few quiet hours before the proverbial hits the fan, they still have to protect themselves.  I see nothing wrong with the use of the masks by these immediate reinforcements to the front line.

And it didn't take long for things to change.  This is what a typical grad looked like in February.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/fdnyhome/albums/72157713083402306

But, no complaints about this,

More than 1,400 Air Force trainees graduate from BMT — wearing face masks

1,400 here though:

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/coronavirus/2020/04/09/more-than-1400-air-force-trainees-graduate-from-bmt-wearing-face-masks/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gatewaywing/sets/72157713824292757/

 

[daftandbarmy]

A bit of a 'Wiki laundry list', but interesting nonetheless:


Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the political systems of multiple countries causing suspensions of legislative activities, isolation or deaths of multiple politicians, and rescheduling of elections due to fears of spreading the virus.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_of_the_COVID-19_pandemic_on_politics

 

[Jarnhamar]

[quote author=mariomike]

Scolding 178 paramedics for wearing masks,

But, no complaints about this,

[/quote]

Wow.

Has that been eating away at you all this time?

Sorry.

If it helps you sleep at night then be at peace knowing I think the US airforce was as irresponsible as the paramedics for wasting masks and doing a graduation ceremony.

The leader of the official opposition is just as crappy as the mayor of Toronto for not leading by example and wearing a mask, too.

There you go 

 

[Remius]

One view from the US about our different approaches.


https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/08/politics/trump-justin-trudeau-coronavirus-north-american-trade-agreement/index.html

 

[OceanBonfire]

Making masks mandatory may save the economy too, Goldman Sachs economist says

...

Jan Hatzius, the chief economist at Goldman Sachs, released a report last week calling for a national mask mandate in the United States. If the country does not take that step, he argued, it will have to resort to more severe lockdown measures that could shrink the American economy by five per cent.

Investors are already worried about what will happen to the U.S. economy because of fast-rising COVID-19 caseloads in many southern states, Hatzius said.

...


https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/making-masks-mandatory-may-save-the-economy-too-goldman-sachs-economist-says-1.5015450

 

[FJAG]

Interesting article looking at whether Sweden experienced a better economy as a result of not having a shut down. Short answer is no. They suffered significantly more deaths than their neighbours and had/have close to the same economic impact.

Sweden Has Become the World’s Cautionary Tale
Its decision to carry on in the face of the pandemic has yielded a surge of deaths without sparing its economy from damage — a red flag as the United States and Britain move to lift lockdowns.
By Peter S. Goodman Published July 7, 2020

LONDON — Ever since the coronavirus emerged in Europe, Sweden has captured international attention by conducting an unorthodox, open-air experiment. It has allowed the world to examine what happens in a pandemic when a government allows life to carry on largely unhindered.

This is what has happened: Not only have thousands more people died than in neighboring countries that imposed lockdowns, but Sweden’s economy has fared little better.

“They literally gained nothing,” said Jacob F. Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. “It’s a self-inflicted wound, and they have no economic gains.”

The results of Sweden’s experience are relevant well beyond Scandinavian shores. In the United States, where the virus is spreading with alarming speed, many states have — at President Trump’s urging — avoided lockdowns or lifted them prematurely on the assumption that this would foster economic revival, allowing people to return to workplaces, shops and restaurants.

...

Here is one takeaway with potentially universal import: It is simplistic to portray government actions such as quarantines as the cause of economic damage. The real culprit is the virus itself. From Asia to Europe to the Americas, the risks of the pandemic have disrupted businesses while prompting people to avoid shopping malls and restaurants, regardless of official policy.

See whole article here.

:cheers:

 

[mariomike]

I think the US airforce was as irresponsible as the paramedics for wasting masks and doing a graduation ceremony.

They didn't get a graduation ceremony.

This is their usual graduation ceremony.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fdnyhome/albums/72157713083402306

One killed himself less than 90 days later.

 

[Jarnhamar]

They didn't get a graduation ceremony.

This is their usual graduation ceremony.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fdnyhome/albums/72157713083402306

One killed himself less than 90 days later.

Are you suggesting he killed himself because he didn't get a full graduation ceremony? I don't understand the relevance.

 

[mariomike]

Are you suggesting he killed himself because he didn't get a full graduation ceremony?

Who said that? I simply corrected you calling standing in a field a graduation ceremony.

The suicide gives an idea of the stress the recruits were under being sent into the pandemic. The number of out of hospital cardiac arrests they were being sent to, all with potential exposures to themselves, was incredible.

They wore masks because they were / are part of their uniform.


If you want to discuss it further, you can PM me.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Who said that? I simply corrected you calling standing in a field a graduation ceremony.

What were they doing in the field? Was it a concert?

The suicide gives an idea of the stress the recruits were under being sent into the pandemic.

Was anyone suggesting recruits weren't under stress?

If you want to discuss it further, you can PM me.

You can't threaten me with a good time 

 

[daftandbarmy]

While various types of deck chair are being re-arranged here and there, the Titanic is in peril....



Liberals' fiscal snapshot predicts $343B deficit as Morneau offers little intention to curb spending

The federal government expects to post a $343-billion deficit in 2021 as COVID-19 spending continues to mount, outpacing earlier estimates and reinforcing the depths of Ottawa’s weakened fiscal position.

In his fiscal update on Wednesday, Finance Minister Bill Morneau indicated that total government spending would balloon to $612 billion by 2021, nearly double the $346 billion spent in 2019. The swollen deficit is largely a result of higher projected spending under Ottawa’s two key COVID-19 financial aid programs, the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), which have been repeatedly extended and expanded in recent months.

The update on Wednesday underscores the fiscal bloodbath that Morneau finds himself in as he seeks to guide the Canadian economy out of its steepest decline in decades.

Opposition parties and industry groups have been pressuring the Liberal government to provide some indication as to when it will begin to rein in its spending programs, warning that indiscriminate spending could begin to weigh on an eventual economic recovery.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/liberals-fiscal-snapshot-predicts-343-billion-deficit-as-bill-morneau-offers-little-intention-to-curb-spending/wcm/5ad46fa2-83c9-497c-ad00-724bed2c9774/