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San Mateo County Health Officer Statement on Bay Area Stay-at-Home Orders

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Re: San Mateo County Health Officer Statement on Bay Area Stay-at-Home Orders

#101
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You would agree that people "making their own decisions" do affect others, though, correct?

I do believe that most people are responsible enough to take the recommended precautions and encourage their friends and family to do the same and not endanger others. The only outcome I see here is like one of prohibition. Our country was built on trust, integrity and distribution of power, much of this is the opposite in the name of public health when the numbers show otherwise. Closing outdoor dining but letting t…

> Our country was built on trust, integrity and distribution of power

"F" in American History.

Re: San Mateo County Health Officer Statement on Bay Area Stay-at-Home Orders

#102
post #97

> What I believed back in May, and what I believe now, is the power and authority to control this pandemic lies primarily in your hands, not mine. So it’s our fault? Some countries succeeded in crushing this virus because of efficient testing and contact tracing, incisive lock downs, and other measures which are put in place by public authority or institutions. What a poor way to deflect blame for the incredibly poor…

Many Americans don't even make the effort to wear masks. What do you suppose the institutions ought to do with them in an incisive lockdown situation?

Agreed, the lack of social cohesion and political turmoil in the US in a uniquely poor time to come head to head with a pandemic.

I’m not sure how to solve that problem, and agree it is a difficult one. However, I don’t think that justifies public officials shifting the blame.

Re: San Mateo County Health Officer Statement on Bay Area Stay-at-Home Orders

#103
post #17

Wow. Lest anyone think that Dr. Morrow is some kind of anti-lockdown activist - back in the spring, San Mateo county had one of the most restrictive and prescriptive lockdowns of anywhere in the US (residents were ordered to limit outdoor recreation to within 5 miles of their home). It takes a lot of guts to just look objectively at the data and do what you think is right, regardless of what pressure you’re getting f…

I live in San Mateo county, and am interested in knowing what to do to stay safe. This is the first I've heard about limiting outdoor recreation to within 5 miles of my home. I haven't been notified about any of the details of any of the lockdowns. In the Spring, I encountered a group of people who had just been released from jail during one of my monthly shopping trips. Despite having just been in government custody…

You're confused because the county health information system is being mismanaged and misused as a blog by a crank. He doesn't allow anyone to send public information on his behalf and he requires all of his writings to be distributed verbatim[1]. That's why they all read like incoherent rambles. It's also why every one of his messages begins with the instructions to "reread my previous statements below", because he's top-quoting himself in Outlook! He just does not understand the impact his intentional aversion to clarity is having on the region.

1: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/us/coronavirus-san-mateo-...

Re: San Mateo County Health Officer Statement on Bay Area Stay-at-Home Orders

#104
post #89
post #17

Wow. Lest anyone think that Dr. Morrow is some kind of anti-lockdown activist - back in the spring, San Mateo county had one of the most restrictive and prescriptive lockdowns of anywhere in the US (residents were ordered to limit outdoor recreation to within 5 miles of their home). It takes a lot of guts to just look objectively at the data and do what you think is right, regardless of what pressure you’re getting f…

It's supposed to be supported isolation. Gotta make sure people can make rent and eat and otherwise stay alive, or they're not going to stay home.

Gotta make sure people can make rent and eat and otherwise stay alive, or they're not going to stay home.

Even ignoring financial considerations, expecting people to have no in-person contact with anyone outside their homes for 9+ months is utterly unrealistic.

Re: San Mateo County Health Officer Statement on Bay Area Stay-at-Home Orders

#105
post #61

I understand the sentiment, but I think it's pretty clear in retrospect hard lockdowns were the correct way to address this. This half-assed "wear a mask and social distance if you want" stance just made the economy sputter for a whole a year. I've seen this in France twice, where they've oscillated between doing nothing and doing a lot, a couple brief lockdowns can reverse things quickly even after things have gotte…

In Asia hard lockdowns aren’t seen as a silver bullet, and some countries like Korea never really had one. Centralized quarantine and mandatory symptom checks are believed to be comparably important.

[deleted]

Re: San Mateo County Health Officer Statement on Bay Area Stay-at-Home Orders

#106

Reading this I was expecting the same knee-jerk, panic response that has become the "acceptable" public health response to the problem the pandemic places before us. While I detect a hint of futility in this statement, I am nonetheless deeply heartened to know some public health officials are themselves questioning some of the simplistic premises that have been driving policy to this point at all levels of government…

I agree wholeheartedly with all three of your points. I disagree strongly with one of his positions (I don't think we should be opening schools while the rest of us are locked down), but I too find it very, very encouraging to have a public official obviously using his brain and being honest about the fact that nobody really knows the right answer. And especially in the context about the use of power, the acknowledge…

Places like UK did a hard lockdown for 6 weeks and kept schools open. It completely worked. Yes, kids can transmit the virus, but it appears that as long as the ADULTS limit their interaction with other adults, kids have only a limited way of encountering infections.

Re: San Mateo County Health Officer Statement on Bay Area Stay-at-Home Orders

#107

Just alone that the Movie industry in Los Angeles is allowed to continue their operations while small businesses are shut shows exactly what COVID has become. People can make their own decisions whether to go out and how to stay safe.

Everyone in the film industry gets tested multiple times per week, and my impression from what I have read is that film people are taking the virus extremely seriously and avoiding social contact outside work to the extent possible, because a breach could jeopardize the whole production (disclaimer: I have no inside knowledge).

This certainly does not happen for patrons at miscellaneous restaurants.

> most people are responsible enough to take the recommended precautions

Empirically this is not a sound belief, if by “most people” you mean a large enough majority to stop the epidemic from growing exponentially.

Re: San Mateo County Health Officer Statement on Bay Area Stay-at-Home Orders

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree wholeheartedly with all three of your points. I disagree strongly with one of his positions (I don't think we should be opening schools while the rest of us are locked down), but I too find it very, very encouraging to have a public official obviously using his brain and being honest about the fact that nobody really knows the right answer. And especially in the context about the use of power, the acknowledge…

Places like UK did a hard lockdown for 6 weeks and kept schools open. It completely worked. Yes, kids can transmit the virus, but it appears that as long as the ADULTS limit their interaction with other adults, kids have only a limited way of encountering infections.

Didn't UK have either the worst or second-worst outcome among all European nations?

Re: San Mateo County Health Officer Statement on Bay Area Stay-at-Home Orders

#109
post #17

Wow. Lest anyone think that Dr. Morrow is some kind of anti-lockdown activist - back in the spring, San Mateo county had one of the most restrictive and prescriptive lockdowns of anywhere in the US (residents were ordered to limit outdoor recreation to within 5 miles of their home). It takes a lot of guts to just look objectively at the data and do what you think is right, regardless of what pressure you’re getting f…

> I am aware of no data that some of the business activities [...] are the major drivers of transmission This suggests he is aware of data indicating that some of the business activities being restricted drive transmission, just not all of them. (I'm guessing maybe, say, indoor dining?) So should those known to do this be restricted or not? Did restricting them previously help or not? Should we ignore them?

It seems to be fairly well established at this point that poor ventilation is an issue; spending time around others who may be carrying the virus is an issue; wearing a mask, whether inside or outside, significantly reduces the chance of spreading the virus if you're a carrier. So your guess seems pretty on point. Indoor dining/drinking means being around others without masks in areas where air is circulated rather than fully exchanged, so it's about as risky as you can get short of a church service or choir practice (which has all of those risks but adds "let's project particles from deep in our lungs while singing"). "Spreading events" under those conditions have been pretty well-documented, as far as I know.

So, I'd say Dr. Morrow is aware that some of the restricted business activities drive transmission and he's supporting those restrictions. There are other activities -- like outdoor dining, as long as you're not putting diners in circulation-restricting tents -- that seem to be lower risk, and could probably further mitigate risks by having limitations on group size, dining time, etc., rather than just a point-blank ban. And there are some other restrictions which just seem more like theatre, such as curfews. Do we think coronavirus is nocturnal?

> Should we ignore them, then?

I'm not sure how useful that question is for folks who don't run businesses facing that decision. If I was a restaurant operator, I wouldn't flagrantly flout the local regulations even if I disagreed with them. I'm not, though, and the restrictions that more directly apply to me as a citizen -- e.g., try to stay at home during this surge, don't gather in groups even with folks in your "quarantine bubble" -- don't seem that wildly unreasonable.

Re: San Mateo County Health Officer Statement on Bay Area Stay-at-Home Orders

#110
post #21

Seems like he's being contrarian at times. > what we have before us is a symbolic gesture, it appears to be style over substance I think the problem with being idealistic is people will see this leader,(especially in liberal mecca that is the sf bay area or how ever those people talk now) will latch on to this as a reason to do keep acting irresponsibly and justify their behavior. > Less overall mobility, means less…

> Like is missing a year of 4th grade going to be a problem for anyone? Yes definitely. I've been tutoring students in 5-7th grade for about two years, most of them benefit from tutoring because they have knowledge gaps missing from previous school years (for whatever reason). Before March this year, all the tutoring was in-person and it was relatively easy to keep them engaged and they made good progress. Now that I…

He said generations worth of damage. Come on. It might hurt a kid for her SAT if it was this or next year but to think she would have long term damage from a couple of shitty years of school, that’s preposterous. Kids are made of sterner stuff than this.
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