[AGL] hundreds on the street - no masks

[Michael Eisenstadt]

Jim,

Yes, the deaths from Covid in Travis Co. and elsewhere are a very small 
number. Some have explained that as improved treatment regimens in the 
hospitals. Hospitalizations, though, are going up at a fairly steep 
curve and many midwestern states are running out of ICU beds. We need 
better statistics on the severity of infection, how many are 
unsymptomatic for example. If we take Dr. Fauci seriously, he suggested 
that wearing masks in public should be made mandatory. But AFAIK that is 
impossible in our system of government in which that sort of decision 
devolves on the states and cannot be ordered by the Federal government. 
Only during WW II did the Federal government take over overall direction 
of the country. That was possible because it reflected the will of the 
people. Nowadays, any presidential executive order mandating masks would 
be opposed and ligitated in the courts for god knows how long.

Back to the facts: young people are not wearing masks in public as we 
saw today and it seems they will be infected in large numbers and will 
spread it to their families.

Mike

On 10/24/2020 5:07 PM, James Holland wrote:
>
> Hi Mike,
>
> What would you say to the rejoinder that although the tested 
> positivity rate is going up, that number by itself may well be 
> misleading, in that there's no corresponding spike in deaths, even 
> allowing for time lag? Ref: 
> https://txdshs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/ed483ecd702b4298ab01e8b9cafc8b83 
> <https://txdshs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html%23/ed483ecd702b4298ab01e8b9cafc8b83> 
>
>
> All the best,
>
> Jim
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Austin-ghetto-list 
> [mailto:austin-ghetto-list-bounces at pairlist.net] On Behalf Of Michael 
> Eisenstadt
> Sent: Saturday, October 24, 2020 4:41 PM
> To: austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net
> Subject: [AGL] hundreds on the street - no masks
>
> We just drove to Whole Foods along 6th street. Lo and behold, all the
>
> bars were open and the streets were full of hundered of young drinkers
>
> none of them wearing masks. We could see many outdoor tables full of
>
> revelers. Bars are allowed to retitle themselves as restaurants - that
>
> means having to buy a $5 bag of chips. That arrangement is ridiculous.
>
> Abbott cares more about bars open for business than he does for public
>
> safety.
>
> Mask wearing is not obligatory in Texas - thanks Gov. Abbott - and the
>
> rate of infections is increasing mightily, so we will never be free of
>
> the pandemic at this rate, not in my abreviated lifetime.
>

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