How Is Covid-19 Impacting Life in Your City?

[Pedestrian]

Burning Man gathering at SF’s Ocean Beach was ‘reckless and selfish,’ mayor says
Trisha Thadani
Sep. 7, 2020 Updated: Sep. 7, 2020 12:25 a.m.

Mayor London Breed denounced the more than 1,000 people who gathered on Ocean Beach Saturday night to celebrate Burning Man, a week-long festival in the Nevada desert that was canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Breed said on Twitter that the city was closing the beach’s parking lots Sunday and that law enforcement would be present. She called Saturday’s gathering “reckless and selfish.”

“You are not celebrating. You are putting people's lives at risk. You are putting our progress at risk. No one is immune from spreading the virus,” she wrote in a tweet. “We've heard people may return tonight. Don't do it.”

The closure comes as temperatures soar in San Francisco, and wildfire smoke chokes the region. It also comes as the city staggers toward reopening its economy, which has been devastated by the protracted closures.

Burning Man typically attracts thousands of people to a stretch of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert at the end of the summer. It was scheduled to run between Aug. 30 and Sept. 7 this year . . . .

https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics...s-15547237.php

[xzmattzx]

It probably would've been better to host Burning Man in the desert and just make everyone that attended stay 2 more weeks in case of any spread. Would they have complained about 3 weeks of Burning Man?

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by bnk

First time I have been back to downtown Chicago since march. Illinois much more strict in indoor dining than Wisconsin but at least we could eat inside.
Just had to don the hood when the waitress showed up. But at least Chicago is doing some kind of indoor eating. Sadly some of my favorite boutique hotels and restaurants have totally closed their doors. Seems like there's 1/10th the number of people in tourist spots than it would be in normal times.




https://gellerreport.com/2020/09/nyc...ning-ban.html/


NYC Restaurants Sue Cuomo, De Blasio For $2 Billion Over Indoor Dining Ban

Geller Report ^ | September 4, 2020 | Staff

Political tyrants Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo must not be allowed to destroy the livelihoods of thousands of people in New York City. It is a disgrace that it has come to this, in what was once the worlds greatest city.
...
Restaurants in New York City filed a $2 billion class-action lawsuit against city and state officials on Thursday, alleging the indoor dining ban caused “irreparable harm” to the city’s food and beverage industry and pushing for the return to indoor dining — the lawsuit marks the latest attempt to normalize the city through legal action.
...

Il Bacco, an Italian restaurant in Queens, is spearheading a class-action lawsuit against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and New York Attorneys General to force the state to allow indoor dining and for damages lost during Covid-19 guidelines.

Over 350 restaurants have signed on to the $2 billion lawsuit.
Il Bacco is only 500 feet from the Nassau County border, where restaurants have been able to serve indoors at 50% capacity since June 24.

New York City is the only city in the state where some form of indoor dining is still not allowed, despite a weeks-long statewide case positive rate below 1%.

In mid-August, 1,500 gym owners across New York filed a class-action lawsuit against the state which led to gyms, fitness centers, and yoga studios opening their doors at 33% capacity just a few weeks later.
In May, a Brooklyn nursing student who had been arrested twice for violating the state’s ban on nonessential gatherings while protesting outside City Hall in New York City, filed a federal lawsuit against Cuomo alleging the ban violated her First Amendment rights, which lead to the governor lifting the ban on protests

...

do ya think there might be some slight differences between 'restaurants' and 'gyms' upstate and other places and those in the city?

[Pedestrian]

https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/a...a-15551291.php

[Yuri]

After almost four months of daily average deaths above 1,000, things finally started to improve in Brazil. It’s slowly falling and now its at 800s.

Overall, Covid has killed 128,000 people in Brazil since March.

[Pedestrian]

https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects...eopening-poll/

Count me as staying out of all those places until I'm vaccinated.

[mrnyc]

keeping in mind the nypost is a trash rag ... otoh it is via a siena poll, so:


Nearly half of NYC’s top earners have considered fleeing the city: poll

By Lia EustachewichSeptember 16, 2020 | 12:03pm | Updated


Nearly half of New York City residents earning six figures or more have considered fleeing the Big Apple during the coronavirus crisis over cost of living concerns, according to a new poll.

Researchers with the Siena College Research Institute and Manhattan Institute surveyed 782 city dwellers making $100,000 or more about life in the age of COVID-19.

In results released Wednesday, the survey, conducted between July 13 and August 3, found that 44 percent have thought of leaving the city in the past four months, with 69 percent citing cost of reason as the main reason to move.

Quality of life in the city that never sleeps has taken a hit, too, during the pandemic. Just under 4 in 10 respondents said quality of life is now “excellent or good” — a plunge from 79 percent who felt that way pre-coronavirus.

And it could be because many feel like there’s no end in sight — nearly 7 in 10 polled believe it “will take longer than a year” for life to return to normal.



more:
https://nypost.com/2020/09/16/nearly...locating-poll/

[chris08876]

Its ok if they leave and some decline in housing prices. Will just provide opportunity for the future masses to get into the city life/housing market. If anything, way overdue.

Covid-19.... providing housing opportunities for expensive cities since March 2020.

Rents dropped almost 5% too which might not seem like a lot, but can make the difference for some folks. Vacancies are up too.

On a side note, maybe it could force the city to be a little competitive and come up with solutions to mitigate cost and keep/retain folks.

Not that the city isn't competitive, but the leaching of folks year by year due to cost of living is something that, from a tax basis, hurts the city.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/a...a-15551291.php

I wonder why Sonoma County is so high? Lots of ag workers who can't social distance? But neighboring Napa has the same ag profile (wine grapes etc.) yet is much lower. Maybe there is a big element of chance. For example Marin outbreak was partly due to San Quentin prison outbreak due to infected prisoners being brought in from elsewhere.

Looks like the air quality is improving up there. Onshore flow blowing the smoke back east and much cooler temps. Same onshore flow starts down here by weekend as low approaches. Norcal and Oregon/Wash. might even get some welcome showers.

[10023]

Teachers don’t want to return to classrooms for the same reason most people don’t want to return to work. Commuting sucks, working from home is more comfortable, and you get to spend the day in sweatpants (and a proper shirt for calls). It has nothing at all to do with safety.

[mhays]

^^ A dictionary definition of obviously wrong...

Many teachers without question are very concerned about safety, for themselves and who they spread it to.

[chris08876]

Safety is paramount. They are dealing with screaming kids that use the bathroom and than scream and put their hands in their mouths without washing or if they do, they run a little water and pretend they wash. Little kids... next to mosquitoes, are vectors of disease.

Teachers are at high risk.

But second on the remote working, it is comfortable.

[chris08876]

Looks like NYC is getting back into its rhythm. Way busier, way busier. And the Jesus people with the signs are back.

That's how you know we are returning to normalcy, when the Jesus people are out. Via live cams:

[Pedestrian]

Covid: PM considering new restrictions amid second coronavirus wave
19 September 2020

Boris Johnson is spending the weekend considering whether to tighten Covid-19 measures in England, after saying the UK was "now seeing a second wave".
The government is understood to be looking at a ban on households mixing, and reducing opening hours for pubs.

At least 13.5 million people, roughly one in five of the UK population, are already facing local restrictions.

It came as the PM announced new fines for those avoiding self-isolation.

Former government adviser Prof Neil Ferguson said new measures were needed "sooner rather than later". The scientist, whose advice was crucial to the decision to go into lockdown in March, said: "If we leave it another two to four weeks, we will be back at [infection] levels we were seeing more like mid-March. "That's clearly going to cause deaths because people will be hospitalised," he told the BBC.

Mr Johnson only has direct power over restrictions in England. The devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can set their own rules.
Widespread growth of the virus has been recorded across the country, with cases doubling every seven to eight days.

There were a further 4,422 confirmed UK cases on Saturday and 27 deaths. Friday was the first time the daily total of positive tests had exceeded 4,000 since 8 May.

A further 350 cases were reported on Saturday in Scotland, the highest daily increase since May, 212 new cases in Wales, and 222 in Northern Ireland.

In Bolton, one returning holidaymaker, who did not self-isolate and instead went on a pub crawl, is being partly blamed for the town's spike in cases.

Meanwhile, governments across Europe have announced new restrictions to tackle the surge in infections.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54214752

I figured this was inevitable when I read they were reopening pubs.

I think it should be clear by now that we can open much of society as long as we DON'T open indoor bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

[SIGSEGV]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54214752

I figured this was inevitable when I read they were reopening pubs.

I think it should be clear by now that we can open much of society as long as we DON'T open indoor bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

Yeah, I still don't understand why restaurants/bars aren't just being paid not to have indoor dining. It's got to be cheaper overall than prolonging the pandemic.

And some restaurants need to learn how to put a tent up over tables so that they can still function outdoors with some light rain...

[JManc]

Bars that serve alcohol alone are still closed here but restaurants with bars are open and people need that outlet. I think most are at their wits end having to social distance, wear a mask everywhere and expect to this to be the new 'normal' indefinitely.

[mhays]

A lot of people are dimwits, which is compounded by a remarkable lack of public education.

[the urban politician]

I’m sick of people wearing masks incorrectly.

Having it covering your mouth but not your nose is NOT THE CORRECT WAY to do it here, folks. Might as well just not wear it at all

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

I’m sick of people wearing masks incorrectly.

Having it covering your mouth but not your nose is NOT THE CORRECT WAY to do it here, folks. Might as well just not wear it at all

[10023]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54214752

I figured this was inevitable when I read they were reopening pubs.

I think it should be clear by now that we can open much of society as long as we DON'T open indoor bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

If those things aren’t open, then no one is going to the office either. Period. Same with gyms for me (although that’s obviously an issue for a much smaller percentage of the population).

No one is going to be a drone bee and commute to the office and back home every day without hospitality venues open.

The very fucking obvious answer is different rules based on risk. You cannot possibly find the right balance of economic activity and protection against the virus if you insist on treating everyone equally.