Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[thomas998]

The kids that are at failing schools are going to be disadvantaged in the same way they have in the past. The kids who have parents or guardians who have never taken an interest in their education are going to be disadvantaged in the same way they have in the past. The kids who don't pay attention in school or skip class are not going to start paying attention now, whether they have access to online learning or not.

The disadvantages have existed for some time. I guess they are just more noticeable now in this situation.

It is unfortunate, but the reality is the kids that were just trying to slide along and were being passed as a courtesy in classes instead of based on actually deserving to graduate to the next grade we always be a lost cause because even if you put a student like that in a the best classroom in the world, the home environment where education is not considered important is still there. And your student is only in a school 6 or 7 hours a day 5 days of the week for about 9 months per year... but the rest of the time they have the parents that don't care... Which ones have the most influence? It isn't the school.

When trying to survive in times like this the best option is to see how to get the ones that are trying as much education as they can get, the others are already a lost cause and now isn't a good time to try and deal with it. Lord knows while it is a problem, it is one that can't be fixed in the best of times let alone right now.

 

[jmp85]

So, if I'm looking at this correctly, the "main" model projected New York would need 30k-47k beds today, with a best estimate of 38k. Meanwhile, actual hospitalizations appear to be about 9.5k? What am I missing?

IHME | COVID-19 Projections

Explore forecasts of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospital resource use.

covid19.healthdata.org

Rate of coronavirus hospitalizations in New York is slowing, governor says

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the rate of hospitalizations for coronavirus cases in the state has slowed, citing the rate of "doubling" of people admitted to the hospital for Covid-19.

www.cnn.com

 

[Tom P.]

Yes. And we also got the Record - a Boston Paper. It was a folio set-up, so better for reading while eating my soup at lunch.
Remember when we used to go home for lunch?

In the world of COVID-19, I am now home for lunch every day, as I am working entirely from home. My wife is already about to kill me.

 

[thomas998]

I guess it depends on the personal circumstances of each senior executive. I haven’t heard of other companies doing this. So I applaud them for taking this action. I don’t let class envy cloud my opinion.

You would be amazed at how many executives in corporate America live paycheck to paycheck.

 

[davidfarley]

When employers lay off people they are required to report the layoffs to the state. The states report to the fed, the people do not have to have filed for unemployment compensation.

Not sure what state you're in, but in my state I've owned a business for 25 years and I've had to fire a few people over the years. I never notified anyone other than the employee concerned. They were still able to receive unemployment benefits.

 

[thomas998]

Not sure what state you're in, but in my state I've owned a business for 25 years and I've had to fire a few people over the years. I never notified anyone other than the employee concerned. They were still able to receive unemployment benefits.

What you described is how it is in most of the states I'm familiar with. You fire someone, or lay them off, either way you don't notify anyone other than the person losing their job. Now there are several ways the state will find out about the lost job. 1) when the employee files for unemployment the state unemployment office be notified by the employee. 2) the reduction in the amount of unemployment insurance premiums the company pays will go down by the amount that was being paid on that employees behalf. 3) payroll taxes will be lower if its a state with an income tax... But it is completely possible that if you terminated someone and they for whatever reason didn't decide to file for unemployment then the state would not ever really know unless someone in the state really started to dig into the numbers which is unlikely.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I think the school subject is considered “off topic”, but I’ll quickly reply to say that the public schools districts in my area have been providing electronic devises to those who don’t have them, and asking local companies to open their networks so families (who don’t have WiFi) can use them.

Our governor acknowledged today that some districts and schools will have more problems than others. Those districts/schools might have to extend their school year if there is a safe point to return to classrooms.

also, in response to your quote above this one. Good students in good schools will see an impact too... not all of them will have parents who can dedicate time to lessons plans given by the teacher.

Bottom line, there are impacts everywhere we look right now... in so many different area of life.

I have read through the thread and I saw mention of some posts being off topic and deleted, but it did not mention what the topic was. So if that's the case, then I apologize @The Mom - there was nothing to indicate to me catching up hours later that schools were off topic.

As I said, our district is also providing devices - there simply aren't enough to cover all preK-12 students that are in need. There's 200,000 students in my district. They are providing them for grades 3-12. Grades K-2 will have paper based work sent home in the mail, or available to retrieve electronically, with less emphasis on virtual connection with the teacher (which, personally, I disagree with - but again, there are physically not enough devices available in the district to give one to every student in need - and note, I'm saying every student in need, not every student.)

As was already mentioned - VA school buildings are closed for the year. The state has given districts flexibility in figuring out how to do distance learning, IF they are able to.

The achievement gap isn't as simple as not being "good students" or not being "good schools" - please do some more reading about it before making such statements. That said, of course all students will be impacted by this. Saying the existing achievement gaps will worsen doesn't invalidate that. It's a matter of exponential impact.

 

[techgeek]

Tonight’s comic interlude, courtesy of xkcd:

Pathogen Resistance

xkcd.com

 

[davidfarley]

What you described is how it is in most of the states I'm familiar with. You fire someone, or lay them off, either way you don't notify anyone other than the person losing their job. Now there are several ways the state will find out about the lost job. 1) when the employee files for unemployment the state unemployment office be notified by the employee. 2) the reduction in the amount of unemployment insurance premiums the company pays will go down by the amount that was being paid on that employees behalf. 3) payroll taxes will be lower if its a state with an income tax... But it is completely possible that if you terminated someone and they for whatever reason didn't decide to file for unemployment then the state would not ever really know unless someone in the state really started to dig into the numbers which is unlikely.

The fired employees received their unemployment benefits. As the employer, the state sent me a form indicating what the fired employees collected. Also, my unemployment insurance rate was raised the following year. I'm just pointing out that here, as employers, we are not required to do anything other than fill out our quarterly withholding forms.

 

[Timmay]

It’s easy enough to shut down businesses that open illegally. Neighbors will turn them in. Police won’t have any probablem finding them.

Happened today in West Allis...a suburb of Milwaukee. West Allis police shut down a Hobby Lobby after they received a call from an anonymous complaint.

 

[DVCakaCarlF]

The fired employees received their unemployment benefits. As the employer, the state sent me a form indicating what the fired employees collected. Also, my unemployment insurance rate was raised the following year. I'm just pointing out that here, as employers, we are not required to do anything other than fill out our quarterly withholding forms.

Are we assuming “fired” is the same as “laid off?“ A fired employee does not receive unemployment benefits...or, rather, shouldn’t.

 

[DisneyCane]

It's cited in the stories because that's what the investigation found - even if you don't like it. Want another? Read this story and try to keep that same face..

Days After a Funeral in a Georgia Town, Coronavirus ‘Hit Like a Bomb’ (Published 2020)

A mourner came to Albany, Ga., to attend the funeral of a retired janitor. After a pause while the infections incubated, the virus swept through the community.

www.nytimes.com

You never seen the priest greet every person as they leave? You never seen the donation bearers move through the crowd? You never seen communion? You never seen people great friends at an event like church?

You can keep the blinders on... but it's only you that you're hurting.

You are making my point without realizing it. This discussion started with me saying that not all "large gatherings" are necessarily the same with respect to spread. I was referring to movie theaters and sporting events when somehow churches got brought into the discussion.

I specifically said that the interactions between people at church are very different from those in movie theater or sports arena/stadium. What I said would not make sense if for the spread to be so prevalent just from people sitting at a church service. The before/after interaction is what makes it a unique gathering vs. the same 80 people watching a movie in the same auditorium.

 

[ifan]

That being said, I think this Federal bill has different provisions in it as to who can qualify for aid. A lot of the red tape is being waived and the exact details have not been shared with the states yet (as of earlier this afternoon at least.)

 

[ifan]

Dentist here...I think all offices around the country have been mandated by their state governments to stop all elective care and can only treat emergencies (meaning, pain and swelling etc). While your dentist and orthodontist's assessment is spot on regarding the need to remove your child's teeth in order to avoid more complex orthodontic treatment later, your child isn't in any pain or distress and the extractions are not essential to alleviate any acute symptoms. Meaning they can be delayed with little recourse in his immediate well being. Bare in mind a lot of dentist's and especially their staff (assistants) are very unnerved right now regarding this virus because it is easily transmitted through aerosol. Guess which profession holds the biggest occupational risk to contract COVID-19? Dentists essentially can be working in a COVID-19 minefield with every patient they treat without knowing it.

On that note, dentist's are now concerned about the long term ramifications that COVID-19 can potentially have on their dental practices from multiple standpoints including the safety of themselves and their staff and patients as well as future impacts on profitability. My point is this Coronavirus has major trickle down affects that are not only inconveniencing every day patients such as yourself and your child (and rightfully so, I fully understand and would be frustrated too) but also everyone else involved in the care of your child. No one, including theme parks and Disney junkies, are going to go unscathed.

Dentists are definitely screwed right now - although so are a lot of physicians who require an in person exam. It's very rough for small operations right now

Out of curiosity - I wonder if there is a higher rate of general infectious disease in hygienists or dentists than the general population? Lots of other infections are aerosolized as well.

 

[MisterPenguin]

So, if I'm looking at this correctly, the "main" model projected New York would need 30k-47k beds today, with a best estimate of 38k. Meanwhile, actual hospitalizations appear to be about 9.5k? What am I missing?

IHME | COVID-19 Projections

Explore forecasts of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospital resource use.

covid19.healthdata.org

Rate of coronavirus hospitalizations in New York is slowing, governor says

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the rate of hospitalizations for coronavirus cases in the state has slowed, citing the rate of "doubling" of people admitted to the hospital for Covid-19.

www.cnn.com

Maybe the model's assuming that a lot more of the 66k who tested positive should be hospitalized.

 

[LittleBuford]

Well, the thread title is WDW and Coronavirus in the WDW Parks news section, so, yeah, general talk about schools is off topic.

To be fair, the majority of posts here aren't about WDW, and that goes for many of your contributions. Despite its original title, the thread is labelled "General Coronavirus discussion" in the banner that now appears at the top of all the forums.

 

[LittleBuford]

Something uplifting for a change:

As an isolated older person, I've been deeply moved by the sacrifices of others | Dorothy Byrne

I’ve had dark days in this coronavirus crisis. But I’ve also felt the full force of people’s warmth, says journalist Dorothy Byrne

www.theguardian.com

 

[marni1971]

The big take away is that pleas for hygiene and restrictions on crowds weren't as effective as a lockdown. Lockdowns have immediate results..

Im trying to find the quote and figures, but the BBC yesterday indeed quoted government saying the UK regulations are already seeing promising results compared to beforehand, and we are only on day 8 of staying at home. Admittedly we were also by and large exercising caution for a week prior too.

 

[Lilofan]

I said in the future and was uncertain how cast members book and when the best time to do so is. My family and I do staycations due to limited finances but I am allowed to ask questions

Thanks also for clearing it up. I thought that was odd about talking about financial concerns then also interested in cruise prices.

 

[Lilofan]

You would be amazed at how many executives in corporate America live paycheck to paycheck.

Not many know that this statement is totally true. It's a personal choice that put some but not all in this situation regardless of income levels and with a job loss/devastating illness, it can be devastating. Even with no corona, I know of some families that go to WDW many times to enjoy the parks and resorts and can barely pay their rent or mortgage.