I'm actually surprised by this. Should be interesting to see what happens.

Gov. Greg Abbott requires masks statewide to fight COVID-19, limits size of gatherings

The move comes amid pressure from local leaders as cases of the coronavirus soar.

By Allie Morris
3:24 PM on Jul 2, 2020 CDT

AUSTIN -- As cases of the coronavirus surge to record highs, Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered Texans to wear face masks in public in counties with outbreaks of COVID-19. Abbott also gave local officials power to restrict outdoor gatherings with more than 10 people ahead of the holiday weekend.

“Wearing a face covering in public is proven to be one of the most effective ways we have to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Abbott said. “We have the ability to keep businesses open and move our economy forward so that Texans can continue to earn a paycheck, but it requires each of us to do our part to protect one another—and that means wearing a face covering in public spaces.”

The move is a reversal for Abbott, who in April blocked local officials from enforcing mask orders with penalties. Those who don’t follow Abbott’s latest order face a warning and fines of up to $250 for any subsequent offense.

The order, which takes effect Friday at noon, requires people over age 10 to wear masks inside public buildings and outside when it’s not feasible to stay six feet apart from others. There are some exceptions, including for people who are eating, drinking, exercising, voting or worshipping. The requirements apply only in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases.

Local leaders have pressed Abbott for stricter mask requirements as cases soar.

I'm all in on mask wearing but it's crossing a line for the Governor to mandate it IMO. The governor mandating it will cause people to not wear them. It's like the stay at home orders. Ask me to stay home, give me the reasoning behind it and I'll stay home. Tell me to stay home and I'll do whatever I feel like doing.

Interesting light reading on the lancet article. :D

Thanks for posting.

You got me into a wormhole, where I googled the lancet:

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

and the wikipedia article specifically mentioned concerns regarding the study as not incorporating exposure time into the equation. A British study link was included:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/887618/EMG_Environmental_transmission-_02052020__1_.pdf

And appears to support the trend in data, but also taking into account (at least somewhat) the effects of time of exposure. No big new revelations, but the trend continues. The mentioned UK article seems more of an adjunct than a rebuttal to the lancet article and has plenty of aerosol talk for the aerosol junkies. :)

What I find interesting, is that in early April, I was watching this video from Dr. David Price (Someone on ppot shared it), and the data seems to essentially be supporting what Dr. Price said "way back then"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcKTzefEJFM

His information seemed to be on the right general track. Since April, I have followed this advice religiously, and done well (so far) treating hundreds of patients/ and going out in public the entire time. For me, the video just clicked. From the looks of him on the video, I was concerned he would be overworked, and get inundated in a high exposure environment, and Covid would get him. I've done some google searches and so far it looks like he is doing okay- which is good ;) Perhaps he has gotten it, but I haven't seen anything. I like that he incorporates time/distance into the equation and uses it to stratify his mask choices, as well as predominantly addressing hand hygiene, which has gotten thrown a little to the sidelines, but is addressed somewhat in the UK article.

I bet so. I can already envision mass fingers in the air around here. :D

I have a bubba in Houston, he goes everywhere and when I ask him if he's concerned about catching the virus (cuz he's at a compromised age) he says in typical Texan big ass "F**k no, i ain't worried about it at all". All I know is that it's above my pay grade and I don't have any inkling of thinking I can change his mind/behaviour.... so I am not surprised at mandating a mask in TX cuz the "suggestion" to social distance did quite work out. I haven't nor will I ask him what he thinks about the mask thingy becasue to him it's all about politics. I just pray that he doesn't catch it and pass it to his kids and mom. I listen to my doctor, cuz if I don't he asks me "who's the dr?" point taken.... so who are you gonna listen to?

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/5/19-0994_article

Volume 26, Number 5—May 2020
Policy Review
Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings—Personal Protective and Environmental Measures
Jingyi Xiao1, Eunice Y. C. Shiu1, Huizhi Gao, Jessica Y. Wong, Min W. Fong, Sukhyun Ryu, and Benjamin J. Cowling
Author affiliations: University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

We did not find evidence that surgical-type face masks are effective in reducing laboratory-confirmed influenza transmission, either when worn by infected persons (source control) or by persons in the general community to reduce their susceptibility

We get the fact that you are miserable here. Can you move to a better place? Home prices are dropping in California. They need tax payers badly.

How does my comment about Texans likely not taking kindly to being told they must wear masks in public trigger you to offer me life coaching? Regardless, California is out for me; my car would not be legal there at all and I could not buy all the toxic chemicals I use for work (fuuk all that weakass cleaners and waterborn paints and solvents they use there).

He makes a fair point about masks and face-fiddlers. But wouldn't putting Tabasco sauce in your Purell also do the trick?

Wait a second.. that means that this (unconstitutional) mandate to wear masks is purely for political posturing, or for unsubstantiated unmitigated fear. Maybe both.

The governor mandating it will cause people to go Karen ballistic when they see someone walking around with nothing but a sharp suit and an immune system. (an immune system which has already done the Covid-19 dance.)

IOW, the kompliance-Karens come out of the the woodwork to bark like little yappy POS dogs about that which they know nothing.

If you are staying for the long haul, explore adding an addition or something that will trigger a re-assessment.

Then challenge the results.
"Housing prices are down 25% since bought. Home was originally purchased in arms-length transaction. I want 25% off my taxes now. Will go to federal ct."

It might work. It might not. I don't know the law.

The covid organisms are so small, I've heard it's like stopping mosquitoes with a chain link fence. idk.
Distancing and cleanliness are always a good policy.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1593795327.jpg

More effective...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1593798830.jpg

I'm taking my sanitizer internally this weekend! I figure Wild Turkey 101 and the heat sweating it out of me should add another layer of protection!

Maybe apply it via enema, as well?!?! :eek:

Nah. I like to take my medcin orally. Maybe with mix it with a Coke and some cubes for good measure. I figure the fizzyness of the Coke might help fend off the virus.

People that react with "you can't tell me what to do" remind me of children, teen age children that think they know everything and won't listen to adults just because.

I can understand the reaction. It is not the place of government to tell you what to do. The government should be a source of accurate information. Once that information is out there, we need to rely on the people to do the right thing based on that information.

:rolleyes:

And even worse are the people who say bahahaha bahahaha bahahaha as grown-ass adults who can not think for themselves.

Furthermore, when someone makes a solid counter-point to the State decree, the sheople can't refute it and turn to non-sequitur ad hominems; like frustrated little lambs.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1593823076.png

I went to Lowe’s today and was amazed at how many people were wearing masks. I was definitely in the minority and got me rethinking my position.

Friends have been posting on FB how they see all kinds of people not wearing masks anywhere. Of course they all live in states that have increased cases and increased deaths.

Everyone here in the Boston area, and I mean everyone, wears masks everywhere. And stores won't let you in if you don't have one. We got hit hard early on and I have to say our Governor Charlie Baker did an absolutely top shelf job in managing the crisis. Strong leadership saved us, really proud of our state.

That said, this weekend is going to be a huge test for the citizens of Mass in relation to Cape Cod beaches. I think we're going to see a small spike in the next few weeks.

Massachusetts reports zero new covid-related deaths while infections soar in South and West

My daughter is selling Kate Spade masks to the well-dressed sheeple on eBay for $30/each and making a killing. Capitalism at its finest. :D

^^^ That is perfect!

One of my uncles lives in texas, hates the masks, and loves chili cookoffs. He even judges them sometimes. No purell necessary! He will love this!:D

in case you didn't see this article... sad case of when you make misleading statements thinking that there is no harm or what I call practicing medicine without a license. I'm surprised the parents didn't try disinfectant. It's realy baby... and innocent lives are being lost because ppl still are rallying against it. so sad.

Florida teen dies of COVID-19 after maskless church party, taking Trump-touted drugs

Josh K. Elliott


© Davis Family/GoFundMe Carsyn Leigh Davis, 17, is shown in this handout photo from her family.
A Florida teenager who died of complications from COVID-19 attended a large church party without a mask just a few weeks earlier, then took unproven drugs touted by U.S. President Donald Trump before her parents brought her to a hospital, according to a newly-released medical examiner's report.
Carsyn Leigh Davis, 17, died on June 23 after a lifetime of battling various medical challenges, including cancer and a rare autoimmune disorder that contributed to her death, according to the Miami-Dade County medical examiner's report. The girl was the youngest person to die of the coronavirus in her county at the time, and her death triggered an outpouring of sympathy and prayers for her family.
"We are incredibly saddened by her passing at this young age, but are comforted that she is pain free," her mother, Carole Brunton Davis, said on a statement to the Fort Myers News-Press last mon
Now, new details released by a former state data scientist have triggered a flurry of accusations against Davis' mother and her church for the way they handled the girl's last days.
The medically vulnerable teenager attended a youth church party with at least 100 attendees on June 10, according to the medical examiner's report.
"She did not wear a mask," the medical examiner wrote. "Social distancing was not followed."
Davis' parents gave her azithromycin, an unproven drug touted by Trump, for five days after the event as a preventative measure against the novel coronavirus, the medical examiner wrote.
Read more: Viral ‘Plandemic’ clip pushes wild claims about coronavirus, masks and vaccines
Davis fell ill on June 13 but her parents thought it was just a sinus infection, according to the report. Her parents became more alarmed when she looked "grey" on June 19, so they gave her an oxygen tank and a dose of hydroxychloroquine, another unproven drug that Trump pushed for many months. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration revoked authorization for the drug four days earlier, amid growing evidence that it was ineffective for COVID-19.
Davis' family brought her to the hospital later that day and she tested positive for COVID-19, according to the medical examiner. Her blood oxygen levels were falling but the family "declined intubation," according to the report.
The girl was ultimately intubated on June 22 and she died on June 23, two days after her birthday.
Outcry over the girl's death erupted on Sunday after Rebekah Jones, who runs the website Florida COVID Victims, released the medical examiner's report in a blistering write-up of the case. She also shared several Facebook screenshots that purported to show Davis' mother, Carole Brunton Davis, pushing various anti-science, conspiracy theory-driven medical views, including a no-mask website and a defence of the president's advice on disinfectant.
Read more: Light, heat, bleach: Doctors reject Trump’s ‘idiotic’ coronavirus cures
One alleged post from Brunton Davis appears to show her complaining that doctors wouldn't give the girl more hydroxychloroquine. Jones also alleges that Brunton Davis followed several conspiracy theory communities, including anti-vaxxers and QAnon.
"I am saddened for this girl and the loss of life," Jones wrote. "I am so angered by the dangers of anti-science conspiracy theories and the people those altered mindsets put in harm's way."
Jones also described the party at First Youth Church in Fort Myers, Fla., as a "COVID party," and claimed in her write-up that the girl was "intentionally" exposed to the virus.
The First Assembly of God Church, which also runs the youth church, rejected Jones’ allegations in a statement on Tuesday.
The church denied hosting “COVID-19 parties,” and said that it is “following all of the health protections and protocols recommended by the state and local government with regard to holding its church services.” The church also said that it never encouraged behaviour to expose its congregation to the virus.
The First Youth Church Facebook appears to have been taken offline, although posts about a June 10 "Release Party" can still be found in the Google cache and on a secondary website that lists religious events. The posts do not explicitly mention the coronavirus or COVID-19.
Davis was at the church on June 10 for a youth event with about 140 teenagers, an unnamed spokesperson told WINK News on Monday.
Precautions were in place during the event, Pastor David Thomas told NBC2 in a separate interview. He added that the church wasn't policing social distancing, and if the kids ignored it, that was their decision.
Videos on the adult church's Facebook page show congregants singing on stage and in the crowd without masks. Most of them appear to be standing or sitting about six feet apart.
Florida has set new records for coronavirus cases in recent days, even as the state's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has sought to calm concerns and restart the economy. DeSantis has allowed various counties to decide their own policies on preventive measures such as wearing masks in public.
"There's no need to be really fearful about it," DeSantis said on Monday. He added that the state's death rate is less than two per cent because the average age of those infected is now 21.
Florida reported more than 6,300 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, following a record-setting number of more than 11,000 on Saturday and 10,000 on Sunday.
Jones was fired by the state government in May over a dispute about reporting the state's case numbers. Jones said publicly that she had been pushed to paint a rosier picture of the pandemic on the state's website.
Read more: Florida under scrutiny for coronavirus data reporting website after designer fired
Jones has been sharing information about the coronavirus and its victims in Florida since she was fired.
The details she released about Davis' death sparked intense backlash on social media. A Facebook page dedicated to the girl's memory appears to have been removed, and Brunton Davis' Facebook page is also offline.
Jones' Twitter thread has been liked and shared more than 1,000 times, respectively, and hundreds have responded with criticisms of Brunton Davis.
She has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
Carsyn Davis "fought health challenges from the age of 2, including cancer and a very rare autoimmune disorder," her mother said in a statement posted to a GoFundMe memorial page. Brunton Davis says the girl was an avid varsity bowler and photographer who also volunteered for the Special Olympics and played an active role in her church.
"She endured years of treatment, doctor visits, specialists and the effects of those treatments. She lost her dad at the age of 10," Brunton Davis wrote. "Yet she survived it all."
Read more: ‘The devil’s laws’: Florida Christians fight mask rule at wild meeting
Brunton Davis added that her daughter remained strong throughout her battle with COVID-19.
"She never once shed a tear, complained or expressed fear."
Jones also mourned the girl's passing in her post.
"Every death on this website is heartbreaking. Every minute lost in someone's life is a tragedy," she wrote. "But this one will stick with me long after this virus has torn through our communities.
"Rest in peace, Carsyn."

Home improvement stores are packed for sure.

Feel sorry for the old retirees working there shouting thru the paper "masks" with the customers without social distancing.

... hope they are surviving thru this but yeah, masks, masks, masks.

Note to self: Do not put on mask shortly after eating a pepperoni and minced garlic pizza. wooof.

Wow. I didn't know that rallying against it was a transmission vector. :rolleyes:

Ppl who wear mask are getting it. Do we blame the fact that they are wearing masks?

ppl who stay completely shut in have gotten it, Do we blame the fact that they are shut in for their Covid?

Yet ppl get all excited if they can find someone who is just trying to live life, and they get it. THEN all of the sudden...


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1594175331.jpg

We don't have a problem in our area.

It's amazing how many stores have signs posted saying mask is required...but do not have any available to those who need one, as they enter their premises.

To each their own - but those people trying to shame or lecture others on mask wearing are a bunch of clueless busy bodies, IMHO.

Not really too surprising, I guess.

I have ordered everything imaginable for several months now (even the simplest fasteners from McMaster Carr, rather than going to my local Ace which has been packed and jumping since all this began), so have not needed to wear a mask in public, but had to go in a business yesterday and it is mandatory to wear them here, so I did, and must admit that I felt like a total douchebag for some reason (more so than usual!!!). Do people get used to this shiit?!?! Fuukin' a, I think it sucks biggly, even though I agree it is better to be safe than sorry.

I wear a balaclava. Retailers want to play games, I will too.

I hope you don't catch it....

First, the masks.

Then this for your own good.

The contact tracing business for personal behavior, if this is setting a precedent for the next flu season, where do we go from here ?

https://www.berkeleyside.com/2020/07/08/uc-berkeley-has-47-new-covid-19-cases-mostly-from-week-of-frat-parties

“The majority of these new cases stem from a series of recent parties connected to the CalGreek system, which included students both within the CalGreek community and others, and led to some secondary spread within households and within other smaller gatherings,” according to the statement from UC Berkeley University Health Services Medical Director Anna Harte and Assistant Vice Chancellor Guy Nicolette. “Generally, these infections are directly related to social events where students have not followed basic safety measures such as physical distancing, wearing face coverings, limiting event size, and gathering outside.”

Berkeley Public Health and University Health Services have now launched contact tracing investigations in line with normal procedures, according to Wednesday’s statement, “reaching those individuals who had close contact with the students who tested positive, advising regarding quarantine requirements, and encouraging and arranging testing.”

I’m gonna inhale some blue Christmas lights.

Look, NYS and NYC were in a really bad place in the spring. We turned it around and now have the lowest numbers. Following all the guidelines worked in one of the most densley populated cities.

Wearing masks work! Now, if all of the other states would take a lesson perhaps things would get better across the country.