Incidently, the way New York and Sweden have tackled the virus have been the most consistent. There was a large first wave, but no second wave (measured in deaths).
On the other end of the spectrum there are countries such as Poland with no initial first wave back in March. But it seems you can only go for so long before the virus turns up.
But it is very hard to do a good response on all counts when you have to do it for 18 months (time from first outbreak until virus is expected).
Links: Poland https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/poland/
New York https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/usa/new-york/
Sweden https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/sweden/
It's funny, the proponents of "the Swedish way" say that they are nothing like each other.
Of course in reality Sweden has had "strong recommendations" in place for months, and they are getting stricter.
https://www.thelocal.se/20201029/new-coronavirus-measures-fo...
"According to the new guidelines, which are outlined on the Public Health Agency's website and are effective immediately, everyone in Stockholm, Västra Götaland and Östergötland are strongly urged to:
"Refrain from being in indoor environments such as shops, shopping centres, museums, libraries, swimming pools and gyms. Necessary visits to for example grocery stores and pharmacies are ok.
"Refrain from attending, for example, meetings, concerts, performances, sports training, matches and competitions. This advisory does not apply to sports training for children born 2005 or later.
"If possible avoid physical contact with people other than those you live with. According to the Public Health Agency, this includes for example attending or throwing a party or similar social gatherings."
Sweden reported all time high new case numbers today. They have also enacted stricter restrictions in recent days than they've done so far.
The death numbers haven't risen yet, but hospitalizations are on the way up.
Incidentally, the Marshall Islands just had their first case (and from my arcgis dashboard it looks like a second one). If one of the world's most remote islands with a population of under 60,000 can get it within a year, there's little hope to keep it out of anywhere.
How long until tribes like the Sentinelese [1] get coronavirus? (Thankfully many of these tribes are very hostile and it's illegal to even attempt to make contact precisely because of previous transmission during contact)
https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/covid-19-william-farrs-way-out...
Takeaway: Don't trust the latest week's death numbers from Sweden, but trust the ones before that.
The elder care homes etc have gotten a lot better at protecting the people living there.
Having said that, I'm just waiting for things to explode again - and it just takes a few elder care homes to get infected for lots of people to die.
You never see that kind of imagery treated so flippantly after 9/11. 2000s movies with 9/11 analogues (War of the Worlds, Munich, Cloverfield, etc.) deal with it mostly indirectly and always as deep-set trauma.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_entertainment_affected...
Edit: How is this being downvoted? It's just the truth, the stress of isolation and the permanent health risk from a pandemic have real traumatic effects. Is anyone denying this?
Big, tragic events that impacted a lot of people.
The pandemic made me really grateful that I live in America, in fact... the freedoms and the culture of liberty is, most of the time, just an abstraction for someone as privileged and non-prominent as myself, but then you compare the way lockdowns are handled to my native Russia, with draconian and sometimes bizarre enforcement, as well as the stories from Europe, NZ, Australia, etc., and you realize how important both are. I feel the US, even the blue states, are very different in part because the officials realize the enforcement against individuals would cause massive backlash, and not hold up well in court if it came to that. Too bad they have businesses by the balls, so not everything is opened.
Then keep wearing a mask. In Asian countries this apparently became part of the general life style after SARS and with generally positive consequences from what you can read.
Just because colds and flu aren't likely to hospitalize me or cause any lasting damage doesn't mean I don't mind getting them. They still suck.
I (and other teachers I have spoken with over here) am quite comfortable wearing a mask all the time now. Took a bit to get useto though.
Recently we've started to very slowly relax things. It's become clear that surfaces aren't really a transmission vector, for one, and that generally if you're outside (or in a well-filtered space) and people use masks you're probably fine. We went to the botanical gardens last weekend. My partner's friends are having a back yard (masked) movie night that we may go to. We're contemplating going to my parents' house for Christmas if we can get everyone to hardcore-quarantine in the weeks leading up to it.
I'm normally an introverted person, but even just the thought of some of these allowances has lifted my spirit dramatically.
But no: despite all that I have no intention of sitting down for a meal at a restaurant anytime soon, much less going to a big box store when I could simply order a delivery. The risk/reward just doesn't work out there until there's a vaccine and it works.
Any kind of normality will only return when a vaccine is here, and it’s still 6-8 months away.
The mask pressure will be a lot less after the election, so I wouldn’t worry.
You wouldn't wear the same set of underwear day after day, don't do it with a mask, either.
With that being said.. don't shake hands if you don't want to.
One of the big reasons is that I do a lot of social dancing. Washing your hands and what not isn't sufficient there. You're getting full body contact with a lot of heavy breathing. Sadly - I think social dancing will be dead for the next few years because this. Might be fine - it'll probably get a lot of the weirdos out of the scene.
I still obey the law, and I wear a mask around others who feel fear, because I respect them as people and want them to feel comfortable around me. I understand that some people feel hatred or resentment towards me because of my lack of fear of coronavirus, but I do not reciprocate their feelings.
You’re right not to fear COVID for yourself; statistics support that view. But common, non-medical masks are not for personal safety. They’re for preventing community spread.
For example, riding a crowded bus or train, going to a concert, or even going shopping at a big box store seem totally bizarre to me right now. Even after the numbers come down I expect it will be some time before my brain isn't reflexively telling me to wear a mask and avoid crowds.