Update: Mask Mandate Extended

[TheMiddleSeat]

From The Washington Post:

"The Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday it will extend a federal mask mandate for airline, bus and train passengers into next year, requiring face coverings in those settings until Jan. 18, 2022."

--TheMiddleSeat

[bec102896]

This will start a nice debate 

[TheMiddleSeat]

Is it really a debate though if it's a bunch of people saying it's stupid to have a mandate and a bunch of people saying it would be stupid not to have a mandate?  Oh well, let the chaos continue.

--TheMiddleSeat

[chgoflyer]

Stupid people not getting vaccinated = continued mask mandate.

[gsking]

I think the stupidity is picking arbitrary dates without justification or metrics.   What's magic about next winter? 

A better approach would be to determine an acceptable level of infection or transmission or whatever and using that as the goal post.  Some municipalities do this with their mask mandates and other restrictions and at least it takes a bit of politics out of it and replaces it with the proverbial "science".

But I realize this is expecting a lot more reason and rationale than the powers that be have shown so far. 

[chgoflyer]

Oh no, the biggest stupidity is definitely people not getting vaccinated. This stupidity is directly resulting in more unnecessary deaths, increased hospitalizations, ICUs and ERs being pushed well past capacity, economic damage, and the return of things like mask mandates.

One of these things is causing the other.

TSA has indicated that the 4 month extension was chosen to cover the traditionally busy periods for air travel such as the Thanksgiving and December holidays.

[gsking]

Aha, right.   The busy season. 

By that logic,  we'll be wearing masks on planes forever.   

Mark my words they'll extend it in January... probably saying travel has stayed high. 

My point exactly. 

[jksobonya]

---

@gsking wrote:

Aha, right.   The busy season. 

By that logic,  we'll be wearing masks on planes forever.   

---

Yep, exactly. I can totally see masks being a "thing" every winter and every summer, and heck, why not every season just to be "safe." What no one wants to acknowledge is that cases and deaths in particular are way down now when compared to 6 months ago and especially compared to a year ago. We are nowhere near the "horrors" of where we were with this virus, it's more of a "casedemic" now more than anything, but the "variant" talk and the unfounded fear of hospitals being overwhelmed has scared people into submission yet again. So let's keep continuing to do what doesn't work, because it has worked so well 😂

--Jessica

[chgoflyer]

---

@jksobonya wrote:

---

@gsking wrote:

Aha, right.   The busy season. 

By that logic,  we'll be wearing masks on planes forever.   

---

Yep, exactly. I can totally see masks being a "thing" every winter and every summer, and heck, why not every season just to be "safe." What no one wants to acknowledge is that cases and deaths in particular are way down now when compared to 6 months ago and especially compared to a year ago. We are nowhere near the "horrors" of where we were with this virus, it's more of a "casedemic" now more than anything, but the "variant" talk and the unfounded fear of hospitals being overwhelmed has scared people into submission yet again. So let's keep continuing to do what doesn't work, because it has worked so well 😂

--Jessica

---

There is so much wrong with this post that it's clear that you have some serious misconceptions regarding the pandemic. Unless you've been living on the moon, there's no way you could not know what's happening right now in the US, unless of course you're simply choosing not to listen. The multiple "quotes" used in your post suggest the latter.

I know I'm likely screaming into the void, but please consider getting your information from better sources.

Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count

Hospitals Are Once Again at the Breaking Point as COVID-19 Cases Surge

U.S. Hospitals Are Running Out Of A Crucial Covid Drug Amid Delta Surge And Worldwide Shortages

American Hospitals Buckle Under Delta, With I.C.U.s Filling Up

Alabama has ‘negative’ ICU beds available

Man shot 6 times waits more than a week for surgery after hospital is overwhelmed by covid

Anecdotally:

I have a close friend who is a palliative care nurse at a hospital outside Tampa, Florida. Beginning about a week ago, their IUC has been completely full, and there is a constant line out the door at the ER. There are patients in hallways. They are out of ventilators. In normal times he would ex-tubate (and thus allow to die) 1-2 terminal patients a day on average. Yesterday he assisted with 7. And there's no end in sight.

A family member in Westland, Michigan had their hip replacement surgery postponed indefinitely yesterday as the hospital has stopped all elective surgeries, so that they can devote bed space to covid patients.

A friend in Warner Robins, Georgia, was having heart palpitations over the weekend, so they went to the closest ER. After waiting more than 2 hours without even making it inside the building, they were advised to try another hospital. They eventually went to 3 different ERs in total and were never seen by a doctor.

But, please... do continue to complain about having to wear a piece of cloth across your face.

[bwallet]

Children needing ICU beds were being flown from Dallas to OKC. We are out now, and adults and children in OKC are needing to be flown to Denver. It isn't just the risk of COVID anymore. Now, you have to worry that if you get sick or injured, you might die from a lack of medical facilities with space to treat you.