Something this drastic would only be necessary if getting infected with Covid19 was an automatic death sentence. It is not! Most people that are infected recover perfectly and some have minimal symptoms. The same people that die from Covid19 are probably the same that would die from the Flu. The world can not stop indefinitely for a virus with such a low mortality rate.
HOw about just no school at all then for K-12 and college and we re-boot the whole system! Lol!
We do not know that COVID-19’s mortality rate is similar to that of the flu. It could be, or it could be much higher. Due to shortage of testing, we do not know (or even have reliable estimates for) the true number of cases or deaths due to COVID-19; we only know the known-tested cases and deaths.
But even if it is similar to the flu in mortality rate, COVID-19 has a high enough serious-enough-to-need-hospitalization rate that most people consider it much more worrisome than the flu. Also, some of those who recover do so with longer term injuries and disabilities (e.g. from lung damage), another reason for the increased fear of it.
Question for parents- if your child’s roommate had covid19 how would you want it handled? Would you be okay with your child sharing a room and bathroom? Potentially helping them get meals? If they lived several hours away it clearly would not be wise to put them on a flight nor easy for them to go home. So what is a plan you would feel comfortable with?
OK, I spoke too quickly. There’d have to be some sort of five-year plan to get back on schedule. OR … and here’s a radical idea … combine the plan with a national service program. Obviously, the first year delay won’t do it because of coronavirus. But starting with HS class of 2021, all 18 year olds have to do national service for a year, like a new New Deal. I am of course talking pie in the sky. This is an exercise in “If-I’Were-King.” Although I am in favor of a mandated a national service.
At Michigan the kids that stayed had boxed meals to pick up at a central location. These were kids on meal plans but anyone could buy the food. I would assume they might do something like that…
PPE’s are on a 6 month backorder. That’s the estimate. We’ll see. Lots of ingenious people are creating solutions but they aren’t NIOSH/FDA approved so can’t use them in the hospital…yet. I’ve heard rumors of hospitals telling workers to bring their own N95’s from home if they want.
I applaud Cali for at least putting healthcare worker safety on the list. Hope they stick to it.
This is a concern for me, but for completely opposite reasons. My son just cleared his background check and was formally added to the rescue squad for the community surrounding his university. He’ll begin responding to calls on an ambulance next week. Pre-Covid-19 it wasn’t a problem…but now? How will his roommates’ parents feel about their kids rooming with a first responder? Depending on the timing of the shifts he works it may be necessary for him to wear his rescue squad gear to class. Will that make him the “Hester Prynne” of campus?
Big Nope. Got one more graduating next year
Want to get past this phase. Lol.
I just read this, and oh my, it puts this entire conversation into perspective. All I want to do right now is cry for these poor frontline drs. They probably think we are all a bunch of idiots for the conversations we are having.
https://dnyuz.com/2020/04/14/im-an-e-r-doctor-in-new-york-none-of-us-will-ever-be-the-same/
Those in the middle of the crisis are understandably overwhelmed, but this too shall pass.
I see where you are going with this, but IMHO that would be a bad idea. I see it as a wasted year, that logistically would have a domino effect on the number of available admissions for every other class behind them forcing them too to take a year off before entering college.
My DS, who is a senior, is focused on going to college this fall, whether it is online or on campus doesn’t matter, he wants to move forward.
In 2015 meningitis infected 8.7 million people worldwide, resulting in 379,000 deaths. We didn’t stop the economy for that.
In 2016 according to the WHO: heart disease killed 15.2 million people. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claimed 3.0 million lives. Lung cancer killed 1.7 million people. Diabetes killed 1.6 million. People didn’t change their lifestyle choices because of that, and the government didn’t force them to change either.
Enough of all the fear mongering, old and sick people should social distance themselves and the rest of us need to get people back to work, and back to school. It isn’t the younger kids getting this, it is older people and those with pre-existing conditions for the most part.
Our societal norms are built upon a fundamental assumption of a stable economy.
We don’t shut down the economy for the flu, we shouldn’t do it for this either.
If my kid’s roommate was diagnosed, I would not want my kid living in there. Not out of fear, but my kid can’t be living in the same room and using the same bathroom and then going out to class and infecting people. Kind of the same thoughts as now if one of our household members gets it…how will we quarantine that person and protect from spreading it to others, yet still caretake for them?
I suppose colleges may have to come up with some sort of way to assist in quarantining any infected students. Or will we as parents have to agree that we will find a way to quarantine our students if they are diagnosed?
This is a problem with not understanding what we are dealing with. Yes, more deaths with the flu
But we don’t run out of ventilators with the flu. This is much different.
If when the next flu or Corona virus season hits, I hope we go back to washing are hands and not touching are face.
Not the same thing as college but our public school is doing as good a job as any with distance learning. Our biggest challenge are the few students who are not doing any work. Most are working. I feel like I can teach this way but it is challenging to not see my students and their facial expressions and be able to help them in the moment. We could continue to teach this way in the fall if needed. I prefer in person much much more but our district could do it. I’m impressed by how quickly we came up with a plan, training, new online platforms and online applications to use, and lent out laptops and got online access to families who needed this. We are organized in our delivery now. We are not a wealthy district (quite the opposite). I doubt we are going back this school year and think we will be in and out this fall various times. I don’t know what will happen, though.
These CA guidelines for now, not for the fall. We will know so much more info by the time school is supposed to start. With widespread testing we will better understand how many people have had the virus or are silent carriers. Maybe then the facts will show the death rate is minuscule. Or we might have antivirals to help keep people from getting super sick from the virus.
Other than meningitis (for which there is a vaccine for most strains), those are not infectious diseases.
10,000 people have died in NYC alone in the past 8 weeks. That’s 0.125% of the city’s population. Never heard of that happening with influenza.
We will survive this. Once people start getting back to work and getting back to normal.
Before vaccines it happened a lot.
Also therapeutics and clinical trials will be forthcoming in the next few months.
Testing protocols and other measures ie masks, spacing, sports etc will be put into place until vaccine or plasma remedies etc are accepted protocols. This will make the fall shaky as it all comes together.
However “mass gap” year options won’t really be realistic with housing at LACs and many dorm based campuses. Not including class room size, intro class practicality and availability to house a freshman class of 150% the next year. It’s not a realistic imho.
The alternative would be to size the following year to normal and have a a four year rolling “half class”. That’s a massive financial hit. Even if they loosen up transfer requirements at that type of level and admit less competitive candidates.
Also if this happens everywhere so many capable and worthy students will also be hurt from next years grads.
I certainly don’t have the answers. My guess is an online experience for all in the fall with international students and athletes of big time sports schools on campus for housing. Very strict distancing and testing for students and teams. Empty stadiums. Spring is a mix of campus based in less affected areas and online Seniors allowed back on campus too for housing if they choose to with the empty dorms available. Same procedures
Following fall hopefully a vaccine is widely available. That’s my guess and it stinks.