World Politics

[MetalCaveman]

On a federal level, no. 

 

https://www.elimparcial.com/mexico/AMLO-pide-no-dejar-de-salir-ante-pandemia-de-coronavirus-20200322-0163.html

 

The president telling people they should still go out, eat at a restaurant, take their family on a field trip, do their normal stuff because "there's no reason to worry, I'll tell you when to stay home".

 

Fernandez Noroña claimed this is a "right-wing conspiracy" to destroy the economy by making people believe they should stay home.

 

On the other hand, state and city governments have started to close everything, asking people to not go out and implementing other measures. So at least there's some people actually trying to do something. Even if our president and his associates still live in their imaginary world.

 

[deanb]

Well today found my brother, since leaving a hospital that last Sunday was treating at least two covid patients, has visited at least 15 of my relatives with his new baby across 6 households.

So yay!

 

Gosh I wonder why we have the proto-lockdown in place.

[Mal]

Outside the doom and gloom, I'm watching AirBnB and the like with great interest. It's like the only good thing to be burning right now. 

 

With that said, please start sacrificing your grandparents to save the economy. Doesn't matter if our goals was to save them. They have to go. Pawpaw had a good run. Granny Smith is too sour to keep. 

[TheMightyEthan]

@deanb 

[deanb]

Yeah it's funny/sad how years ago your lot were all saying about how our socialised health care has "death panels" for the elderly and here is your lot doing pretty much that.

Literally feeding the bodies into the capitalist machine.

 

Democrats certainly going to have a tough time justifying Biden over Sanders. Similar happening over here where Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish First Minister) is doing a better job than Boris (in our case though UK as a whole doesn't/can't vote for SNP)

[MetalCaveman]

On 3/23/2020 at 6:22 AM, TheMightyEthan said:

Has the government changed it's "nothing to worry about" position at all?

 

Hey! We're now officially in stage 2!   That means they now recognise there's been local cases, not only those that came from other countries.

 

https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/politica/mexico-entra-fase-2-por-coronavirus-o-covid-19

 

Last night Gatell, the undersecretary of health said this in response to the WHO stating that had already detected local cases "It's too early to tell, and we're not just going to jump from one stage to another just like that". That aged well.  

 

Meanwhile, in Veracruz,  medics at an IMSS  hospital have gone on strike, because they don't have enough supplies for what's going on, even less for what's coming.

 

http://informante.mx/?p=13540&fbclid=IwAR0yw_I4dKp-dPmza3Xa2NWtiKrqi7Mdb_-OqAt3ARwbsV4otrszeqjrwwg

 

I've also given up on trying to get my family to take this seriously. At best they nod and smile while I tell them stuff only to go on and ignore everything I just said, at worst they actually get angry, thinking that they can go on like normal, and that any attempt at explaining why "normal" doesn't apply anymore (at least not for the foreseeable future), is some kind of attack on them. Pointing out how things are in other countries, using evidence of what can happen if you get sick, how you can infect others, etc. None of that matters to them.

 

WHO, NHS, CDC, they don't care about their recommendations or warnings, then again, I don't know what I expected from people who believe homeopathy is a valid science, and that magnets can somehow cure whatever ails you. 

 

It sucks, and it hurts, but I don't know where to go from here other than "well, you do you I guess".

[Mal]

If I may be optimistic for my own area... I feel like California may be able to somewhat check COVID-19, the initial wave anyways. For the most part, people are heeding the shelter-in-place order. Though it will take two weeks to see the fallout of people crowding the parks and open spaces which coincides with when I return to fieldwork... That'll be fun.

 

Overall, CA responded early to avoid a situation like that in the NY-NJ-CT Tri-State area, like shown here (death rates is probably the quickest way to comparisons since tests are so limited):

With that said, NYC is home to a majority of my family and I am mentally sweating bullets. There is a high likely hood that Italian-style triage will need to take place,

along with needing to beef up the numbers of HCWs

so basically the Tri-State Area got to brace for impact. I'm unsure how long my Dad, stepmom, aunts, uncles and step-grandparents can last in there and it fucking sucks that I can't do squat to help them. I just have to believe that they are protecting themselves sufficiently... for like 2-4+ weeks (hell, 12-18 months...).

 

Then of course there's other states that's probably waiting for their turn. Not sure what Florida is doing but that state can easily be our Italy... not sure how long California can hold out either since the federal response is so piss poor. Going to be a long first wave for the US that's probably going to last into May so no, we're not going to go back to normal by Easter.

 

As for the rest of the world... best wishes. East Asia is starting to go through the second-wave so they'll be the ones to watch to see how to go about reopening and live with the virus until a vaccine is made and distributed. Western world, please, PLEASE take heed for at least this segment. No more hubris. Please...

Edited March 25, 2020 by Mal

[Mister Jack]

God I don't even want to think about this thing lasting 18 months. That's an absolute worst case scenario. At least for now I'm keeping an eye on June. I don't think it'll be gone by then. In fact, that's when people are saying it's going to peak. If it peaks then, however, then even the slightest sign of the rate of new infections starting to decline afterwards would be extremely encouraging. Right now it's nothing but stories of the virus accelerating faster and faster and it's pretty disheartening. God only knows when it will come to a head but the country will seriously need just some sign that these measures are working even a little bit.

 

The optimist in me likes to believe we might finally have a serious chance of getting a universal health care bill passed. One way or another something is going to change when this pandemic is finally behind us, whenever that is. There's no way in hell we're all going to come out the other side of the tunnel and collectively say "Well let's just pretend that never happened and go back to business as usual."

Edited March 25, 2020 by Mister Jack

[TheMightyEthan]

I mean, the US is the country that decided mass murder of grade-schoolers is an acceptable price for having guns everywhere, so I could totally see us as a country just being like "well, that sucked, oh well, nothin we can do" and moving on.

[Mister Jack]

I've seen that argument before but the difference is that mass shootings, while terrible, only have a direct effect on a specific community while the coronavirus is affecting absolutely everybody in one way or another whether they get it or not.

[deanb]

Unfortunately....

[MetalCaveman]

The governor of Puebla:

 

"Coronavirus is a rich people disease, it'll only affect rich people, us poor people need not worry about it, we are immune to it".

 

How do these people end up in positions of power? (I mean, I know how, but HOW?!)

 

Also a some stores are being looted already, people claim they're only taking food and medicines, but the security videos clearly show them piling up TVs, consoles and other stuff like that.

[Mal]

Regarding China's numbers... I believe they're about right as far as deaths goes. Main reason is the censors aren't perfect yet nothing seems to get through if their death numbers are totally removed from reality. We get things about Hong Kong and Uyghurs yet nothing. So until we hear otherwise, it's best to believe China's numbers. And USA is blowing right through it. Ugh. 

[MetalCaveman]

The governor of Hidalgo, where I live, has tested positive. He was near the president not long ago. Suddenly, the narrative goes from "No big deal" to "Stay at home people, don't go out, this shit is serious, we'll start testing everyone, buying as many tests as necessary, just don't endanger anyone around you!". The president is also refusing any tests, and even got angry when they tried to take his temperature before boarding a plane (he uses commercial flights). 

 

Some doctors are reporting that several deaths have been marked as "atypical pneumonia" with no tests being performed on the patients.

 

A senator:

 

 

"We now have to remain home for one month. Unfortunately, there were people who were already staying home, because of irresponsible individuals who instilled fear in them..."

 

The government is the gift that keeps on giving.  

[MetalCaveman]

So... We're officially in a health emergency, which means that all nonessential activities and businesses are suspended until the end of April (at the very least). The problem from what I've seen, is that they declared an emergency NOT a contingency, which means that all the laws and systems that are meant to protect workers and businesses aren't in play right now, funny loophole that one, eh?  

 

So now business owners are asking for help, with taxes, with financial support, with other stuff, saying that many of them apparently don't have enough to keep paying salaries during the time they have to close down. In some cases, this may be true, I know some people who started a small business and they're barely able to keep afloat in normal circumstances, others run small companies that will be hit hard from this. Still, some other companies probably don't have the same excuse.

 

Workers are also asking for help, so far, only a couple of states have said they'll allow people to pay electricity and water at a later date. No word on other help though.

 

SAT is like "we don't have money to help anyone, so ya'll better pay your taxes!"

 

Nuevo Leon has also announced they'll stop sale of alcohol starting on April 3rd, resulting in a ton of panic buying.  

 

[TheMightyEthan]

What is SAT?

[MetalCaveman]

Servicio de Administracion Tributaria. In short, the tax office.  

[MetalCaveman]

 

People from a Axochiapan in Morelos threatened to burn down a hospital along with its director if they accepted any coronavirus patients.

 

The country is living one of its bloodiest months ever and it's likely to get worse over the coming days.

 

The president and his allies keep downplaying everything.

 

Salinas Pliego, one of the richest people in the country and owner of one of the biggest media conglomerates has ordered all their tv/radio stations, web pages, etc. to spread news about how this is not a big deal, that people should go out and work. He's also a close associate of the president. His banks are refusing to help people in any way, on the contrary, they're "asking" people to pay early, lest they incur in serious debt or foreclosure of their homes.

 

 

 

[TheMightyEthan]

...

[Mal]

Ugh... Hate him or not, is Boris Johnson going to be okay? I just got word that he's in intensive care now after he was sent to the hospital like yesterday. He was able to do a video on Friday (his day 10?).

 

Looks like there is a 10 day mark where you seem to get better than drop, if you do drop. 

[MetalCaveman]

You'd think he'd have better access to doctors and other caretakers than most, so the fact that he's in ICU seems quite serious. Hoping for the best.

 

Meanwhile, our president:

 

"3 months ago, before any other government, we were already warning people, telling them to take the necessary precautions, and leaving things in the hands of experts".

 

This dude apparently doesn't know that everything he says is well recorded and can be seen at any time.  

 

He insists we all must pay taxes, but that there will be no help for businesses or business owners of any kind, because they are the "neoliberal conservatives" that are to blame for everything. His "republican austerity" measures include:

 

• 65 Billion pesos to PEMEX a failing industry, the result of corruption and poor management. But hey, remember that renewable energies are "neoliberal conspiracies" and that only national oil can save us.
• PEMEX will also receive further support in the form of less taxes, less audits, less fiscal "pressure" the exact thing a corrupt behemoth needs.  
• All grants for arts, sciences, film, culture, etc. Will be absorbed and used to pay for most of his plans.
• Credit loans to all government workers that go from $794 to $2200 (so... nothing basically, and you HAVE to pay them back).
• His pet projects, are not only bulletproof, according to him, they will receive increased funding:
  • An 8 billion (that's dollars BTW) refinery that is expected to operate at less than 50% capacity and has destroyed a protected zone
  • An airport that will be constructed inside a military base, because the one previous administrations were building (meant to be the biggest and most advanced in Latin America) is a "neoliberal project" this new one is being built by the army, and it's budget is protected due to it being a "matter of national security".
  • The "Mayan Train" a train that will cross through the Yucatan jungle, an environmental disaster as it'll destroy a huge chunk of the jungle, not to mention the long term effects of a train just passing by (but hey, he has the blessing of mother earth, so it's alright!)

 

In Oaxaca, a politician who is positive for the virus went to a hospital, demanded preferential treatment, and when they denied this, treating him like any other patient (this is a public hospital BTW) he began coughing and sneezing on doctors, nurses and surfaces of the hospital. He then left the place running.

 

Also this:

 

 

In Tamaulipas, the Cartel del Golfo is delivering food and other supplies to families.

 

In Michoacan, Los Viagras do the same.

 

Aaaaaannnnndddddd.... Just as I was writing this I learned that CANACEM has ordered all concrete plants to close down, because theirs is not an essential activity. Obviously this did not sit well with our glorious leader, who won't allow anyone to tell him his magnificent works are not necessary, so now, per official decree all concrete plants, steel mills and other construction workers and factories are to continue providing services EXCLUSIVELY to the Dos Bocas refinery, the Santa Lucia Airport, the Mayan Train and a handful of other projects that our magnificent, wise and blessed leader has deemed essential.

 

Who needs hospitals, medical supplies, doctors, nurses, or safety when you have a brand new refinery!

 

Right now I'm just hoping that if/when something happens I get isekai'd into the world of Monster Musume.  

[Mister Jack]

So how long is it going to take for an angry mob to burn your president at the stake? Because it's feeling long overdue at this point.

[Mal]

3 hours ago, MetalCaveman said:

You'd think he'd have better access to doctors and other caretakers than most, so the fact that he's in ICU seems quite serious.

There's a lot of reasons why COVID-19 isn't the flu but I hope (in vain?) this can get it through to people that still believe in that fairy tale. Like when's the last time you heard of a head of state getting absolutely clobbered by the flu? And make no mistake, if he is vented then he's in a really bad spot.

 

Anyhow... I honestly not sure on what to say about the state of Mexico as you see it. I got to follow with Ethan's

On 4/2/2020 at 6:31 PM, TheMightyEthan said:

...

 

8 minutes ago, Mister Jack said:

So how long is it going to take for an angry mob to burn your president at the stake? Because it's feeling long overdue at this point.

In my eyes, I'm wondering how Mexico is still together and if it will be together after all this. Seems like the president is one step before from telling the country to eat cake.

[deanb]

Apparently he has "the best doctors & nurses in the UK". Which tbh is kind of bollocks given he personally did nothing to prevent his infection. And no doubt if he needs a ventilator he'll get one of the 30 his government has managed to rustle up in the last *checks watch* three months.

Our Health Secretary also had it and was up and giving press conferences on Day 6. Our official advice is 7 days of quarantine, which is far below the WHO guidelines of 14 days and given Johnson is on day 11 and in ICU would state their advice is much more correct than ours. Johnson was ignoring all his own advice anyway; proudly saying he'd shaken hands with corona patients in early March like he was Diana with AIDs victims. Given they could run "digital cabinet" also meant he was ignoring the work-from-home element too. Literally failed to follow any of the corona prevention advice and, surprise, he ended up with corona. Literally a poster boy for what happens if you don't follow any of the governments advice and a sign of the hubris the current Tory government has.

It's notable over the past week or so we've had minimal appearance from any of our medical officials and instead getting Raab, Gove (whose wife promoted use of hydocoquine thing other day), and Hancock up on stage.

It'll suck if he dies mainly because he'll become a martyr. I know you're meant to be "thoughts and prayers" but he failed to act both nationally and personally, literally reaping what he sowed (though with the personal benefit of getting to call on top doctors and nurses which most other people won't be getting).

[TheMightyEthan]

39 minutes ago, deanb said:

Gove (whose wife promoted use of hydocoquine thing other day)

 

At least it's not your actual officials. Or, you know, the head of your government doing that...

 

But yeah, I'm with you, if he dies it's his own damn fault, I only care because of the destabilizing effects it could have. I'll save my thoughts and prayers for the people who didn't actively make this worse.