Coronavirus outbreak

[Ryan Strome]

1 hour ago, RUPERTKBD said:

Just like the protests south of the border, people like these make up a tiny portion of the population. Honestly, the only thing that gives them any power whatsoever is the fact that the media reports on them.

 

Here's a map displayed by Faux news:

 

 

Makes it look like there's widespread support for these protests, doesn't it?

 

But, but in another thread it was only Trump supporters being idiots.

I need a break from cdc.

[Warhippy]

2 hours ago, RUPERTKBD said:

Just like the protests south of the border, people like these make up a tiny portion of the population. Honestly, the only thing that gives them any power whatsoever is the fact that the media reports on them.

 

Here's a map displayed by Faux news:

 

 

Makes it look like there's widespread support for these protests, doesn't it?

 

So amazingly falsified but whatever, gotta own dem libs

 

 

[NewbieCanuckFan]

19 minutes ago, Ryan Strome said:

But, but in another thread it was only Trump supporters being idiots.

I need a break from cdc.

I'm not sure Donnie knows the difference between the CDC and Who.  

 

[wildwood12]

 

Donald Trump

Edited April 20, 2020 by wildwood12

[The Lock]

1 hour ago, Ryan Strome said:

But, but in another thread it was only Trump supporters being idiots.

I need a break from cdc.

Speaking from experience, it's never a bad idea. I find when I'm passionate about a subject, it's easy to stick my feet in the sand and refuse to budge no matter how logical or illogical it may seem. That's kind of what I've been observing from you as of late if I'm being perfectly honest. Your conviction is admirable, but don't let that conviction put you in a corner.

[kloubek]

1 hour ago, Warhippy said:

 

 

Holy crap I lol'd. That music tho...

[Fan since 82]

7 hours ago, CaptKirk888 said:

They will not cut corners, but they will expedite the process due to the fact that many more lives may be lost if they don't. This process is not political, it is humane. Politicians will push this for their agenda, but the health organizations also want to save lives, quicker for humanity's sake, not for political reasons. 

Yes I agree. This vaccine might get pushed ahead of other drugs, but it still takes x amount of time to do each study and that's where it will stall. Funny though, as we are going through this now a group at Southampton University are ready to begin a trial on a vaccine and are looking for human guinea pigs. So here's hoping that others are also at this stage and it will happen sooner rather than later! 

 

Edit: above I said stall but what I meant is that's the part of the process that just can't be expedited in any way.

Edited April 20, 2020 by Fan since 82

[Jaimito]

 

 

 

[Me_]

1 hour ago, Jaimito said:

 

 

 

Video unavailable.

[Russ]

3 hours ago, Me_ said:

Video unavailable.

Takes a couple days before it comes on Canadian IPs usually.

[-DLC-]

11 hours ago, NewbieCanuckFan said:

I'm not sure Donnie knows the difference between the CDC and Who.  

 

Donnie:  "The Who?  Of course I know them...I Won't Get Fooled Again.  Isn't that what George said?  But I just said it better".

[-DLC-]

This damn place needs to answer for this...perhaps with charges?   Meat plants that won't follow rules?  Yuck, no thanks.    

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cargill-alberta-covid-19-deena-hinshaw-1.5537377?fbclid=IwAR2w-HX_CPgIpw29f-aTEPkE75zVbD1epHczxmYiND9F6JZrWrlxmRL44t0

 

Quote

What led to Alberta's biggest outbreak? Cargill meat plant's hundreds of COVID-19 cases

Employees describe what it was like to work in the facility in lead-up to Friday's announcement

 

Joel Dryden · CBC News · Posted: Apr 19, 2020 1:43 PM MT | Last Updated: April 19

 

Households with connections to the Cargill plant in High River — about 60 kilometres south of Calgary — now represent 358 cases, the province's chief medical officer of health announced Friday. (Dan McGarvey/CBC)

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comments

How did the numbers connected to the Cargill meat plant outbreak increase so drastically over a period of days?

That's the obvious question posed after Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, announced Friday an 842 per cent increase in COVID-19 cases associated with the plant.

 

Cargill previously told CBC News that it would temporarily reduce shifts, test temperatures and implement enhanced cleaning and sanitizing. It also said it would adopt physical distancing practices where possible. 

But some employees of Cargill told CBC News they are now frightened to come to work, citing "elbow-to-elbow" working conditions and fears of transmission in a facility they say is simply too crowded, even with reduced personnel, to make physical distancing possible.

Previously, there were only 38 known cases associated with the Cargill outbreak. On Friday, Hinshaw said there are now 358 cases identified in households connected to Cargill — a figure that represents 15 per cent of all cases in Alberta, and more than the entire province of Saskatchewan.

During a telephone town hall held Saturday between Cargill workers and provincial health representatives, Dr. Jia Hu, medical officer of health for Calgary, said around 200 of those cases are directly connected to Cargill contractors and workers.

Hinshaw said the remaining 158 involve households that had "multiple different exposures," including in long-term care facilities with outbreaks of COVID-19.

 

On a town hall phone call held Saturday, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Devin Dreeshen said he was confident that conditions at the Cargill meat plant in High River, Alta., were safe for workers to return. (Will Wang/CBC)

This story is based on interviews with eight current Cargill employees. CBC News has changed the names of employees referenced in this story, as they fear negative impacts to their employment should they be identified.

Symptoms emerge

Much of Cargill's staff — the plant employs roughly 2,000 workers — is made up of members of the Filipino community. Employees interviewed estimated around 60 to 80 per cent of the workforce is Filipino.

Minnesota-based Cargill has a large presence in the Philippines, investing $235 million in that country in 2018.

Joshua operated a butcher stall in a market in the Philippines before he applied for a position in High River.

"My job in the Philippines was too easy, because I had to work in my stall. But in Cargill, it's much harder. Everybody's too close and standing," he said.

That became a problem, Joshua said, when COVID-19 cases started to emerge at the facility. He developed a headache, fever and body pain on April 7. 

 

Cargill set up tents and screened for temperatures, similar to what Alberta Health Services has done for healthcare workers. (Dan McGarvey/CBC)

More workers soon began to experience symptoms. Kenneth experienced dizziness and headache, and soon he and his 20-year-old son, who does not work at the facility, both tested positive for COVID-19.

In a letter addressed to High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass and sent to media on April 12 — a day before there were 38 cases confirmed by the union — more than 250 Filipino residents of the community called for the plant to be closed for at least two weeks.

"We the workers and our families are worried and scared for the possibility that we might bring the virus with us at home," the letter reads.

The next day, the union that represents some workers at the plant also called for the facility to be closed while a plan could be formulated.

But classified as an essential service as part of the food supply chain, the facility remained open. Workers say they worry the conditions within could have expedited the spread of the virus.

Close contact

Last Tuesday, Cargill temporarily laid off 1,000 staff, according to the union that represents them.

Though Cargill disputes the layoffs, the company did confirm it had temporarily reduced shifts by removing a second shift in order to "minimize the impact of COVID-19." It also said it would implement physical distancing, where possible.

"I'm not so sure how many workers are there currently," said Kenneth, who is now in self-isolation. "But when I was working, the number of workers in my line, we were in full force. Elbow to elbow."

Cargill also began to stagger break times and installed dividers in the cafeteria. Some workers disputed that physical distance was even observed in those circumstances.

"If you're going to the locker room to change, it's the same thing. Our lockers are also elbow-to-elbow," said Angelo, who lives in a home with three other families and is currently in isolation. "The [facility] is just built like that. We cannot rebuild it to have it two metres apart."

When I was working, the number of workers in my line, we were in full force. Elbow-to-elbow.- Kenneth, Cargill employee

On Saturday's town hall call, Hinshaw said employees carpooling to work was an area of concern for health officials.

Feeling pressured to work after testing positive

While Cargill allowed workers to go home to quarantine should they experience symptoms, some said they felt like they were pressured to come back to work too soon.

"I was told on April 12 by Alberta Health Services that I was positive and needed to quarantine another 14 days," Christian said. "Cargill called me [three days later] and asked if I could come back to work tomorrow.

"How can I go back to work, I asked, if my result is positive? They said, even if you are positive, if there's no symptoms you can go back to work."

Angelo said his manager called him and asked why he needed to be isolated. He says he told his manager, if you want to confirm it, call AHS. His manager agreed.

Cargill also began offering bonuses during the COVID-19 outbreak, workers said. They worried that by missing work, they would miss out on the bonus. 

"Honestly speaking, they don't care about their employees," Christian said. "They're saying they can replace people at anytime. They don't care."

Company committed to staying open

CBC News submitted a list of questions regarding workers' concerns surrounding physical distancing and pressure to come into work to Cargill, who did not respond to the individual complaints.

Spokesperson Daniel Sullivan said because the company has been deemed an essential service, Cargill is committed to keeping production facilities open.

"Our priority is the safety of our employees and limiting the spread of the virus where we can. We are working with local health officials to ensure appropriate prevention, testing, cleaning and quarantine protocols are followed," he said in an email to CBC News. "We also continue to enforce a mandatory 14-day quarantine for any team member tests positive for COVID-19 as well as any employees who they have come in close contact with."

Watch: Prior to 358 cases being announced as being linked to families with connections to Cargill's High River plant, a Cargill spokesperson said Canadians should not be worried about the country's beef supply.

Watch

Cargill responds to union's request to close plant for COVID-19 cleaning

• 4 days ago
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Should Canadians be concerned about beef supply? A Cargill spokesperson says no, even with COVID-19 cases at three Alberta plants. 5:03

Other employees, like William, say they feel Cargill did everything they could given how contagious the COVID-19 virus is. 

"There were different bulletin boards, there were always announcements of what was happening, they changed start times," William said. "People just didn't care about the social distancing rules."

Beef production in Canada

Part and parcel to any decision to shut a plant like Cargill down is the impact it would have on North America's beef industry.

Cargill's High River plant, along with the JBS plant in Brooks and the Harmony Beef plant in Balzac — both of which also have confirmed cases of COVID-19 — represent approximately three-quarters of beef suppliers in Canada.

 

Households with connections to the Cargill plant in High River, located about 60 kilometres south of Calgary, now represent 358 cases. (Dan McGarvey/CBC)

According to Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president of the Canadian Cattleman's Association, Cargill normally processes nearly 4,000 animals per day at this time of year. 

Any decision to shut down would have a significant impact on Canadian producers, especially given the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has already seen beef prices drop by close to 30 per cent.

"The longer the plant is closed, the more animals that were scheduled to come to market are being held back. We're also seeing plants slowed down or shut down in the United States," Laycraft said. "The first impact is really back on producers."

Calls to close

Though some, including Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley, have called for government to temporarily close down the plant and compensate workers, the province has so far resisted those calls. Alberta's minister of agriculture and forestry Devin Dreeshan said on Saturday that he is confident the plant is safe. 

"They've certainly got the confidence of Alberta Health Services that they've got the strongest mitigation and prevention measures in place that can be," Laycraft said. "So we're pretty confident that they can run that plant safely. I think it's a question of getting workers healthy again getting them back in and available."

 

Cargill is one of the two primary beef suppliers for McDonald's Canada. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

The plight of essential workers, who voiced to CBC News that they are fearful to return to work tomorrow, must still be considered, said Sheila Block, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Block said that using 2016 census data, she found that there was an overrepresentation of racialized groups and people of colour in the meat processing industry — twice their representation in the total labour force.

"We see these workers as essential, [but] they make about 20 per cent less than the average industrial wage," Block said. "We rely on these workers, but they are not provided with either remuneration or wages commensurate with how much we rely on them."

Block said the pandemic has brought into clear focus the divide between those of us who can self-isolate at home and all the people who allow us to do that.

"This case in particular really makes me wonder whether we find that some of our essential workers are expendable," Block said. "We know what to do, and all we need the will of government to take that collective responsibility and make sure that all employers provide workers with protections."

The plant's outbreak may also be reaching other workplaces. On Sunday, CUPE Alberta tweeted that employees at Seasons Retirement Community in High River have tested positive for COVID-19, some of whom live with employees of the Cargill plant.

There are no reported cases of food or food packaging being associated with the transmission of COVID-19, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

 

 

[RUPERTKBD]

We're all used to Bone Spurs' lies during his press briefings, but I have to wonder how Anthony Fauci feels about Trump putting words in his mouth:

 

This is an excerpt from a Q & A with Weijia Jiang of CBS News:

 

JIANG: I had a question about something you said on Thursday, which is that you were angry because the information about the virus should have been told to us earlier. And a lot sooner people knew it was happening and people did not want to talk about it. Many Americans are saying the exact same thing about you, that you should have warned them the virus was spreading like wildfire through the month of February instead of holding rallies with thousands of people. Why did you wait so long to warn them, and why did you not have social distancing until March 16th?

TRUMP: Who are you with?

JIANG: I’m Weijia Jiang with CBS News

TRUMP: So if you look at what I did in terms of cutting off of banning China for coming in --

JIANG: Chinese nationals. But by the way, not Americans who were also coming from China.

TRUMP: Nice and easy. Nice and easy. Just relax. We cut it off. People were amazed, these gentlemen. Everybody was amazed I did it. We had 21 people in a room, everyone was against it but me. Dr. Fauci said, had I not done that perhaps tens of thousands, and maybe much more than that, people would have died.

 

 

[JM_]

12 hours ago, Warhippy said:

If you absolutely.  Positively must speak moistly.

 

Think of this first.

Sorry Albertans...trigger warning

 

 

 

I want to rent an electronic billboard in Calgary and play this on a loop. 

 

 

 

Edited April 20, 2020 by Jimmy McGill

[NewbieCanuckFan]

 

 

Bone Spurs saved billions of American lives (present population of the US is under 400 million).   Guy isn't even TRYING in his lying.  

 

[RUPERTKBD]

58 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

 

I want to rent an electronic billboard in Calgary and play this on a loop.

The billboard would be destroyed within 2 minutes. Better idea is to project it from a secure location.

 

https://reactual.com/home-theater/best-projectors-outdoors-large-venues.html

 

You could use the side of a building as a screen. Maybe the Saddledome?

[RUPERTKBD]

5 minutes ago, NewbieCanuckFan said:

 

 

Bone Spurs saved billions of American lives (present population of the US is under 400 million).   Guy isn't even TRYING in his lying.  

 

To be fair, numbers aren't Bone Spurs' forte'......

 

Someone once told him about 3 Brazilian deaths and he had to ask one of his aides how many were in a Brazillion......

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[-DLC-]

Sigh.....Florons

 

https://theprovince.com/news/world/covid-19-u-s-floridamorons-trends-after-people-flock-to-reopened-florida-beaches/wcm/9d634bb5-6e27-46a4-9684-8f7b927aad98?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1587390373

 

Quote

On the same day that Florida reported 58 deaths from the coronavirus - its highest daily toll ever - DeSantis told reporters that Floridians should get exercise outdoors

Aerial snapshots of people flocking to a reopened beach in Jacksonville, Florida, made waves on the Internet on Saturday.

Local news aired photos and videos of Florida’s shoreline dotted with people, closer than six feet apart, spurring #FloridaMorons to trend on Twitter after Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, gave the go-ahead for local beachfront governments to decide whether to reopen their beaches during a news briefing Friday. Duval and St. Johns counties have reopened their beaches, while Miami-Dade County officials said they are considering following suit.

On the same day that Florida reported 58 deaths from the coronavirus – its highest daily toll since the pandemic began – DeSantis told reporters that it’s essential that Floridians get exercise outdoors.

“I get a kick out of somebody jogging on the beach in California, like all by his lonesome, and you have a fleet of cops go out there,” he said. “He’s just jogging. Going forward, I think we’ve got to be promoting people to get exercise.”

People stand in line at a Duval County restaurant by the beach after it was opened amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. April 19, 2020. Sam Thomas / REUTERS

While DeSantis never ordered statewide closures of beaches, his comment Friday gave the green light to local officials such as Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, a Republican, who announced that Duval County’s beaches would reopen Friday. Curry banned certain items, including towels and chairs, and limited hours to 6 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. to deter people from gathering for a long time.

“This can be the beginning of the pathway back to normal life,” Curry said. “Please respect and follow these limitations. Stay within the guidelines for your safety as well as for the safety of your neighbors.”

The droves that showed up at Jacksonville’s beach largely ignored Curry’s restrictions. “People were seen swimming, biking, surfing, running and fishing,” CNN reported.

Curry didn’t immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment about the crowds, but he retweeted another city leader who shared a photo of a near-empty section of a beach.

St. Johns County, where St. Augustine is, said its beaches would reopen for physical activity from 6 a.m. to noon.

Lol #floridamorons is #1 trending. But well deserved, why would we open up our beaches ??

 

 

 

 

Miami-Dade’s mayor said during a Saturday news conference that his county would also move forward with reopening beaches, although he didn’t specify when.

The governor’s office said he left the beach reopening decision for local authorities because “Florida is not a state where a cookie-cutter solution works.”

“Governor DeSantis does not oppose the prudent opening of beaches with restrictions,” DeSantis spokesperson Helen Ferre said.

Allen Marshall@AllenCMarshall

 

 

#FloridaMorons is trending on Twitter Why? Because their misguided governor reopened the public beaches on the day they had their biggest ever single-day increase in new COVID19 cases & people flooded beaches#Floriduh is unwittingly doing another natural selection experiment

 

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9:32 PM - Apr 18, 2020

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DeSantis refused to close beaches at the height of the spring break rush, saying visitors could maintain social distancing, despite photos and videos from beaches across the state indicating that people were not doing so.

Dozens of college students who had vacationed in Miami and other party spots have tested positive for the virus since returning to their home states of Texas, Florida and Wisconsin.

DeSantis has said he will follow President Donald Trump’s lead on closures, although Trump has shifted positions and indicated that he will leave those decisions to the states. Florida’s stay-at-home order is in effect through April 30.

On Saturday, he stressed the importance of reopening and getting people back to work, adding that he will share the names of who he’s appointed for a task force focused on reopening Monday. This comes as other states are making their own preparations to restart business.

South Carolina announced that it was reopening beaches Saturday.

 

[Warhippy]

Ladies and Gentlemen.

 

Americans.