Blackberry Smoke is touring with The Allman Betts Band this summer. At least they are scheduled to. They are hitting Chicago in July to this indoor venue that is all standing room only. How on earth are they going to keep that safe?
On the other hand, the city just announced today they are allowing a limited number of fans into Cubs & Sox games, even starting Opening Day. As I said, I think it will be possible to keep people safe in a stadium. I believe around 8,000 people. Wonder what the secondary market prices for THOSE will be given the times. 🤑
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
I meant specifically forced quarantines. "Travel restrictions" can mean a lot of things, from state to state. Most states that have restrictions recommend a quarantine or target visitors entering from specific states with high cases.
Also, there's enforcement. I know some folks who dutifully self-quarantined after traveling*, but no one really checked up on them. They were on the honor system. Maine states they require quarantine, but everyone I know in NYC went there last summer to escape the city. Even CA lifted many of its travel restrictions.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/us-state-travel-restrictions-covid-19/index.html
So really, there's not a lot stopping a musician or a band from a traveling for a mini tour, especially if it's regional.
* a good friend of mine works on Antarctica during the winter months. The connecting flight is in Christchurch NZ, which has strict lock down. She patiently sat in a hotel room in NZ for 2 weeks between her US flight and flight to the Antarctic station.
The list I posted is forced quarantine - a negative test to enter, quarantine for 5-10 days until you get a negative test, & then go wherever you want in the state monitored/enforced by the state's public health depts. Some of the other states not on the list have "suggested" quarantine. BUT that list was compiled before the latest CDC guidelines were released today.
The point I was making is just logistics. What you said - a regional tour around the states w/no barriers to entry or just suggested ones - would work. A national tour probably wouldn't w/20 states still requiring quarantine - it would not only eat into the budget waiting around the hotel in quarantine, who's to say all members of the band are going to test negative every time at the same time? I wouldn't want to be a tour manager these days.
Yeah, NZ has been locked down forever, but it also has one of the lowest number of cases in the world.
It’s been a year now & possibly things are inching back - Flyers allowed 3,000+ fans at their game last night, mayb that’ll be more & more the case
yet all it seems to take is one ‘superspreader’ event to reverse everything too
still seems a Long way off b4 it’s been officially declared defeated, over & done with & ‘you may now go to all the beaches/restaurants/games/shows you want w/out worry of masks/distancing/frayed nerves’ etc....
zoom technology will probably remain imo, it’s proven useful & people have gotten used to it
I have a friend who has been living in Tawain recently. He told me he was at a packed club the other night, and was able to because of the Tawain response to COVID -- strict quarantines, mandatory masks, contact tracing, etc.
If people had just done the little things here, we'd likely be further along in getting back to normal.
Looks like the Florida beaches & bars will be wild & crazy for spring break. Let the Covid good times roll. A boon to the Florida economy - just ask Governor DeSantis.
So I got my first shot yesterday. The Pfizer one at The United Center. The first day they had them was the day before which was a hot mess. People waited hours to get theirs. I guess there was confusion about who could get one. You HAD to have registered. I'm guessing that may have been part of the problem; people might have just shown up.
So I was a little apprehensive about going. Didn't know if they were going to stick to their over 65 years old thing. They didn't. Had proof of employment, my Illinois license, officer license so I figured I might as well give it a shot. I was registered and that was all that mattered. You show that black & white thing that looks like a big bar code. I think they scanned that thing 10 times.
It was all staffed my Illinois Army National Guardsmen. And women. They were all Army medics. There wasn't any armed security presence or anything, not even cops.
I was out of there in in a half hour including the 15 minutes they make you stick around after the shot. You get a card to keep with you to prove you've received your shot. You are supposed to bring it back next time.
Today I already received an email with my second appointment confirmation in three weeks and the bar code.
I'll give the city and state kudos at the moment.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
YESS! Quarantine restrictions to/from NY lifted effective 4/1. Perhaps the NE US will be open this summer!
I traveled to Colorado 2/26 to 3/6. I was nowhere near a ski resort, but looked like nearly everyone on the airplane was.
Traveling from Cleveland to Denver felt fine, people coming from their homes/families/places of work most likely following some kind of precautions that life has evolved into.
Now traveling back from DIA home? With everyone doing God knows what on vacation, that was a little unnerving. Not to mention my friend heard somebody throwing up in the bathroom and supposedly a lady was throwing up near a bench while waiting for the rental car shuttle.
The rental car shuttles....so yeah, they have signs everywhere at the rental car place and shuttle "capacity limited due to covid restrictions". Bullshit they were! Packed in the shuttle like sardines! I tried to get an uber from the rental place to DIA, but I hadn't used Uber for a couple years and by the time I got it all figured out and picked my car size, Uber canceled it because they didn't have my car size and then the shuttle showed up (we saw how loaded the first one was and how many people were waiting). It ended up not being that bad, atleast they didn't let anyone stand in the aisle on this one and I was able to keep an empty seat between me and the guy next to me.
A word of advice, if you have to travel and rent a car, do what you can to skip the counter, go right to the car and go. If you have to ride a shuttle, scope it out, if over crowded you might want to uber or lift if they are really busy.
This was the third time I have flown since covid and the first time it felt kind sketchy. Flights before in June and Sept/Oct 2020 weren't full and it wasn't ski season either! This time, plane was full, rental car place was busy busy busy. We wore double masks on the plane and my friend who is higher risk wore safety glasses. So far so good. There were no quarantine or isolation rules in place for either Colorado or Ohio. Cases in both states were as low as they have been since September '20, pretty much like everywhere in the US.
I don't know exactly what vaccination means in real life, guess we figure it out as we go like everything else. But I do know vaccination or not, demand for travel is way up.
I feel like Polis (CO) and Dewine (OH) have each taken a prudent and reasonable approach. Not too restrictive, but appropriately restrictive. Each are loosening restrictions now. Here in Ohio our Governor is green lighting county and state fairs. President Biden said everyone regardless of age will be eligible to get the vaccine "May 1".
Some states are offering all three vaccines & lots of people opting or searching for J&J. Just heard of side effect for moderna dose #2 - "Covid Arm" that appears 5-9 days after the shot on the same arm as the vaxx site but not necessarily at it. Red, swollen, itchy for about 24 hours & goes away. Key thing is to report it to the CDC vaxx site - wasn't one of the original side effects so there's not much data except what we report.
Tomorrow morning I will be 3 weeks into my second Phizer dose. I still mask, distance, wash my hands like Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets". I am about to be ready to do some dining out - preferably with outdoor seating. I am still playing the game with great intensity.
I keep running into people who tell me that they will not be getting a vaccine. They also mention that they think the masks are ridiculous. You don't have to peel away many layers until you find where their personal politics lie. I ask them two questions: 1) Should you find yourself hospitalized with Covid with two other patients - and the hospital tells you they have only two ventilators - will you sign a waver for said ventilator? 2) Will you be mailing your Stimulus Check back to the tyrannical and over-reaching Federal Government?
This is a similar sentiment that I have for a variety of healthcare usage by a variety of people. If you choose a more reckless lifestyle related to covid and then have to incur additional medical charges or even forego treatment as has been suggested, why not apply that to other risky behavior or conditions that befall people with unhealthy habits?
I'm all for it. Don't wear a mask and get covid - pay up front for your care or no ventilator for you. Smoke, obese...engage in something like parkour - you pay more or don't get care.
Conversely, people who take precautions and do lot engage in unhealthy or risky behavior should be rewarded.
@nebish The human obstinance factor is detrimental to Covid recovery. I saw a graph on TV last night reflecting the decision to vaccinate or not based on politics. Only 75% of Democrat voters plan to take a vaccine. Somewhere around 45% of Republican voters plan to vaccinate. Using strictly S.W.A.G. methodology, this will not be enough to lead to any "herd immunity". I guess we can kiss large-scale concerts goodbye. I know NCAA football is already planning for full stadiums next fall. Let's see if that gets adjusted. I just wish those who choose to not mask or vax would have the decency and self-responsibility to keep their asses out of the public.
I have a friend who has been living in Tawain recently. He told me he was at a packed club the other night, and was able to because of the Tawain response to COVID -- strict quarantines, mandatory masks, contact tracing, etc.
If people had just done the little things here, we'd likely be further along in getting back to normal.
Saw some news coverage that had the U.S. institiuted similar tracing, masking etc. right from the start similar to what S Korea did, our death toll would have been at approx. 10,000 instead of 500,000. South Korea has had around 1,000 deaths since this started.
"We have 15 cases total, in a few days we'll be down to zero."
"One day it will all just go away."
"My friends say I'm ugly I got a masculine face." Tom Waits
I have a friend who has been living in Tawain recently. He told me he was at a packed club the other night, and was able to because of the Tawain response to COVID -- strict quarantines, mandatory masks, contact tracing, etc.
If people had just done the little things here, we'd likely be further along in getting back to normal.
Saw some news coverage that had the U.S. institiuted similar tracing, masking etc. right from the start similar to what S Korea did, our death toll would have been at approx. 10,000 instead of 500,000. South Korea has had around 1,000 deaths since this started.
"We have 15 cases total, in a few days we'll be down to zero."
"One day it will all just go away."
That was never going to happen. The Asian countries have been through this before, they knew the drill. To some there, masks even during nonpandemic times are worn. And I;m pretty sure they also used surveillance and tracking data on their population with or without their consent.
Right, wrong or otherwise...groups of people in our country do and view things differently. I don't even think Joe Biden being President in 2020 would've made a difference. Sure the messaging and direction would've been way different, but that doesn't mean the actions of our fellow citizens would have been any different.
It's Spring Break here in south Florida. I'm happy for business owners, but the Governor is bragging about how great it is that everything is open. He's been trying to eliminate any mask mandates counties try to institute by suspending fines, even though Miami-Dade cases are still relatively high - including the more aggressive variants. It's one thing to open, but at least allow municipalities to enforce their own safety precautions. Governors eager to open are cutting off their nose to spite their face - whatever short term economic boon might turn into an increase in cases long-term. The previous White House's decision to wash their hands of responsibility and leave this up to each state created a catastrophe. The heard is only as strong as its weakest buffalo and other countries proved there was another way.
We all have COVID stories, directly or indirectly. Everyone wants the pandemic over, the vaccines are here, but people don't realize how precarious their own immediate gratification can be to the big picture. I'm not saying stay home, but there are safe ways to live your life out of respect for your neighbors. And it would be nice if there was a unified front coming the, uh, United States.
Worthwhile read on lesson learned. Hopefully someone is taking notes.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/15/science/lessons-for-the-next-pandemic.html
I don't like to dwell on the past, but I believe that if there had been a unified message from the White House regarding precautions, more people would have been on board. More Governors would have acknowledged the need to do the little things in order to get past this sooner, rather than turn it into a provincial civil liberties tantrum. People took precautions during previous pandemics or rationed goods during war time. Last year suburban moms with ginormous backyards complained they couldn't go to the park.
I echo PorkChopBob's sentiments that I don't want to revisit old topics, but had anyone else been president in 2020, the only message would've been that Covid was global, real, & lethal. There wouldn't have been daily TV contradictions as to whether it even existed.
Got my second vaccine Monday, my wife got her first. Illinois is getting ready to open things up a little more - positivity rate has been 2.6% the last week or so. They are keeping the mask mandate for now though ... which I am good with ...
It's time to open up the vaccination to as many people as possible as soon as possible.
Just back in the door from taking Donna for her Pfizer#2 (I had my 2nd 3 weeks ago). Hardly anybody there. As nice and convenient as this is, you wonder why? Why aren't at least 25 - 50 people lined up (6' apart)? Seems to me that it's time to abandon the approach by age system and just get it to as many people who are willing to take it ASAP. While we were there, I heard one of the Dr.s mention that they were having "no-shows" today - people scheduled for the shot but not showing up. I hope those vaccines aren't wasted.
Also just heard that Ringo has cancelled his tour again. The shows this year were to have been re-scheduled dates from last year. I still have my tickets from last year and was so looking forward to this! I'm sure that this is a wise decision. I haven't bought tickets for anything else since last year. I'm hoping for some outdoor fest's by early Fall!
Wit Donna's P-2, we plan to remain under house arrest for 2 more weeks. Then, we'll start dining out in establishments that have al fresco options.
Would love to find some face masks with the word, "VACCINATED" in large red letters. Tee-shirts, maybe even.
Ringo gets a pass; he'll be 81 this summer. I'm not buying tickets for anything. Saw a clip of Fauci at some type of hearing being talked over by Rand Paul who said wearing a mask after vaccination was "just for show." Fauci was finally allowed to respond to say essentially there haven't been complete studies of new cases/hospitalizations post-vaccination of the original strain and then he ticked off about 5 new strains that have taken hold in NY, CA, and 2-3 other states for which the vaccine offers maybe some protection but not all.
I don't want to advertise my vaccination status - it's just going to spark confrontation w/anti-vaxxers. I've had 4 years too many of pointless confrontation.
Congrats on almost being 100% in your household.
I have a friend who has been living in Tawain recently. He told me he was at a packed club the other night, and was able to because of the Tawain response to COVID -- strict quarantines, mandatory masks, contact tracing, etc.
If people had just done the little things here, we'd likely be further along in getting back to normal.
Saw some news coverage that had the U.S. institiuted similar tracing, masking etc. right from the start similar to what S Korea did, our death toll would have been at approx. 10,000 instead of 500,000. South Korea has had around 1,000 deaths since this started.
"We have 15 cases total, in a few days we'll be down to zero."
"One day it will all just go away."
That was never going to happen. The Asian countries have been through this before, they knew the drill. To some there, masks even during nonpandemic times are worn. And I;m pretty sure they also used surveillance and tracking data on their population with or without their consent.
Right, wrong or otherwise...groups of people in our country do and view things differently. I don't even think Joe Biden being President in 2020 would've made a difference. Sure the messaging and direction would've been way different, but that doesn't mean the actions of our fellow citizens would have been any different.
Just illustrating two different paths. I agree, no way those measures would be accepted here, "liberties" and all that. A business can restrict customers for no shirt, no shoes, no service but ask people to wear another type of clothing, a mask, and all of a sudden that's crossing a line. ????
A neighbor of ours went to China to adopt an abandoned orphaned baby. This was several years prior to this outbreak. Everyone in public wore a mask, reason being the incredibly hazardous air quality.
An aside, if I want to go into a business and not wear pants because it infringes on my liberties to dress myself the way I want to and isn't constitutionally prohibited, is that okay?
Wear a damn mask around other people until we get behind this thing.
"My friends say I'm ugly I got a masculine face." Tom Waits
Got my second vaccine Monday, my wife got her first. Illinois is getting ready to open things up a little more - positivity rate has been 2.6% the last week or so. They are keeping the mask mandate for now though ... which I am good with ...
Good news Snagger.
Get your senses of smell and taste back yet?
I'd heard that some people who had Covid and got vaccinated initially experienced the symptoms over again in the first several days afterwards. You?
"My friends say I'm ugly I got a masculine face." Tom Waits
Got my second vaccine Monday, my wife got her first. Illinois is getting ready to open things up a little more - positivity rate has been 2.6% the last week or so. They are keeping the mask mandate for now though ... which I am good with ...
Good news Snagger.
Get your senses of smell and taste back yet?
I'd heard that some people who had Covid and got vaccinated initially experienced the symptoms over again in the first several days afterwards. You?
No smell or taste yet - 4-1/2 months later. They were the only symptons I had. The first shot my arm hurt the next day for about a day. The 2nd one my arm hurt a little the next day, but not as bad as the first. Only 'side-effect' I had.
I have a friend who has been living in Tawain recently. He told me he was at a packed club the other night, and was able to because of the Tawain response to COVID -- strict quarantines, mandatory masks, contact tracing, etc.
If people had just done the little things here, we'd likely be further along in getting back to normal.
Saw some news coverage that had the U.S. institiuted similar tracing, masking etc. right from the start similar to what S Korea did, our death toll would have been at approx. 10,000 instead of 500,000. South Korea has had around 1,000 deaths since this started.
"We have 15 cases total, in a few days we'll be down to zero."
"One day it will all just go away."
That was never going to happen. The Asian countries have been through this before, they knew the drill. To some there, masks even during nonpandemic times are worn. And I;m pretty sure they also used surveillance and tracking data on their population with or without their consent.
Right, wrong or otherwise...groups of people in our country do and view things differently. I don't even think Joe Biden being President in 2020 would've made a difference. Sure the messaging and direction would've been way different, but that doesn't mean the actions of our fellow citizens would have been any different.
Just illustrating two different paths. I agree, no way those measures would be accepted here, "liberties" and all that. A business can restrict customers for no shirt, no shoes, no service but ask people to wear another type of clothing, a mask, and all of a sudden that's crossing a line. ????
A neighbor of ours went to China to adopt an abandoned orphaned baby. This was several years prior to this outbreak. Everyone in public wore a mask, reason being the incredibly hazardous air quality.
An aside, if I want to go into a business and not wear pants because it infringes on my liberties to dress myself the way I want to and isn't constitutionally prohibited, is that okay?
Wear a damn mask around other people until we get behind this thing.
Your comment about everyone in China wearing a mask is interesting to me. As you know, I live in Chicago and we obviously have (well had) a ton of tourists. Several years ago I noticed Asian girls here wearing masks on The Mag Mile. Saw it all the time. And they would be holding hands. I found it interesting. I guess they aren't holding hands anymore.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccination 2 weeks ago tomorrow and the only side effect I had was I felt a little under the weather for 2 days after the shot.
Almost like a mild flu as I was tired and had some muscle aches. No terrible so worth it for the peace of mind I have now that I should be somewhat protected from getting terminal COVID.
Ohio opened up 40 and up for vaccine eligibility today.
So I got online to see what I could do! Felt a little like buying concert tickets to be honest with you.
First I called one of our hospital providers phone number which was how some other people I know got their appointments. A recorded message told me they were not making new reservations at this time as all scheduling was full. OK.
So online I go. Through the state of Ohio, you can be directed to registration sites for aforementioned hospital, Walgreens, Walmart, Giant Eagle (grocery stores) and our county board of health. Each provider has their own website you go to and you enter in information and they tell you where you can go for an appointment. Walgreens never offered an appointment within 30 miles of me saying everything was full. Walmart would show a reservation date, but when I clicked on it a message came up stating it was no longer available (assuming somebody else clicked on it first). Giant Eagle did not offer anything in my immediate location (we have 3 within 5 miles of my house here), but did offer me appointments 30-40 miles away. Again, when I would click on the date it said the appointment was no longer available. I kept trying and would continually get different dates and options, just was unable to secure an actual appointment.
I tried with the hospital website a couple times too, until, there it was, an appointment for next Tuesday morning! Alright, so I'm in.
Neb glad you at least got an appointment! If J&J, it's one and done!
"My friends say I'm ugly I got a masculine face." Tom Waits
I actually thought I would be scheduling an appointment weeks out. I did not think that on the first day of eligibility that I would get a date within 4 days of first try. There actually was a few appointments that showed up Sunday that were then not available when I clicked them. That was really surprising to me. I'm surprised because there are so many people and so many groups that are in the other groups ahead of me (1A through 1E and 2A and 2B). I'm 2C. I can only assume at this point that people who want their shots in the other groups have already got them. I'm sure there are other circumstances maybe preventing or delaying some of those people, but March 22nd for a 40-and-up healthy group is early based on when I thought I might get it, yet it is certainly welcomed.
