Covid hits MSU athletes

[iaafan]

Wow. Totally selfish. Where does this kind of thinking come from? How does anyone come to the conclusion that their body and their decisions only matter to themselves during a pandemic. The virus doesn't have a brain and it isn't vindictive. It won't single out people that aren't taking precautions or decide to stay away from people that are.

Well, we've touched on this lots over the weeks but no one has really answered the question. If you're always wearing your mask, and obviously switching it out often per the CDC, rarely going out unless absolutely necessary, and practicing social distancing shouldn't you be ok? You could go a step farther and just lock back down and never go out and be really safe!

If I dare go into public with out a mask on, and I'm with other people without masks on, isn't it just a bunch of selfish non-mask-wearing jerks putting other non-mask-wearing jerks in serious peril? And if this isn't the case, and even those wearing masks are in serious jeopardy of contracting the virus, doesn't that just show that we shouldn't be forced to wear them because they don't work?

I'm just very confused how people very worried about the virus, who stay home as much as possible, never go into any kind of large group, always have clean masks on, wash hands regularly and always practice social distancing are so concerned about those that may not share those fears?

Like I said before, if we're going to hop on our pedestals and label non-mask people as selfish, couldn't I do the same thing to anyone who decides to go anywhere that will put people in harms way? All those "essential" workers at Walmart and Albertsons or your local essential liquor store that was at constant risk every day while people hoarded vodka and toilet paper? I'm amazed I haven't seen more people go to bat for these minimum wage workers who had no choice but to risk their lives during a pandemic, and for some reason everyone is fine with that. But if you want to open a bar or restaurant and not force people to wear masks you're just selfish.

Look at Italy, Spain, UK, France. They were all in the same (worse) boat that we're in, but they toed the line and now, as of yesterday:
Italy 13 deaths/169 cases
UK 11 deaths/530 cases
France 18 deaths/288 cases
Spain 1 deaths/681 cases
Combined 43 deaths/1,478 cases

US 465 deaths/65,488 cases

That's all well and good. The US will get to that point as well is my guess.

It still doesn't touch on any of the questions I have asked. If you almost never leave your house except when absolutely vital, you should be sitting good. When you do have to go out (hopefully not risking the lives of essential workers too much) as long as you're wearing mask, that you definitely change often, always keep your distance from others and wash hands often....aren't you ok? And if you're not ok, and not safe from all these precautions taken...then what are we doing?

Personally, I feel like I'm seeing way more people taking precautions than those that aren't but I could be wrong on that. Even jerks like me that don't think I should be forced by the government to wear a mask....wears a mask sometimes depending where I am and if it's required or not. So I highly doubt that those of us who appreciate being able to make our own grownup decisions are going to be enough to overwhelm our hospitals. Obviously I could be wrong on that.

I'm not sure why you're going into the self-deprecating act of calling yourself a jerk, etc. It's takes away from your points.

If those numbers don't answer your questions, I'm not sure what else to tell you. Those numbers clearly show that taking precautions, such as wearing masks, avoiding large gatherings, good hygiene, staying home as much as possible, etc. work. I also edited that post with several links to what other countries have done to prevent spreading.

To get this to go away you need to do these things as much as possible. It's been proven to work. Doing what we've done has proven to not work. Yes, your participation helps as can be seen by the fact that there are places in the US that have been able to slow the spread down considerably by get large numbers of their people to takeg these steps. NY, NJ, Mass among others. NY had a 24 hour period of no deaths recently after being around 1,000/day.

[iaafan]

"The Montana coronavirus map isn't loading at the moment, but yesterday there were only 139 or so active cases in Gallatin County. Shutting down the football season over 139 cases seems like an overreach and an overreaction to reasonable people. If I'm in Billings and was never planning to go to a Cats game this year then how does that mean I'm selfish? This whole coronavirus has turned into bird law; it's not governed by reason.

People's reactions are way out of proportion to the actual impact this virus is having. We've been sold Stephen King's The Stand but what has actually unfolded has not been remotely consistent with that."

Yep, but don't forget Montana deaths are spiking big time because two women in their 90's died yesterday. They tested positive for CV19 so I guess it's possible the virus actually contributed to their deaths? Not sure, nobody knows.

I think we can still have an all Montana season. I agree that the cases in Montana aren't overwhelming. The same cannot be said for all the teams on our schedule. Utah opted out of playing MSU, not the other way around. This isn't just about Montana as other teams may decide to not play or the Big Sky Conference may decide to move or cancel the season.

[ilovethecats]

Wow. Totally selfish. Where does this kind of thinking come from? How does anyone come to the conclusion that their body and their decisions only matter to themselves during a pandemic. The virus doesn't have a brain and it isn't vindictive. It won't single out people that aren't taking precautions or decide to stay away from people that are.

Well, we've touched on this lots over the weeks but no one has really answered the question. If you're always wearing your mask, and obviously switching it out often per the CDC, rarely going out unless absolutely necessary, and practicing social distancing shouldn't you be ok? You could go a step farther and just lock back down and never go out and be really safe!

If I dare go into public with out a mask on, and I'm with other people without masks on, isn't it just a bunch of selfish non-mask-wearing jerks putting other non-mask-wearing jerks in serious peril? And if this isn't the case, and even those wearing masks are in serious jeopardy of contracting the virus, doesn't that just show that we shouldn't be forced to wear them because they don't work?

I'm just very confused how people very worried about the virus, who stay home as much as possible, never go into any kind of large group, always have clean masks on, wash hands regularly and always practice social distancing are so concerned about those that may not share those fears?

Like I said before, if we're going to hop on our pedestals and label non-mask people as selfish, couldn't I do the same thing to anyone who decides to go anywhere that will put people in harms way? All those "essential" workers at Walmart and Albertsons or your local essential liquor store that was at constant risk every day while people hoarded vodka and toilet paper? I'm amazed I haven't seen more people go to bat for these minimum wage workers who had no choice but to risk their lives during a pandemic, and for some reason everyone is fine with that. But if you want to open a bar or restaurant and not force people to wear masks you're just selfish.

Look at Italy, Spain, UK, France. They were all in the same (worse) boat that we're in, but they toed the line and now, as of yesterday:
Italy 13 deaths/169 cases
UK 11 deaths/530 cases
France 18 deaths/288 cases
Spain 1 deaths/681 cases
Combined 43 deaths/1,478 cases

US 465 deaths/65,488 cases

That's all well and good. The US will get to that point as well is my guess.

It still doesn't touch on any of the questions I have asked. If you almost never leave your house except when absolutely vital, you should be sitting good. When you do have to go out (hopefully not risking the lives of essential workers too much) as long as you're wearing mask, that you definitely change often, always keep your distance from others and wash hands often....aren't you ok? And if you're not ok, and not safe from all these precautions taken...then what are we doing?

Personally, I feel like I'm seeing way more people taking precautions than those that aren't but I could be wrong on that. Even jerks like me that don't think I should be forced by the government to wear a mask....wears a mask sometimes depending where I am and if it's required or not. So I highly doubt that those of us who appreciate being able to make our own grownup decisions are going to be enough to overwhelm our hospitals. Obviously I could be wrong on that.

I'm not sure why you're going into the self-deprecating act of calling yourself a jerk, etc. It's takes away from your points.

If those numbers don't answer your questions, I'm not sure what else to tell you. Those numbers clearly show that taking precautions, such as wearing masks, avoiding large gatherings, good hygiene, staying home as much as possible, etc. work. I also edited that post with several links to what other countries have done to prevent spreading.

To get this to go away you need to do these things as much as possible. It's been proven to work. Doing what we've done has proven to not work. Yes, your participation helps as can be seen by the fact that there are places in the US that have been able to slow the spread down considerably by get large numbers of their people to takeg these steps. NY, NJ, Mass among others. NY had a 24 hour period of no deaths recently after being around 1,000/day.

Not really self-depreciating. You've said a lot that anyone who doesn't wear a mask is selfish. I've always equated selfishness with jerkiness. Basically, people who I think I selfish I tend to not like very much. I could be wrong on this. But it seems to me that if you think someone is selfish, it's not a giant leap to think they might be jerks. Really nice, good people are rarely selfish.

I've never denied taking precautions helps. Close all businesses again. Close schools again. Shelter in place. Hell, I would shut down air traffic too but I would have did that last time so what do I know?

Comparing us to other states has always been apples to oranges. If wearing masks has been the catalyst for those other states recovering from Covid I'd truly be shocked. That'd be like me making the case that masks don't work because we haven't been forced to wear them and our cases are miniscule compared to other states. It wouldn't hold water because there are a plethora of other factors of course. Although I saw on Yahoo this morning that Montana is one of the states with "surging cases" so there is that.

And still none of this explains why we should be forced to wear masks by the government. Especially in Montana. Despite the numbers above, all states are far from equal in this.

[catgradtimes2]

"The Montana coronavirus map isn't loading at the moment, but yesterday there were only 139 or so active cases in Gallatin County. Shutting down the football season over 139 cases seems like an overreach and an overreaction to reasonable people. If I'm in Billings and was never planning to go to a Cats game this year then how does that mean I'm selfish? This whole coronavirus has turned into bird law; it's not governed by reason.

People's reactions are way out of proportion to the actual impact this virus is having. We've been sold Stephen King's The Stand but what has actually unfolded has not been remotely consistent with that."

Yep, but don't forget Montana deaths are spiking big time because two women in their 90's died yesterday. They tested positive for CV19 so I guess it's possible the virus actually contributed to their deaths? Not sure, nobody knows.

As somebody unfortunately no longer from Montana and in the middle of a Covid hotspot. Montana has been lucky in the fact that there is no mass public transportation, no large gatherings (sporting events, concerts, etc.), and just space to spread out. The minute you go and put 25000 people in Missoula and Bozeman for a football game you are asking for trouble. Just giving the virus that cares little about who or what you are a chance to spread. No one really knows the long-term implications of this virus, although there is more and more evidence trickling out about those. Why put yourself and other Montanans at risk? And, if you get sick because you didn't wear a mask or follow guidelines you are putting unnecessary load and risk onto hospital employees.

Let's just do the social distancing thing and stop making this a political game. Care about each other. I for one am sick of being in semi-lockdown and would like this to end at some point.

[ilovethecats]

They rescheduled the meeting for Friday morning at 7:00. Got a TON of pushback trying to reschedule for 1:30 today. It will be virtual rather than in-person.

[MSU01]

"The Montana coronavirus map isn't loading at the moment, but yesterday there were only 139 or so active cases in Gallatin County. Shutting down the football season over 139 cases seems like an overreach and an overreaction to reasonable people. If I'm in Billings and was never planning to go to a Cats game this year then how does that mean I'm selfish? This whole coronavirus has turned into bird law; it's not governed by reason.

People's reactions are way out of proportion to the actual impact this virus is having. We've been sold Stephen King's The Stand but what has actually unfolded has not been remotely consistent with that."

Yep, but don't forget Montana deaths are spiking big time because two women in their 90's died yesterday. They tested positive for CV19 so I guess it's possible the virus actually contributed to their deaths? Not sure, nobody knows.

As somebody unfortunately no longer from Montana and in the middle of a Covid hotspot. Montana has been lucky in the fact that there is no mass public transportation, no large gatherings (sporting events, concerts, etc.), and just space to spread out. The minute you go and put 25000 people in Missoula and Bozeman for a football game you are asking for trouble. Just giving the virus that cares little about who or what you are a chance to spread. No one really knows the long-term implications of this virus, although there is more and more evidence trickling out about those. Why put yourself and other Montanans at risk? And, if you get sick because you didn't wear a mask or follow guidelines you are putting unnecessary load and risk onto hospital employees.

Let's just do the social distancing thing and stop making this a political game. Care about each other. I for one am sick of being in semi-lockdown and would like this to end at some point.

There's an increasing amount of research coming out that says that (1) wearing a mask not only protects others, but reduces the exposure of the mask wearer to the virus, and (2) that the amount of the virus that gets into a person's body has a significant impact on whether he/she experiences an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19, or experiences a severe or fatal case. The conclusion, the way I see it, is easy to make. If we want to keep the economy open, the virus will continue to spread. But having the majority or all people wearing masks will both decrease the rate of spread, and also make it more likely that those who do contract the virus have mild or asymptomatic cases and don't overburden the health care system by requiring hospitalization. I'm still not sure I'm for mandatory mask orders, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to understand how an intelligent person would still decide not to wear one given the incredibly minor inconvenience it involves and the ever-increasing amount of data in favor of its efficacy.

[iaafan]

"The Montana coronavirus map isn't loading at the moment, but yesterday there were only 139 or so active cases in Gallatin County. Shutting down the football season over 139 cases seems like an overreach and an overreaction to reasonable people. If I'm in Billings and was never planning to go to a Cats game this year then how does that mean I'm selfish? This whole coronavirus has turned into bird law; it's not governed by reason.

People's reactions are way out of proportion to the actual impact this virus is having. We've been sold Stephen King's The Stand but what has actually unfolded has not been remotely consistent with that."

Yep, but don't forget Montana deaths are spiking big time because two women in their 90's died yesterday. They tested positive for CV19 so I guess it's possible the virus actually contributed to their deaths? Not sure, nobody knows.

As somebody unfortunately no longer from Montana and in the middle of a Covid hotspot. Montana has been lucky in the fact that there is no mass public transportation, no large gatherings (sporting events, concerts, etc.), and just space to spread out. The minute you go and put 25000 people in Missoula and Bozeman for a football game you are asking for trouble. Just giving the virus that cares little about who or what you are a chance to spread. No one really knows the long-term implications of this virus, although there is more and more evidence trickling out about those. Why put yourself and other Montanans at risk? And, if you get sick because you didn't wear a mask or follow guidelines you are putting unnecessary load and risk onto hospital employees.

Let's just do the social distancing thing and stop making this a political game. Care about each other. I for one am sick of being in semi-lockdown and would like this to end at some point.

There's an increasing amount of research coming out that says that (1) wearing a mask not only protects others, but reduces the exposure of the mask wearer to the virus, and (2) that the amount of the virus that gets into a person's body has a significant impact on whether he/she experiences an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19, or experiences a severe or fatal case. The conclusion, the way I see it, is easy to make. If we want to keep the economy open, the virus will continue to spread. But having the majority or all people wearing masks will both decrease the rate of spread, and also make it more likely that those who do contract the virus have mild or asymptomatic cases and don't overburden the health care system by requiring hospitalization. I'm still not sure I'm for mandatory mask orders, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to understand how an intelligent person would still decide not to wear one given the incredibly minor inconvenience it involves and the ever-increasing amount of data in favor of its efficacy.

Politics/reverse psychology is the main reason. The minute scientists started explaining what to do and Liberals agreed, a large portion of the population decided not to do it. Trump not abiding reinforced all of that.

[MSU01]

"The Montana coronavirus map isn't loading at the moment, but yesterday there were only 139 or so active cases in Gallatin County. Shutting down the football season over 139 cases seems like an overreach and an overreaction to reasonable people. If I'm in Billings and was never planning to go to a Cats game this year then how does that mean I'm selfish? This whole coronavirus has turned into bird law; it's not governed by reason.

People's reactions are way out of proportion to the actual impact this virus is having. We've been sold Stephen King's The Stand but what has actually unfolded has not been remotely consistent with that."

Yep, but don't forget Montana deaths are spiking big time because two women in their 90's died yesterday. They tested positive for CV19 so I guess it's possible the virus actually contributed to their deaths? Not sure, nobody knows.

As somebody unfortunately no longer from Montana and in the middle of a Covid hotspot. Montana has been lucky in the fact that there is no mass public transportation, no large gatherings (sporting events, concerts, etc.), and just space to spread out. The minute you go and put 25000 people in Missoula and Bozeman for a football game you are asking for trouble. Just giving the virus that cares little about who or what you are a chance to spread. No one really knows the long-term implications of this virus, although there is more and more evidence trickling out about those. Why put yourself and other Montanans at risk? And, if you get sick because you didn't wear a mask or follow guidelines you are putting unnecessary load and risk onto hospital employees.

Let's just do the social distancing thing and stop making this a political game. Care about each other. I for one am sick of being in semi-lockdown and would like this to end at some point.

There's an increasing amount of research coming out that says that (1) wearing a mask not only protects others, but reduces the exposure of the mask wearer to the virus, and (2) that the amount of the virus that gets into a person's body has a significant impact on whether he/she experiences an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19, or experiences a severe or fatal case. The conclusion, the way I see it, is easy to make. If we want to keep the economy open, the virus will continue to spread. But having the majority or all people wearing masks will both decrease the rate of spread, and also make it more likely that those who do contract the virus have mild or asymptomatic cases and don't overburden the health care system by requiring hospitalization. I'm still not sure I'm for mandatory mask orders, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to understand how an intelligent person would still decide not to wear one given the incredibly minor inconvenience it involves and the ever-increasing amount of data in favor of its efficacy.

Politics/reverse psychology is the main reason. The minute scientists started explaining what to do and Liberals agreed, a large portion of the population decided not to do it. Trump not abiding reinforced all of that.

One of the huge tragedies of this pandemic is how taking basic health precautions to protect ourselves and those we come in contact with on a daily basis has become a political issue.

Here's one of the most informative articles I've read on COVID-19 and mask wearing: https://www.latimes.com/california/stor ... oronavirus

Some highlights: On a cruise ship on which all passengers and crew were wearing masks, 81% of positive tests were in people who were asymptomatic, about double the 40% asymptomatic rate that is expected in the general population. At a seafood plant in Oregon where there was an outbreak but all employees wore masks, 95% of positive tests were asymptomatic.

A lot of people on here and elsewhere have been talking about how case numbers are rising but death rates are still declining (at least until recently), using these statistics to argue that the virus is less dangerous than originally thought. It sure sounds to me like if we're seeing a lower rate of severe cases and/or deaths, it is at least partially due not to the virus being different than we thought it was, but due to mask-wearers contracting asymptomatic or mild cases that would've been worse had they been exposed to a greater viral load.

[Cledus]

"The Montana coronavirus map isn't loading at the moment, but yesterday there were only 139 or so active cases in Gallatin County. Shutting down the football season over 139 cases seems like an overreach and an overreaction to reasonable people. If I'm in Billings and was never planning to go to a Cats game this year then how does that mean I'm selfish? This whole coronavirus has turned into bird law; it's not governed by reason.

People's reactions are way out of proportion to the actual impact this virus is having. We've been sold Stephen King's The Stand but what has actually unfolded has not been remotely consistent with that."

Yep, but don't forget Montana deaths are spiking big time because two women in their 90's died yesterday. They tested positive for CV19 so I guess it's possible the virus actually contributed to their deaths? Not sure, nobody knows.

As somebody unfortunately no longer from Montana and in the middle of a Covid hotspot. Montana has been lucky in the fact that there is no mass public transportation, no large gatherings (sporting events, concerts, etc.), and just space to spread out. The minute you go and put 25000 people in Missoula and Bozeman for a football game you are asking for trouble. Just giving the virus that cares little about who or what you are a chance to spread. No one really knows the long-term implications of this virus, although there is more and more evidence trickling out about those. Why put yourself and other Montanans at risk? And, if you get sick because you didn't wear a mask or follow guidelines you are putting unnecessary load and risk onto hospital employees.

Let's just do the social distancing thing and stop making this a political game. Care about each other. I for one am sick of being in semi-lockdown and would like this to end at some point.

There's an increasing amount of research coming out that says that (1) wearing a mask not only protects others, but reduces the exposure of the mask wearer to the virus, and (2) that the amount of the virus that gets into a person's body has a significant impact on whether he/she experiences an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19, or experiences a severe or fatal case. The conclusion, the way I see it, is easy to make. If we want to keep the economy open, the virus will continue to spread. But having the majority or all people wearing masks will both decrease the rate of spread, and also make it more likely that those who do contract the virus have mild or asymptomatic cases and don't overburden the health care system by requiring hospitalization. I'm still not sure I'm for mandatory mask orders, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to understand how an intelligent person would still decide not to wear one given the incredibly minor inconvenience it involves and the ever-increasing amount of data in favor of its efficacy.

Politics/reverse psychology is the main reason. The minute scientists started explaining what to do and Liberals agreed, a large portion of the population decided not to do it. Trump not abiding reinforced all of that.

How is anyone supposed to trust a "scientist" who only four months ago said wearing masks is bad and wouldn't help? And who precisely has objected to social distancing? I haven't seen anyone object to that.

How is anyone supposed to trust the people in charge who tell us BLM protests and riots do not spread the virus, but attending weddings and funerals does spread the virus?

[MSU01]

"The Montana coronavirus map isn't loading at the moment, but yesterday there were only 139 or so active cases in Gallatin County. Shutting down the football season over 139 cases seems like an overreach and an overreaction to reasonable people. If I'm in Billings and was never planning to go to a Cats game this year then how does that mean I'm selfish? This whole coronavirus has turned into bird law; it's not governed by reason.

People's reactions are way out of proportion to the actual impact this virus is having. We've been sold Stephen King's The Stand but what has actually unfolded has not been remotely consistent with that."

Yep, but don't forget Montana deaths are spiking big time because two women in their 90's died yesterday. They tested positive for CV19 so I guess it's possible the virus actually contributed to their deaths? Not sure, nobody knows.

As somebody unfortunately no longer from Montana and in the middle of a Covid hotspot. Montana has been lucky in the fact that there is no mass public transportation, no large gatherings (sporting events, concerts, etc.), and just space to spread out. The minute you go and put 25000 people in Missoula and Bozeman for a football game you are asking for trouble. Just giving the virus that cares little about who or what you are a chance to spread. No one really knows the long-term implications of this virus, although there is more and more evidence trickling out about those. Why put yourself and other Montanans at risk? And, if you get sick because you didn't wear a mask or follow guidelines you are putting unnecessary load and risk onto hospital employees.

Let's just do the social distancing thing and stop making this a political game. Care about each other. I for one am sick of being in semi-lockdown and would like this to end at some point.

There's an increasing amount of research coming out that says that (1) wearing a mask not only protects others, but reduces the exposure of the mask wearer to the virus, and (2) that the amount of the virus that gets into a person's body has a significant impact on whether he/she experiences an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19, or experiences a severe or fatal case. The conclusion, the way I see it, is easy to make. If we want to keep the economy open, the virus will continue to spread. But having the majority or all people wearing masks will both decrease the rate of spread, and also make it more likely that those who do contract the virus have mild or asymptomatic cases and don't overburden the health care system by requiring hospitalization. I'm still not sure I'm for mandatory mask orders, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to understand how an intelligent person would still decide not to wear one given the incredibly minor inconvenience it involves and the ever-increasing amount of data in favor of its efficacy.

Politics/reverse psychology is the main reason. The minute scientists started explaining what to do and Liberals agreed, a large portion of the population decided not to do it. Trump not abiding reinforced all of that.

How is anyone supposed to trust a "scientist" who only four months ago said wearing masks is bad and wouldn't help? And who precisely has objected to social distancing? I haven't seen anyone object to that.

How is anyone supposed to trust the people in charge who tell us BLM protests and riots do not spread the virus, but attending weddings and funerals does spread the virus?

It's not just one scientist saying it. You want to ignore him, go ahead. Then listen to the thousands of others who are saying the same things.

[Cledus]

How sterile are these masks? Where is the protective packaging? How many people have put their grimy hands all over these masks without washing their hands after taking a dump?

[ilovethecats]

"The Montana coronavirus map isn't loading at the moment, but yesterday there were only 139 or so active cases in Gallatin County. Shutting down the football season over 139 cases seems like an overreach and an overreaction to reasonable people. If I'm in Billings and was never planning to go to a Cats game this year then how does that mean I'm selfish? This whole coronavirus has turned into bird law; it's not governed by reason.

People's reactions are way out of proportion to the actual impact this virus is having. We've been sold Stephen King's The Stand but what has actually unfolded has not been remotely consistent with that."

Yep, but don't forget Montana deaths are spiking big time because two women in their 90's died yesterday. They tested positive for CV19 so I guess it's possible the virus actually contributed to their deaths? Not sure, nobody knows.

As somebody unfortunately no longer from Montana and in the middle of a Covid hotspot. Montana has been lucky in the fact that there is no mass public transportation, no large gatherings (sporting events, concerts, etc.), and just space to spread out. The minute you go and put 25000 people in Missoula and Bozeman for a football game you are asking for trouble. Just giving the virus that cares little about who or what you are a chance to spread. No one really knows the long-term implications of this virus, although there is more and more evidence trickling out about those. Why put yourself and other Montanans at risk? And, if you get sick because you didn't wear a mask or follow guidelines you are putting unnecessary load and risk onto hospital employees.

Let's just do the social distancing thing and stop making this a political game. Care about each other. I for one am sick of being in semi-lockdown and would like this to end at some point.

There's an increasing amount of research coming out that says that (1) wearing a mask not only protects others, but reduces the exposure of the mask wearer to the virus, and (2) that the amount of the virus that gets into a person's body has a significant impact on whether he/she experiences an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19, or experiences a severe or fatal case. The conclusion, the way I see it, is easy to make. If we want to keep the economy open, the virus will continue to spread. But having the majority or all people wearing masks will both decrease the rate of spread, and also make it more likely that those who do contract the virus have mild or asymptomatic cases and don't overburden the health care system by requiring hospitalization. I'm still not sure I'm for mandatory mask orders, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to understand how an intelligent person would still decide not to wear one given the incredibly minor inconvenience it involves and the ever-increasing amount of data in favor of its efficacy.

Good post. I feel like the majority of people are wearing them, even if they really don't want to. At least that's how it feels to me.

I will say that all mask situations are not equal however. Jobs we have are not the same, and people are not the same obviously. I think the government requiring everyone to wear a mask, or people calling others names if they don't wear one could be as dangerous as not wearing one all together. It's not black and white as people like to think.

For instance, my little brother lives in California and is a diabetic. He's obviously very high risk. However, years of fighting the disease has given him many breathing issues. Wearing a mask for him is nearly impossible, and cause more harm than good. Because of his location, he's basically been on lockdown for 4 months. He has no choice there. Had he still lived in Bozeman, he might be labeled selfish, or had a confrontation in Albertsons for not wearing one; but he could have quickly went about his business, kept his distance from others, and got back home, all without being forced to do something that could have negative effects on him.

The same can be said about your occupations. There are people that do very difficult manual labor every day that would have a much different experience than a person sitting at a desk in an air conditioned bank all day. They're not the same and shouldn't be treated as such. There is a reason why restaurants won't allow their back of the house staff to wear them. I can assure you that a job as a cook isn't the ONLY occupation in which wearing a mask for long periods of time could have adverse effects. Which is why I believe PEOPLE and not GOVERNMENT should make these decisions.

And to be clear, I'm all for businesses making their own decisions. If they require masks for staff or customers that is their choice. People have choices, which I believe they should have.

[MSU01]

"The Montana coronavirus map isn't loading at the moment, but yesterday there were only 139 or so active cases in Gallatin County. Shutting down the football season over 139 cases seems like an overreach and an overreaction to reasonable people. If I'm in Billings and was never planning to go to a Cats game this year then how does that mean I'm selfish? This whole coronavirus has turned into bird law; it's not governed by reason.

People's reactions are way out of proportion to the actual impact this virus is having. We've been sold Stephen King's The Stand but what has actually unfolded has not been remotely consistent with that."

Yep, but don't forget Montana deaths are spiking big time because two women in their 90's died yesterday. They tested positive for CV19 so I guess it's possible the virus actually contributed to their deaths? Not sure, nobody knows.

As somebody unfortunately no longer from Montana and in the middle of a Covid hotspot. Montana has been lucky in the fact that there is no mass public transportation, no large gatherings (sporting events, concerts, etc.), and just space to spread out. The minute you go and put 25000 people in Missoula and Bozeman for a football game you are asking for trouble. Just giving the virus that cares little about who or what you are a chance to spread. No one really knows the long-term implications of this virus, although there is more and more evidence trickling out about those. Why put yourself and other Montanans at risk? And, if you get sick because you didn't wear a mask or follow guidelines you are putting unnecessary load and risk onto hospital employees.

Let's just do the social distancing thing and stop making this a political game. Care about each other. I for one am sick of being in semi-lockdown and would like this to end at some point.

There's an increasing amount of research coming out that says that (1) wearing a mask not only protects others, but reduces the exposure of the mask wearer to the virus, and (2) that the amount of the virus that gets into a person's body has a significant impact on whether he/she experiences an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19, or experiences a severe or fatal case. The conclusion, the way I see it, is easy to make. If we want to keep the economy open, the virus will continue to spread. But having the majority or all people wearing masks will both decrease the rate of spread, and also make it more likely that those who do contract the virus have mild or asymptomatic cases and don't overburden the health care system by requiring hospitalization. I'm still not sure I'm for mandatory mask orders, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to understand how an intelligent person would still decide not to wear one given the incredibly minor inconvenience it involves and the ever-increasing amount of data in favor of its efficacy.

Good post. I feel like the majority of people are wearing them, even if they really don't want to. At least that's how it feels to me.

I will say that all mask situations are not equal however. Jobs we have are not the same, and people are not the same obviously. I think the government requiring everyone to wear a mask, or people calling others names if they don't wear one could be as dangerous as not wearing one all together. It's not black and white as people like to think.

For instance, my little brother lives in California and is a diabetic. He's obviously very high risk. However, years of fighting the disease has given him many breathing issues. Wearing a mask for him is nearly impossible, and cause more harm than good. Because of his location, he's basically been on lockdown for 4 months. He has no choice there. Had he still lived in Bozeman, he might be labeled selfish, or had a confrontation in Albertsons for not wearing one; but he could have quickly went about his business, kept his distance from others, and got back home, all without being forced to do something that could have negative effects on him.

The same can be said about your occupations. There are people that do very difficult manual labor every day that would have a much different experience than a person sitting at a desk in an air conditioned bank all day. They're not the same and shouldn't be treated as such. There is a reason why restaurants won't allow their back of the house staff to wear them. I can assure you that a job as a cook isn't the ONLY occupation in which wearing a mask for long periods of time could have adverse effects. Which is why I believe PEOPLE and not GOVERNMENT should make these decisions.

And to be clear, I'm all for businesses making their own decisions. If they require masks for staff or customers that is their choice. People have choices, which I believe they should have.

I agree with virtually all of this, and it's largely why I'm not in favor of mandates that would require masks to be worn all the time by all people in all situations. But my personal choice is that if I'm going into a grocery store or Target or going to work at a job where I know I'll be interacting with people face-to-face in close proximity, and if I don't have any medical issues that make mask-wearing dangerous for me, that I can think of absolutely no reason not to wear a mask in those situations.

[CelticCat]

"The Montana coronavirus map isn't loading at the moment, but yesterday there were only 139 or so active cases in Gallatin County. Shutting down the football season over 139 cases seems like an overreach and an overreaction to reasonable people. If I'm in Billings and was never planning to go to a Cats game this year then how does that mean I'm selfish? This whole coronavirus has turned into bird law; it's not governed by reason.

People's reactions are way out of proportion to the actual impact this virus is having. We've been sold Stephen King's The Stand but what has actually unfolded has not been remotely consistent with that."

Yep, but don't forget Montana deaths are spiking big time because two women in their 90's died yesterday. They tested positive for CV19 so I guess it's possible the virus actually contributed to their deaths? Not sure, nobody knows.

As somebody unfortunately no longer from Montana and in the middle of a Covid hotspot. Montana has been lucky in the fact that there is no mass public transportation, no large gatherings (sporting events, concerts, etc.), and just space to spread out. The minute you go and put 25000 people in Missoula and Bozeman for a football game you are asking for trouble. Just giving the virus that cares little about who or what you are a chance to spread. No one really knows the long-term implications of this virus, although there is more and more evidence trickling out about those. Why put yourself and other Montanans at risk? And, if you get sick because you didn't wear a mask or follow guidelines you are putting unnecessary load and risk onto hospital employees.

Let's just do the social distancing thing and stop making this a political game. Care about each other. I for one am sick of being in semi-lockdown and would like this to end at some point.

There's an increasing amount of research coming out that says that (1) wearing a mask not only protects others, but reduces the exposure of the mask wearer to the virus, and (2) that the amount of the virus that gets into a person's body has a significant impact on whether he/she experiences an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19, or experiences a severe or fatal case. The conclusion, the way I see it, is easy to make. If we want to keep the economy open, the virus will continue to spread. But having the majority or all people wearing masks will both decrease the rate of spread, and also make it more likely that those who do contract the virus have mild or asymptomatic cases and don't overburden the health care system by requiring hospitalization. I'm still not sure I'm for mandatory mask orders, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to understand how an intelligent person would still decide not to wear one given the incredibly minor inconvenience it involves and the ever-increasing amount of data in favor of its efficacy.

Politics/reverse psychology is the main reason. The minute scientists started explaining what to do and Liberals agreed, a large portion of the population decided not to do it. Trump not abiding reinforced all of that.

How is anyone supposed to trust a "scientist" who only four months ago said wearing masks is bad and wouldn't help? And who precisely has objected to social distancing? I haven't seen anyone object to that.

How is anyone supposed to trust the people in charge who tell us BLM protests and riots do not spread the virus, but attending weddings and funerals does spread the virus?

It's a novel virus and they keep learning more about it. Initially they didn't recommend wearing a mask for two main reasons - they did not realize how easily the virus was transmitted by asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people, and #2 there was a large mask shortage initially and they thought it best to not encourage people to buy them because front line workers needed them.

And whoever said riots and protests don't spread the virus? I don't do a ton of reading about those things so maybe I'm missing something.

We all want the same thing, to get back to normal, to have a college football season. Why a person would not do everything in their power to slow down or prevent either of those things is simply beyond my comprehension.

[ilovethecats]

"The Montana coronavirus map isn't loading at the moment, but yesterday there were only 139 or so active cases in Gallatin County. Shutting down the football season over 139 cases seems like an overreach and an overreaction to reasonable people. If I'm in Billings and was never planning to go to a Cats game this year then how does that mean I'm selfish? This whole coronavirus has turned into bird law; it's not governed by reason.

People's reactions are way out of proportion to the actual impact this virus is having. We've been sold Stephen King's The Stand but what has actually unfolded has not been remotely consistent with that."

Yep, but don't forget Montana deaths are spiking big time because two women in their 90's died yesterday. They tested positive for CV19 so I guess it's possible the virus actually contributed to their deaths? Not sure, nobody knows.

As somebody unfortunately no longer from Montana and in the middle of a Covid hotspot. Montana has been lucky in the fact that there is no mass public transportation, no large gatherings (sporting events, concerts, etc.), and just space to spread out. The minute you go and put 25000 people in Missoula and Bozeman for a football game you are asking for trouble. Just giving the virus that cares little about who or what you are a chance to spread. No one really knows the long-term implications of this virus, although there is more and more evidence trickling out about those. Why put yourself and other Montanans at risk? And, if you get sick because you didn't wear a mask or follow guidelines you are putting unnecessary load and risk onto hospital employees.

Let's just do the social distancing thing and stop making this a political game. Care about each other. I for one am sick of being in semi-lockdown and would like this to end at some point.

There's an increasing amount of research coming out that says that (1) wearing a mask not only protects others, but reduces the exposure of the mask wearer to the virus, and (2) that the amount of the virus that gets into a person's body has a significant impact on whether he/she experiences an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19, or experiences a severe or fatal case. The conclusion, the way I see it, is easy to make. If we want to keep the economy open, the virus will continue to spread. But having the majority or all people wearing masks will both decrease the rate of spread, and also make it more likely that those who do contract the virus have mild or asymptomatic cases and don't overburden the health care system by requiring hospitalization. I'm still not sure I'm for mandatory mask orders, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to understand how an intelligent person would still decide not to wear one given the incredibly minor inconvenience it involves and the ever-increasing amount of data in favor of its efficacy.

Politics/reverse psychology is the main reason. The minute scientists started explaining what to do and Liberals agreed, a large portion of the population decided not to do it. Trump not abiding reinforced all of that.

How is anyone supposed to trust a "scientist" who only four months ago said wearing masks is bad and wouldn't help? And who precisely has objected to social distancing? I haven't seen anyone object to that.

How is anyone supposed to trust the people in charge who tell us BLM protests and riots do not spread the virus, but attending weddings and funerals does spread the virus?

It's a novel virus and they keep learning more about it. Initially they didn't recommend wearing a mask for two main reasons - they did not realize how easily the virus was transmitted by asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people, and #2 there was a large mask shortage initially and they thought it best to not encourage people to buy them because front line workers needed them.

And whoever said riots and protests don't spread the virus? I don't do a ton of reading about those things so maybe I'm missing something.

We all want the same thing, to get back to normal, to have a college football season. Why a person would not do everything in their power to slow down or prevent either of those things is simply beyond my comprehension.

It's not that people came out and said that riots and protests don't spread the virus. But as they say, actions speak louder than words. So you have to understand some people are very frustrated and VERY hurt by the fact that they weren't allowed to go to their daughters funeral.....but people are allowed to gather by the hundreds and thousands in parks right here in Bozeman and it's ok.

Hell, that's why so many people were upset this morning about the mask voting. They were kicking people out, and refused to move the meeting outside, because there was too many people. It was deemed dangerous. But social rights parades last month were just fine. Regardless of where you stand on this issue, I don't see how people don't understand how people would be frustrated by this.

Can you imagine? If you had a child that died a couple months ago, maybe even due to something else besides Covid? And you couldn't even have a proper funeral. But then the next day you here on the radio the Sherriff telling people how to properly assemble downtown and in our parks in huge groups? It's completely backwards. Hence why people make fun of those crap decisions, and say the virus must not be able to spread in protests, but definitely spread at weddings and funerals.

No different than suggesting the virus spreads in bars and restaurants but must not spread in Walmart because no one seems very concerned about those places or the essential workers who have worked every single day for the last 4 months.

[Hawks86]

[Cataholic]

Wow. Totally selfish. Where does this kind of thinking come from? How does anyone come to the conclusion that their body and their decisions only matter to themselves during a pandemic. The virus doesn't have a brain and it isn't vindictive. It won't single out people that aren't taking precautions or decide to stay away from people that are.

Well, we've touched on this lots over the weeks but no one has really answered the question. If you're always wearing your mask, and obviously switching it out often per the CDC, rarely going out unless absolutely necessary, and practicing social distancing shouldn't you be ok? You could go a step farther and just lock back down and never go out and be really safe!

If I dare go into public with out a mask on, and I'm with other people without masks on, isn't it just a bunch of selfish non-mask-wearing jerks putting other non-mask-wearing jerks in serious peril? And if this isn't the case, and even those wearing masks are in serious jeopardy of contracting the virus, doesn't that just show that we shouldn't be forced to wear them because they don't work?

I'm just very confused how people very worried about the virus, who stay home as much as possible, never go into any kind of large group, always have clean masks on, wash hands regularly and always practice social distancing are so concerned about those that may not share those fears?

Like I said before, if we're going to hop on our pedestals and label non-mask people as selfish, couldn't I do the same thing to anyone who decides to go anywhere that will put people in harms way? All those "essential" workers at Walmart and Albertsons or your local essential liquor store that was at constant risk every day while people hoarded vodka and toilet paper? I'm amazed I haven't seen more people go to bat for these minimum wage workers who had no choice but to risk their lives during a pandemic, and for some reason everyone is fine with that. But if you want to open a bar or restaurant and not force people to wear masks you're just selfish.

Look at Italy, Spain, UK, France. They were all in the same (worse) boat that we're in, but they toed the line and now, as of yesterday:
Italy 13 deaths/169 cases
UK 11 deaths/530 cases
France 18 deaths/288 cases
Spain 1 deaths/681 cases
Combined 43 deaths/1,478 cases

US 465 deaths/65,488 cases

Spain - 7 week lockdown, Italy lockdown. Both countries responded poorly early, but are now down to 1 and 13 deaths yesterday.

Germany - https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/ ... ronavirus/

S. Korea - massive testing, contact tracing. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi ... et/611215/

Japan - might've had some luck, but they bow instead of shake hands, high standards of hygiene, have low obesity rates, are accustomed to wearing masks, have universal healthcare, remove shoes. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... oronavirus

You had posted in another thread that NY, NJ and Mass all have made significant strides getting this under control. What do those locations have in common with the Europe locations above? They all experienced a high spike early on with many people getting sick. Is it possible that maybe the situation is leveling off in all of these locations because so many people were infected early and herd immunity is strong?

[91catAlum]

"The Montana coronavirus map isn't loading at the moment, but yesterday there were only 139 or so active cases in Gallatin County. Shutting down the football season over 139 cases seems like an overreach and an overreaction to reasonable people. If I'm in Billings and was never planning to go to a Cats game this year then how does that mean I'm selfish? This whole coronavirus has turned into bird law; it's not governed by reason.

People's reactions are way out of proportion to the actual impact this virus is having. We've been sold Stephen King's The Stand but what has actually unfolded has not been remotely consistent with that."

Yep, but don't forget Montana deaths are spiking big time because two women in their 90's died yesterday. They tested positive for CV19 so I guess it's possible the virus actually contributed to their deaths? Not sure, nobody knows.

As somebody unfortunately no longer from Montana and in the middle of a Covid hotspot. Montana has been lucky in the fact that there is no mass public transportation, no large gatherings (sporting events, concerts, etc.), and just space to spread out. The minute you go and put 25000 people in Missoula and Bozeman for a football game you are asking for trouble. Just giving the virus that cares little about who or what you are a chance to spread. No one really knows the long-term implications of this virus, although there is more and more evidence trickling out about those. Why put yourself and other Montanans at risk? And, if you get sick because you didn't wear a mask or follow guidelines you are putting unnecessary load and risk onto hospital employees.

Let's just do the social distancing thing and stop making this a political game. Care about each other. I for one am sick of being in semi-lockdown and would like this to end at some point.

There's an increasing amount of research coming out that says that (1) wearing a mask not only protects others, but reduces the exposure of the mask wearer to the virus, and (2) that the amount of the virus that gets into a person's body has a significant impact on whether he/she experiences an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19, or experiences a severe or fatal case. The conclusion, the way I see it, is easy to make. If we want to keep the economy open, the virus will continue to spread. But having the majority or all people wearing masks will both decrease the rate of spread, and also make it more likely that those who do contract the virus have mild or asymptomatic cases and don't overburden the health care system by requiring hospitalization. I'm still not sure I'm for mandatory mask orders, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to understand how an intelligent person would still decide not to wear one given the incredibly minor inconvenience it involves and the ever-increasing amount of data in favor of its efficacy.

Politics/reverse psychology is the main reason. The minute scientists started explaining what to do and Liberals agreed, a large portion of the population decided not to do it. Trump not abiding reinforced all of that.

How is anyone supposed to trust a "scientist" who only four months ago said wearing masks is bad and wouldn't help? And who precisely has objected to social distancing? I haven't seen anyone object to that.

How is anyone supposed to trust the people in charge who tell us BLM protests and riots do not spread the virus, but attending weddings and funerals does spread the virus?

It's a novel virus and they keep learning more about it. Initially they didn't recommend wearing a mask for two main reasons - they did not realize how easily the virus was transmitted by asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people, and #2 there was a large mask shortage initially and they thought it best to not encourage people to buy them because front line workers needed them.

And whoever said riots and protests don't spread the virus? I don't do a ton of reading about those things so maybe I'm missing something.

We all want the same thing, to get back to normal, to have a college football season. Why a person would not do everything in their power to slow down or prevent either of those things is simply beyond my comprehension.

Its not "easily" transmitted by asymptomatic people.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/a ... -covid-19/

[iaafan]

"The Montana coronavirus map isn't loading at the moment, but yesterday there were only 139 or so active cases in Gallatin County. Shutting down the football season over 139 cases seems like an overreach and an overreaction to reasonable people. If I'm in Billings and was never planning to go to a Cats game this year then how does that mean I'm selfish? This whole coronavirus has turned into bird law; it's not governed by reason.

People's reactions are way out of proportion to the actual impact this virus is having. We've been sold Stephen King's The Stand but what has actually unfolded has not been remotely consistent with that."

Yep, but don't forget Montana deaths are spiking big time because two women in their 90's died yesterday. They tested positive for CV19 so I guess it's possible the virus actually contributed to their deaths? Not sure, nobody knows.

As somebody unfortunately no longer from Montana and in the middle of a Covid hotspot. Montana has been lucky in the fact that there is no mass public transportation, no large gatherings (sporting events, concerts, etc.), and just space to spread out. The minute you go and put 25000 people in Missoula and Bozeman for a football game you are asking for trouble. Just giving the virus that cares little about who or what you are a chance to spread. No one really knows the long-term implications of this virus, although there is more and more evidence trickling out about those. Why put yourself and other Montanans at risk? And, if you get sick because you didn't wear a mask or follow guidelines you are putting unnecessary load and risk onto hospital employees.

Let's just do the social distancing thing and stop making this a political game. Care about each other. I for one am sick of being in semi-lockdown and would like this to end at some point.

There's an increasing amount of research coming out that says that (1) wearing a mask not only protects others, but reduces the exposure of the mask wearer to the virus, and (2) that the amount of the virus that gets into a person's body has a significant impact on whether he/she experiences an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19, or experiences a severe or fatal case. The conclusion, the way I see it, is easy to make. If we want to keep the economy open, the virus will continue to spread. But having the majority or all people wearing masks will both decrease the rate of spread, and also make it more likely that those who do contract the virus have mild or asymptomatic cases and don't overburden the health care system by requiring hospitalization. I'm still not sure I'm for mandatory mask orders, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to understand how an intelligent person would still decide not to wear one given the incredibly minor inconvenience it involves and the ever-increasing amount of data in favor of its efficacy.

Politics/reverse psychology is the main reason. The minute scientists started explaining what to do and Liberals agreed, a large portion of the population decided not to do it. Trump not abiding reinforced all of that.

How is anyone supposed to trust a "scientist" who only four months ago said wearing masks is bad and wouldn't help? And who precisely has objected to social distancing? I haven't seen anyone object to that.

How is anyone supposed to trust the people in charge who tell us BLM protests and riots do not spread the virus, but attending weddings and funerals does spread the virus?

It's a novel virus and they keep learning more about it. Initially they didn't recommend wearing a mask for two main reasons - they did not realize how easily the virus was transmitted by asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people, and #2 there was a large mask shortage initially and they thought it best to not encourage people to buy them because front line workers needed them.

And whoever said riots and protests don't spread the virus? I don't do a ton of reading about those things so maybe I'm missing something.

We all want the same thing, to get back to normal, to have a college football season. Why a person would not do everything in their power to slow down or prevent either of those things is simply beyond my comprehension.

Its not "easily" transmitted by asymptomatic people.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/a ... -covid-19/

Then a day later...
https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/09/who ... -covid-19/

Like Celtic said, it's a novel virus and they keep learning more about it.

We're at 696 deaths so far today, which is 297 less that last week. On this day last week it was 993, which was 266 more (727) than the week before. Maybe we'll be on the way back down starting today.

[MSU01]

How sterile are these masks? Where is the protective packaging? How many people have put their grimy hands all over these masks without washing their hands after taking a dump?

Have you heard of washing machines? How about sinks, at which one can wash one's hands after touching something that could be dirty.