Officiating Post COVID-19 ???

[ChuckS]

Surprised in number 10 he does not know the purpose of a mask.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

Surprised in number 10 he does not know the purpose of a mask.

I believe that he does. The "inherent risk" is that he may infect others, including some others that may be in a high risk category (like me).

I realize that while it isn't the main purpose of wearing a mask (it's to prevent infecting others), when I venture out of my isolated bomb shelter to hunt and gather food while wearing a mask, I feel that the mask prevents me from touching my face (mouth, nose), so there may be some selfish, small, personal health benefit to me wearing a mask before I head back down to hide in my bomb shelter for another week.

[SC Official]

Interesting how all the virus/social distancing virtue-signaling from the media has ceased in the wake of these protests. It’s almost as though it was, at minimum, overblown from the start. I see no reason why we can’t go back to normal including having basketball this winter. If someone chooses not to officiate, that is their prerogative I fully support.

(And before someone gets mad, I support the peaceful protests. Just think the irony is funny.)

[Kansas Ref]

I look fwd to officiating this summer for youth tournaments and during the regular season for local high schools.
I have seen/heard the electronic handheld whistle during a game last season wherein one of my partners could not blow a regular whistle because of dental jaw bone degradations and irritations he told me. So, he used the ewhistle (see picture in previous post to this thread); however, the sound quality of that ewhistle was poor. It sounded like a faintly elevating "chirrrpp chirrpp". I recall that I had to step in and also blow my normal whistle when the players kept on playing instead of stopping play at the whistle.
Alas, I'm certain we will "figure-it-out" as the situation demands tho.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SC Official

Interesting how all the virus/social distancing virtue-signaling from the media has ceased in the wake of these protests.

What's the more important and urgent story right now? The pandemic, which may have plateaued leading many states to consider careful reopenings (we can finally get haircuts starting today in Connecticut), or to the civil rights protests (and/or riots) which are the worst I've seen since the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968?

While the "original sin" of the 400 year old plight of African Americans is a really big story (and should continue to be, even as the protests and/or riots calm down), so are the 100,000 American deaths caused by an infectious disease, a disease that we were ill prepared to deal with, and where we may have made some mistakes in dealing with it in its early stages.

What's the bigger story? Police precinct stations going up in flames and Target stores being looted, or hundreds of people not wearing masks and not social distancing while relaxing in a swimming pool drinking adult beverages while the commander-in-chief, and many others, enjoy a couple of rounds of golf with no flagsticks, no sand trap rakes, no nineteenth hole appletinis, and pool noodles in the holes?

Also, compare the "reopen" protesters to the civil rights protesters. Not many peaceful, long gun carrying "reopen" protesters wore face masks, while many civil rights protesters (and/or rioters) are wearing face masks, as are most of the media covering the protests.

This pandemic is not over, and may not be over until there is a vaccine. We still have to be aware and be careful, or it may come back, and if it comes back during the next influenza season, especially if it's a particularly bad flu season, we're really going to be in for a really big problem. Hopefully, we may be better prepared deal with a combined "second wave"/bad flu season, we already have our masks, and our hand sanitizer.

Watch the civil rights protests (and/or riots) on television, or participate in the protests (hopefully peacefully), if you want, but keep washing your hands, wear your face mask (to protect others, especially others at high risk, like me), and if anybody gets within six feet of you start a five second count.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Also, compare the "reopen" protesters to the civil rights protesters. Not many peaceful, long gun carrying "reopen" protesters wore face masks, while many civil rights protesters (and/or rioters) are wearing face masks, as are most of the media covering the protests.

Not many of the "reopen" protesters were setting fire to their cities and destroying businesses and their owners' (who had nothing to do with the incident) lives, either.

See, I can cherrypick, too.

Also, if you do your research you can clearly see how the importance of masks (especially porous cloth ones) is overstated and in many cases simply used as a political statement. I went to the doctor this morning and wore a mask because I assumed that was the expectation - not a single soul in the office had a mask on. Touching your mask and putting it back on all day long would seem to defeat the purpose according to common sense.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SC Official

Not many of the "reopen" protesters were setting fire to their cities and destroying businesses ... Also, if you do your research you can clearly see how the importance of masks (especially porous cloth ones) is overstated ... Touching your mask and putting it back on all day long would seem to defeat the purpose according to common sense.

I don't believe that any of them were, which is specifically why I referred to them as "peaceful" and never even considered the possibility that some of them could be considered "rioters". Here in Connecticut, the worst they did was to slow down response times of some fire trucks and ambulances by blocking traffic.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

... Not many peaceful, long gun carrying "reopen" protesters wore face masks ...

Surgical face masks will never stop the inhaling of the virus, especially any fine airborne aerosolized particles, but it will definitely stop the larger droplets from being sprayed several feet when the wearer is talking, singing (Connecticut Catholics are going back to church next week, but no singing), breathing deeply, coughing, or sneezing.

I wear my mask to protect others, especially others that may be at a greater risk than most of the population. I also know how to put my mask on and take my mask off properly (only touching the straps), and to only wear my mask for one day before laundering. I also believe that my mask has the added benefit that it reminds me not to, and makes it more difficult for me to, touch my face (mouth or nose).

I've named my mask Charleen (reference to Full Metal Jacket).

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by SC Official

Interesting how all the virus/social distancing virtue-signaling from the media has ceased in the wake of these protests. It’s almost as though it was, at minimum, overblown from the start. I see no reason why we can’t go back to normal including having basketball this winter. If someone chooses not to officiate, that is their prerogative I fully support.

(And before someone gets mad, I support the peaceful protests. Just think the irony is funny.)

Well, my wife is a medical field worker, nothing has changed in that situation and she works in a major city (where there were mass protests all over the city and suburbs) that I think we will still see influences from this virus based on what is done or not done by youth and pro leagues in the coming weeks. I just had two camps completely canceled that were postponed a few months ago in the last 48 hours. One was originally scheduled for the end of June, the other was from April but looking for a date in July. The school and the shoe company were scrapping their events for I am sure safety reasons and probably a complete lack of commitment from the participants. If schools are still out and kids are not having any school activity now, then it is probably not going to be advantageous for teams to travel to a place that was near the hotbed of a virus outbreak. Also, are travel teams going to take the risk as well?

As a football official, that is what seems to be driving what happens with schools. Right now there is no activity in high school with any sports as there would be basically starting today. So if schools are still in jeopardy of starting, that will influence the fall seasons and then might run into the winter season. So I am not so sure that everything will be back to normal if schools all over the country are not finding a good path to come back in the same form they normally do.

The media covering protests and riots across the country has not changed those facts of what the threat might be. I guess we will see if pro sports even can come back because that is really what started this entire situation in the first place.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

As a football official ...

Here in Connecticut we're starting to think about fall interscholastic sports. While some fall sports may be easy to socially distance (cross country), others like football, with twenty-two players within several yards of each other at the line of scrimmage, may be more difficult to socially distance. One serious suggestion we've heard here in Connecticut is to switch baseball and football seasons. Have baseball, an easy sport for social distancing, this coming fall, and have football in the spring of 2021 when we may have a vaccine.

Football goes with tulips and daffodils? Right?

[SNIPERBBB]

Basketball probably isn't the sport officiate in if you're have a more than average worry about getting sick. We just came off the worst flu season probably since I was in highschool sophomore year and that was 20 years ago. Every other school was being closed because of student absences to flu, won't be surprised if some of those get relabeled covid cases of they get antibody tested.

I'll be out there this winter. Might not be as many grandparents in the stands or calling games though.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by SNIPERBBB

Basketball probably isn't the sport officiate in if you're have a more than average worry about getting sick. We just came off the worst flu season probably since I was in highschool sophomore year and that was 20 years ago. Every other school was being closed because of student absences to flu, won't be surprised if some of those get relabeled covid cases of they get antibody tested.

I'll be out there this winter. Might not be as many grandparents in the stands or calling games though.

As will I.

Can't legislate germs out of sports. Unfortunately some people are hellbent on controlling everyone else's lives.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

... switch baseball and football seasons. Have baseball, an easy sport for social distancing, this coming fall, and have football in the spring of 2021 when we may have a vaccine. Football goes with tulips and daffodils? Right?

We can start a new tradition, Thanksgiving baseball. Big-time rival high schools playing a game of rounders in front of alumni, students, cheerleaders, mascots, teachers, family, and friends, followed by traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinners.

Pass me the gravy and the dressing. Can I have seconds on the mashed potatoes and the turnips? Can't wait for the pumpkin pie for dessert. How about that exciting bases loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh? The home crowd went wild.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

We can start a new tradition, Thanksgiving baseball. Big-time rival high schools playing a game of rounders in front of alumni, students, cheerleaders, mascots, teachers, family, and friends, followed by traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinners.

That'd be an old tradition. Thanksgiving day was the traditional end of the baseball season a century and a half ago. Football was any time they felt like it.

I'm hoping the demonstrations and riots lead to the end of all this people distancing, once everyone realizes they didn't lead to any increase in sickness -- except for the diseases of getting a brick in your head or getting shot by the cops.

The killing in Minneapolis was just the trigger. It's the go-out-of-business-now edicts, and the resulting unemployment and lack of social interaction that people were upset about. Imagine not even being allowed to date for months.

And I'm sure wearing a mask in public isn't an incentive toward illegal acts, right?

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Well, my wife is a medical field worker, nothing has changed in that situation and she works in a major city (where there were mass protests all over the city and suburbs) that I think we will still see influences from this virus based on what is done or not done by youth and pro leagues in the coming weeks. I just had two camps completely canceled that were postponed a few months ago in the last 48 hours. One was originally scheduled for the end of June, the other was from April but looking for a date in July. The school and the shoe company were scrapping their events for I am sure safety reasons and probably a complete lack of commitment from the participants. If schools are still out and kids are not having any school activity now, then it is probably not going to be advantageous for teams to travel to a place that was near the hotbed of a virus outbreak. Also, are travel teams going to take the risk as well?

As a football official, that is what seems to be driving what happens with schools. Right now there is no activity in high school with any sports as there would be basically starting today. So if schools are still in jeopardy of starting, that will influence the fall seasons and then might run into the winter season. So I am not so sure that everything will be back to normal if schools all over the country are not finding a good path to come back in the same form they normally do.

The media covering protests and riots across the country has not changed those facts of what the threat might be. I guess we will see if pro sports even can come back because that is really what started this entire situation in the first place.

Peace

I agree that the protests haven't changed coronavirus facts, it's just interesting that all of a sudden the same media that lectured everyone doesn't seem to be too concerned anymore.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by SC Official

I agree that the protests haven't changed coronavirus facts, it's just interesting that all of a sudden the same media that lectured everyone doesn't seem to be too concerned anymore.

I am like Raymond, I have heard and read and seen things about the virus and the protests and sometimes the stories combined about how we might have a second wave. So we will see what happens. My point is that other things are not changing because of the protests. When we cannot play even summer stuff still because of concerns by organizations and schools, we still are living with the reality of the pandemic. I agree the protests have taken over most of the coverage, but still see people talking about the virus and the affects of things opening. Also many states have opened and many business have opened with conditions. So it is still a wait and see position.

Peace