When you coming back?
 

This is not specific to basketball, but any information would be nice. Who is coming back or when to play any sport? What is your state's policy for high school sports? What is the timeline for non-scholastic organizational events like AAU, Travel, or any other youth sports for coming back?

Just hearing different things and hearing about different things going on around the country. Again this can apply to any sport that is out there, not just basketball. If your children are playing softball or baseball, when are they coming back or are they already back?

Peace

Take Me Out To The Ball Game ...
 

Some outdoor non-school sports will return to Connecticut next week.

AAU, "travel", or "American Legion" type baseball and softball games will have many safety guidelines: use own equipment, only a couple of players in the dugout at the same time, umpire behind the pitcher, no spitting, no after game handshakes, no high fives, masks for base coaches and some umpires, no throwing around the horn, limited fans, etc.

Texas: UIL has opened up this week for schools to begin summer conditioning (regulated under normal circumstances) with some strict conditions. I assume the private school associations have done something similar. It is up to the school district to open or not and/or set their own policies. My guess is that most districts will go ahead and open under the state imposed restrictions but some parents may restrict their kids from coming on campus.

For the last several weeks, I've put the Texas football season and fall sports in general at 50/50, but I'm coming off that. I think its going to go full tilt, with crowds as we will see in the next few days that the various "gatherings" (call them what you want) in major cities over the last 2 weeks have not sent up a spike in cases. If I end up being wrong about that and there is a spike, then all bets are off and I can assure you that virtually no state will have school or other organized sports anytime soon -- probably until next spring at the earliest.

I don't know about youth leagues specifically except what I've heard. Some baseball and probably softball leagues, because they're outdoor, have begun practicing according to second and third hand info I've gotten. Every indoor activity I've heard of, including basketball camps, have been cancelled.

I can foresee football happening in outdoor venues only and volleyball not happening this fall. I can also foresee school districts not fielding teams because parents don't want their kids playing and they don't have enough. I did fear private school enrollment would drop but after a discussion yesterday with a source at a large private school, I don't necessarily think that will happen.

Looks like fall for Ohio high school sports. Open gyms and conditioning have started for basketball and football. Golf teams are practicing. I think they've waved the coach instruction days for golf not sure about the others. I've only talked to a golf coach.

I think Iowa was going to have highschool baseball/softball?

All outdoor playing fields in Nevada are still closed under the Governor’s multi-phase reopening plan. That means that there are currently no youth sports occurring. Curiously, casino gaming was permitted to open for business this past Friday. Money is clearly a factor in the reopening process.

All Memorial Day AAU basketball events were canceled. I’ve heard that the local school district plans to open its facilities in August for HS students to play Fall leagues in preparation for the coming school year. That is contingent upon what the State allows. Have to wait and see.

Travel baseball is pretty much back. Registration for rec baseball/softball is opening up now. Very little, if any guidance from the state (Michigan) on how to behave beyond "maintain social distancing". A lot of teams went to Ohio to play in tournaments because they opened before us. Ohio had "recommendations" and a sport specific plan, but none of the items were requirements. My son has a baseball scrimmage tomorrow and I fully expect the coaches to pretend things are just normal, which may cause me to lose my mind.

As for HS sports, it really comes down to our state's view of things when late August rolls around. Our officiating crew has been assigned football games through the fall, and HS conditioning is opening up now. My personal view is if we don't see a major spike in cases and/or deaths by the middle of August, I think things are a go for fall football and other sports. They've discussed swapping baseball and football seasons, but I don't see things being any better after a winter of being indoors here in the north. Just my 2 cents.

In the DC Metro area:

I've gotten NCAA soccer games, although one JUCO (and the closest one at that) said they'd shut down all NJCAA activities for 2020-2021. My local travel soccer league plans to have a fall season.

VHSL just had a press release which said they are planning to follow state guidelines about reopening, then share those guidelines with schools. AKA, it's in the air.

Nothing from my NCAA basketball assignor.

EDIT: But my NCAA soccer guys did say they are planning to release schedules for DII-DIII schools in the Northeast over the next 45 days. That was about 7 days ago.

There were a report they were going back to play like last June 15 for the earliest contest. They have been in practice since June 1. I have not heard of anything that suggests this is not going to take place at this time.

Peace

Youth hoops leagues start up on...
 

June 15 here in Kansas the youth recreational leagues and tournaments are scheduled to start. From the Managers I received an email regarding ''Covid-19 safety precautions for youth basketball":
1. For the Players--no one with a fever temp can enter game, only one practice ball per team, only fans allowed in the gym are parents/guardians or whomever drives them to the game site, for teams that play next--they cannot be in the gym on the sidelines like before--must be outside in hallway or someplace, no water bottles brought in from outside--only can use the ones dispensed at the game site.
2. For the Refs: use latex gloves required, face mask recommended (so I need to find a good quality vented good airflow type face mask instead of this Blue surgical mask now), and we are instructed to call games tightly to set a tone in order to curb the "extra" contact.
Collectively, these efforts (albeit not perfect) will mitigate the spread.

It's impossible to find latex gloves around here.

Try Beauty/Barber supply houses.

I've got some sources in China for $0.025/pair if you need 250,000 pairs!!

How are going to blow a whistle with a facemask on?

Better luck going to hardware/home improvement stores.

Fox is making electronic whistles you can use. I won't be using one. A high energy game in a packed gym with any humidity at all and it's hard to breathe for a healthy, non asthmatic without a mask. If you wear a mask that actually does anything, you'll see guys passing out or getting dizzy.

for clarity...
 

*The email from Management stated that there is NO requirement to wear a Face mask, just a recommendation. I won't be wearing a face mask; however, the latex gloves (a pair will be provided at the table) were stated as "mandatory for use" in officiating their games.

The gloves won’t really serve any purpose after touching the ball and your whistle a few times.

Unless they remind you not to touch your face.

One hand touches the ball only and the other one touches the whistle? Hand sanitizer timeouts under 6 and 2 minutes? We can really get rediculous if we wanted.

doing the best we can...
 

I agree with all the remarks regarding the "questionable" efficacy of using these latex gloves; however, it is the directive from Management thus it is definite that non-compliance will result in your removal from reffing their games. Remember, that Management also has Stake-holders (e.g., parents, trustees of the youth council, and others) who are "looking" at what efforts they are making to reduce the spread. So, Management also must answer to a "higher power" per se. I have no problem wearing such gloves---easy peezi!
I pray that you'all will be likewise mindful. :cool:

I'd get the heavy nitrile gloves if I had to wear gloves. Latex is too flimsy. I get big cases every year for skinning critters.

How about just having a whistle in your mouth white wearing a mask? I ran around my yard to test it and it works fine, just looked geeky, although I look geeky without the mask. The whistle pushes the mask forward a bit, making it easy to breath, even when jogging.

And when you need to report or otherwise speak? Then what?

Is That A Bottle Of Hand Sanitizer In Your Pocket ...
 

... or are you just happy to see me?

I've been wearing my surgical mask in the presence of my adult children and grandchildren and they have no problem understanding me, nor do I have any problem being understood while masked when I venture out of my bomb shelter to hunt and gather food once a week.

It would certainly be less than ideal to officiate a basketball game while masked, but it can be done. I'd prefer not to, but I will if it helps to keep the players, coaches, table crew, and my partner safe.

We have a veteran official on our local board who is deaf and doesn't speak. I've worked with him a dozen times and he has no major problems with communication, game management, etc. Pregame is tough, but once we get onto the court he's a great official, a good partner, and is well respected by coaches and players.

Masks. Electronic whistles. Gloves. Bottles of hand sanitizer in our pockets. I hope that it doesn't come to that. Hopefully we'll be in better shape when school starts in September.

On the other hand, if things get worse, we may have bigger things, more important things, to worry about than how we'll officiate kid's games, like the delicate balancing act of preserving both our health and our economy (I'm lucky, I'm retired).

Luckily I only officiate basketball. I'll leave it up my fall sports official friends to work out any safety protocol bugs before I start officiating in late November.

Fortunately, I don't count on basketball officiating for the income, so sitting out a season, by state decision, or by my own personal health decision, won't have a major effect on my wallet.

My daughter is expecting in a few weeks, so I have made a personal health decision not to got to church (reopened with restrictions last week) and not to go the gym (reopened with restrictions yesterday) until after I see my new grandson.

Even then, I will still wear my surgical mask and maintain social distancing, better safe than sorry.

The point wasn't about the mask being a problem with intelligibility but you still have a whistle. Where does the whistle go while you're trying to talk? Still inside the mask? That is going to be annoying. How to you put the whistle back in your mouth? Pull the mask aside, touch it, then touch everything else, pretty much defeating the purpose of the mask.

In my area, there is a hearing-impaired person who both coaches and officiates basketball. This person relies on lip-reading to know what people say. How do officials that are required to wear masks communicate with hearing-impaired coaches or partners? :confused:

Right before COVID-19 broke out, I got hand sanitizer more to be safe during flu season than anything else. Little did I know it was about to become a hot commodity and that I might need it outside of flu season.

Batteries Included ???
 

I can sound my whistle through the surgical mask (washable cloth) with the whistle on the outside of the mask (which is how I pictured bucky's post). Still far from ideal, but possible. Probably need a new mask each quarter as it gets wetter and wetter.

Then of course there's always those electronic whistles.

The "plague" will either be winding down, maybe with the help of an MRNA vaccine, or a therapeutic drug (maybe dexamethasonen), in which case we won't have to worry about masks, or it may come back with a vengeance where schools may not be in session, and of course, no games.

The gray area in between is where we may have to get creative with masks, electronic whistles, gloves, hand sanitizer, antiseptic wipes, etc.

The schools, or the state, will tell us what we need to do, we can do it, or chose not to work games, as groups (boards, associations, etc.), or as individuals based on our own health and our personal acceptable level of risk or responsibility.

If there are COVID-19 games, and if we chose to officiate, no safety protocol will be 100% perfect, there will probably always be some degree of compromise, compromising the health of the participants, or compromising the quality of our officiating.

https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.2...=0&w=233&h=195

Where There's A Will ...
 

One can grab the whistle through the mask, remove it from the mouth and speak if necessary. Speaking will be an issue for everybody, presuming all are wearing masks. Imagine all the things you would not understand from a coach who is wearing a mask. It is simply the nature of the situation. Same with lip-readers. The nature of radio makes it impossible for lip readers and it would be the same here. There will always be some that are physically impaired. Can't cater to everyone although we do the best we can. If the masks were worn, imagine how big body language would become, lol. The electronic whistles could work but they do sound different and there would be a learning curve as far as delays, inadvertent whistles, looking different, etc.

I've tried 3 of the electronic whistles. They may sound a little different but the ones I got were really close to a Fox 40. In fact, 2 of them were made by Fox 40
. They were just slightly quieter (as measured by my ears AND a sound meter).

They sound instantly when pressing the button, so there isn't any delay to speak of. In fact, they may have a bit better timing than air since, if you were exhaling at the point you needed a whistle, you have to breath in first before you can blow (much).

Also, the sound can be held at full volume while pressing the button. With air, the attack is sharp and loud but it is difficult to maintain peak volume and the level quickly falls below electronic whistle's level after a brief time....but usually longer than we normally need. It may be that the advantage of the standard whistle is the strong attack.

As for being able to grab the whistle through the mask, that means you'll be touching your mask countless times through the game. That, touching the mask, particularly over and over, is one of things that defeats the purpose of wearing one.

I was referring to the delay of the official deciding to press the button. Some might be quick and do it well after a short term of practice/adjustment/refinement. The other 80%, many on the older side, could easily struggle. I can see where many would opt out of a hand-held whistle simply because they are "set in their ways" and are resistant to change. You ever try to critique and older official? it rarely works. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

I would not envision touching the mask "..countless times.." Additionally, one could easily put a new on one every quarter. The masks protect others from the wearer. I would not be surprised, although it is not perfect, if all players/coaches/officials were required to be tested. It is getting easier and more efficient every day. If there are 30 players, maybe 4 coaches, and 3 officials who were tested/cleared, touching the ball/masks, etc. would not be a concern of mine. The ball could easily be sanitized/wiped, masks changed, etc. and again, I would not be too concerned. Maybe I am too optimistic.

We're All In This Together ...
 

Something that many can't seem to comprehend.

After having my appointment postponed once due to COVID-19, I had my six month checkup a few days ago (I'm a cardiac patient). My doctor told me that if all of those who were medically able, and of appropriate age, would simply wear a surgical mask all the time (or at least while indoors) when out in public (outside the family home) we would be a lot healthier and be able to fully restart our economy.

For many reasons, some simply can't wear a mask. But for many others, while they can wear a mask, they simply don't want to wear a mask, and refuse to wear a mask, putting the health and economy of the country at great risk, all because of their Constitutional right to have the freedom not to do what others (government leaders, medical experts) advise (or mandate) them to do.

General Welfare. The concern of the government for the health, peace, morality, and safety of its citizens. Providing for the welfare of the general public is a basic goal of government. The preamble to the U.S. Constitution cites promotion of the general welfare as a primary reason for the creation of the Constitution.

I wear a mask when I venture out of my bomb shelter once a week to hunt and gather food. I don't view it as a political statement but rather as a patriotic statement and as a religious statement.

Love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:31)

MRNA vaccines, hydroxychloroquine, dexamethasone, N-95 masks, ventilators, differentiating essential and nonessential workers, restricting international and interstate travel, opening or closing schools, arguing over proper names for the virus and the disease, differentiating essential and nonessential activities, testing, contact tracing, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, washing hands, debates over state governors taking over too much power, developing herd immunity, temperature checks, sneeze guards, pointing fingers at who caused this, etc., are all part of the equation, and may deserve a seat at the table, but a good start to digging ourselves out of this gigantic "plague" hole is just to wear a damn surgical mask when out in public indoors, maybe even outdoors in a crowd (concert, athletic event, etc.).

It's a cheap fix. It's an easy fix. It's common sense. It's science. We don't need anybody mandate that we must do this, let's just do it. Why not? What can go wrong? What's the downside? We all look foolish for several months?

Yeah, maybe years from now, historians will look back at this and say, "Look at those old photos of people wearing all those silly, stupid looking masks, making them all look weak and defenseless, acting like lemmings in the face of so-called experts, not knowing, as we now know today, that the virus would just simply go away all by itself in the July heat". If I'm still alive, I would be pleased to look at those old photos and laugh at myself. I might even roll around on the floor laughing my ass off.

https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.L...=0&w=295&h=173

And Another Thing ...
 

For those who can, but refuse to wear a mask, and say that those who are at risk should stay home and shelter in place, many don't have that luxury. Maybe they're considered essential workers and have to work, or maybe they have to work to pay their bills, and are front-line workers that can't work from home. And remember, those at risk workers wearing a mask doesn't do much to protect them, mask wearers do so to protect others, not themselves.

Spike
 

Now the % of C-19 Texas seems to be younger age groups and here comes the resurgent with our governor closing bars “curbside” only and 50% restaurant capacity gathering to NO more than 10 and local waterholes being SHUT down this isn’t a GOOD sign for anything positive and this smack Summer heat going on!!and the viruses kicking @$$ and taking names strong Honestly 90-110 days away from fall weather and the future of HS sports in my opinion should factor into this with safety and health being priority...I officiate because of the desire and love I have for each individual sport, but that doesn’t or won’t keep me safe or healthy from C-19 so with the new normal each state should rethink if kids and sports and US should take a break to control virus . Do we know truly enough about it and actually facts seriously doubt it . to many factors walking into a gym that was packed with students during schools hours and door handles officials changing rooms paperwork to fill out the athletes that will play seems a tad daunting....ha the new normal.....

Almost Brought A Tear To My Eye ...
 

As I ventured out of my bomb shelter to hunt and gather food a few days ago, I spotted a young man wearing a baseball uniform with grass stains on the knees. Maybe, at least here in Connecticut, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel.

We've had travel baseball/softball going for about 2-3 weeks here in Michigan. Even before then, some teams ventured down to Ohio before that because Ohio was open before we were. Baseball is nice because the risk seems to be pretty low for transmission. I can't say people are socially distancing that well, but at least the kids are getting out to play.

Yesterday, our governor suggested to the MHSAA to swap football to the spring and other, less physical sports back to the fall. It sounds like it is the MHSAA's call on what to play when, unless we slide back to a point where we close down schools again, where no sports would happen. We'll see what happens since our cases have been creeping up a bit over the last week or two.

I listened to the Fox 40 and the Windsor electronic whistles on u tube. I actually thought the Windsor sounded more like our fox 40 air whistles. At this stage in Illinois air/blow whistles are not permitted. Might be a good idea to grab one in near future...

I just wonder how many of these will sneak into the stands this winter...

Of greater concern, at least for many on the training level, should be how to teach officials the discipline of a patient whistle with these things, if they really are going to be used. Waiting for the first game to work out the kinks with what I predict will be a the scourge of wide-spread, immediate, impulsive playcalling, that'll be too late. Given that this is totally new territory, this is admittedly a totally unexplored area of concern. One or some of us really ought to dedicate some study to whether this concern is actually valid and come up with training strategies to counter what I fear will be a latent problem waiting in the wings. After years of teaching "patient whistle" with an actual whistle, I'm just not sure I've got it in me to initiate the study and strategies myself.

Easy, watch videos, and give presentations that address that very thing. Do you need only the court to do things like that in the first place? I will say this, I do not know that I ever got officials on a court to teach them something like that unless I was observing them. Officials are going to have to put in the work and do things to learn how to officiate as many veterans are taking the time to get better without an actual court. Never taught anyone only with an actual whistle for how to have a patient whistle, I just show them plays and situations where you can wait for the play to develop. It is more of a mental thing anyway I would think than a physical thing. If you do not know why you are calling something, I can show you something and it will not resonate.

Peace

According to studies, masks are PRIMARILY (or I guess more is a better way to put it) effective in preventing those who have the disease from spreading it than they are in keeping those who don't have it from getting it. People who have been around a lot of people and in close contact or have tested positive should wear masks but those of us who aren't positive and aren't symptomatic are mostly wasting our time because other studies have shown that asymptomatic spread is largely a myth. MILD symptom spread happens, so if you have ANYTHING that COULD be related to Covid, you should definitely put a mask on if you go out in public, but I'm really not a big fan of the government telling me what I have to do after wrecking my business due to effectively closing a bunch of my clients' businesses. Sort of leaves a bad taste in my mouth if you get my drift.

Besides, if social distancing (which I practice religiously when I'm out, and my wife has seemed to practice our entire 2 and a half decades of marriage) works, why do we need the masks? If masks work, why do we need to social distance? When the whole thing started, the idea was to flatten the curve by slowing the rate of the spread of the disease so hospitals wouldn't be overrun; it WAS NOT to ELIMINATE the possibility of everyone getting sick. While I'm all for that if possible, I'm more for people not losing their livelihood. 30-80K die every year due to the normal flu. According to the CDC, as of this post, we've had approx. 130K deaths due to C19, and theres credible evidence that this number could be exaggerated. Even if it doubles this year (doubtful), we're looking at 3x the rate of our worst flu death rate. That's terrible, but the late '60s Hong Kong flu killed as many as 100K, and that was with a much lower US population (61 percent). Not the same, but not too far off. We've dealt with this before.

Your doc's assertion about starting the economy with masks is just wrong. Many states, including California, have mask requirements yet still don't allow some businesses to operate. Its funny that if you read the CA mask requirements and exemptions and then ask yourself, do all these individuals who are exempt just magically not have C19 or are somehow not able to either transmit the disease (or get sick)? Or, are the reasons for exemption more important than the requirement to begin with? Well, if they are more important, why isn't your's or my reasons for not wearing one important? At some point you have to ask: is this REALLY about health?

The answer, in my opinion, is no. You may disagree, of course, but I think the evidence is very clear.

If you or someone you live with has a condition that puts you at risk, stay home or mask up by all means. Take all the precautions necessary. Hell, call me if I'm around and I'll do whatever I can to help. But don't tell me how to live my life. I'm pretty healthy; I've had the flu once, maybe twice in my life and that's with minimal flu shots; I get a cold, if that, 2-3 times a decade and a sinus infection a couple of more times. I'm sorry; I'm not giving you the middle finger at all. I'm simply disgusted that a certain segment of society doesn't seem to flinch when power hungry politicians say the following:

-- liquor stores are essential and churches (among other places) aren't
-- alcoholics, etc., must be able to buy alcohol in liquor stores even though in places where there are liquor stores they can still buy beer/wine in grocery stores and convenience stores (liquor usually has higher taxes)
-- getting close to people at Walmart or the grocery store is fine and has little impact on disease spread but that's not true at restaurants
-- protesting or rioting over whatever issue is fine but attending a church service or political rally puts lives at risk
-- your health can be based solely on your political views according to some so-called doctors and health "professionals"

Yeah and Texas opened everything and you have had some of the highest numbers of cases in recent history.

Not sure what the point is. Because no one is telling anyone what to do to live. But if you want to play sports at this point, you better do something that is better or they will shut down things like high school sports because you do not want people to tell you, "How to live."

Peace

Masks ...
 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the British Medical Journal Thorax (British Thoracic Society), and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), all say otherwise.

Check this out from the CNN website:

Earlier in this pandemic, scientists didn’t know how easily this new virus spreads between people without symptoms, nor did they know how long infectious particles could linger in the air. There was also a shortage of N95 respirators and face masks among health care workers who were quickly overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients.

But since then, the CDC, the US Surgeon General and other doctors have changed their recommendations and are now urging the widespread use of face masks.

The CDC now says the public needs to “cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.”

“Everyone should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities,” the CDC said.

Scientists have made many recent discoveries about this new coronavirus, including:

It’s easy to spread this virus by just talking or breathing.

This coronavirus is highly contagious. Without mitigation efforts like stay-at-home orders, each person with coronavirus infects, on average, another two to three other people. That makes it twice as contagious as the flu.

This virus has a long incubation period – up to 14 days – giving a wide window of opportunity for people to infect others before they even know they’re infected.

Carriers may be most contagious in the 48 hours before they get symptoms, making transmission even more blind.

In other words, it’s not just people who are sneezing and coughing who can spread coronavirus. It’s often people who look completely normal and don’t have a fever.

If 95% of Americans wore face masks in public, it would save more than 33,000 lives by October 1, according to projections from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

And check this out:

Journal of the American Medical Association
May 27, 2020
Comparison Of Clinical Characteristics Of Patients With Asymptomatic Vs Symptomatic Coronavirus Disease 2019 In Wuhan, China

... For the study, the researchers from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in China, where the virus was first identified, analyzed data from 78 cases of confirmed COVID-19. The cases were linked with 26 people exposed to the Hunan seafood market -- where the outbreak is believed to have originated -- or close contact with others who had been infected ...

... Although patients who were asymptomatic experienced less harm to themselves, they may have been unaware of their disease and therefore not isolated themselves or sought treatment, or they may have been overlooked by health care workers and thus unknowingly transmitted the virus to others ...

... Asymptomatic patients also shed virus, were contagious, for eight days, compared to 19 days in patients with outward symptoms, they said ...

... Although patients with milder, asymptomatic COVID-19 … may suffer less damage to their immune systems, they may still be contagious, but for less time than those with more serious illness, the authors concluded ...

... Therefore, identifying and isolating patients with asymptomatic COVID-19 as early as possible is critical to control the transmission of COVID-19 ...

Who Wants To Hear About My Colonoscopy ???
 

Here in Connecticut we wear masks when we can't socially distance. I can easily socially distance when talking to neighbors outside (we can easily chat while ten feet apart), or when paddling with my kayak group, so I don't wear my mask. But it's difficult to socially distance when at the grocery store, so I wear my mask.

I'm not a hermit, but I still haven't gone back to the gym, or to church. These are not necessary activities for me, they're indoors, they might carry some inherent risk, and there are safer alternatives. Instead of the gym, I can walk, ride my bike, or paddle my kayak (all without a mask). Instead of going to church, I can view my local mass on the internet, and pray at home.

Over the past week, I've taken two COVID-19 tests (one regular, one rapid). Both came back negative (or, as President Trump said, "I tested positively toward negative”). But that was just a snapshot in time. I will still wear my mask to protect others, at the grocery store because it's a private business and they can make their own rules to protect their employees (and other customers), and when I visit my adult children and grandchildren (including a newborn grandson) because I care about them.

Why did I have to take the rapid test (the one where they probe for the virus way up your nose into your brain)? Because the regular test was held up because the labs have been told to prioritize test results from Florida and Texas.

Thanks Texas. Because of you cowboys, I almost didn't have my colonoscopy procedure after doing all that horrible colon cleansing prep routine.

By the way, the probe way up my nose into my brain was more painful than the probe up my (it was a colonoscopy). Of course I was fast asleep for the later, and got some nice photos for my Christmas cards.

This Is Not Your Father's Oldsmobile ...
 

Have we dealt with pandemics before? Yes.

Have we dealt with this virus and disease before? No we haven't.

It called the "novel" coronavirus because it's causing a brand new human disease (there are lots of coronaviruses). The disease is called COVID-19 because it was first discovered in humans in 2019.

It's not influenza. This is not your father's "grip".

https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.o...=0&w=300&h=300

Yes, our government leaders and medical leaders have the delicate balancing act of protecting both our health and our economy, but wearing a mask can be beneficial for our health and it won't hinder or delay the reopening of our economy.

You REALLY don't want me to say what I'm thinking.

For one, that's your hospital/doc's overreaction. Second, the numbers in Texas and Florida, according to the CDC, are in large part due to Northern coming down here over Memorial Day week. Source: https://thehill.com/changing-america...ting-the-south

Keep your smart ass and uneducated comments to yourself.

Bullshit. The only actual "STUDY" you posted is laughable, considering it counted 78 cases. WHO has said virtually exactly what I wrote: asymptomatic spread is LARGELY a myth.

"Available evidence from contact tracing reported by countries suggests that asymptomatically infected individuals are much less likely to transmit the virus than those who develop symptoms."
WHO EMRO | Transmission of COVID-19 by asymptomatic cases | COVID-19 | Health topics

Give in to fear all you want.

I would encourage a little research before making assertions that aren't accurate, or at least incomplete or misleading.

First, Texas never really closed. That's a myth. Texas schools, restaurants (dine in), hair salons, and a few other similar places were closed in March by the Gov. but everything else was on a county by county basis. The LARGER counties did, for the most part, close dining in restaurants but frankly, little else. Walmart, Home Depot, etc. was still open and there was never any mask requirement. Hell, I was of the first persons that I saw actually wear a mask in Home Depot some time in late March only because there are a ton of people in there. The important thing to keep in mind here is that the vast majority of the state outside of the metro areas, with the exception of schools, barbers, and restaurants, behaved almost exactly as they did in January, February, and last year. Admittedly that's not tens of millions of people, but it isn't a small number either. Think Lubbock, Amarillo, Temple/Belton, San Angelo, Abilene, Tyler, Sherman/Denison, etc. At least half a million in population there. Maybe more, and that's just off the top of my head right now. To this day, almost all these areas have minimal numbers. Populated areas like Collin County, north of Dallas (cities of Plano, Frisco, McKinney), did not have any local restrictions in March and April and have not had elevated rates of infection, even today.

Second, Texas "opened" all but the schools in early May. Schools, of course, were closed, but there was still no firm mask requirement -- at least not state wide -- it was county by county. We went most of or all of May without any real spike in cases. On May 1, Texas had 29K cases; on May 31, it was 64K. Yes, that's doubled, but it is FAR less than the rate of growth in April where it went up 7 and a half fold!

Third, the case numbers didn't spike until the middle of June, well after "opening" (to the extent there was one) would have affected anything was done. Other factors, which I won't get into, have been looked into but can't be proven. But this disease doesn't have a 5 or 6 week incubation period. Based on when the spike started to occur, it appears the transmissions started accelerating around the very end of May until the first of June. You figure that out for yourself, but I ask you to use facts, data, and logic and not to blindly believe everything you hear in the media. Look at the actual numbers, not the rhetoric spouted off.

Fourth, the Texas numbers, even today, aren't THAT bad. Out of 2.9 million total tests, there are ONLY 282K total cases (less than half are active), and only 3432 deaths. Don't misunderstand: ONE death is tragic and 3432 is horrific. But New York had AT LEAST 18700 CONFIRMED deaths. That was with ONE MILLION FEWER people tested! So, other than deaths, we don't really even know what the New York REAL numbers are or would be.

Finally, there were at least 7 states that never "closed" by any definition. The numbers there (Arkansas, Utah, the Dakotas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming) never seemed to spike. Not exactly huge population centers, but Salt Lake, Little Rock, and Lincoln aren't holes in the ground and these people go other places (heck, they have to!).

So no, they aren't the "highest" numbers because New York death numbers blow Texas' away, and due to testing, we don't know what the real NY numbers are. Testing procedures are better now than they were in May; MUCH better than they were in March. There are a lot of rumors out there about tests and positives, but I won't get into that. Taking all these numbers at face value is more than sufficient for my point: "opening" up (however you want to define it) had NOTHING to do with the spike of cases, to the extent there is one.

Data source for Texas: https://txdshs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/...01e8b9cafc8b83

Data source for NY: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data.page

Presymptomatic ...
 

"Much less likely"? Sure I can go along with that. I would much rather be sitting on a bus next to someone who is completely asymptomatic (but who unknowingly has the virus) than to sit next to someone on a bus who is feverish and coughing (who has the virus).

But there are other scenarios, like if my bus mates wore masks. Even then, I would still prefer to sit next to the asymptomatic bus mate.

Here's more context:

A subset of studies and data shared by some countries on detailed cluster investigations and contact tracing activities have reported that asymptomatically-infected individuals are much less likely to transmit the virus than those who develop symptoms. Comprehensive studies on transmission from asymptomatic patients are difficult to conduct, as they require testing of large population cohorts and more data are needed to better understand and quantified the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2. WHO is working with countries around the world, and global researchers, to gain better evidence-based understanding of the disease as a whole, including the role of asymptomatic patients in the transmission of the virus.

Also, the WHO data provided is a little bit dated (June 11, 2020) and was highly ridiculed by doctors, researchers, and other medical professionals. I believe that they have since come out a little stronger for asymptomatic and/or presymptomatic transmission.

With either asymptomatic or presymptomatic individuals, they both don't know that they have the disease, making transmission more likely if they don't socially distance, wear masks, and/or quarantine.

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/2020...c-covid-spread

While experts agree that people can pass COVID-19 without ever having symptoms ...

With the exceptions of those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Asthma, toddlers, and some others, what's the downside to simply wearing a mask?

Out-Of-The-Box Thinking ...
 

From the NFHS:

... And these decisions must be made differently than the major conferences of the NCAA, or the NBA with its bubble concept or club sports that exist outside the school setting. High school sports are first and foremost education-based programs and complete the academic work during the school day; they do not exist in a vacuum as a training ground for future levels of sport.

Out-of-the-box thinking to provide sports opportunities for as many students as possible perhaps was best exhibited earlier this week by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). Due to increasing cases of the virus statewide and the cancellation of in-person classes in the Los Angeles and San Diego school districts for the remainder of the calendar year, the CIF pushed back the start of sports until December.

In order to offer all of its previously planned sports, the CIF is moving from three seasons to two, with typical winter and spring sports played during the same time period. While that small percentage of parents who only have their own interests in mind responded with comments such as “Two seasons – so now they have to pick a sport, this is terrible,’’ the majority were supportive, such as this high school coach: “The guys that are truly committed and take the right mindset will turn this into a positive.”

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) was the first state association to turn the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic into a positive. Although there have been bumps along the way, most schools in Iowa have been able to conduct their normal summer baseball seasons, and the IHSAA state tournament is due to be completed in early August.

By following strict safety protocols, which sometimes included teams discontinuing their seasons if anyone tested positive for the virus, the IHSAA was able to persevere and became the first state to allow students to engage in activities since the shutdown in March. While it wasn’t exactly the same, and students, coaches and parents had to embrace change, the chance to participate made all the obstacles bearable.

In some states, the current levels of positive cases may push back the start of schools and sports, but there is a general belief that the “games will go on.” Whether the schedules have to be adjusted by a few weeks or a few months, state associations remain committed to offering as many activities as possible during the 2020-21 school year.

However, it will take a resolve on the part of everyone to keep going and keep trying. Where guidelines call for masks to be worn and social distancing to be followed, everyone must be working together.

We know that when circumstances change, we must embrace change ...

... We must keep the faith that high school sports and activities remain a part of students’ lives this year – in whatever new and creative ways surface in each state.