Glad to hear more and more people are ditching the masks. I only wear one when I'm at a customer's site and can't get around not wearing it.
Now to get rid of all the plexiglass that remains in restaurants, stores, etc.
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COVID-19 detected in United States
- Thread starter WesL
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Glad to hear more and more people are ditching the masks. I only wear one when I'm at a customer's site and can't get around not wearing it.
Now to get rid of all the plexiglass that remains in restaurants, stores, etc.
UNA has basically dropped all Covid protocols inluding masks for fully vaccinated students, staff, faculty.
He just had his first shot the other day, and he only got it because he was exposed.
I hate it for Jon Rahm. Unless he had a total meltdown he was poised to win the Memorial and the winners share is $1.7M. I wonder if he had been vaccinated?
I think this is stupid. You can get results in 15 minutes, yet they let him play in the entire round before doing anything. Not to mention, this is one sport where it'd be easy to distance and he's obviously asymptomatic. Just dumb that they pulled him for the tournament.
I hate it for Jon Rahm. Unless he had a total meltdown he was poised to win the Memorial and the winners share is $1.7M. I wonder if he had been vaccinated?
Absolutely absurd that he isn't allowed to finish the tournament tomorrow, even if they forced him to play by himself.
Yeah it was an absurd decision. At worst let him play alone, if you do anything at all.
I agree... he should be allowed to play alone and can safely distance himself from others... even his caddy if his caddy has not been vaccinated. It's time to rethink the PGA Covid protocol and modify it.
Evan
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Although I agree with you and with ghost that the PGA needs to update their protocol -- let's remember this is golf -- pedantic rules causing unfair/absurd outcomes are part of the game. If the PGA made an exception to their rules and protocols for Rahm it'd be no different than if they'd waived the "all sandy areas are bunkers" local rule that cost DJ a major at Whistling Straights.
I feel absolutely wretched for Rahm. But if he'd have been vaccinated he wouldn't be facing this issue. He waited until he was exposed to a positive COVID case to be vaccinated. He knew what the PGA rules were and obviously did a risk/reward analysis and determined he was going to go without the vaccine until some point in the future.
This isn't some Karen calling in because a ball moved a millimeter or someone accidentally improved their lie with a distracted practice swing. The rules were crystal clear. If Rahm didn't want to run the risk of COVID derailing a tourney he could've been vaccinated months ago.
As a golf fan, it absolutely sucks to not see Rahm out there today with that 6 stroke lead -- especially since he was the defending champion anyway. There will always be an asterisk next to the eventual winner's name in my mind (unless they shoot a 60 or something). However, I don't see how the PGA could allow Rahm to play even in an isolated fashion. Potential liability of fans being exposed to COVID means that's a hard no for any sports organization. That's what this is all about. Fans are back, and you have to protect them and your employees from exposure to COVID lest you attract huge amounts of litigation. That's why all these absurd protocols exist. It's to reduce/eliminate liability.
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we're just days past the 20th anniversary of the Casey Martin ruling, which changed a fundamental part of the game just for him so he could compete in tournaments. I think they could have accommodated Rahm for one day.
On another note, it's a good sign that other respiratory viruses have returned in full force this summer. It likely signals the end of the pandemic in the US (this is of course operating under the assumption that viral interference is why RSV, flu, other Coronaviruses, etc. went away for as long as they did). This doesn't mean that COVID is going away, but it won't just blow through like wildfire anymore either.
Here's the graphic showing the trends of respiratory virus detection across the US
Here's the graphic showing the trends of respiratory virus detection across the US
Evan
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Doesn't work like that, Mike. Rahm's situation isn't one that falls under the ADA. Martin was given a reasonable accommodation because that's what the law calls for. That's not my opinion it's what SCOTUS said. Rahm made a calculated personal or business decision to not receive the vaccination. Martin was born with a genetic abnormality. Two very different things.
There's already been litigation due to COVID that has seen the courts state that the ADA does not apply to those with minor and transitory conditions. In other words, testing positive for an infectious disease does not mean your employer has to find some way to allow you to come into the workplace and potentially expose others. It's not a long-term disability, the employer has a strong reason to prevent you from coming into the workplace, and, accordingly, there's no requirement to make any reasonable accommodation for you.
It's seemingly an extremely unfair situation, but I'd point out a large number of golfers complied with the PGA's suggestion to be vaccinated to avoid this exact situation. Rahm chose not to do so knowing the potential consequences. Why he made that decision I'll never understand. I don't blame employers one bit for incentivizing employees to be vaccinated or for having well-defined COVID protocols. The latter, especially, is an absolute necessity to avoid litigation and liability. The former is largely predicated on ensuring fans can return to view events in-person and that employees and staff can freely do their jobs without running afoul of any local/state restrictions involving quarantine/travel.
If we were in 2020, and a vaccine didn't exist, I'd be all for some kind of exception for Rahm. But we're not, and a vaccine does exist, so Rahm has to live with the consequences of his decision. We all know how golf is. If someone put down they made a bogey on a hole, (and they actually made a birdie) and subsequently sign an incorrect scorecard, depending upon when it happened in the timeline of past rule changes, they would face anything from a DQ to a penalty or having to accept the worse score. Is that fair? Does it even make sense to have the scorecard rule in the day of internet streaming, TV, and advanced analytics? No one can get away with cheating via scorecard at a PGA event.
Point is, this is how golf does things. Everyone is expected to play by the same set of rules. If they want to make an exception for Rahm that'd have been fine but please also make an exception for DJ because a silly local rule cost him a major. Golfers are expected to know the rules. The PGA Tour doesn't have the COVID protocols it does to be vindictive. It's all part of an overall business decision.
Even Jack himself mirrors my thinking as quoted here:
Rob Oller: Jon Rahm's vaccine decision bankrupted him at Memorial
Jon Rahm's forced withdrawal from Memorial mixes elements of truth and grace
amp.dispatch.com
I also agree with the point that it's possible to have loads of empathy for Rahm (a truly gutting experience he had coming off of 18) while pointing out the rules are the rules. Many a heartbreak has been had because of golf's strict adherence to the "those are the rules policies." Rahm made a poor personal and business decision. I feel for him. I truly do. But it wouldn't be fair to others that have had to withdraw or miss events to not hold him to the same standard.
Rahm is one of my favorites. I didn't even watch Sunday because I don't find Cantlay very interesting and Morikawa often annoys me. It'd be awesome to see Rahm go out and win his first major at Torrey Pines. What happened at the Memorial would then be a distant memory! We should have a golf thread. The upcoming US Open is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated majors in awhile. Field is going to he stellar with a lot of interesting subplots.
I understand all of that. IMO, the ADA should have no involvement in sporting competitions. Fortunately, at least to this point 20 years later, it hasn't had a far-reaching impact.
Obviously the easy thing for Rahm to have done was take the vaccine. But he didn't and a VERY reasonable accommodation could have and should have been made. Had they made this ruling prior to the round I would not have had an issue with it. The PGA bungled this and deserves at least equal blame if not more.
Obviously the easy thing for Rahm to have done was take the vaccine. But he didn't and a VERY reasonable accommodation could have and should have been made. Had they made this ruling prior to the round I would not have had an issue with it. The PGA bungled this and deserves at least equal blame if not more.
maroonedinhsv
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The PGA has never been known as an accommodating group.
It looks like cases are down around the 100 per day average, per the latest 7 day average. Last hospitalization number for Monday was 191 statewide.
I had to look it up after you posted this, I haven't hardly followed it much lately myself. Too busy with work, family, and golf and haven't paid much attention to it since there's no sign of a summer wave so far (which is very good news).
Great news on the case numbers... hopefully the hospitalizations will keep falling too. Unfortunately it looks like we'll end up getting only 35%-40% of our people vaccinated. That doesn't bode well for next fall and winter
Keep in mind a significant portion of the population has already had COVID, so the number of immune people is significantly higher than the number of people vaccinated. The high risk and elderly population also makes up the majority of that vaccinated %, which is the most important statistic.
There will be a bump this winter, it will become an endemic respiratory disease that has some level of spread every winter, but the fact that it is no longer the dominant respiratory pathogen in the US is a very good sign that we won't see another significant wave here.
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It appears that the vaccine is increasingly less effective at preventing asymptomatic infection but is still significantly effective at preventing the infection from becoming serious enough to cause hospitalization and/or supplemental oxygen. More people who have been vaccinated are getting sick but the sickness they get is not any worse than a cold. Most don't even meet criteria for a corticosteroid (mainly the potent long lasting dexamethasone) which has been a major lifesaver for severe covid-19 infection and largely responsible for the decrease in mortality rates since around the middle of last year.
On a more personal note I've not seen an immunized & positive SARS-CoV-2 patient be admitted to the hospital so far and though they appear ill, it's not terribly bad. Simultaneously I've seen unvaccinated positive patients who are objectively younger and healthier appear significantly more lethargic, clammy, rapid respirations and low oxygen with very minimal exertion (getting off the stretcher and walking 10ft) and when I ask if they got their vaccine they almost always say "no I didn't get it, which was probably stupid". They're thankfully few and far between but still are getting admitted and requiring oxygen, remdesivir, corticosteroids, etc..
To appeal to their frame of reference I tell them It's not stupid, and questioning a new medicine/vaccine isn't remotely irrational. At this point though there's been several hundreds of millions of dosages delivered and it's clear the benefits massively outweigh the risks for your average unhealthy and healthy person.
When you've lost a friend or family member or seen how debilitating the infection can randomly be and how insignificant it can be at the same time then you understand the gamble you're undertaking with the covid immunization. The vaccines available now aren't as effective at preventing any symptoms as they originally were, but they're still remarkably effective at keeping someone away from the hospital and the coffin.
Israel appears to be starting their summer wave, a bit behind last year's schedule. Hopefully the later start is due to the large amount of natural and vaccine immunity there, and that this bump will be relatively minor. Not seeing any major signs of a southern summer wave so far this year, but if we happen to lag in a similar time frame to Israel, it'd start in about 2 weeks.
Israel has implemented an indoor mask mandate once again. Cases are being driven by the Delta variant. People who are vaccinated and get the delta variant are generally seeing minor to moderate disease.