Is it possible to travel responsibly (during a pandemic)?

[drrich2]

Some thing that I said, I don't believe that we can justly force people to get vaccines. I believe that people have free choice.

Normally I lean that way, too, but I keep coming back to the question of equivalent scenarios. Let's say someone is seen at the hospital for cellulitis and treated a few days, coughs up blood, and based on history and exam his physician gets testing showing he has...tuberculosis. Which is contagious, dangerous and sometimes resistant to treatment. The physician figures he'll be in the hospital awhile until they get this eliminated, in a special room where air pressure is managed so what's in the room doesn't leak out and endanger others.

What if the guy says 'Nope. My cellulitis is all cleared up, and as for T.B., yeah, I listened to all you told me about it, but I'm not staying here, I've had enough of your pills, and I'm gonna go out and live my life. I demand to leave A.M.A. and don't bother me with follow up plans, enough is enough.'

At what point does the carrier of a potentially dangerous infectious disease lose the right to wander around in public putting other people at risk?

Given how far this virus has penetrated into the population, it seems likely many (and maybe most) people will eventually get vaccinated or get the virus. Those who get the virus then pose an infection hazard to others. Others aren't warned, don't get free choice in the matter, and our infected anti-vaxxer is in effect forcing his choice to play it risky on them.

 

[uncfnp]

Some thing that I said, I don't believe that we can justly force people to get vaccines. I believe that people have free choice.

And yet we have been doing just this for decades with other vaccines. What is exceptional about this one?

 

[Antient Marriner]

There have been so many threads and deleted posts about covid and travel that I thought I would start a thread devoted to safe(er) travel. And yes, I have a Florida trip and 2 Liveaboards planned so far for this year.

Ok, here is my take, and we will see what side of the Political Spectrum the 'mods' are on. As long as the Cult of Covid is around, and a handful of makers of goods are making millions of $ and politicians and pundits lie and engage on Power Trips- 'they' will not allow anyone to enjoy life. Guess what, people die every day, in every way, and no political hack will change that.

 

[Manatee Diver]

At what point does the carrier of a potentially dangerous infectious disease lose the right to wander around in public putting other people at risk?

They can get vaccines readily. At what point does a virus with a very small chance of death for them, vaccinated death rate it barely a blip, allow them to override the rights of free persons? IMO it would take a virus with a death rate much much higher than COVID to remotely justify it. And if the virus actually head that death rate, people would mostly be willingly lining up for it.

 

[tridacna]

But the government can legislate a woman’s right to choose what she does with her body. Yeah. Same hypocrisy as usual. Disgusting.

 

[Manatee Diver]

But the government can legislate a woman’s right to choose what she does with her body. Yeah. Same hypocrisy as usual. Disgusting.

I don't agree with that either.

I follow the original 1990s left of center position, abortions should to safe, legal, and rare; with the additional caveat, not paid for by the taxpayers.

 

[Jcp2]

Last month my vaccinated physician colleagues and I were very comfortable eating and talking without masks. Tonight, at a dinner meeting, only half ate and only 1/5 went completely maskless. Delta is here and our local test positivity rate just poked above 5%. Two weeks ago we had only 2 Covid patients in house. We’re at 15 now. Most are unvaccinated, and the ones that got really sick and passed away were in their 40’s and not in any high risk group other than being unvaccinated. Be safe, get the vaccine, wear a mask.

 

[uncfnp]

Ok, here is my take, and we will see what side of the Political Spectrum the 'mods' are on. As long as the Cult of Covid is around, and a handful of makers of goods are making millions of $ and politicians and pundits lie and engage on Power Trips- 'they' will not allow anyone to enjoy life. Guess what, people die every day, in every way, and no political hack will change that.

And here is my take. I don’t watch national news, I don’t subscribe to newspapers or magazines. Heck I don’t even have cable or a streaming service. What I know I know professionally. What I see I see personally. I know covid and its effects first hand. Like the two brothers yesterday that were in for testing because of exposure. I asked about their exposure. It was to their sister and a brother in law. Both died this week. And another sister was taken to the hospital just hours earlier.

Have we as a nation handled covid well? Absolutely not. On all sides. If it wasn’t so tragic it would be almost laughable.

 

[tridacna]

I don't agree with that either.

I follow the original 1990s left of center position, abortions should to safe, legal, and rare; with the additional caveat, not paid for by the taxpayers.

Government pays for vasectomies and Viagra. Oh I forgot. Those are for men.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Government pays for vasectomies and Viagra. Oh I forgot. Those are for men.

Personally I think that the government should largely get out of healthcare except for emergency treatments, and long term treatments.

Do you have anymore strawmen for me to knockdown based on your view of my positions?

Have we as a nation handled covid well? Absolutely not. On all sides. If it wasn’t so tragic it would be almost laughable.

The only nation that handled COVID well was Taiwan (and yes they are a country). Everyone one else is just some level of poorly, even the smaller countries that show low rates, they only did that because they didn't get it there quickly. Taiwan was an early country to encounter COVID and yet they were able to navigate it well thanks to be proactive early on before the virus got a foothold in their country. I think we need to be more active like Taiwan with open source surveillance programs that allow us to identfy and screen people from possible new outbreaks before they enter the US.