At some point one elected official is going to have to display leadership and do the right thing. The President passed it down to the governors, the governors passed it down to judges, the judges passed it down to mayors etc etc etc. At some point a hard decision is going to have to be made, and the lack of spine in ALL of these areas is shocking.
"The President passed it down to the governors..." President Trump didn't "hand" it to them, it was their's to begin with unless martial law is declared.
New restrictions are in place effective today, including reduced restaurant capacity to 50 percent, the closure of bars and the cancellation of elective surgeries, as part of Governor Abbott's executive order (GA-32.)
Governor Abbott's order GA-32 states that once a certain hospitalization threshold is reached in our Trauma Service Area (TSA) these restrictions automatically go into effect. The threshold is seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID 19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of all hospital capacity exceeds 15 percent. The restrictions will stay in effect until there have been seven consecutive days of hospitalizations under the 15 percent threshold in our TSA. The City and County are part of a larger TSA and as a result are being included as part of the latest restrictions, even though local rates are not exceeding the threshold.
The restrictions went into effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday, December 22. The City and the County will work to ensure local businesses affected by the newly imposed restrictions are aware of the Governor’s order.
[12-21-20] "The state [of Texas] issued this statement on the rollbacks: 'This is due to the governor’s executive order, GA-32, which allowed for opening to 75% of capacity for various businesses. That is rolled back if the number of hospitalized COVID patients in a trauma service are greater than 15 percent of the overall hospital capacity for seven consecutive days. The letters sent to county judges today are attached as is the executive order.'"
Looks like Abbott can't be trusted to do what he says, even from one month to the next.
I suggest business owners read the fine print and do an end-run around it. Just like the so-called "mandatory" mask requirements which don't require them at all, there is likely language that is purposefully ambiguous so that they are aren't imposing illegal orders while having the full benefit of imposing illegal orders.
We are at the point of literally running everyone out of business unless they are a national retailer; those, for some reason, seem to have developed an immunity to restrictions.
Ignore it. By the hundreds. Take personal responsibility, be courteous to others, and thumb your nose at it. I would be a lot more open to closing bars if TABC also had to lay off their staff. With no one to enforce against, who needs the enforcers?
15% huh? So if the number of hospitalizations increased SIXfold, yes 6X , we'd be at 90% and still under capacity. Where is the scientific evidence that the trigger needs to be at 15%? This makes no sense whatsoever. And shutting down businesses only concentrates people in the few lucky ones that are open. It is doing exactly the opposite of what it says the edict is doing.
Hotwheels Abbot can't be trusted from one month to the next. And what about a 2 week shutdown just to flatten the curve? Lies, all lies.
Maybe I can help, Harvey. Hospital capacity is designed to be just enough to cover the expected need. That's the financially efficient way to run a health care system. During the winter season, hospital capacity is usually at about 85-90%. If you need another 15% for COVID patients, your hospitals are full - or over full. It's not so much science as very basic math.
Bailey is correct. Even "not for profit" hospitals have to make money to stay open. Their business models are the same as the for profit hospitals. You don't build a bunch of empty ICU rooms, equip them and then let the stay vacant. You would go broke.
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(10) comments Back to story
At some point one elected official is going to have to display leadership and do the right thing. The President passed it down to the governors, the governors passed it down to judges, the judges passed it down to mayors etc etc etc. At some point a hard decision is going to have to be made, and the lack of spine in ALL of these areas is shocking.
You're right, Mr. Soros. No more lockdowns. Just like the governor said (last month). I hope he really meant that one.
"The President passed it down to the governors..." President Trump didn't "hand" it to them, it was their's to begin with unless martial law is declared.
City of Galveston, Texas - Government
59 mins ·
New restrictions are in place effective today, including reduced restaurant capacity to 50 percent, the closure of bars and the cancellation of elective surgeries, as part of Governor Abbott's executive order (GA-32.)
Governor Abbott's order GA-32 states that once a certain hospitalization threshold is reached in our Trauma Service Area (TSA) these restrictions automatically go into effect. The threshold is seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID 19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of all hospital capacity exceeds 15 percent. The restrictions will stay in effect until there have been seven consecutive days of hospitalizations under the 15 percent threshold in our TSA. The City and County are part of a larger TSA and as a result are being included as part of the latest restrictions, even though local rates are not exceeding the threshold.
The restrictions went into effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday, December 22. The City and the County will work to ensure local businesses affected by the newly imposed restrictions are aware of the Governor’s order.
It will not be enforced so why bother?
[12-21-20] "The state [of Texas] issued this statement on the rollbacks: 'This is due to the governor’s executive order, GA-32, which allowed for opening to 75% of capacity for various businesses. That is rolled back if the number of hospitalized COVID patients in a trauma service are greater than 15 percent of the overall hospital capacity for seven consecutive days. The letters sent to county judges today are attached as is the executive order.'"
Looks like Abbott can't be trusted to do what he says, even from one month to the next.
I suggest business owners read the fine print and do an end-run around it. Just like the so-called "mandatory" mask requirements which don't require them at all, there is likely language that is purposefully ambiguous so that they are aren't imposing illegal orders while having the full benefit of imposing illegal orders.
We are at the point of literally running everyone out of business unless they are a national retailer; those, for some reason, seem to have developed an immunity to restrictions.
Ignore it. By the hundreds. Take personal responsibility, be courteous to others, and thumb your nose at it. I would be a lot more open to closing bars if TABC also had to lay off their staff. With no one to enforce against, who needs the enforcers?
15% huh? So if the number of hospitalizations increased SIXfold, yes 6X , we'd be at 90% and still under capacity. Where is the scientific evidence that the trigger needs to be at 15%? This makes no sense whatsoever. And shutting down businesses only concentrates people in the few lucky ones that are open. It is doing exactly the opposite of what it says the edict is doing.
Hotwheels Abbot can't be trusted from one month to the next. And what about a 2 week shutdown just to flatten the curve? Lies, all lies.
Maybe I can help, Harvey. Hospital capacity is designed to be just enough to cover the expected need. That's the financially efficient way to run a health care system. During the winter season, hospital capacity is usually at about 85-90%. If you need another 15% for COVID patients, your hospitals are full - or over full. It's not so much science as very basic math.
Bailey is correct. Even "not for profit" hospitals have to make money to stay open. Their business models are the same as the for profit hospitals. You don't build a bunch of empty ICU rooms, equip them and then let the stay vacant. You would go broke.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.