Coronavirus and Skiing

[snoloco]

What we have(not so much here) is people that will complain about anything. Every protocol becomes drama and an affront on their rights yet they selfishly ignore the rights of others. If a business wants you to wear a mask then do it or not patronize. If wearing a mask helps the employees feel less stressed then do it or don't patronize. If a business wants proof of Vax then show it or don't patronize.

The problem is these rules have been in place for so long that it's really wearing thin on everyone. And a lot of these measures haven't been proven to be effective. I think the public is catching onto that slowly but surely. I've long believed that businesses can make their own decisions on masks and vaccine passports, but I'm opposed to government mandates. I vote with my feet (and wallet). When I'm skiing at Killington, I'll usually buy lunch and eat inside, because they don't force me to wear a mask. I won't do that if I'm at Stratton which not only has mandatory masks, but requires reservations to eat in the cafeteria. Like no. Just no.
I'll ski straight through lunch and hit 7/11 on the way out.

The governor is in a no win. Do nothing and she gets blamed as well. I know our local health providers are concerned about hospital capacity and staffing and that should be a caution to all of us. Somehow we forgot to be courteous and empathetic to others.

I think Florida showed us that you can keep things fully open, despite a large wave that stresses hospitals, and be politically unscathed. I really feel for any small businesses in NY, particularly retail. They were looking forward to a good holiday season, and now that there's a mask mandate, I believe many people will go back to shopping online. Our economy hasn't seen the recovery that other states have, particularly in NYC, and our governor stuck a fork in it. Literally offices that had just reopened went back to remote.

To the point of being courteous and empathetic, it goes without saying that violence or verbal abuse are always inappropriate. However, I have zero respect for public health experts and elected officials who kept pushing these restrictions. It was a huge mistake to think that you could get all of society to put their lives on hold for this long, cut people off from social circles, put millions out of work, and there not be any collateral damage.

I can only speak for myself. I was happy to comply with all the restrictions before vaccines. I got the vaccine and booster at the first opportunity. I feel like I did the right thing. And now, 20 months later, we're back to wearing masks everywhere, despite being told all along that vaccines were the way back to normalcy. 80% of people took them, so it feels like we are being punished for those who didn't. To say that I'm angry would be an understatement. I feel like I was lied to, gaslit, and abused, for 20 months. This is not directed at the anti-vaxxers. I don't care what they do. If they get hospitalized for covid, it's their own damn fault. My anger is directed 100% at the state health department and the governor, because they're the ones who decided to punish 80% of the state. Once again, I can only speak for myself, but I have to believe that I'm not alone.

 

[Harvey]

That's some pretty thoughtful input and I agree with a lot of it. The only thing I am really doing different, is wearing a mask in stores, and trying to avoid large events. For some people doing that really sucks I guess. For me it's not a big deal.

Last Sunday was the first big event I've been to since the beginning of covid. It was a gymnastics meet. Those things are tough anyway, you are there for seven hours, but your kid is only flying through the air for about 5 mins of that.

I wore my mask the whole time, stepped out side for air between events. Maybe 1000 people — 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 — masks, no mask, and half mast. Six days later so far so good. I MUST have been exposed to a bunch of covid right?

So I've... had covid, two moderna in May, and then the moderna booster three weeks ago. If that ain't good to go, I give up.

 

[snoloco]

As long as I don't have to wear a mask, I'll do anything I did before the pandemic.

Another thing I forgot to mention that I think is causing a lot of problems, is the way blue states are codifying CDC recommendations into legal mandates. The CDC should be making recommendations, and they are always going to err on the side of caution. That's fine, but our elected officials need to understand that, and not mandate this stuff, because I don't see the recommendations changing, and that means we'll never get back to normal. For as long as the CDC is recommending masks, they will be mandated indoors on federal land (which affects a lot of ski areas), and in federal buildings. That's just one example.

 

[x10003q]

Stop using Florida as an example - they have been manipulating and lying about their covid numbers.

DeSantis, Social Media Posts Mislead on COVID-19's Toll in Florida - FactCheck.org

Florida's total COVID-19 case rate is higher than the national rate and 10th highest in the U.S. But social media posts and the state's governor point to a recent decline in daily cases as evidence of Florida's success in handling COVID-19, while ignoring the full impact of the pandemic's toll...

www.factcheck.org

 

[jimmypete]

I have read that there is no credible account of one transmission of COVID ascribed to someone skiing

 

[wonderpony]

All I know is that my dad is 81 and if I were the source of him catching covid and dying, I couldn't handle it. I juggled my life a lot last year and can do it again. If I get tested on a Wednesday, I should be clear to visit him on the weekend. That's how I plan on coping once again.

We live in a weird world when you think "Phew! Only 225 positives today and an infection rate of 7ish percent "

 

[MarzNC]

I think about the impact on the supply chain and the labor shortage. It's a good thing that GP put RFID scanners in. That eliminates the need for a few positions. It seemed like they were short of lifties last season. OTOH, if RFID scanners eliminate jobs, that's a bad thing. But, if people are unable/unwilling to work, then RFID is a good thing. And, it will mean less close contact with people.

Depending on how much checking is done for RFID passes, there are still jobs for lifties. At Alta there is always a liftie looking at a tablet to see if the picture/name is a decent match as passes are scanned when people go through the RFID gates.

For the places that make use of the RFID data, it's more reliable than hand scanning.

Outdoors, it really is not a very low risk of exposure of when a liftie is near someone headed to a lift.

 

[raisingarizona]

That's some pretty thoughtful input and I agree with a lot of it. The only thing I am really doing different, is wearing a mask in stores, and trying to avoid large events. For some people doing that really sucks I guess. For me it's not a big deal.

Last Sunday was the first big event I've been to since the beginning of covid. It was a gymnastics meet. Those things are tough anyway, you are there for seven hours, but your kid is only flying through the air for about 5 mins of that.

I wore my mask the whole time, stepped out side for air between events. Maybe 1000 people — 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 — masks, no mask, and half mast. Six days later so far so good. I MUST have been exposed to a bunch of covid right?

So I've... had covid, two moderna in May, and then the moderna booster three weeks ago. If that ain't good to go, I give up.

Yup. At this point I’m like, if I die I die. It’s meant to be.

 

[Brownski]

I'll ski straight through lunch and hit 7/11 on the way out.

Two thirds coke, one third cherry slurpee + 2 Buffalo chicken taquitos and you’re good to go

 

[x10003q]

Yup. At this point I’m like, if I die I die. It’s meant to be.

You might want to rethink that - kids usually deserve to have their parents. You add a lot here with a different point of view and I am sure that is valuable for your daughter.