Originally Posted by
747FC
Not making a judgment about the" lunatic "part of of your self-appraisals, but according to a recent nationwide survey, you are on the "fringe:"
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politic...open-poll-says
The above-cited poll is pretty consistent with earlier polls conducted by other organizations.
ETA: It is fascinating--and for me--frightening, to the wide variety of behaviors exhibited in response to this pandemic. As an example, when my wife and I go walking, we make sure to bring a mask in case we will be in close proximity with other walkers. And, we go through all sorts of maneuvers to make sure we are far away from other people. In contrast, many, many people we see out and about fail to wear or even carry a mask, nor do they try to maintain social distance.
I wonder what the responses would have been had the question not contained "without further testing for the coronavirus?" at the end. I suspect more people would vote "Good idea" for each item, but if you include "without further testing for the coronavirus," I'm sure many will think, "OK, on second thought, why not, for safety's sake, maybe that's a good idea." In Japan, where I live, the government has opted for a strategy that does not rely on extensive testing and has issued no formal nationwide lockdown, and most businesses remain open (without massive layoffs), and restaurants still operate, but in most cases with earlier closing times, though large gatherings are strongly discouraged and there have been school closings, they have not shut down the economy. I get CNN on cable TV here and compared to Japanese TV, their reporting comes across as scaremongering, with panel discussions comprised only of experts who share a "shut it down till everything is safe" point of view and no consensus on what "everything is safe" means.
Now, during Japan's "Golden Week" holiday, I see lots of people here in Kyushu outside during the warm weather, and most, but not all wear masks yet many don't seem concerned with social distancing. Of course, without extensive testing, there are fewer known cases here, but there has not been a large number of deaths like in the U.S. and Europe, even though the virus struck here earlier. Since COVID-19 tests are not readily available here, I wonder how Japan's more laissez-faire approach will affect Hawaii's acceptance of Japanese tourists moving forward? A mandatory 14-day self-quarantine is longer than most people's vacation time in Hawaii, how long can such a policy be sustained and when can they be sure it's safe to end the policy?