Apple Closing Stores in Southern California, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Texas, Utah and More

[turbineseaplane]

On a whim I watched the b-movie ‘Idiocracy’ a while back. Little did I know how prescient it would be especially given the US response to Covid. Unbelievable levels of ‘idiocracy’.

It's incredible... It's nearly a documentary at this point..

 

[hagjohn]

Just wear a mask and social distance so we can get rid of this 💩!

 

[Zen_Arcade]

Oh please. You're not the only one that knows what strict scrutiny is. Snarky comments are not useful.

I find hard to believe that any part of the US government could make a case and pass the test for something that killed 0.03% . . .

Yes, I believe you find it hard to believe. It's also apparent that you don't work with, and understand, strict scrutiny, or judicial review, at all.

All the best to you.

 

[Baymowe335]

How are you doing your math?

View attachment 929753

Coronavirus Update (Live): 130,775,239 Cases and 2,849,547 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Pandemic - Worldometer

Live statistics and coronavirus news tracking the number of confirmed cases, recovered patients, tests, and death toll due to the COVID-19 coronavirus from Wuhan, China. Coronavirus counter with new cases, deaths, and number of tests per 1 Million population. Historical data and info. Daily...

www.worldometers.info

516608 / 10710176 = 0.04823524842 = 4.8%

Did you forget to multiply by 100?

Again, that number is utterly meaningless without any true picture of case numbers. Worldwide, the cases are likely 10X higher. I mean, you don’t really think 4.8% means anything, right?

Yes, it’s all we have. No, it doesn’t mean anything.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Yes, I believe you find it hard to believe. It's also apparent that you don't work with, and understand, strict scrutiny, or judicial review, at all.

And again, you don't bring any argument to the table, just snarky comments.
And you're also wrong about me.

Edit: Let me clarify. You haven't proved anything other than the existence of a judicial review and a judicial philosophy, in which you are correct: they do exist.
However, you have to prove - or at least make a reasonable argument on - why and how it would be applicable in this case. The fact that strict scrutiny exists doesn't mean that a) it's applicable b) it passes the judicial test c) it's accepted in either the narrowest or broader cases. This is even more so due to the obviously narrow scope of strict scrutiny, and the fact that we're seeing in general a more progressive court than that of the 1920's and 1940's on restrictiveness, the task would be even more difficult. In addition, here we're also talking about 1A rights, for which there are a plethora of precedents, which help - for example - in making sure that a hijab is legally worn even after 9/11 or the risk of terrorism.

 

[Baymowe335]

That's true. But we're also not hearing much about long-term complications and consequences of surviving COVID. I've read numerous articles about people who are still not fully recovered months later, who suffer lingering health issues, both physical and cognitive. I just read something yesterday about the first NBA player to be diagnosed (back in February I think) and he's still not fully recovered.

COVID might not kill you, but it can clearly cause lasting damage. I was listening to a BBC radio show called The Conversation a few weeks ago. The show has two women from different cultures in conversation about a specific topic. I heard a show with two ER nurses, one in Boston, one in London, both in their late 20s. Towards the end of the conversation, the moderator asked both women if they were worried about getting COVID themselves. They both gave a similar answer. They said at first they weren't worried at all. Working in the medical field aside, they considered themselves to be low-risk, both young, no pre-existing conditions, etc.

After caring for COVID patients for several months, they both said they were were quite concerned about contracting it. They said they had cared for patients of all age groups, that many of their intubated patients were under 50 years old with no pre-existing conditions. They described the long-term challenges some of these patients have faced, having to learn to walk again, still not being able to walk up a flight of steps without becoming completely winded months after "recovering", etc. They said the scary thing about COVID is that you have no way of knowing if you're someone who will just get a sniffle or will find himself/herself on a ventilator for weeks. They said pre-existing conditions and age really had little to do with who experiences severe symptoms and long recoveries.

At this point I think we're pretty screwed. We let the virus spread throughout the country. It's entrenched. Even if more people take social distancing and masks seriously (which they're clearly not doing where I live!), at best we're doomed to an endless game of whack-a-mole every time a new cluster flares up. How are things going to look in the US this winter, when we're dealing with both seasonal flu and COVID? I hesitate to even type the word government lest I get censored again, but the only reason things aren't a complete disaster today economically is because of government assistance. That can't go on forever.

I don't blame Apple for taking COVID seriously, but I have to ask, what's the endgame? And not just for Apple, but for the economy in general. Hospitalization is expensive! How many Americans have been bankrupted by medical bills? Even if the death rate is going down, more infections means a growing pile of medical expenses and people out of the workforce while they recover from illness. In some cases that could mean a long absence, disability payments, etc. That seems just as bad for the economy to me in the long term as being locked down, maybe worse, because confidence in the safety of public spaces will be eroded. People who refuse to take social distancing and mask-wearing seriously are being very shortsighted in my opinion.

Bro, we didn’t “let” anything happen. We tried quarantine and it just wasn’t super effective because it can’t be enforced hardcore in a massive country with entrenched beliefs in freedom and choice.

And quarantine is only effective until the quarantine ends. The virus doesn’t go away and even small case numbers will cause new spread quickly.

Other countries may be doing “better” but some are doing worse and many are likely hiding the truth. 85,000 cases in China? Yeah, OK. And you can just throw away any numbers coming from poor countries.

It sucks, but we have to do our best to manage it and take precautions. Enforcement from private business would be a huge help. We don’t need to shut them down, but huge fines and or threat of being shut down for violations, just like health code violations.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Went to the Apple store last week to initiate a repair and was impressed with their setup. There were 2 guards with touchless thermometers who checked my temp before I could get close enough to speak with a store employee who was outside. I checked in for my appointment and waited outside until someone was available.

They wiped down my device with a wipe when I handed it in, then purelled their hands Before even starting on it. When the repair is complete it’ll be shipped to my house instead of going back to the store to retrieve it.

They were maybe 6 customers in the whole store while I was in there. As with every establishment statewide (governor executive order or something), facemasks were required in order to go inside.

 

[Baymowe335]

You are aware that deaths are a lagging indicator from cases right?

I am genuinely interested though, can you link to credible sources that "healthy people aren't at risk", "hospitals have plenty of capacity, ventilators"?

Of course, but deaths have definitely fallen from rates before, with more cases. It’s been long enough to start realizing the deaths aren’t occurring as quickly because the weakened have been thinned out unfortunately. Don’t start projecting deaths until they happen. That’s another problem. Deaths have decreased from old rate, agreed?

Just because CNN and Fox News say something about a few hospitals being full, doesn’t mean it’s all of them. The news reports the bad stuff. There are thousands of hospitals. Simple logic tells you most hospitals are likely fine, at least in gross number. A few major city hot spots, sure.

The problem is, no one reports numbers that matter, like total hospital beds with Covid patients, beds remaining, ICU beds available, etc on a macro level. It’s all reported wherever worst and projected as EVERYWHERE. All they report are headlines like “XXXXX HOSPITAL RUNNING OUT OF ICU BEDS” so you don’t know how many they have left or even if the ones taken are due to covid patients. All of this matters a lot more than video of a couple people in body bags at one hospital.

Now, some data. Florida, a state hugely in the news has this data if you dig for it:

Agency for Health Care Administration Says 21% of ICU beds are still alaivanle and 24% of all regular beds are available.

In Washington DC, the story is also OK (source:CDC)

• Total ICU Beds in Hospitals: 345
• ICU Beds Available: 93
• Total Reported Ventilators in Hospitals: 440
• In-Use Ventilators in Hospitals: 194
• Available Ventilators in Hospitals: 246
• Total COVID-19 Patients in DC Hospitals: 119
• Total COVID-19 Patients in ICU: 33
• Total Patients in DC Hospitals (COVID and non-COVID): 1,924
• Percentage of pre-COVID Hospital Bed Capacity: 77%

 

[Craptastic]

It’s like watching children argue over whose toy is better.

WEAR A MASK!

 

[rwxx]

Bro, we didn’t “let” anything happen. We tried quarantine and it just wasn’t super effective because it can’t be enforced hardcore in a massive country with entrenched beliefs in freedom and choice.

No, Bro, we did just let it happen. We dragged our feet in the beginning. We bickered. It's hard to discuss our response as a nation without getting political and I know we're not supposed to go there in this forum.

And quarantine is only effective until the quarantine ends. The virus doesn’t go away and even small case numbers will cause new spread quickly.

Quarantine has been quite effective in other countries. Their citizens, whether out of civic duty or government coercion, took things seriously. I have family in several European countries. In those countries people took the situation very seriously and law enforcement enforced the rules. Here in my state we have law enforcement officials actively advertising the fact that they don't plan to enforce the mask rule.

Of course the virus doesn't go away. By letting it become so widespread throughout our country we've all but ensured that we're never going to get it under control. Can small outbreaks be managed in places that do have it under control? Time will tell.

Other countries may be doing “better” but some are doing worse and many are likely hiding the truth. 85,000 cases in China? Yeah, OK. And you can just throw away any numbers coming from poor countries.

Agreed on the Chinese numbers as well as those coming from many poorer countries. But that doesn't change the fact that we've done an awful job and continue to do so. We wouldn't be seeing new daily records pretty much every day if we'd done a better job.

It sucks, but we have to do our best to manage it and take precautions. Enforcement from private business would be a huge help. We don’t need to shut them down, but huge fines and or threat of being shut down for violations, just like health code violations.

Like I said, I think we're pretty much screwed. We've let it get so out of control. I don't know if we need to shut businesses down. Some businesses seem really high risk, things like gyms and bars and music venues. One person can infect potentially hundreds in the right environment. And those people rapidly infect others in their communities. If we let that go unchecked, the consequences could be disastrous for us, not only in terms of loss of life, but economic destruction.

And how are we going to enforce whatever rules are made? Each state is doing its own thing. I can't tell what is a law, a request, a guideline, or a suggestion anymore. Again, I dare not venture into the political, but to have enforcement, you have to have laws on the books and a means of enforcing those laws. Are we going to hire a bunch of new "police" officers to patrol malls and restaurants and issue social distancing citations? Are we going to jam up our courts with mask cases? Of course not. So how will anything get enforced? It won't. And it certainly won't if we don't have a comprehensive policy by which everyone abides. Like I said, we're screwed.

 

[Flight Plan]

This is what happens when things are reopened too soon. I can understand why they are keen to reopen, but businesses and shops are too keen and quick to reopen, and this is what happens. The virus is far from gone unfortunately!

Beggars belief that people argue and complain or even make it political about wearing a face mask, total selfishness.

We can't stay closed forever. Our economy won't withstand it, and staying closed hurts more people that those supposedly "being saved".

Yet deaths associated with it have been declining ever since the peak in April. There is still very little evidence that suggests that asymptomatic people are able to transmit the virus. The virus has a death rate of just 0.05%.

Yep, I believe any percentages higher than .05% are actually being trumpeted by major media. For what reason? To keep us closed. Why? I believe that major media wants to hurt us. All of us? Maybe.

With the broadcasting of all of these COVID related numbers on all sorts of websites and TV channels, of course it looks terrifying...

Yep, but the death rate is nowhere nearly as bad as all the talking heads make it out to be. This is why I now listen to some news in the morning, a little in the afternoon, and NOTHING until the next day. I believe fake news is a thing and I won't subject myself to it any longer than necessary.

It's almost like the country is doing the exact opposite of what science tells them.

• Warning in January - "No, it's just the flu."
• Wear masks - "No, it doesn't work. And it's my right to spread disease."
• Create testing kits - "No, we'll develop our own crappy ones."
• Develop contact tracing - "No, because privacy reasons."
• Banned from EU / Apple Stores close - "Nobody saw this coming!"
• Vaccine - "We won't use Chinese ones, even though they have 6 in Phase 3 trials. And vaccines cause autism."

I don't know where you are hearing all this.. Oh wait, could it be the major media? Step away and put down the TV remote. This stuff just isn't happening.

This is why we can't have nice things. Some think wearing a mask somehow infringes on "their rights". I wonder how they'll feel when a loved one is on a vent and never leaves the hospital due to their selfish decision.

This is highly offensive. You don't know the reasons why a person without a mask is going without. For me, it's the simple fact that the mask makes me gag and interferes with my breathing. As if your own ignorance (of my conditions) isn't enough, you then jump to blame me for making people sick? That kind of premise-invention is just plain wrong, and it shows a lack of empathy and grace to all who might not do things the way you want them done.

In LA it's 5%. (60,178 cases, 3130 deaths.) Admittedly, the number of cases is underreported but it's still a far cry from 0.05%.

Not to paint with too broad a brush, but I feel filthy whenever I'm in LA, and have avoided it for years. 5% would be believable. 10% in San Fran. 75% in parts of NYC. Okay, I jest, but only a little.

(If that offends people, then maybe they should work toward cleaning up their cities and leave me and my mask choice alone)

In Colorado, based on official statistics, the mortality rate is about 4%. Assuming that CDC and CO's state epidemiologist are correct and that there are 10 times as many cases as positive tests, that gives a mortality rate of about .4%. What numbers are you using to get a mortality rate of .05%?

I do believe a lot of numbers are artificially inflated. Some cities are counting non-Covid deaths as Covid. This is being widely reported by people having relatives die from falls or car crashes, but funnily enough...not by major media talking heads. Always listen to the news with doubt in your mind. You'll be healthier for it!

Try again, US currently has 127,681 deaths out of 2,658,324 reported cases. That works out to a death rate of 4.8%. Admittedly due to the high prevalence of asymptotic cases (most of whom probably aren’t tested), the actual cases is probably much higher, but even if the actual case count is 10x reported, that still brings the death rate down to 0.5%.

I don't think your numbers are correct. That's a nice way for me to say that I doubt the accuracy of the reporting AND the accuracy of the counting.

The stores will remain closed until President Trump is out of office.

That's funny. And good humor often comes with a kernel of truth.

Its not about the death rate. Its about having hospitals too full(of people that will survive with proper care) to take in people with other illnesses and emergencies. Yes, some hospitals are huge and can handle lots, but many small towns can't handle influxes or people.

That's what we were told at first "flatten the curve to relieve pressure on the health care system". But now we're being told we need to stay shut down until there's a vaccine. When did THAT plan get thought up?

And we can't do that without completely wrecking our economy. And THAT would set us up for attack. Financial, energy, manufacturing, transportation, technological, viral, or military; all of these are open to attack if our economy isn't healthy. We can't keep giving money away and we can't stay shut down forever like some want us to.

Plenty of counties have made it mandatory when outdoors in public and inside any building - mine included. So apparently you can.

Yes they have, and I have never seen so much face-touching! I'm convinced that the mask RAISES our risk of getting sick (with Covid or something else). Unsanitary, you're breathing and coughing into it, and forever adjusting it because it's uncomfortable, sweaty, wet, and you can't breath. And NOBODY washes their hands after manipulating their mask! Nobody! What the hell, how dumb are we?

I want my mother, who is 91, to have a chance of seeing her friends and going places in her last few years. These selfish anti-mask people are taking away any hope she and I have. This is painful enough without them making it worse.

I want your mother to live to 191 if she can. But we can't keep going the way we are! We have to figure out SOMETHING.

Then your mother should stay inside and isolated from the general public and you should exercise mask-wearing and hand-washing practices if you believe that they are prudent.

We should also have not let all of those criminals out of the prisons across the nation. I think we brought the virus into the general population when we did that.

Or...

View attachment 929768

This is a funny meme, but it's not really haha-belly-laugh funny. That's because I think it's missing that "kernel of truth" that I spoke of above. Yeah, I think the last statement is a non sequitur. I don't think most people not wearing masks actually think or say this. I sure don't. I just can't breathe with the mask on. Is it really ONLY about that 91 year old person you say you love but never visit? Or isn't my life important too?

And don't forget producing FAR more waste than any other country!

I mentioned that in a wall-wart rant in another thread. I'm certain we have entire landfills full of wall-warts!

Slow the spread of the virus, and business can start opening back up. Wear a mask folks, it beats being unemployed.

False choice. Come on, you KNOW this is a false choice...right? Wearing a mask or not wearing a mask has ZERO bearing on the employment or unemployment rate. I wear a mask to the grocery store out of consideration for the county requirement where I live. But I'm not foolish enough to believe ME wearing a mask will prevent the spread of Covid. It won't. That guy at the gas pump next to me just coughed into his mask and then touched and re-adjusted it with his bare hands. Oh, and now he's going inside to pay for his gas with cash.

You wearing a mask won't get people back to work any sooner. Sorry, that's just a slogan.

Apple isn’t closing these stores because of customers, these closures are happening to protect their employees.

Shop online. Call Apple Support. Initiate express services.

Stop complaining and wear your mask, thanks.

Apple can and should do what it thinks is best. But stop telling people to stop complaining. Some of us, who happen to be intelligent, thinking human beings, remain unconvinced about the effectiveness of the mask. Some DOCTORS are unconvinced. Again, please refer to my comment above about people always touching their mask and face. We have real doubts, and people should stop dismissing our doubts out of hand! Wear your mask, sure! But lay off the judging of others.

We would be better off to each examine our own behaviors. Maybe some of us will realize that we aren't really washing our damned hands after using the restroom, or we could be dropping our masks in the washing machine a little more often. Or not, your choice. But sheesh folks, let's all please start questioning our major media outlets a little more and let's be telling others what to do a little bit less.

We're so judgy and political! It's embarrassing and it's tearing us apart far more than tany health risk from wearing or not wearing a mask.

Some of us will not make it through this pandemic. That is a fact of life (and, yes, death). But when it comes down to us, ain't none of us getting out of this life alive anyway, right? So let's all love each other, help each other, and STOP being mean to each other!

By the way, nobody is required to wear a mask in my house. You are welcome here.

 

[Baymowe335]

No, Bro, we did just let it happen. We dragged our feet in the beginning. We bickered. It's hard to discuss our response as a nation without getting political and I know we're not supposed to go there in this forum.



Quarantine has been quite effective in other countries. Their citizens, whether out of civic duty or government coercion, took things seriously. I have family in several European countries. In those countries people took the situation very seriously and law enforcement enforced the rules. Here in my state we have law enforcement officials actively advertising the fact that they don't plan to enforce the mask rule.

Of course the virus doesn't go away. By letting it become so widespread throughout our country we've all but ensured that we're never going to get it under control. Can small outbreaks be managed in places that do have it under control? Time will tell.



Agreed on the Chinese numbers as well as those coming from many poorer countries. But that doesn't change the fact that we've done an awful job and continue to do so. We wouldn't be seeing new daily records pretty much every day if we'd done a better job.



Like I said, I think we're pretty much screwed. We've let it get so out of control. I don't know if we need to shut businesses down. Some businesses seem really high risk, things like gyms and bars and music venues. One person can infect potentially hundreds in the right environment. And those people rapidly infect others in their communities. If we let that go unchecked, the consequences could be disastrous for us, not only in terms of loss of life, but economic destruction.

And how are we going to enforce whatever rules are made? Each state is doing its own thing. I can't tell what is a law, a request, a guideline, or a suggestion anymore. Again, I dare not venture into the political, but to have enforcement, you have to have laws on the books and a means of enforcing those laws. Are we going to hire a bunch of new "police" officers to patrol malls and restaurants and issue social distancing citations? Are we going to jam up our courts with mask cases? Of course not. So how will anything get enforced? It won't. And it certainly won't if we don't have a comprehensive policy by which everyone abides. Like I said, we're screwed.

You’re right, the people took it more seriously. The US is a different beast. You don’t just politicize everything for blaming purposes. People in the US largely do what they want. Big country, lots of different cultures, lot of government hate, etc. No easy solution, but comparing our case numbers to other countries or even to our own country in previous months completely misses the point.

It’s actually very hard to tell who is doing better than the other because of differences in reporting accuracy, testing, etc.

Deaths are about the best metric we have and even those are fudged because there is an monetary incentive to call a death a Covid death.

I don’t think we are screwed only because it’s still a respiratory virus with low mortality for healthy people. We have many dangerous viruses we manage and this is another one. The flu kills people every year, with a vaccine and has done far more damage than Covid19.

 

[NickName99]

To anyone who thinks it's "overblown" or the media is "fear mongering"..

Would you please just wear masks in the mean time and we can debate this endlessly?

It's not a big ask to just wear a mask.

I couldn’t agree more. The more we wear masks in public, the less the virus spreads, and the sooner everyone can get back to work.

 

[Flight Plan]

You’re right, the people took it seriously. The US is a different beast. No easy solution, but comparing our case numbers to other countries or even to our own country in previous months completely misses the point.

It’s actually very hard to tell who is doing better than the other because of differences in reporting accuracy, testing, etc.

Desths are about the best metric we have and even those are fudged because there is an monetary incentive to call a death a Covid death.

I don’t think we are screwed only because it’s still a respiratory virus with low mortality for healthy people. We have many dangerous viruses we manage and this is another one. The flu kills people every year, with a vaccine and has done far more damage than Covid19.

This is so right. There is a monetary incentive to call any death a Covid death. Hospitals need money, counties need money, cities need money. Death counts are being reported as artificially high. The danger here is that this will cause us to start making other decisions badly, because of misperception of the urgency of whatever artificial calamity that hits us next.

And this is money that WE DO NOT HAVE. We are in debt up to our eyeballs. That means we don't have money to spend. Not even that $1200 that some of you received. And not even on emergencies!

This is going to cause an economic tsunami down the road, and EVERYBODY will pay a high price for it. If we are to have any hope of being economically healthy as a country, we have to stop borrowing money!
[automerge]1593642863[/automerge]

The more we wear masks in public, the less the virus spreads, and the sooner everyone can get back to work.

Once more, I think this is a false equivalency; a false premise. "Wear mask = stay healthy". You haven't considered everything surrounding your decision.

I get it; you draw comfort from it because it gives you something to do...something that makes you feel like you're being useful.

But I really don't think it's true. Yes, I wear a mask in public, because it's required in my county. But I'm not the problem, either. I stay home, wash my hands after using the restroom or handling raw meat, I work from home, and I only go out once a week for groceries. The problem, I suspect, lies with all those people who are coughing and slobbering into their masks and then adjusting them with bare hands and no soap.

Oh, and rioters who don't wear masks anyway. Which is odd...because doesn't the mask make you harder to identify if you have your heart set on destruction? Things that make you go "hmmmm...."

 

[citysnaps]

This is a funny meme, but it's not really haha-belly-laugh funny. That's because I think it's missing that "kernel of truth" that I spoke of above. Yeah, I think the last statement is a non sequitur. I don't think most people not wearing masks actually think or say this. I sure don't. I just can't breathe with the mask on. Is it really ONLY about that 91 year old person you say you love but never visit? Or isn't my life important too?

No... Every incident I've seen on the news where someone has gone non-linear over wearing a mask in a store has been about their rights and freedom. That's how stupid some people are.

 

[NickName99]

We can't stay closed forever. Our economy won't withstand it, and staying closed hurts more people that those supposedly "being saved".
Yep, I believe any percentages higher than .05% are actually being trumpeted by major media. For what reason? To keep us closed. Why? I believe that major media wants to hurt us. All of us? Maybe.
Yep, but the death rate is nowhere nearly as bad as all the talking heads make it out to be. This is why I now listen to some news in the morning, a little in the afternoon, and NOTHING until the next day. I believe fake news is a thing and I won't subject myself to it any longer than necessary.
I don't know where you are hearing all this.. Oh wait, could it be the major media? Step away and put down the TV remote. This stuff just isn't happening.
This is highly offensive. You don't know the reasons why a person without a mask is going without. For me, it's the simple fact that the mask makes me gag and interferes with my breathing. As if your own ignorance (of my conditions) isn't enough, you then jump to blame me for making people sick? That kind of premise-invention is just plain wrong, and it shows a lack of empathy and grace to all who might not do things the way you want them done.
Not to paint with too broad a brush, but I feel filthy whenever I'm in LA, and have avoided it for years. 5% would be believable. 10% in San Fran. 75% in parts of NYC. Okay, I jest, but only a little.

(If that offends people, then maybe they should work toward cleaning up their cities and leave me and my mask choice alone)
I do believe a lot of numbers are artificially inflated. Some cities are counting non-Covid deaths as Covid. This is being widely reported by people having relatives die from falls or car crashes, but funnily enough...not by major media talking heads. Always listen to the news with doubt in your mind. You'll be healthier for it!
I don't think your numbers are correct. That's a nice way for me to say that I doubt the accuracy of the reporting AND the accuracy of the counting.
That's funny. And good humor often comes with a kernel of truth.
That's what we were told at first "flatten the curve to relieve pressure on the health care system". But now we're being told we need to stay shut down until there's a vaccine. When did THAT plan get thought up?

And we can't do that without completely wrecking our economy. And THAT would set us up for attack. Financial, energy, manufacturing, transportation, technological, viral, or military; all of these are open to attack if our economy isn't healthy. We can't keep giving money away and we can't stay shut down forever like some want us to.
Yes they have, and I have never seen so much face-touching! I'm convinced that the mask RAISES our risk of getting sick (with Covid or something else). Unsanitary, you're breathing and coughing into it, and forever adjusting it because it's uncomfortable, sweaty, wet, and you can't breath. And NOBODY washes their hands after manipulating their mask! Nobody! What the hell, how dumb are we?
I want your mother to live to 191 if she can. But we can't keep going the way we are! We have to figure out SOMETHING.
We should also have not let all of those criminals out of the prisons across the nation. I think we brought the virus into the general population when we did that.
This is a funny meme, but it's not really haha-belly-laugh funny. That's because I think it's missing that "kernel of truth" that I spoke of above. Yeah, I think the last statement is a non sequitur. I don't think most people not wearing masks actually think or say this. I sure don't. I just can't breathe with the mask on. Is it really ONLY about that 91 year old person you say you love but never visit? Or isn't my life important too?
I mentioned that in a wall-wart rant in another thread. I'm certain we have entire landfills full of wall-warts!
False choice. Come on, you KNOW this is a false choice...right? Wearing a mask or not wearing a mask has ZERO bearing on the employment or unemployment rate. I wear a mask to the grocery store out of consideration for the county requirement where I live. But I'm not foolish enough to believe ME wearing a mask will prevent the spread of Covid. It won't. That guy at the gas pump next to me just coughed into his mask and then touched and re-adjusted it with his bare hands. Oh, and now he's going inside to pay for his gas with cash.

You wearing a mask won't get people back to work any sooner. Sorry, that's just a slogan.
Apple can and should do what it thinks is best. But stop telling people to stop complaining. Some of us, who happen to be intelligent, thinking human beings, remain unconvinced about the effectiveness of the mask. Some DOCTORS are unconvinced. Again, please refer to my comment above about people always touching their mask and face. We have real doubts, and people should stop dismissing our doubts out of hand! Wear your mask, sure! But lay off the judging of others.

We would be better off to each examine our own behaviors. Maybe some of us will realize that we aren't really washing our damned hands after using the restroom, or we could be dropping our masks in the washing machine a little more often. Or not, your choice. But sheesh folks, let's all please start questioning our major media outlets a little more and let's be telling others what to do a little bit less.

We're so judgy and political! It's embarrassing and it's tearing us apart far more than tany health risk from wearing or not wearing a mask.

Some of us will not make it through this pandemic. That is a fact of life (and, yes, death). But when it comes down to us, ain't none of us getting out of this life alive anyway, right? So let's all love each other, help each other, and STOP being mean to each other!

By the way, nobody is required to wear a mask in my house. You are welcome here.

This is literally the most ridiculous wall of text I’ve ever seen in these forums. Welcome to my ignore list.

Thank you for wearing a mask.

 

[Flight Plan]

No... Every incident I've seen on the news where someone has gone non-linear over wearing a mask has been about their rights and freedom. That's how stupid some people are.

Keywords, "I've seen on the news". Did you not read what I wrote about how we're being lied to left and right on the news?

I'm pretty sure you can relax and that it's really NOT happening the way you (ahem, your "news") says it is. Not out here in flyover country.

 

[citysnaps]

Keywords, "I've seen on the news". Did you not read what I wrote about how we're being lied to left and right on the news?

I'm pretty sure you can relax and that it's really NOT happening the way you (ahem, your "news") says it is. Not out here in flyover country.

From you? Seriously?

"I'm pretty sure..."

Of course you are! You no doubt believe mask videos are being staged and broadcasted on national news.

 

[airplaneb777]

Don’t confuse asymptomatic with pre-symptomatic. Lots of evidence for the latter, and mixed for the former. And it’s still spreading the disease without knowing you have it.

And the 0.05% is Not right. Even if you assume the number of asymptomatic people is 10x the confirmed infected number, it’d be 0.5%.

It's probably actually lower than .5, my neighbor died of a heart attack while mowing his lawn but it was counted as Covid because he would have been at work if it wasn't shut down due to Covid. What a load of crap.

 

[Flight Plan]

This is literally the most ridiculous wall of text I’ve ever seen in these forums. Welcome to my ignore list.

Thank you for wearing a mask.

Nice to have a conversation(?) with you. But why so angry? I'm doing what you want; I'm wearing the mask, even though it hurts my own health.

Oh, are you offended because I deigned to disagree with your wisdom, or the wisdom of your chosen news purveyors?

Again, being judgy is tearing us apart when mere disagreement is considered an unforgivable sin. Sorry you feel that we can't be friends. You still don't have to wear a mask in my house.

 

[bushman4]

Apple truly looking out for our safety!

Truth is that all their products can be ordered on their website So it’s not a great loss except for the Genius Bar

 

[DexBell]

The problem is that people are making mask-wearing a political thing.

Wearing a mask is like wearing a condom in a risky situation, or wearing a seatbelt while driving. It's for your own safety.

If we all agreed on that, we'd be on our way to recovery long time ago.

California has been under s strict mask order here for 3 weeks and LA county for two months, cases still climbing. If masks work and they are required, why is everything shutting back down instead of continuing to open? Heres some facts for you. Ported masks are meant for contaminated environments and only filter air coming, not out. So if you have COVID and are wearing one, you are just breathing out germs into the air thru the ports. Surgical masks are designed for STERILE environments, like an operating room, and are only meant for use for around 30 minutes. They do NOTHING out in the real world and most people are clueless how to wear them anyways as they touch them, touch their face etc...Cloth masks are a complete joke and can actually make you sick by trapping germs and mildew in them and you are just breathing it all in. Masks do NOTHING against COVID.

 

[BGPL]

Dang, I was hoping to see the word "shuttering" or "shuttered" in the title. I'll check back later when more stores close. Macrumors, please consider my request, I need this.

Hold on, my computer is shuttering down. Sorry, but I needed a fix.

Edit: Ok, it shuttered down and now it's back up. Oh god.

 

[NickName99]

California has been under s strict mask order here for 3 weeks and LA county for two months, cases still climbing. If masks work and they are required, why are cases still rising and why is everything shutting back down instead of continuing to open? Masks do NOTHING against COVID.

Because people aren’t wearing them enough.

They don’t really protect the wearer, they prevent you from spreading it. A room full of people wearing masks could get infected by one person not wearing a mask - even if that person wasn’t showing symptoms yet and didn’t know they were infected.

 

[DexBell]

In LA it's 5%. (60,178 cases, 3130 deaths.) Admittedly, the number of cases is underreported but it's still a far cry from 0.05%.

How many of those deaths involved the flu? When you look on the CDC website and take out the flu with only COVID and pneumonia, the deaths are less than half of what's being claimed as COVID deaths by fake news fear mongering . Then take into account that 43% of deaths in the US are from nursing homes and you get the idea. COVID is not killing nearly as many people as fake news claims and the nearly half of those who have died are all over 80 with underlying health problems and in nursing homes. Hardly the people who frequent Apple stores...