[Plan22] ARTICLE ON NEW CDC GUIDANCE AND COVID

Sun Aug 14 10:56:25 PDT 2022

I agree with Jamie. There often is a cold or similar thing that comes after convention, which some call convention crud. I would not want to add Covid to the list, and since a lot of us will be working or schooling after that, it would be wise to have tighter guidelines than we might normally think. Some of us will be going back to staying with our family or friends, and it would not be great to spread Covid to them either. I’m sure that some of you have family or friends who are immunocompromised, so Covid could have disastrous consequences for them. I realize that implementing these guidelines will mean more work for us, but it’s always better to be proactive when it comes to health.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 14, 2022, at 09:52, blackbyrdfly at gmail.com wrote:
> 
> I think we are on a good and fairly inclusive trajectory with the protocols we are planning, even if CDC guidelines are, for the time being and for a fairly wide variety of reasons, relaxing. In a case like this where health and safety is a concern, and where in person participation is unfortunately necessary for 100% participation, I think planning too much precaution is better than too little. I’ve also yet to attend a conference of a professional nature (or for that matter, a routine doctors appointment, hair appointment, childrens activity or trip to the gym) since COVID that did not go above and beyond CDC’s guidelines at the time with their own protocols.
> 
> Jamie
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Aug 14, 2022, at 9:09 AM, Brian Buhrow <buhrow at nfbcal.org> wrote:
>> 
>>     hello planning committee.  I came across the following article in the San Jose Mercury
>> News yesterday.  I thought this article would be of interest to this group because it may
>> influence the Covid protocols we implement for this year's state convention.  While I
>> appreciate Rachel's rigorous set of protocols for this year's convention, I am concerned that
>> we're swimming upstream when it comes to imposing more protocols, even as the nation, lead by
>> the CDC, is ratcheting the protocols down.  this was demonstrated to me on our last planning
>> call when Allison observed that the hotel told her they were just following what the CDC said
>> when it came to Covid protocols and procedures.  As time goes by, the CDC is moving toward a
>> position that I would characterize as "Every person for themselves".  
>>   I encourage this committee to read this article, link and text pasted below, and then see
>> where we fall, as a committee on these protocols.  As Jamie observed a couple of weeks ago,
>> this is a moving target and November looks like an eternity away at this point.  
>> 
>> 
>> -Brian
>> 
>> https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/08/11/cdc-eases-covid-19-guidance/
>> 
>> 
>> CDC eases COVID-19 guidance. What you need to know
>> 
>> Quarantine no longer recommended after virus exposure
>> 
>> 
>>  A sign at the entrance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seen, Tuesday,
>>  April 19, 2022, in Atlanta. A decision by a federal judge in Florida to throw out a
>>  national mask mandate for public transportation across the U.S. created a confusing
>>  patchwork of rules for passengers. The CDC recently extended the mandate, but the court
>>  decision put the mandate on hold. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)
>>  A sign at the entrance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seen, Tuesday,
>>  April 19, 2022, in Atlanta. A decision by a federal judge in Florida to throw out a
>>  national mask mandate for public transportation across the U.S. created a confusing
>>  patchwork of rules for passengers. The CDC recently extended the mandate, but the court
>>  decision put the mandate on hold. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)
>>  By John Woolfolk | jwoolfolk at bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
>>  PUBLISHED: August 11, 2022 at 12:11 p.m. | UPDATED: August 12, 2022 at 8:05 a.m.
>> 
>>  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention streamlined its guidance Thursday for
>>  keeping COVID-19 in check, de-emphasizing social distancing, nixing screening tests for
>>  those without symptoms and no longer recommending that people who aren't current on
>>  vaccines quarantine after exposure to the virus.
>> 
>>  In one of the most significant changes, federal health officials no longer urge people who
>>  are unvaccinated or haven't had a booster shot to "stay home and quarantine for at least
>>  five full days" after exposure while advising those current on the vaccine or who had
>>  recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days to only stay home if they had symptoms.
>> 
>>  Now, the CDC recommends that everyone -- regardless of vaccination or past infection --
>>  "wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on day five" after exposure to the
>>  virus.
>> 
>>  The guidance revision that has been anticipated for weeks relaxes rules aimed at keeping
>>  people apart that had made many aspects of social life fraught with anxiety, from weddings
>>  and concerts to attending school.
>> 
>>  "We're in a stronger place today as a nation, with more tools -- like vaccination,
>>  boosters, and treatments -- to protect ourselves, and our communities, from severe illness
>>  from COVID-19," Greta Massetti, chief of the CDC's Field Epidemiology and Prevention
>>  Branch, said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
>> 
>>  "We also have a better understanding of how to protect people from being exposed to the
>>  virus, like wearing high-quality masks, testing, and improved ventilation," Massetti said.
>>  "This guidance acknowledges that the pandemic is not over, but also helps us move to a
>>  point where COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives."
>> 
>>  The new rules also say it's no longer necessary to screen people who have no symptoms or
>>  known exposure to detect hidden infections among groups of people such as students at
>>  school. And the agency now says "physical distance is just one component of how to protect
>>  yourself and others."
>> 
>>  U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said that means schools won't have to worry
>>  about maintaining space between desks to reduce outbreaks.
>> 
>>  "This latest guidance from the CDC should give our students, parents, and educators the
>>  confidence they need to head back to school this year with a sense of joy and optimism,"
>>  Cardona said. "While COVID continues to evolve, so has our understanding of the science and
>>  what it takes to return to school safely."
>> 
>>  American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said she welcomed the changes
>>  and said that with prevention and treatment options available, "now is not the time for new
>>  mandates."
>> 
>>  On Twitter, Stanford medical school professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a vocal critic of
>>  pandemic lockdowns, applauded the new guidelines for dismantling vaccine segregation and
>>  "eliminating unnecessary disruptions in the lives of kids this school year."
>> 
>>  The CDC said that regardless of vaccination status, "you should isolate from others when
>>  you have COVID-19" or are "sick and suspect that you have COVID-19 but do not yet have test
>>  results."
>> 
>>  If the test is negative, there's no need to isolate. But if it's positive, the CDC says you
>>  still should stay home for at least five days and isolate from others in your home and wear
>>  a high-quality mask such as an N95 or KN95 for 10 days when you must be around others at
>>  home or in public.
>> 
>>  The CDC said you should avoid being around people who are most likely to get very sick from
>>  COVID-19, such as those who are old or have chronic illness, for at least 11 days.
>> 
>>  As before, those who test positive but have no symptoms can end isolation after five days.
>>  Those who have moderate symptoms including difficulty breathing or become hospitalized
>>  should isolate for a full 10 days.
>> 
>>  The looser guidelines come as COVID-19 transmission levels, driven by the now dominant and
>>  immunity-evasive BA.5 omicron variant, are high across 94% of the U.S. and most California
>>  counties, including all of the Bay Area.
>> 
>>  The CDC's COVID-19 "community level" -- a metric introduced last spring that places more
>>  emphasis on the disease's impact on regional medical resources, is high across 42% of the
>>  U.S. and many California counties, including every Bay Area county except Marin.
>> 
>>  But the summer case surge appears to have peaked, and no newer variants have been gaining
>>  ground on BA.5, which has not spurred hospitalizations and deaths as much as earlier
>>  variants.
>> 
>>  The CDC says "it is important to consider the risk in a particular setting, including local
>>  COVID-19 Community Levels and the important role of ventilation, when assessing the need to
>>  maintain physical distance."
>> 
>>  COVID-19 vaccines now are authorized for everyone 6 months old and up, and two-thirds of
>>  Americans and nearly three fourths of Californians are considered fully vaccinated, while
>>  just under half across the U.S. and 55% in California have had at least one vaccine
>>  booster.
>> 
>>  The CDC said "protection provided by the current vaccine against symptomatic infection and
>>  transmission is less than that against severe disease and diminishes over time, especially
>>  against the currently circulating variants."
>> 
>>  "For this reason," the CDC continued, "it is important to stay up to date, especially as
>>  new vaccines become available."
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