Mr. Acheson--it's time.

[garfield]

In all fairness, DCI's "Dan-office" DOES need to, first, hear from each drum corps and, second, assemble the voting members to take the vote, then, third, coordinate the message.

Each corps has to call a Board meeting (herding cats), discuss, and ratify a decision in order to pass on to their voting member their decision.

Then DCI's BoD can take a vote based on that.  And, only AFTER all of that, will DCI make a formal statement.

Of course, the IOC had to coordinate COUNTRIES to make their decision, but yeah, we can wait.

 

[JohnZ]

18 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said:

Yep.  They closed the state parks.  

and yet they are reluctant to close the beaches.  Here they only stopped driving on the beaches - people can still park off-beach and take the short walk

 

[N.E. Brigand]

15 hours ago, JustEnjoyIt said:

You don't need planeloads coming from Wuhan. It started in China with ONE case. It then blew up across all of China - which it's nice to mention that China and US have very close to the same land area. As others have mentioned, though, this comparison only means things would more slowly spread in the US. Which is a GOOD thing for hospital resources, and is exactly what people are hoping for. It is a BAD thing for the potential upcoming season.

Even if everyone at the start of the season is 100% free from the virus, it is guaranteed at least one person will catch it during the tour. They are around a lot more people than just those immediately around them on the field, and it will absolutely enter into one of the groups. That group will then need to be put on quarantine. Not to mention the fans. Go to an event like this, and someone in the crowd will almost be guaranteed to have it.

Here in China, we are back to work. I've been back to work for about 3 weeks now. Some here just started back today. Others are still unable to start back to work. It is not like flipping a switch and everyone gets back to work immediately, or at least it SHOULDN'T be. If it is, then get ready for Quarantine Part 2 in a few weeks when it cycles back around.

This would only apply if the US is 100% copying how Chinese cities have responded to this. It should absolutely be assumed that the report-to-peak cycle will be different. Even under the best of circumstances, the peak would be different between two different nations. The US is NOT handling this situation well, though.

I've previously talked about how Wuhan handled the situation vs. the city where I've lived now for a few years - Shanghai. For those interested, click here. So let me now talk about how the US is handling it as well. I'll use NYC, simply due to the sizes being the only thing close enough in scale.

Shanghai: Population - 25 Million, COVID-19 Cases - 370, COVID-19 Deaths - 3
Beijing: Population - 21.5 Million, COVID-19 Cases - 512, COVID-19 Deaths - 8

NYC: Population - 8.6 Million, COVID-19 Cases - 11,000, COVID-19 Deaths - 63

Not every city in China has handled it as well as Shanghai and Beijing (to a lesser extent), obviously. But not every city in the US is handling it as well as NYC, either. 

Back to my area now. When this virus entered Shanghai, it entered as one single case originally. When it entered NYC, it entered as one single case. It doesn't matter where those cases came from, but those numbers show something is not being done quite right. The US is not handling this well right now.

Here in China, as I talked about in the previous post, I'm STILL having to have my temperature scanned multiple times each day and you're expected to wear a mask anytime you're outside of your home. I've now been back at work for 3 weeks now, after a full month of quarantine - which was originally mandated for everyone here. If you go from one city to another, you must quarantine for two weeks now. Doesn't matter if it's domestic or foreign travel. Fly from Beijing to Shanghai? That'll be two weeks in home-quarantine. Fly from Bangkok to Shanghai? Two weeks in a hotel quarantine near the airports. I look at how the US is handling things, and I look at how China's largest cities are handling things... If you think the US is going to be seeing the same peak... a rude awakening is in store. It's nowhere near over here in China, and the US has a long ways to go as well. Even when it calms past the peak, it still would be unwise to do a tour. Should the members remain safe, with them going state to state like they do - it could just end up carrying the virus even more than it already has been. That can happen even if we're past the 'peak'.

This isn't a call to PANIC PANIC PANIC!! But we need to not constantly brush concerns aside and be so dismissive when there's no grasp on the true reality we're now living in.

I do not want the season cancelled. I understand the entire activity could be at risk should that be what happens. But more and more I'm not seeing how it can continue. Corps housing may be one of the biggest challenges, but we have to first look at the safety challenge itself.

Thanks for sharing this perspective.

[Terri Schehr]

Just now, JohnZ said:

and yet they are reluctant to close the beaches.  Here they only stopped driving on the beaches - people can still park off-beach and take the short walk

 

Good grief. 

[N.E. Brigand]

10 hours ago, rpbobcat said:

I don't know if this has been posted.

Yesterday [U.S. Treasury Secretary] Steven Mnuchin said the "lock down" was likely to last: "10-12 weeks, or early June".

That's just the lock down.

Then each state has to lift their own restrictions.

Which, as I've I posted, will most likely be done incrementally.

Then the shuttered businesses that survive, can start to reopen.

I had missed that particular statement, so I appreciate you highlighting it.

[garfield]

For decades - literally decades - I have counted and relied on DCI and the leaders of the many drum corps to produce a competitive tour that was entertaining, exciting, and worth my separating myself from my hard-earned dollars and giving it, willingly, to both DCI and darn-near any drum corps that came asking.

For decades, literally decades, they have provided me with the most moving and entertaining part of my life, bar none, year after year.

I refuse now  - I SIMPLY REFUSE - to believe that these wonderful people will disappoint me now and do something to lose my trust, my dedication, or my contribution.

 

[N.E. Brigand]

I see Florida's governor just announced that visitors from New York and New Jersey must self-quarantine for two weeks.

That's rather like the travel policies in China described by JustEnjoyIt above, and possibly the right call.

Although the virus is probably well established in Florida's population at this point.

[Brian Tuma]

3 hours ago, Terri Schehr said:

I'll probably get scorched for this but they cancelled the freakin Olympics.  DCI is looking silly to act as if they’re going to have a season.  

Scorched only by someone with their head in the sand. 

[Terri Schehr]

1 minute ago, Brian Tuma said:

Scorched only by someone with their head in the sand. 

I mean, why string the kids along?  Bad news doesn’t improve with time. 

[Brian Tuma]

Some of y’alls hypotheticals for a salvaged season are downright bizarre.
leasing sleeper busses? KOA campgrounds? School parking lots? Please, just accept the writing on the wall.