Gator

Well...according to guidance from the State, all launches and access points, private or public, are closed to recreational boating. That would seem to include just about everywhere. Now, I'd be lying if I said that the launch on Canadice looked closed this afternoon, or that I didn't see a bunch of kayak fishermen. But there were trailers in other, more popular launch lots as well, and you know for dang certain that they're closed. So you've got to ask yourself - do you feel lucky?

x2

Well, that seems clear. Stupid and shortsighted, but clear. I've been doing my best to endorse the measures put in place to avoid spreading this virus, but I will be kayaking, if we ever get a nice day - launching from a private residence or random shoreline. If they want to give me a ticket, I will welcome it. We need to take every reasonable precaution to avoid spreading this virus. But in the same vein, I will argue against the insanity of meaningless overreaction that lacks any empirical evidence of efficacy, until the end of time. Simply limit one per boat and be done with it. That would do the trick, right? How can we countenance fishing from shore, but not from a boat? Consider my mind blown.

It seems to me to be a perfect time to ask for permission to turkey hunt on public golf courses lol. A few ash trees met their maker this morning, and the tower blind is still standing. I call that a win.

You know, Les, I agree 100% with you, but you can't argue rationally with someone whose mind in already made up, irrespective of the facts. LOU is better than most of the other boards I've seen. At least people try to be civil. But it's an effort not to sink into name-slinging, not when people I care about are dying. I get so ticked off. I probably need a sanity break. I'm off to the woods with my chainsaw to engage in some social distancing. Maybe I'll come home with a more positive mindset, but right now I'm seething. And there you go - a buddy of mine just emailed me that two people he knows died of it recently, both in their 50s with no underlying causes. I need a time out.

I love America, but it's the cowboy mentality that's done us in here. There was a post earlier regarding Sweden and their using a different approach that avoided shutting things down. Well, that's because the Swedish populace listens to guidance from their (socialist) government. I'm not saying that's good or bad, but according to some on here, that would make them sheep. Regardless, they avoided a shutdown through a measured response that was self-imposed. Now, when I read on here all of the push back about wearing masks when you can't social distance, which is a reasonable request and easy to implement, I recognize that there was never any way that Americans were going to be able to follow the Swedish model. I have a Russian buddy who tells me that the only way to get one of his countrymen to listen is to punch him in the face lol. Different cultures demand different approaches, I guess. In some ways, Americans were there own worst enemies. If they'd complied with the initial "recommendations", there would have been no need to escalate. So, for all of my friends touting Sweden as a model and calling us sheep - think about it. These are mutually exclusive and unreconcilable arguments, IMHO. And the boat launch thing is another example of too many not-sheep ruining it for the rest of us. Thanks.

Please open the marinas! I've done everything right, I'm a sheep lol, I am happy to comply. But if I can't catch some crappie next week, all of that may change. I guess I lean toward doing what's asked, so long as it isn't nonsensical. And I freely admit that my gut feelings could easily be wrong. Okay, are likely wrong most of the time, to be honest, which is why I try to be guided by logic and information. I often defer to those with more expertise. But I still haven't had anyone provide a reasonable answer for why boat launches are closed. Yeah, there's a few boats with too many people, but it's not like we're having sandbar parties, Florida style. It's mostly a bunch of stinky old fishermen who are anti-social, anyway. I'd be shocked if boat launches are contributing to the spread of COVID-19. Maybe it's a downstate thing, or maybe I'm just wrong. Either way, I don't get it.

i hear you, man. This stuff seems like overkill. But I will also tell you that America has raised eyebrows across the world with our lack of responsiveness, with the perception being that we should have gone all in way before we did. As a country, we have lost enormous stature - most assumed that we'd be more prepared for this than anyone, and it turned out to be the opposite. Sweden is an interesting case. Their society is a model of social responsibility, and has traditionally been mocked by the right wing for its ultra-liberal policies. But in this case, instead of shutting down entirely, they asked people to take personal responsibility and they shut things down only in part (grade schools are open, others are closed). When we tried to do the same thing here, most people laughed and ignored the "advice". Hence, draconian measures. Is it worth it? Jury's still out. Including on Sweden. Honestly, we won't know until long after this has passed, and even then there are going to be folks who say, "That rock wouldn't have hit me - you shouldn't have pushed me aside". I would personally have preferred a more measured response, but I am in the minority that actually took the original guidance seriously. I will add something on masks, as it just popped up - they're not for you, they're to keep you from infecting other people - and they are effective for that. Do not think that wearing a mask makes you safe. It's about trying to protect each other. Wearing masks was not warranted until we had widespread community transmission. Check. It actually does make sense. Remember - fluid situation, emerging guidance. And even the experts can whiff. Being wrong once doesn't make you wrong always lol. Otherwise, I'd be in lots of trouble...

OMG. I just snorted coffee through my nose.

Come on, Dan. It's not being a sheep to obey expert guidance. It's not being a sheep to want to protect your neighbors from yourself. I hope you're kidding. Of course, there's folks out there who won't put a fence around their pool because they don't want to be told what to do. It's only unthinking obedience that makes you a sheep. A considered response just makes you smart.

Masks are supposed to help prevent you from spreading the virus if you're an asymptomatic carrier. It's to keep other people safe. If folks think a mask is going to keep them safe, then yeah, it's definitely a false sense of security. When I wear a mask, I don't touch my face as much, either, which is good - but I wear a mask frequently. Others may feel the need to mess with it. Soon, stores won't let you in unless you're masked, so get used to it, no matter what you feel. Law of the land, as per Herr Cuomo.

I can't disagree with you on the media. Working at URMC, it's always...amusing...to read what the D&C prints versus what really happened. The bias is unreal. It's got to be even worse at the national level.

Yeah...no. Nope. It's not political. It's based on the recommendation of our nation's top health experts. Without an antibody test, we aren't ready for the free-for-all that a "reopening" would entail. This is too critical a decision to "go with your gut". We're all tired of it. It sucks. But that still doesn't make it political.

The Town of Richmond posted that they reopened the launches on Honeoye lake. According to new guidance, the governors's executive order was supposedly directed at private and not public launches. Go figure. Here's the link. https://townrichmond.digitaltowpath.org:10135/content

All good points. Let me reiterate though that if you're ignoring social distancing because you are willing to take the risk of catching the virus, unfortunately you are also taking the risk of spreading the virus, albeit perhaps unbeknownst to you. If your job allows you to maintain appropriate distancing, that's one thing. If it doesn't and you choose to work anyway, IMHO that's morally repugnant. I hope everyone on here falls into that first category so we can avoid a situation like in South Dakota, where one guy likely infected so many and is responsible (God rest his soul) for every death at that processing plant. What a nightmare. I agree that healthcare professionals likely have a skewed view of the severity of this outbreak, but let me remind you that the deaths we've experienced have been in the face of a near total shutdown. Without this, the numbers would have been staggeringly higher. And also - folks say this isn't much worse than the flu. Well...the flu is what killed so many millions in 1918. And the flu is one of the major recurring health crises of our time. Like any good enemy, it deserves our respect. Finally, yes - we should get back to business. But it is inevitable when we do that there will be a resurgence. We need to be prepared to meet that challenge. Without antibody testing or ELISA, we just don't know how many folks have had the disease, and we'd be showing up at a gun fight with a knife. I suspect that you are correct and that there are many more folks who've had the disease than we appreciate. But we can't go with a gut feeling on this. It's too important. I'm as eager as anyone to get back. When my lab shut down, we didn't lose weeks of work, we lost months and in some cases, colleagues lost years of research. We need the tools to make sure that the second wave isn't worse than the first. I apologize if I come across as pedantic. In the best of all worlds, I'd be preaching to the choir.

. The post you're responding to is almost six years old. No idea how it showed up on your radar, but it made me chuckle. Thank you.

It is truly difficult for ordinary citizens who don't see the impact of their actions to heed warnings like this - until it's them or their loved ones at risk. And then health care professionals are expected to save them when they go down. At risk to their own lives, as we know that the incidence rate among doctors and nurses is ridiculously high. Over 100 doctors dead in Italy from treating COVID patients. This is a sobering number. I think that most people get it, even if they screw up sometimes. The ones who don't give a crap are outliers. I hope. Thank you for the reminder from the front lines that we all need to stay vigilant.

Way to go, Billy! When I drove past Cowsucker this morning, I wished I'd had my kayak. I imagine that lots of guys are going to be battening down the hatches for the blow tomorrow. I wouldn't want to be in the water.

No, it's not, but it's likely there's nothing I can say to convince you otherwise. Still, here goes. The number of folks who died in a motorcycle accident but were pronounced dead by COVID is...zero. The entire premise of social distancing is to protect our most vulnerable, those who have underlying conditions that make them susceptible. This is accepted. You aren't telling us anything new. Your argument has merit so long as you accept the premise that if you're going to die anyway, it doesn't matter when it happens or from what. And the issue with COVID is that it is putting stress on the system - which results in needless mortality as resources are overwhelmed. Your numbers are suspect, as well. 83% recover? May as well play Russian Roulette if that's true. You don't become a sheep by listening to well-educated people who have trained for years. However, if you don't listen, you could become a statistic. More likely though, you'll contribute to someone else's being a statistic instead. Please go fishing and stop insulting our intelligence.

You aren't wrong!! This is their normal normal. At least in so far as government dictating every aspect of their life. We're taking it on the chin now, but I'm confident that American strength will get us through this and onto better times.

Any confirmation on the launches at Honeoye or Conesus?