SARS II: Respiratory Boogaloo

There might not be any kickbacks involved.

Ten or 15 years ago, all Republican policies were directly linkable to one of three things: greed, bigotry, or religious fundamentalism. Therefore, since pushing Ivermectin doesn't have anything to do with banning abortion or shitting on gays, a bill like this would never come up unless there was profit in it.

But now there's a fourth option, bugfuck insanity, which cannot be dismissed.

We won't give you real healthcare, but we'll give you generous access to cheap placebos. -- GOP

Just in case you're thinking about a Caribbean cruise....



MEDIA RELEASE

Date: Wednesday 13 April, 2022

Contact: Gina Matthews

Cell Phone (345) 526-1259

E-mail address: gina.matthews@gov.ky

Official Government Portal: www.gov.ky

Facebook.com/Ministry of Tourism & Transport





Cayman Islands Moves to Phase II for Cruise Tourism


George Town, Cayman Islands (13 April, 2022) – Based on the success of the reintroduction of cruise ships during Phase I, Cabinet has granted approval for the industry to seamlessly transition to Phase II.

Phase II will take effect from Monday 18th April, 2022 and will continue until the Long Term Cruise Tourism Strategy is completed, before the end of the year.


The primary difference between Phases I and II is the restrictions on the number of cruise ships allowed to call on Grand Cayman has been removed. Ships will now revert to the normal process of liaising with the Port Authority Cayman Islands (PACI) for approval to dock, rather than going through the Ministry of Tourism, as was the case for Phase I.


All health protocols from Phase I, which have evidently proven successful, will remain in place for Phase II. These include the requirements for all cruise passengers and crew to be fully vaccinated in order to disembark the ship in Grand Cayman. Children under 12 will continue to assume the vaccination status of their parents, and no-one who tests positive will be allowed to disembark the ship; whether they are symptomatic or not.


Chief Medical Officer of Health (Interim) Dr. Autilia Newton confirmed that during Phase I there has not been a significant change in the number of new COVID-19 cases. “The stringent health protocols implemented by the Cayman Islands Government exceeds the guidelines issued by the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and have been effective in safeguarding the health of residents,” she said. “Furthermore, Public Health’s analysis of cruise passenger data collected during Phase I have not found any evident link between the number of COVID-19 cases currently on Island and cruise passenger arrivals.”





Commenting on the success of Phase I, Hon. Kenneth Bryan, Minister for Tourism and Transport noted that he was very pleased with the success of the return of cruise ships in phase I and is looking forward to the transition to Phase II. He also stated that businesses are reporting an increase in the uptake of services. “This is advantageous for our tourism stakeholders and the country as a whole. Even though things are going well, as the sector moves to Phase II, we will remain vigilant in our monitoring of global trends particularly with respect to COVID-19 health protocols to ensure that our people stay protected.”


With the resumption of cruise tourism, the Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) has seen an immediate increase in business. “Despite the lower ship occupancy and the restricted number of ships, there has been a surge in visitor activity. This indicates a very strong demand from the cruise industry and cruise guests for our Cayman activities.” said Troy Leacock, CITA Vice President and Watersports Director.


Minister Bryan also noted that based on public feedback about passengers not wearing masks, cruise lines have been requested to remind passengers of the mask mandate while onshore and inside premises. “In our communication with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), announcing the move to Phase II, the Cayman Islands government has asked cruise lines to step up their passenger communication to ensure that passengers are aware of the need to adhere to our on-island safety protocols, particularly social distancing and mask wearing while indoors at retail outlets and restaurants,” said Minister Bryan.


For more information on cruise ship arrivals please visit the Port Authority Cayman Islands website to view the cruise ship schedule.


ENDS

Boris Johnson is in a lot of trouble this week, what with being further exposed as a criminal and a liar in relation to non-observance of the COVID rules.

Oh no! What COVID rule didn’t he follow now!

He was fined for having a party during lockdown. And word is that there are further fines to come for other parties. He's the first serving prime-minister to have been found in breach of the law.

None of which is as bad as his repeated and flagrant lying about it to parliament, ordinarily a resigning matter.

I remember not too long ago that it was common practice for politicians in the parliamentary system (both UK and Canada) to resign as a matter of course if there was even a whiff of scandal.

Now these leeches hang on for dear life.

That to me was one of the admirable things about the UK/Parliamentary systems. If things go FUBAR you resign, even if it's not your fault. The idea being that it is your responsibility. I guess knowing that you would still be in Parliament if you resigned your cabinet position made it slightly easier, but still taking the fall after making it to the top of the "greasy pole" can't be easy. Turns out, the easier course for those seeking to hold on is just to brazen it out.

I'm really digging Peter Ziehan's takes on geo-politics. Here, he explains what's happening in China vis-a-vis Covid...

Things on the ground here are definitely worse, in terms of restrictions, than they have been since the early months of 2020. I don't live in Shanghai, but it's absolutely a horror show out of an Orwell novel.

Ziehan's a bit more pessimistic than I am. The comments about Xi and the internal workings of the government are just his conjecture; in reality no one really knows how they operate.

There have been subtle indications that China wants to turn the ship on the "zero covid" policy. Just yesterday it was announced that incoming arrivals would start to quarantine for only 10 days, instead of 14. In recent months China has approved the Pfizer treatment pill in addition to its own. It's building up special treatment facilities (of questionable quality) all over the country, knowing that it can't hold back the tide of omicron much longer.

China still needs to get its elderly vaxxed, which was Hong Kong's great weakness. And it needs to approve the Western shots, although for nationalist reasons it strongly prefers developing its own.

Things are definitely going to get worse before they get better.

Today is Thursday, March 774th, 2020, and dude's been sentenced to 3 years.

A federal judge strikes down the mask mandate on planes and public transit.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/18/us/politics/federal-mask-mandate-airplanes.html

A judge who is a darling of the Federalist Society and deemed not qualified by many. Thanks Trump!

Remember, Republicunts are pro-life.

Forget COVID-19, I've been saying for years that wearing masks on any type of public transportation simply makes sense. There are too many selfish fuckfaces who are quite happy to share their germs with other people.

Pretty impressive that Trump's brand of crony incompetence will continue to kill people even after he's out of office. Imagine a person who had never appeared in court before her appointment then deciding on a case that will impact national health policy.

In the meantime outbreaks of the new variants are occurring, on the East Coast particularly in Canada, Upper NY State and Washington DC.

I know 8 people currently with covid.

The American Bar Association itself sent a letter to the Senate committee saying that Mizelle did not meet the qualifications for the federal bench.

She was appointed by Trump after he lost the 2020 election and certified in a Senate vote that went entirely on party lines.

Anyone else think that American democratic institutions are broken, when one very unqualified judge can have such a far-reaching impact on the country?

Anyone who is paying attention does. And no, if you are strictly Republican or strictly Democrat, you definitely are not paying attention.

The latest bullshit science out from Republican nutland: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027869152200206X#!


Innate immune suppression by SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccinations: The role of G-quadruplexes, exosomes, and MicroRNAs

Who are our intrepid authors?

A woman with a degree in computer science who has been posting bullshit to health publications since 2011. You know, because a CS degree means you can doctor.

A natureopath. Gotta have one of those!

And an anti-vaxxer who runs the Truth for Health Foundation and has had previous papers retracted because of their lack of scientific accuracy.

Beg to differ on that one.

Was there a time when I thought the Republican party had some redeeming characteristics? Yes.

Any more? Fuck no.

@Jenee can correct me if I am wrong about her opinion matching mine, but I think the word strictly matters here. She seems to be clearly claiming that if you vote strictly by party so that anyone who gets that nomination automatically gets your vote, then you are part of the problem. Just because the sycophants say not voting for a dem means you voted for a republican, that is not true.

Personally I am done voting for an obviously horrible person just because the other person is obviously horrible also. You have to run someone acceptable to get my vote, and since that means neither party gives a fuck about my vote and insists on running the most corrupt and immoral people possible, I am not sliding up to the counter for my shit sandwich. I will go hungry.

Same. I've voted for Republicans before. But after the last 10-14 years (and especially the last 6 years), I don't see myself ever voting for someone who chooses to be a Republican again.

It’s not about redeeming qualities. In that particular respect, I agree. But, politicians regardless of party, are taking bribes and gifts designed to encourage a politician to vote a certain way.

THAT is the problem. They each have their public roles to play, but when it comes down to voting, each will vote the way their benefactors want them to.

Now that the mask mandates are ending, we're hearing more from big media about how ineffective they were in the first place.

From the NY Times:

Let's just be honest. It was all fucking theater.