Masks required at RMNP

[Scott P]

To clarify, only indoors and where you can't social distance on a trail. Once you aren't next to a person, you don't have to keep it on.
When you are near other people though, you need to keep it on .

[Scott P]

“Single track trails will be required” - sounds like Longs peak to me

Yes, but only when you can't social distance (i.e. within six feet of a person).

[highpilgrim]

Here comes the fitta and the itsonlytheflu posse.

460K and counting.

[Scott P]

You win, I lose Scott.

No, just clarifying since I had a discussion with some NPS rangers and the press release wasn't that clear. They should have been more clear.

[Scott P]

As another clarification, it's for all federal lands including National Forest and even the BLM, not just RMNP. Check it out:

https://www.blm.gov/press-release/burea ... -buildings

I think it's a good time to do some of the less popular routes.

PS, don't shoot the messenger. I'm just pointing out what the mandates are.

[Somewhat of a Prick]

Just following the science.

[crossfitter]

Here comes the fitta and the itsonlytheflu posse.

460K and counting.

I'm old enough to remember back in March when we all agreed things were necessary to prevent a total collapse of the healthcare system, and agreed to flatten the curve. If you recall, flatten the curve meant "everyone who is going to get sick is going to get sick, we're just going to spread the same number of infections out over a manageable period of time". Meanwhile, the goal was to ramp up PPE, expand hospital capacity, and hopefully improve therapeutics.

Somehow this has morphed into the clusterfuck monstrosity of today where we have all of the above. You can buy an N95 today. You can buy 100 if you want. The mask thing was supposed to be a stopgap until actual effective masks were available, which they are. We built the hospital capacity up, and promptly dismantled all the field hospitals because they weren't being used. Anyone remember the USS Comfort? We got way better at treating it, we have multiple vaccines far sooner and far more effective than anyone dreamed.

So what the f**k are we doing, exactly?

We saved the hospitals, you can buy the spacesuit and wear 7 N95s if you want. You can stay home and work from home forever if it so pleases you. Cases have been declining for a month or more. Why are we doing more stupid bulls**t that hasn't shown to be any more effective than doing nothing anywhere? Meanwhile, we have record high levels of alcoholism, depression, anxiety, economic despair. The cure is much, much, much worse than disease. But we keep doing this because people have been deluded into thinking corona is the only problem that exists anymore.

Here's an idea: if you don't want to get sick, stay home. Last I checked, National Parks were not essential businesses. Please leave the rest of us alone and let us have our lives back.

[askwjs]

I am sure that there will plenty of law enforcement hiding at strategic points on trails to hand out citations. Bet they are hiring extra rangers for the summits of Quandary and Bierstadt to enforce masks and social distancing

[hansolo35]

Here comes the fitta and the itsonlytheflu posse.

460K and counting.

I'm old enough to remember back in March when we all agreed things were necessary to prevent a total collapse of the healthcare system, and agreed to flatten the curve. If you recall, flatten the curve meant "everyone who is going to get sick is going to get sick, we're just going to spread the same number of infections out over a manageable period of time". Meanwhile, the goal was to ramp up PPE, expand hospital capacity, and hopefully improve therapeutics.

Somehow this has morphed into the clusterfuck monstrosity of today where we have all of the above. You can buy an N95 today. You can buy 100 if you want. The mask thing was supposed to be a stopgap until actual effective masks were available, which they are. We built the hospital capacity up, and promptly dismantled all the field hospitals because they weren't being used. Anyone remember the USS Comfort? We got way better at treating it, we have multiple vaccines far sooner and far more effective than anyone dreamed.

So what the f**k are we doing, exactly?

We saved the hospitals, you can buy the spacesuit and wear 7 N95s if you want. You can stay home and work from home forever if it so pleases you. Cases have been declining for a month or more. Why are we doing more stupid bulls**t that hasn't shown to be any more effective than doing nothing anywhere? Meanwhile, we have record high levels of alcoholism, depression, anxiety, economic despair. The cure is much, much, much worse than disease. But we keep doing this because people have been deluded into thinking corona is the only problem that exists anymore.

Here's an idea: if you don't want to get sick, stay home. Last I checked, National Parks were not essential businesses. Please leave the rest of us alone and let us have our lives back.

stop it...you're making too many valid points and talking too much sense for the majority of the general population to process....

[MichelleLW]

Here's an idea: if you don't want to get sick, stay home. Last I checked, National Parks were not essential businesses. Please leave the rest of us alone and let us have our lives back.

stop it...you're making too many valid points and talking too much sense for the majority of the general population to process....

I mean...that's just not how it works. Those who want to stay home likely are. However, grocery shopping, various errands, etc are unavoidable - just ask my mom how difficult it has been to try to keep my grandmother with COPD reasonably isolated (I know, I know, old people etc etc). And if people are going out and spreading at "non-essential" places, the amount of exposure at essential places is much increased.

I'm open to conversations about the level of spread at any given time (falling as you note), where the strain is on hospitals, and what the realistic risk is on trails. But the concept of high risk people "just shouldn't go there" is garbage. What is done in those places impacts the risk in places that are unavoidable.

Edit: nice strategy opening this thread on a powder day. It'll definitely take Bill longer to kill it.

[Somewhat of a Prick]

Here's an idea: if you don't want to get sick, stay home. Last I checked, National Parks were not essential businesses. Please leave the rest of us alone and let us have our lives back.

stop it...you're making too many valid points and talking too much sense for the majority of the general population to process....

I mean...that's just not how it works. Those who want to stay home likely are. However, grocery shopping, various errands, etc are unavoidable - just ask my mom how difficult it has been to try to keep my grandmother with COPD reasonably isolated (I know, I know, old people etc etc). And if people are going out and spreading at "non-essential" places, the amount of exposure at essential places is much increased.

I'm open to conversations about the level of spread at any given time (falling as you note), where the strain is on hospitals, and what the realistic risk is on trails. But the concept of high risk people "just shouldn't go there" is garbage. What is done in those places impacts the risk in places that are unavoidable.

Just let me know when I can take off the mask

[crossfitter]

I mean...that's just not how it works. Those who want to stay home likely are. However, grocery shopping, various errands, etc are unavoidable - just ask my mom how difficult it has been to try to keep my grandmother with COPD reasonably isolated (I know, I know, old people etc etc). And if people are going out and spreading at "non-essential" places, the amount of exposure at essential places is much increased.

I'm open to conversations about the level of spread at any given time (falling as you note), where the strain is on hospitals, and what the realistic risk is on trails. But the concept of high risk people "just shouldn't go there" is garbage. What is done in those places impacts the risk in places that are unavoidable.

Edit: nice strategy opening this thread on a powder day. It'll definitely take Bill longer to kill it.

There are very, very, very few things where you absolutely can't avoid other people. You can order your groceries for curbside delivery, you can order from amazon basically anything you want. It is 100% possible to avoid human contact for extended periods of time. Lots of internet basement dwellers have proved this time and time again. My parents have turned into complete doomsday bunker dwellers and have demonstrated this strategy first hand. For those extremely limited scenarios where you have to go out, that's what real masks are for. If you wear an actual, effective filtration mask that is designed to protect you, what does it matter what others are doing? There is a reason healthcare providers use N95s and goggles to work with actual sick patients. If you show up to the hospital, which is ground zero for corona, you're going to risk exposure regardless of how many cases are out in the wild. So buckle up, wear your PPE, and take responsibility to reduce your exposure on your own time, like not visiting national parks if you're worried about it. Instead, we have accepted this dystopian hellhole concept where I have to remake my life because someone else doesn't want to stay home and accept that the pandemic is gonna kinda suck for people who can't afford to get sick.