UPDATE: Saturday Weed Wrangle canceled

It is irresponsible to be holding this event at this time.

After some careful thought, I have to disagree with the previous comment. Covid19 is not an airborne virus. This is the perfect controlled setting to let kids get out of the house and do something. This is not the plague or HIV. And a vaccine takes a long time to make. Our communities can' live like this for possibly a year or longer until then, so we have to be rational and stay educated on the facts.

Sunday news:

The Putnam County Health Department, along with County Commissioners and the Putnam County Hospital, are hereby recommending the following for all residents of Putnam County:

1. Avoid all non-essential travel for the next week or until further notice. Non-essential travel does not include doctor’s visits, grocery shopping, pharmacy/medication pick up, drive-through or pick-up meals from restaurants or traveling to and from work.

Monday news:

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday ordered residents to remain in their homes except for essential errands in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus, mirroring similar orders in adjacent Illinois and Ohio.

I have to agree with Raker on this...mostly. (And yes, that hurt to type.)

While the SARS-CoV-2 virus IS airborne (in that it is transmissible via droplets in the air); Raker is correct that this event shouldn't be cancelled. Fresh air and outdoor work is healthy. Just don't pile up or lick each other.

And this is a very good thing that needs done. (Getting rid of invasive species.)

Alice - the County recommends, and the governors order has so many loopholes in it that its practically see-thru. He was trying to look like he was doing something while admitting that he really can't do anything.

I know I read about the governor right after my last comment! His order basically cancels this event. I don't want anybody getting sick either. But I still see no problem with this event, it probably could have been an exception, I would have went. TZ nature trail one of the prettiest trails around! Time will tell.....

OMG! I can’t believe “responsible” adults would even think of holding this event —gloves or no gloves! Parents have been shut-in with kids for close to two weeks by the time of the event, trying to keep from spreading or contracting the virus. What an opportunity to get the kids and adults out and do a “community service” project! ABSOLUTELY NOT! This is the exact thing that doesn’t need to happen! It doesn’t fit into any of the non-essential categories. I sure hope the local health department finds out about this and enforces the cancellation! If not, I hope no volunteers show up! This is irresponsible!

If everybody wants to look like Italy in 2-3 weeks, keep unnecessarily gathering at events like these. I vote we try really hard not to replicate the mistakes that Italians made.

Anyone got toilet paper to spare? I didn't lose my mind and buy 48 rolls, so I will probably run out some time this week. Oh well, I'll figure something out.

I'm not sure this event at this time falls in line with the Governor's newly announced stay at home policy.

PutCo RIP (Remove Invasive Species) will abide by the governor's policy. Meanwhile, we encourage folks to go outside and RIP around their own homes. At this time of year, winter creeper is easy to find. More info here: https://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/subject.html?sub=3024

Sorry my mistake... I was wrong about covid19 not being airborne. I meant to say the risk of transmission through the air from coughing or sneezing is considered low, because the droplets produced are not mostly small enough to likely create infection. Though just to be safe, that's why the 6 ft. recommended social distance, to avoid droplets or if somebody near you coughs or sneeze...

ERJVH - We are not Italy. We would not become like Italy.

Italy has a very poorly run health care industry; is close to broke (as a country); has the 2nd oldest population in the world (behind Japan); has a high percentage of smokers; and most of their outbreak is in the Milan area (which is home to lots of Chinese immigrants).

Wait 2-3 weeks without doing something like stay at home unless essential and you’ll see how poorly our health system is prepared for this (start looking at what’s happening in New York) and how broke our government becomes after dishing out welfare handouts to corporations and people who don’t need them. Yes some people need help now, not everyone. Also your point about Milan having Chinese immigrants is totally useless, the virus is not limited to infecting Chinese people, even though it has ludicrously been referred to as “the China virus”. Pull your head out of the sand, these actions will help stem the spread. Will a total shutdown be more effective at slowing the spread? Absolutely but it would also cause more economic and societal chaos. You might more carefully think all the way through this issue.

Just waiting for the blowback from Dreadpirate..... personally I think he's correct on all counts.

Ben dover, I think correct on all accounts is a little far... if the goal is to keep medical services and supplies from getting slammed, then at least limiting the most likely places it can be transmitted makes sense for a government plan. I have trouble taking Mr. Pirate seriously though, as he always takes the most controversial stance on every subject and argues it beyond reason to the bitter end. He is also apparently the keeper of all the knowledge of the universe, and is just trying to educate us mere mortals...

ERJVH - I have been watching and studying this virus outbreak since reports were coming out of China in December...constantly scanning news sources for information. I am not an expert, but I feel confident in what I believe based on what I have read. (I am a bit of a news junky.)

First patient (in China) was in October/November.

November/December was when the Chinese govt started really acting on it.

US didn't stop Wuhan traffic until 1/31/20.

That means there was about 2 months of unmitigated travel between Wuhan & US. Direct flights. (Wuhan is not a small town.)

That means there were likely hundreds or more people infected flying on planes and coming into the US.

SARS-CoV-2 (the virus name) has been here (in the US) since December.

Even if you accept the CDC/WHO numbers (which I am a bit suspect of): 80% of the people -who are infected, not total population - are asymptomatic or show very few symptoms and recover quickly. Of the 20% that do get very ill, only about 5% are likely fatal.

I won't run down the rest of the numbers but you are more likely to be hit by a car or die by a bump on the head than getting and dying from COVID-19 (disease name).

The point about the Chinese in Milan is to point out why they have such a high infection rate. Many Chinese traveled back and forth for Chinese New Year. If you look at the rest of Italy, it is fairly low in number of infections. Another point to ponder about Italy's death rate is the fact that just about anyone that dies (of anything) is being tagged as a victim of COVID-19 (per a US doctors analysis I read yesterday).

New York's problem is the same as Wuhan and Milan: high density population.

I have continually advocated for common sense protocols - ones that everyone should follow regardless of whether it is SARS-CoV-2, some other corona virus, or any other virus at all. This would be washing your hands, covering your sneeze/cough, self-quarantine if you are sick, etc.

In addition, I am all for temporarily instituting special protections for the vulnerable, such as limited visitation in nursing homes, special shopping hours for the elderly or infirm, and similar measures.

I am opposed to shutting things down.

I am opposed to the idea of "flattening the curve".

I believe that a monitored herd immunity / high spike approach is best. (Monitored includes special precautions/protocols for places like New York that would be considered hot spots.)

I have considered this at some length. I have researched it at some length.

As for the name of the China virus - which IS from China - you might want to quit letting President Trump live in your head rent-free...at least while this is going on... just a suggestion. Or were you this upset when they called it "Spanish flu"? or "Ebola (aka Zaire Ebolavirus)" named after the Ebola River in Africa?

Raker - LOL. While I appreciate the accolades, I will tell you that the keeper of all the knowledge of the universe is staring back at you when you make your comments. That computer...it can access the World Wide Web. Billions of computers linked together. Vast repositories of knowledge. All you have to do is go digging. And be a little discerning. Then take the supercomputer that God gave you (the one between your ears) and process what you find.

Monitored herd/high spike would get this over with faster, would kill some of us and would leave the rest of us immune. There is no argument there, that is science and it has been proven historically. However, you can’t effectively monitor with the low testing capability we currently have. Additionally, our hospital/health care system is not robust enough to handle a nationwide high spike, again look at New York City. So we are left with trying to slow the spread. As I stated earlier there are basically 2 ways to do so, completely shut down, causing worse economic and possibly societal effects, or what many states are doing with stay at home suggestions. Which is why my initial post here called this get together irresponsible. If you really want to go rid a trail of invasive species in a large group setting thus increasing the chances of viral transmission, feel free to do so. It’s irresponsible at this time. My opinion.

To be fair to Mr. Pirate only because I don't like being a jerk (or maybe I do hah), I also enjoy critical thinking about news subjects and like to comment my point of view sometimes, and I'm sure I sound like a know-it-all myself sometimes. Thats it

erjvh - I can certainly understand your point of view, and I can respect your opinion as you seem to respect mine. We merely have differing views.

I just don't think that being out in the open air, so long as a fair amount of "social distancing" is practiced, would significantly increase anyone's chance of contracting the virus.

Statistically, you would be more likely to catch it at Walmart or a gas station than outside pulling weeds.

erjvj: "Handouts to corporations"? These would be loans, and only to corporations meeting certain qualifications. These corporations even though shut down still have their bills to pay, with no income. The employees would be getting the "handouts", with which to pay their bills, if used intelligently. If the corporations, without income or subsidized assistance went out of business, their now former employees would not have jobs to go back to. No jobs, no income, no income taxes. Where would it all end?It would be a compounding downward spiral.