Frequently Asked Questions
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What if Child Protective Services Comes because my kid is not logging into Zoom?
Some school districts are more zealous in going after families who children for various reasons are struggling to log into Zoom for class.
If this is the case, there are several legal groups one can contact to ensure nothing happens. One organization you can contact Parent/Professional Advocacy League (PPAL), as they have current experience dealing with this type of issue.
While not recent, the ACLU has a guide on truancy law which could help you defend against government overreach regarding this particular issue.
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What are the general risks of COVID-19 to the population?
For healthy people under the age of 65, COVID-19’s fatality rate is similar to other diseases that we don’t consider to be emergencies; for healthy people under the age of 35, the risk of dying of COVID-19 is close to zero. For this reason, we oppose all government mandates that limit normal activities of society and of the economy. Accommodations and resources should be provided to the elderly and those with serious health conditions who are concerned about contracting the virus.
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What emphasis should be placed on testing in regards to measuring the prevalence of COVID-19?
Given the known problems with the PCR tests and the problems of multiple positives and negatives, positivity rates should not be used as metrics for government policy. We believe the most reliable metric is use of emergency rooms for COVID-like illness (CLI) symptoms.
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What are some of the important challenges in measuring the true societal burdens of COVID-19?
The definitions for hospitalizations and deaths should be narrowed to only count those whose primary diagnosis or primary cause of death is COVID-19. Continuing to count everyone who has ever had a positive test will lead to an inaccurate perception of the hospitalization and fatality rates of COVID-19.
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What is the evidence for or against using masks to quell the pandemic?
There is no evidence showing that community mask use slows transmission of the virus.
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What can elected officials do to actually help the issue?
Federal and/or state governments should provide liability protection to businesses so they can operate without fear of lawsuits from those who claim to be infected at the business.
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What are the ramifications of “lockdowns”?
Lockdowns cause more deaths than COVID-19. Since we don’t have dashboards counting suicides, overdoses, domestic abuse, cancer deaths, and other deaths of people who are afraid to go to the hospital, we will not know the toll of lockdowns for years, but they are likely to rival the COVID-19 deaths we already know about.
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What is herd immunity and how does it relate to COVID-19?
The Herd Immunity Threshold (HIT) for COVID-19 is most likely close to 20% of a population. Once the HIT is achieved, COVID-19 can no longer grow exponentially (although there will be outbreaks), and any measures taken by local governments can be lifted without fear of overwhelming hospitals.
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How accurate are the tests we are currently using to identify COVID-19?
Since March, we have been using COVID-19 tests that were approved under Emergency Use Authorizations. It’s time to determine how accurate these tests are and their false positive and negative rates. Research should be conducted to determine the best way of testing for live virus.
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What are your views on the impact of COVID-19 on children and reopening schools?
Since COVID-19 is less dangerous to children than influenza and children have not been shown to transmit it to adults, all schools should open with normal socialization and without masks.
Kids & Schools
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What if Child Protective Services Comes because my kid is not logging into Zoom?
Some school districts are more zealous in going after families who children for various reasons are struggling to log into Zoom for class.
If this is the case, there are several legal groups one can contact to ensure nothing happens. One organization you can contact Parent/Professional Advocacy League (PPAL), as they have current experience dealing with this type of issue.
While not recent, the ACLU has a guide on truancy law which could help you defend against government overreach regarding this particular issue.
-
What are your views on the impact of COVID-19 on children and reopening schools?
Since COVID-19 is less dangerous to children than influenza and children have not been shown to transmit it to adults, all schools should open with normal socialization and without masks.