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Amazon begins temperature checks and will provide surgical masks at warehouses

(www.reuters.com)
265 points ajaviaad | 29 comments | 02 Apr 20 14:47 UTC | HN request time: 1.57s | source | bottom
1. oski ◴[02 Apr 20 15:34 UTC] No.22760141[source]▶
This response from Amazon is better than nothing, but given that recent figures show that up to 25% of people may be asymptomatic, might these temperature checks give people a false sense of security? They should have any employee with _any_ symptoms stay home and self-quarantine for longer than 3 days.

They should really focus on getting face masks for employees faster by using nonmedical fabric masks, which can help prevent asymptomatic transmission by blocking respiratory droplets from spreading. The article says the surgical masks won't arrive until next week. And they should really be using some alternative fabric mask, rather than surgical masks which should go to healthcare workers.

Each day that interventions are delayed makes a huge difference.

More thoughts at https://shouldiwearafacemask.com

(Edited to remove suggestion to close until they get masks with a compromise to use nonmedical fabric masks.)

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2. ferzul ◴[02 Apr 20 15:42 UTC] No.22760230[source]▶
anti-temperature perfectionism is what got us into this mess. having quick, imperfect tests and good follow up brought South Korea under control.

anti-test perfectionism means the entire west is shut down. we only had so many perfect tests, so we tested almost no one.

replies(2): >>22760247 #>>22760879 #
3. techopoly ◴[02 Apr 20 15:43 UTC] No.22760247[source]▶
Perfect is the enemy of good.
replies(1): >>22760385 #
4. Wowfunhappy ◴[02 Apr 20 15:44 UTC] No.22760256[source]▶
> They should shut down until they can get face masks for all employees and make them mandatory. The article says they won't arrive until next week. And they should really be using some alternative fabric mask, rather than surgical masks which should go to healthcare workers.

And all the people ordering from Amazon? I would assume that on the whole, Amazon is better than every member of the public physically going out and shopping at a store.

replies(2): >>22760317 #>>22760485 #
5. datingscientist ◴[02 Apr 20 15:50 UTC] No.22760317[source]▶
I thought a fair amount of the contact work was done by robots, at least for the inner packaged items.

The virus apparently doesn't do great on cardboard; you've got a day or so of transit time for it to wear down...

replies(2): >>22760551 #>>22760589 #
6. oski ◴[02 Apr 20 15:57 UTC] No.22760385{3}[source]▶
My point isn’t that taking temperature checks needs to be perfect, but that they are focusing their intervention on symptomatic spreading rather than asymptomatic spreading.

They would benefit more with immediate action by giving employees nonmedical fabric masks and making them mandatory TODAY rather than waiting for surgical masks next week.

replies(1): >>22760537 #
7. JohnJamesRambo ◴[02 Apr 20 15:59 UTC] No.22760402[source]▶
This is such a great website thank you! Sharing immediately with my family. I’ve been telling them any mask helps. They keep getting hung up on “N95 needed.” Although I was proud my Mom was the only teacher wearing a (lesser) mask when they had to go in for meetings this week. Well proud of her, appalled at the others and appalled the school thinks it’s ok to meet if “it’s less than 10 people at a time.”
replies(2): >>22760614 #>>22760661 #
8. adrr ◴[02 Apr 20 16:05 UTC] No.22760485[source]▶
If they required masks for all supply chain jobs right now, most places would have to shutdown due to the lack of masks. People would go hungry. We need guaranteed supply of masks and hand sanitizer at reasonable prices. This where the government could step in.
replies(3): >>22760556 #>>22760655 #>>22760928 #
9. dmoy ◴[02 Apr 20 16:10 UTC] No.22760537{4}[source]▶
GP is agreeing with you. The phrase "perfect is the enemy of good" is a criticism of striving for perfection when you could be doing other good stuff in the meanwhile.

That is, perfect (waiting for super accurate tests, etc) is the enemy of good (testing temperatures, wearing basic masks now).

replies(1): >>22760673 #
10. SloopJon ◴[02 Apr 20 16:11 UTC] No.22760551{3}[source]▶
Amazon has sponsored a picking challenge for a few years now, but I'm not aware of this level of automation being deployed in production. The last I saw, a Kiva robot would bring a shelf of items to a human picker, who transferred an item from a bin to a box.
11. rubidium ◴[02 Apr 20 16:12 UTC] No.22760556{3}[source]▶
And they get it from...?
replies(1): >>22760636 #
12. reaperducer ◴[02 Apr 20 16:15 UTC] No.22760589{3}[source]▶
The virus apparently doesn't do great on cardboard; you've got a day or so of transit time for it to wear down...

Assuming the guy who brought the package to your door isn't infected.

13. reaperducer ◴[02 Apr 20 16:17 UTC] No.22760614[source]▶
I’ve been telling them any mask helps

Yesterday the mayor of Los Angeles said that anyone going outside at all should cover their faces with some kind of home-made mask.

I'm glad I saved all those free souvenir bandanas from the rodeos I've been to over the years.

14. adrr ◴[02 Apr 20 16:20 UTC] No.22760636{4}[source]▶
They could force companies to produce it.
15. SlowRobotAhead ◴[02 Apr 20 16:21 UTC] No.22760655{3}[source]▶
Hand sanitizer will be solved in a couple weeks. Every single distillery in my small town is pivoting to making it, as well as Bacardi and others, and I know this is happening everywhere.

N95 masks though, those can’t exactly be ramped up and made in your shop.

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16. oski ◴[02 Apr 20 16:22 UTC] No.22760661[source]▶
Thanks, I designed it to share with friends and family! Please feel free to share it (https://shouldiwearafacemask.com) widely.
17. oski ◴[02 Apr 20 16:23 UTC] No.22760673{5}[source]▶
Ok, thanks for clarifying.
18. ◴[02 Apr 20 16:40 UTC] No.22760841{4}[source]▶
19. throwaway122378 ◴[02 Apr 20 16:43 UTC] No.22760879[source]▶
A lot of this going around lately. Just because you don’t agree with someone, their opinion isn’t the cause of this mess.

OP has a point and I’ve read the number of asymptomatic as high as 50%.

Other than creating more corporate control over employees, statistically how do temp checks improve the situation?

A better solution would be the 5 mins tests. Then you have a 99% certainty.

replies(1): >>22761310 #
20. oski ◴[02 Apr 20 16:47 UTC] No.22760928{3}[source]▶
Masks can be made from cotton fabric and still be quite (~70% effective) (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258525804_Testing_t...).

You can improvise a mask from paper towel and tissues that is ~90% effective (https://www.bkreader.com/2020/03/07/heres-a-diy-way-to-make-...)

21. all_blue_chucks ◴[02 Apr 20 17:04 UTC] No.22761117[source]▶
"False sense of security" is a frequently misapplied concept. Your post is such an example.

Something that reduces a risk (e.g. virus spread) by 5% provides very real security improvements. There is nothing "false" about it. Your concept of "false sense of security" would only apply if someone promised a 5% measure provided 100% security - and nobody is doing that.

replies(1): >>22761275 #
22. oski ◴[02 Apr 20 17:18 UTC] No.22761275[source]▶
The “false sense of security” I refer to is for employees who go to work and get their temperature checked and think they are fine since they don’t have a fever.

This is a “false sense of security” because one can have the virus and be contagious without a fever or any symptoms at all.

replies(1): >>22761994 #
23. mindslight ◴[02 Apr 20 17:22 UTC] No.22761310{3}[source]▶
Many opinions have significantly contributed to the mess we're in. It's obviously impossible to go back in time and fix the mistakes of the past six weeks, but it's definitely worth calling out harmful inaction-memes when they're still being repeated!
24. yitianjian ◴[02 Apr 20 17:27 UTC] No.22761365[source]▶
Quite a few public health professionals have stated that asymptomatic individuals, while infectious, are a very low risk vector. They don't cough or sneeze and the primary transmission rate is through droplets. I can try finding a few sources.
replies(1): >>22761447 #
25. JoeAltmaier ◴[02 Apr 20 17:35 UTC] No.22761447[source]▶
Yet empirically there are symptomatic individuals showing up all the time, with no evident vector. So asymptomatic folk are assumed to be contagious, and not just a little.
26. all_blue_chucks ◴[02 Apr 20 18:25 UTC] No.22761994{3}[source]▶
People have misconceptions about the virus regardless. Fever checks are not the cause.
27. fragmede ◴[02 Apr 20 21:11 UTC] No.22763911{4}[source]▶
This crisis we are in has doctors wearing halloween masks so there are people making masks at home. They're not N95 rated in the slightest, but it's better than reusing a mask to see a non-covid patient after seeing a probably-covid patient.
replies(1): >>22765261 #
28. SlowRobotAhead ◴[03 Apr 20 00:25 UTC] No.22765261{5}[source]▶
Source of doctors wearing Halloween masks?
replies(1): >>22767197 #
29. rasz ◴[03 Apr 20 08:16 UTC] No.22767197{6}[source]▶
how about doctors wearing sex shop costumes? https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/28/medical-fetish-site-donates-e...