fortnight

fortnight noun
fort·​night | \ ˈfȯrt-ˌnīt \

Definition of fortnight

: a period of 14 days : two weeks

Usage:

They stayed with us for a fortnight.

Nobel Prize winner says virus curve will flatten in 'a fortnight'

By Peter Hartcher
March 24, 2020 — 11.50pm

"I think the steps announced by the Prime Minister and the premiers will dampen this down. I would expect to see the curve flatten in the next fortnight, see it start to come down," he says.

What It Means to Contain and Mitigate the Coronavirus

By Robert P. Baird
March 11, 2020

Gatherings larger than two hundred and fifty people have been banned and where, starting tomorrow, the public schools will be closed for a fortnight.

The zone was not exactly a quarantine—people would still be allowed to move freely in and out of it, and small businesses could remain open, but large gathering places, including schools and houses of worship, will be closed for at least a fortnight.

Cut along the dotted line slip in and seal the flap.
Postal competition crazy, though you wear the dunce's cap.
Win a fortnight in Ibiza line up for the big hand out.
You'll never know unless you try what winning's all about

mask ineffectiveness

…while higher ventilation capacities are required to fully mitigate aerosol build-up, even relatively low air-change rates (2h−12 h−1) lead to lower aerosol build-up compared to the best performing mask in an unventilated space.

…considerable relative aerosol concentration levels can be reached at a 2 m distance from the subject in an unventilated space, and even when the subject is equipped with a mask,

…increased ventilation/air-cleaning capacity significantly reduces the transmission risk in an indoor environment, surpassing the apparent mask filtration efficacy even at relatively low air-change rates (∼2∼2 room volumes per hour).

…no mask at an air-change rate of 1.7h−11.7 h−1 (and higher) outperform cases with high-efficiency masks (KN95 and R95) and no room ventilation.

Why historians ignored the Spanish flu

…Curious then that for the first 50 years after the Spanish flu swept around the globe, killing about 50-100m people, no one – least of all historians – gave it much thought, concentrating instead on the far more compelling story of the Great War. Indeed, in 1924 the Encyclopedia Britannica didn’t even mention the pandemic in its review of the “most eventful years” of the 20th century. 

…One obvious reason was the way that the pandemic was overshadowed by World War I. The second wave of the pandemic coincided with the Allied assault on Cambrai in October 1918 and the collapse of the Hindenburg Line. Then in mid-November, just as flu deaths were peaking, came the armistice. The result was that many families buried their dead to the sounds of bells and hooters as people flocked to the streets to celebrate the peace.

…So when did historians wake up to the 1918 pandemic? The answer appears to be around 1968. That was the year that the author Charles Graves, prompted by a new pandemic of “Hong Kong” flu, published Invasion by Virus. This was followed in 1974 by Richard Collier’s Plague of the Spanish Lady. Drawing on the personal testimonies of over 1,700 flu survivors, Collier was the first to capture the horror and panic as the flu circumnavigated the globe. However, his narrative was episodic and lacked a true historical perspective.

…Crosby was also the first to argue that the pandemic had had a significant impact on history by sickening the US president, Woodrow Wilson, at a critical juncture of the Versailles peace negotiations in Paris in April 1919. The result was that the American delegation acceded to French president George Clemenceau’s demands that the Germans pay harsh reparations, sowing the seeds, claimed Crosby, for the rise of Nazism and the second great conflict of the 20th century.

the country of the blind

…The three men stopped, and moved their heads as though they were looking about them. They turned their faces this way and that, and Nunez gesticulated with freedom. But they did not appear to see him for all his gestures, and after a time, directing themselves towards the mountains far away to the right, they shouted as if in answer. Nunez bawled again, and then once more, and as he gestured ineffectually the word "blind" came up to the top of his thoughts. "The fools must be blind," he said.

….But Nunez advanced with the confident steps of a youth who enters upon life. All the old stories of the lost valley and the Country of the Blind had come back to his mind, and through his thoughts ran this old proverb, as if it were a refrain—

"In the Country of the Blind the One-eyed Man is King."

"In the Country of the Blind the One-eyed Man is King."

under guise of protection

Prior to the outbreak…

…identified …who were suspected

…kept under surveillance.

…government suspicion

…raised logistical, constitutional, and ethical objections.

…issued Public Proclamation

…made violation of …a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison

…Because of the perception of "public danger,"

…persons were sent to "assembly centers" – often racetracks or fairgrounds – where they waited and were tagged to indicate the location of a long-term "relocation center"

…loss of property and personal liberty.

…these conditions for nearly three years or more

…took on some familiar routines of socializing and school.

…dissidents were housed.

…citizens challenged the constitutionality of the relocation and curfew orders

Operational Considerations for Humanitarian Settings

Level

Household (HH) Level:

A specific room/area designated for high-risk individuals who are physically isolated from other HH members.

Movement/ Interactions

Low-risk HH members should not enter the green zone. If entry is necessary, it should be done only by healthy individuals after washing hands and using face coverings. Interactions should be at a safe distance (approx. 2 meters). Minimum movement of high-risk individuals outside the green zone. Low-risk HH members continue to follow social distancing and hygiene practices outside the house.

Level

Neighborhood Level:

A designated shelter/group of shelters (max 5-10 households), within a small camp or area where high-risk members are grouped together. Neighbors “swap” households to accommodate high-risk individuals.

Movement/ Interactions

Same as above

Level

Camp/Sector Level:

A group of shelters such as schools, community buildings within a camp/sector (max 50 high-risk individuals per single green zone) where high-risk individuals are physically isolated together.

Movement/ Interactions

One entry point is used for exchange of food, supplies, etc. A meeting area is used for residents and visitors to interact while practicing physical distancing (2 meters). No movement into or outside the green zone.

By the way…

there is no empirical evidence whether this approach will increase, decrease or have no effect on morbidity and mortality