[Goose]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for so clearly making the case for why this monomaniacal focus on testing, testing, testing is so ridiculous.  It will never be possible to test everyone literally at the same time, nor to get all test results back instantaneously [and at the same time],

To this point of your argument, I totally agree.

nor to enforce a mandatory fourteen day quarantine of everyone so that the negative testers have no possible way of coming in contact with the positive testers.

As I understand it, the purpose of contact tracing is to prevent people who have known exposure  to people who are known positive from coming into contact with  people who are presumed (or actually tested) negative. We "only" need to test those people who have symptoms or have a known exposure to someone who is positive. We need enough testing to do that. We also need a mandatory quarantine of people who have known exposure to positive testers. I think that much lower standard is possible. All quarantines "leak" a bit. Several other nations have made this work, although it is tricky. Do you believe this is not possible here in the US?

In fact, everyone who came in contact with VP Pence at the Mayo Clinic should be watched and, if no one develops COVID that can be traced to him, then will you be willing to admit he put no one in danger?

I would in fact admit he put no one in danger, retrospectively. However, I would also say that prospectively he did, because he may have had COVID-19, and that is an  irresponsible action. I am sure others have pointed out false negatives, disease progression, etc. Do I think that wearing a mask is a "big" deal in terms of increased risk to others? In each individual case, probably not. However the summation of all those very small increased risks over our society adds up to something our CDC has decided is not negligible. I have to honor that determination and comply. I don't get to independently decide. Neither does the vice-president nor the president. The fact they don't comply says they must either believe their own CDC is in error or that they are for some good reason "exempt" from compliance. Which it is needs to be explained IMHO.

[Goose]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for so clearly making the case for why this monomaniacal focus on testing, testing, testing is so ridiculous.  It will never be possible to test everyone literally at the same time, nor to get all test results back instantaneously [and at the same time],

To this point of your argument, I totally agree.

nor to enforce a mandatory fourteen day quarantine of everyone so that the negative testers have no possible way of coming in contact with the positive testers.

As I understand it, the purpose of contact tracing is to prevent people who have known exposure  to people who are known positive from coming into contact with  people who are presumed (or actually tested) negative. We "only" need to test those people who have symptoms or have a known exposure to someone who is positive. We need enough testing to do that. We also need a mandatory quarantine of people who have known exposure to positive testers. I think that much lower standard is possible. All quarantines "leak" a bit. Several other nations have made this work, although it is tricky. Do you believe this is not possible here in the US?

In fact, everyone who came in contact with VP Pence at the Mayo Clinic should be watched and, if no one develops COVID that can be traced to him, then will you be willing to admit he put no one in danger?

I would in fact admit he put no one in danger, retrospectively. However, I would also say that prospectively he did, because he may have had COVID-19, and that is an  irresponsible action. I am sure others have pointed out false negatives, disease progression, etc. Do I think that wearing a mask is a "big" deal in terms of increased risk to others? In each individual case, probably not. However the summation of all those very small increased risks over our society adds up to something our CDC has decided is not negligible. I have to honor that determination and comply. I don't get to independently decide. Neither does the vice-president nor the president. The fact they don't comply says they must either believe their own CDC is in error or that they are for some good reason "exempt" from compliance. Which it is needs to be explained IMHO.