local v global networks of exchange and infection

…just some random thoughts from a discussion on fb that i’m posting here to keep track of.

If big dance events that were held over new year could collect accurate covid infection stats, it’d be super interesting to compare these with other sample groups. 1 in 5 is lower than omicron in Sydney at the moment, so I suspect it was higher at Focus. But if it was lower, that’d be pretty interesting… maybe because it was mostly local people, we’d see a lower rate of infection?
The issue, though, is that an event like Focus brings together people from separate networks of people. ie we live and interact with a limited number of people in our day to day life (friends, family, workmates, shop keepers, etc). The big issue comes not when we interact with them, but when networks interact. So if you and I went to Focus, I’d be exposing you (and your network) to the germs of my network (and vice versa).
I’m interested in how the statistical side of things (numbers) works in cooperation with the social side of things (the ways people interact, and how relationships determine who we’ll interact with). Here in Australia, the govt health advice has been based on:
1) states (ie mid-level government borders of responsibility),
2) local government areas (ie groups of suburbs),
3) households (nuclear families in particular) in free-standing houses, and
4) workplaces.
ie we are divided up by government powers, labour practice, and patriarchal ideas of the ‘family’. So restrictions are put in place to open or close state borders (and our states are geographically massive, but very low population density), to enforce lockdowns or restrict gatherings in local communities. Contact ‘bubbles’ are defined by households (ie an actual house) rather than apartment block. Allowable activities are also defined by houses rather than apartments (eg ‘kids play in your yard’ rather than ‘kids play in your local park’).
We’ve seen these divisions collapse when it comes to people who don’t fit into the white, heterosexual, monogamous middle class parents model. ie most people don’t fit into these categories. Most people actually are: engaged in extended family networks, are in precarious employment, aren’t in a monogamous heterosexual nuclear family, etc etc. The higher rates of transmission happen in places like apartment blocks, and in extended families, whereas the govt advice has focussed on how to behave in free standing houses, nuclear families, and fixed workplaces.
We know it’s more useful to think of people as part of the relatively stable networks of family+friends+work I described above, than the ‘household’ or ‘individual’ . The networks are bigger than a nuclear family unit, but they’re also more stable; we tend to max out at a specific number of contacts. And if we think in terms of networks, we can account for extended families, networks of care (eg neighbours caring for neighbours, friendships, sexual partners, etc) and get a more accurate picture of how real people interact (the nuclear family model just doesn’t account for the majority of relationships).
We can apply this idea to dance communities. We all operate within local dance communities (eg I’m in the inner west of Sydney, in NSW, in Australia), and that community network includes musicians, DJs, dancers, venue operators, _and_ my family and friends. But when we go to exchanges, my local network interacts with other people’s local networks.
As dancers, we already think about this interaction of networks: we are all pretty good at identifying someone’s home town by the moves they dance, the shape or aesthetics of their dancing, the music they like or dance to (eg fast or slow) _and_ markers like ethnicity, etc. Even at our most athletic, we can only partner dance with about 40 people in 2 hours of dancing, max (so long as there are no birthday jams!), but are more likely to dance with between 10 and 20.
But when we go to weekend events, we dance for far more hours, with far more people. Each of us, individually, represents a different local network as well as a local dance scene. So when we interact at an exchange, we are exposing ourselves to far more germs. Or increasing the chance of catching covid.
Our state govt has just added a restriction on dancing, where our public health officers Kerry Chant explained that dancing (ie solo dancing) brings us into contact with more people, in closer contact. ie the stuff that makes dancing feel wonderful is also what spreads covid 😃
Bizarrely, years ago I did a conference paper on the way f2f and global networks interact at exchanges. The thing about lindy hop is that we _must_ interact physically – dance – as part of the community. When we travel to dance, we expand that network of physical contact.
In the lindy hop world, that network of contact spreads dance skills, aesthetics, moves, rhythms, ideas, friendships, sexual relationships, etc. But in the covid world it also spreads…covid. Because the lindy hop world is designed _specifically_ to enable that f2f physical contact, it’s as though we built a machinery specifically designed to spread covid.

a new cluster in Sydney

It’s interesting to read that Sydney is still the main point of arrival for overseas visitors. So more people come through this city as they return to this country. And the chance of them having covid is increasing as numbers increase overseas.

The latest cases come from transport workers, who caught covid at work, driving o/s people.
Clusters then spread out from there, mostly into families and work networks.

I get quite upset when i read comments about the ‘thoughtless selfishness’ of infected people in the community. We know workplaces and extended family gatherings are key points for transmission. Being angry and nasty with people doing risky, low status work, who then spend time with (and often caring for) their families is… well, it’s poor form. Particularly from people who have the choice to work from home, self-isolate, and so on.

I don’t feel right about being nasty to infected people, who have, after all, contracted covid, and know they have infected their friends and family.

This type of angry fear leads to the authoritarian actions of police, which result in violence towards people of colour, the homeless, the disempowered. And it’s worth remembering that for wealthy people fines are just an inexpensive ticket. For the poor and disenfranchised fines mean incarceration, children and dependants left homeless, and time in the dangers of prison.

If you feel super angry about rising case numbers in NSW, that’s ok. When we’re frightened, we often get angry. If you’ve just come out of lockdown, you’re probably still dealing with the distress and tension of that experience. And being angry at people who seem to be triggering that happening again makes sense.

But you can’t change other people’s behaviour. You can only change how you respond to it. Be kinder to yourself. Stop looking at case numbers. Call a friend and tell them you love them. Go watch dogs play in the park. Have a swim. You’re doing a good job, and you deserve a break.
If you can, please donate to Sisters Inside.

Happy covid new year

If you are feeling a bit worried about the covid cases, Sydney, NSW Health on fb has the most up to date info. Our new local case numbers are low, and all are from known sources. It’s ok. ❤️👍🏼

Tip: don’t monitor it in real time. It will stress you out.
Tip2: melbourne people, maybe check the attached image.
Tip3: everyone: blaming people or getting angry will just make you feel awful. Just wash your hands, send love to friends, and do what _you_ can.
Tip4: Sydney, you rock at tight social timetables. Use that super power to avoid crowds and keep track of your movements.
Tip5: Sydney, no one can accessorise like you bitches. Mask up, peace fabulously out.

NSW Health fb updates:
They are super quickly tracing where infected people have been, and when, posting new lists of places every few hours. Following it in real time will freak you out.
The nsw health posts generally have 3 lists of places:
1. Urgent ones. If you were at these places at these times, get a test and isolate yourself immediately.
2. Less urgent, but still SRS. If you were at these places at these times, get a test and isolate immediately.
3. ‘Casual contact’. If you were at these places at these times, watch for symptoms and test if you have them.
So your jobs are as per usual:
1. Watch for symptoms. These vary as we learn more about covid, so refresh your knowledge regularly.
2. If you have symptoms, get a test.
Testing is the contact tracing super power. Testing is FREE and needs no appointment. Test early, test often.
3. Stay 1.5m away from people. Wash your hands PROPERLY. Wear a mask indoors. Your basic covid fighting super powers. You are SO good at this already.

Extra stuff:

  • check your diary and the lists of venues. Know where you were at.
  • avoid crowded indoor getherings in public places. Bars, supermarkets, public transport.
  • if you can’t (going to work, at work, essential shopping), do no.3 jobs above.

I’m thinking of this as ‘be alert, not alarmed.’
Not full-on self isolation, but no indoor restaurants, crowded shops, etc. i’m being strict about hand washing and not touching my face. I wear a mask indoors, mostly so i can help ‘normalise’ mask wearing, and help the people panicking feel safer.

And because the tracing is including my neighbourhood now, i’m also keeping track of the places/shops i visit, so i can help with tracing if nec.
Keep being excellent, frens ❤️

Still no touchy

Can we social dance YET?!
I am not an epidemiologist or the boss of covid. BUT. I have been keeping an eye out.

The rules have changed (as of Monday 7th Dec), and yes, we can dance! But still:

NO TOUCHY.

It totally sucks, but not as much as dying of covid or killing your nanna with the rona! Be strong, my friends – it won’t be long now, as long as we DON’T have an outbreak!

The rules are:
DANCE FLOORS (nightclubs, venues, etc)
1 person per 4 square metres
maximum of 50 people on indoor dance floors, or 500 people outdoors.
VENUES
1 person per 2 square metres IF there are more than 25 people in the venue (no density rules for <25 people) kiddies count as people! But can we touch one other person who is our ONLY dance partner and also in our bubble, with NO partner swapping? The NSW gov rules say NO TOUCHY for public events, but it's not entirely clear. Source

Note RE this photo: it’s 4m SQUARE metres per ibis, not 4m between each bin chicken.
So if 3 ibis want to dance, the dance floor/bin must be 12 square metres!