Staying the Course -- June 9, 2020

[Protimenow]

I wonder how much these openings are political knee-jerk reactions. 'Blue' states seem to have pulled back on the 'shelter in place', masks, and social distancing requirements, opening non-essential locations omre quickly than 'Red' states. I won't speculate here, because politics aren't an issue here.

In Southern California, we have areas where people flooded the beaches, 'restrictions be damned.'

The recent protests over the George Floyd murder brought out probably hundreds of thousands of demonstrators around the world -- and, of course, not all were masked, and many wore masks with their noses exposed (which does practically no good in terms of prevention of spreading COVID-19, or of being exposed to it. Perhaps the disease rates will climb --we should know in the next week or two. Perhaps 'herd immunity' will confer immunity on many of the demonstrators.

I'm not entirely comfortable with the reopenings here in California. Although the opened locations have strict regulations in place that call for voluntary temperature taking for all customers before they enter the place, stringent sanitation of seats, tables, etc. - virtually any surface that customers come into contact with - reduce numbers of customers and spacing between tables, etc. For me, I have a real problem eating with my mask on.

I hope that these measures help prevent a spike in new cases. I'm quite concerned about those places where people get REALLY CLOSE to each other (beaches, public pools, etc.) without proper separation and masking. But, again, we'll see soon. (And, again, although some will probably get REALLY ILL, there may be 'herd immunity' spread to some of these ignoramuses (ignorami?) who decided to not wear masks, ignore distance restrictions, and take their chances).

 

[sylviayasgur]

Hi guys, haven't posted much lately, but have been lurking. last night while my daughter's fiancee _ in LA _drove to pick up their dinner, she showed me people standing in line outside bars: few masks, big crowds, no social distancing. Its frightening out there because so many people have become impatient of staying put and isolated/separate. I understand businesses have to come back but irresponsible behavior like this is what will drive numbers up. please stay safe and well.

 

[Protimenow]

I'm sure that most of us who get out see this kind of irresponsible behavior. In many of the protests, I'm gratified to see that many of the protesters (and even their young kids) are wearing masks.

Although people are irresponsible outside businesses, many businesses (in the Los Angeles area, at least) MUST adhere to certain County-wide conditions before letting customers (and usually, even employees) through their doors. Nearly ALL require the wearing of face masks. Some even take the customer's temperature before allowing them in. Lines are often taped down in stores that have checkstands, keeping shoppers apart. Many other establishments thoroughly wipe down and sanitize all surfaces that may have come into contact with the customers, and occupancy numbers are often down to 25% of the usual number, with empty spaces where tables used to be. Some have sanitizing stations, where people can go to sanitize their hands.

With all these conditions in place, it's probably safe for people to go into these places. Most important, probably, is that EVERYONE wears a mask so that the asymptomatic, presymptomatic, or just COVID-19 positive people who get into the establishment DON'T spread the virus, and, for the times when it's not practical to wear a mask (like eating at a restaurant), there is probably enough distance from other tables to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

Although people ignore rules - no masks, no social distancing - outdoors, it's probably much safer if they go INTO places that have been allowed to open.

FWIW - there are areas of Califonia - and other states, where masks are 'suggested,' and social distancing seems to be ignored. We shouldn't be surprised to see spikes in cases (we already have) in the next few weeks and month.

For now, shelter at home remains the safest way to deal with the virus.

 

[coffeelover]

Beautiful beach photo!! I'm off for summer school break...This spring we planted a super big veggie garden and spending more outside time tending to perennual beds. Being outdoors is a plus!