A limit of 8 might not be possible but demand of public transportation can be significantly reduced by people working from home where possible or staggering shift patterns. I know that in my area the buses have been less than 25% full these past couple of months when normally during rush hour you can barely move because of the amount of people.
Restaurants can sell takeaways.
I’m not ready to go out and eat in a restaurant yet, but I really want a haircut/color, a manicure and a massage. But Gov. Baker just cancelled my next hair appt. ? I am ok with it, because I see the numbers for my state. But I feel bad for the hairdressers, manicurists and massage therapists. At least the restaurants still have takeout. (I know it’s way down, but at least it’s something.)
Don’t be concerned (yet) as most states are still cranking up testing so cases should be increasing in many of them. (And the Times kinda recognizes that in their footnote.)
As testing is still cranking up, right now a better statistic to me is Death trends.
I wonder how the virus has spread during the stay home period. Was most of it from people infecting others in hospitals? At grocery stores? I know family member to family member is primary but how did all those family members get it in the first place when so many were staying home. Was it all essential workers? Anyone have info on this?
^Besides family transmissions, workplace (including grocery stores) transmissions, and transmissions in other types of gatherings, there’re also people who have been infected but only detected by testing very recently. With test-positivity rates still so high (around 50% in many places), we’re far from testing enough people.
@1NJParent Good point about asymptomatic carriers, but what category do those people fit into? Are they working or are they home and somehow getting it?
^They could have gotten it several weeks ago, from their workplaces, public transportation, their family members, etc.
I personally know someone infected at the doctor’s office they work at (in the hospital). Co-worker was infected (didn’t know) and gave it to 3 others in the office. My friend was lucky and did not spread to her family (some may have already had it - unknown - or not, they need antibody tests). The other co-workers infected family members.
My friend’s mom was infected in a rehab facility 2 weeks ago (and passed). No visitors allowed since early March, therefore she was infected by staff.
Another friends parents both had it - mom picked it up in mid-March, before lockdown. Mom was sick for 3 weeks - gave it to her husband, who was sick until about a week ago. So something that started mid-March - only just wrapped up with the spouse in late April.
A WalMart in Worcester MA shut down a day or two ago because 35 employees got it. Don’t know how many were symptomatic.
I really feel like you can have different views if you live in areas that have no virus and your wondering what the heck is all this fuss about? If you are stuck in our house and there is very little virus activity going on! That could very well possibly be true…even asymptomatically some places might not have a lot of virus activity. But in other places like where I live in Montgomery County, PA. We were at 159 new cases yesterday and 31 deaths. That is with lock down and SD going on.
Before we get to “yellow” which is still pretty locked down we need to be down to approx daily average of about 30 new cases a day for 14 days. Schools are still closed at yellow. To get to “green”…I don’t know what that will take.
We have a long way to go before we get to yellow and thank goodness because we are just ripe to explode here and there is not a disinfectant wipe in sight. No hand sanitizer, no real masks, no hand soap or TP, no paper towels. The grocery store looks like we are preparing for a nuclear war. All the canned goods are wiped out, pasta is gone, forget the flour and yeast. So how in the world when we do reopen will the PPE be ready to keep people safe when we can’t even get any hand sanitizer or paper towels? Philadelphia has such a problem with the sewers right now because people are wiping their behinds with things other than TP because it is in such short supply.
And when Colleges reopen there is going to be a big influx of all these kids from our area and other possibly heavily infected areas coming to your low or uninfected areas??? Families all moving the kids in…I cringe.
If someone really wanted to spread this virus like a weapon this would be the way to do it. Put it inside something undetectable (college student) spread it across the country and reach as many targets as possible. Launching them all around the same time. In my mind this is how I picture it. Leaving here and going straight out to all of you.
In comparison/contrast, Orange County CA – weekend scene with the ‘crowded’ and now-closed Beaches – with a population nearly 4x that to Montco, has had 45 deaths total, even though The OC had its first COVID case back on Jan 26.
Wow, @mom517, that is a lot different from our experience in NC right now. That sounds really tough, and I’m sorry.
I have wondered too how they expect people to go out with no antibacterial soap, wipes, and all the other cleaning supplies available. I have long thought the country should produce N95 masks for all as an economic stimulus. If everyone had them they would feel a lot safer going out and it would help stop the spread.
So much speculation…I really think we have to see where we are by the end of June/July.
Yes, it is good and important to hear perspectives from all places. Our grocery store looked the way @mom517’s does about a month ago, but now the only thing that is often sold out is tp…they usually have some, but with a max of purchasing 1 package, and same with paper towels. Everything else looks pretty normal except we are light on frozen fruit. Sounds like supply chain issues really vary! We have hand sanitizer back in, but it is off-brands, but we do have Clorox wipes in all the time now. It is incredibly easy to get fabric masks made here (and Etsy), and gloves are available for anyone who wants them. I agree, this will be necessary in the areas where colleges open up. Fingers crossed for continual improvement!
Antibacterial additives in soap are not useful or desirable against SARS-CoV-2, which is a virus that is easily destroyed by any soap.
Put a bar of soap in a zip bag and a squeeze bottle of water in your car to make it easy to wash your hands when you finish grocery shopping.
That is an idea. I have been using the antibacterial soap in my car as soon as shopping is finished, working hard to remember not to touch my face as I drive home and then soap and warm water wash as soon as I get home.
This is all so much work to do simple things.
Of course they will. They will reflect society as a whole. Schools will have gaps as wide as the gaps between the haves and have nots among us.
There are many people who refuse to wear masks so even if they were given to everyone they wouldn’t use them. Costco just announced a no-mask/no shopping policy and people are losing their minds.
Not sure I understand. Who is the first “they”?
As to the second ‘they’, I disagree. I would submit that most folks today would feel safe going out. They don’t bcos its a no-no. In other words, even if they had masks, most would not use them unless required, such as to enter a store, or to pass in high density areas such as the streets of NYC.
That is our thinking as well.
Settling for a safety school because paying big bucks for an online year at the top choice sucks may turn out to be very short-sighted.