I wasn’t at the restaurant or bar testing site so I don’t know how they worked it. It could be that there was a line and they filtered people in slowly (taking the person’s info was the most time consuming for me) and kept people 6 feet apart, moving from station to station. This particular bar isn’t really indoors - it has 2 walls of doors that are opened completely - so there’d be good air circulation.
I ran some errands this afternoon in NE Illinois.
Stopped by the owners’ offices. Trader Joe’s. Jewel. Feed Store.
So much traffic!
A month ago? This would have been zip-zip-zip.
I got tested without symptoms (was visiting my mom) and my daughter is on her 2nd test (anxiety). they need the negatives to help with the numbers anyway.
I went to the urgent care to deal with my poison ivy (my PCP doesn’t work on Thursday). RX for prednisone was called in to CVS in Target. While I was waiting for it to be filled, I strolled around the store, and scored a large container of sanitizing wipes! And the RX was only 28 cents.
I know of only two people who have been tested - only because they were having other medical procedures performed and a test was required prior to those.
I have no idea if WM provides masks to associates. My guess is that Slow Alice likes the fact that her mask doesn’t stay above her nose. What seems silly to me is the fact that vendors are clearly not required to wear them at all. So, folks from Frito-Lay or wherever who are in the store aren’t in masks. Not picking on Frito-Lay! Just giving an example of a vendor.
About time.
‘California, seeing record increases in cases, orders people to wear masks in many settings.’
“As cases continue to mount in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered people to wear face masks in most indoor — and some outdoor — public settings.”
“He issued the order as California reported more than 4,000 new cases on Wednesday, a new one-day record. The new guidance states that “people in California must wear face coverings” in indoor public spaces from offices to Ubers to apartment hallways, and outdoors if it is not possible to stay six feet away from people in other households.”
“Simply put, we are seeing too many people with faces uncovered, putting at risk the real progress we have made in fighting the disease,” Mr. Newsom said. “California’s strategy to restart the economy and get people back to work will only be successful if people act safely and follow health recommendations. That means wearing a face covering, washing your hands and practicing physical distancing.”
What state has gobs of well people lining for testing? Really, who is going to get tested voluntarily? We see asymptomatic positives only in populations that are required to be tested by their workplace. I don’t know a single person who has been tested.
[/quote]
That’s disappointing because the plan was to test lots of random people to find cases and do contact tracing and all that to prevent outbreaks. I wonder where the breakdown in that happening is occurring.
That’s disappointing because the plan was to test lots of random people to find cases and do contact tracing and all that to prevent outbreaks. I wonder where the breakdown in that happening is occurring.
[/quote]
Well in NYS and I assume many others - people who attended protests are voluntarily getting tested.
People who are going back to work are also getting tested. I know in NYS, hair stylists must get tested every two weeks. I’m sure many businesses opening require testing of employees.
If NYS did 68,000+ tests just yesterday and only 0.9% came back positive- there must be many people with no symptoms who are getting tested.
Most people I know here in Illinois are going out more OUTSIDE. They are eating outside in small groups and servers are masked. They are biking, running or walking and thus only passing others briefly and again outside. The groceries in my Chicago suburb are 100 percent masked.
Maryland is encouraging anyone that wants to get a test to get a test. I don’t know anyone personally that has gotten one but I have heard of many people I don’t know that aren’t experiencing symptoms getting the test. I personally have no reason to get a test unless I am having symptoms or am required for some reason. The states goal is 10,000 tests a day and they are doing a little more than that on average.
In Northern California I know of several people who went to the protests, felt perfectly healthy and then later got tested. I’ve thought about getting tested, but I’m pretty sure I’m negative and it seems like a nuisance. One of these days I’ll get tested.
I will get tested, probably more than once, if either of my children comes from out of state to visit this summer. My children haven’t been tested, but I know one would for sure before and after visiting, and I’d encourage the other one to do so. My boss got tested before driving to central Wisconsin to visit her 80-something parents a few weeks ago.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview Thursday that the U.S. does not need any kind of return to widespread lockdowns to contain the coronavirus.
The longtime head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told Agence France-Presse that officials are aware that the daily-infection numbers have remained flat as more states open up.
But public-health officials will handle local outbreaks in ways other than the mass, open-ended lockdowns of March and April.
"I don’t think we’re going to be talking about going back to lockdown,” he said. “I think we’re going to be talking about trying to better control those areas of the country that seem to be having a surge of cases.”
Another bad day for Arizona: 2519 cases (from Worldometer). Those ICUs are filling up. My California is also looking bad.
I’m not sure what the rules are in NY right now but a lot of places have greatly relaxed liquor laws due to the pandemic and wanting to give restaurants and bars a chance to earn some $$, bringing a laxness usually found only in New Orleans and very few other places. If bars/restaurants want that luxury and opportunity to earn that source of income, IMO they should be responsible for enforcing their corner of the neighborhood. Privileges = Responsibilities.
I had a nice saunter in my town, which has opened its streets for retail, restaurants and strolls. Fortified with ice cream, I wandered about, window shopping and loving the quiet. How delightful to be able to hear people’s voices instead of cars. It was midafternoon, so the restaurants weren’t yet open, but as I was getting back on the bike to go home, one casual burger & drinks place was filling up with people enjoying cold drinks in the heat.
The restaurant tables were well separated, I was happy to notice, so patrons would remain six feet apart from the people at the next table. It seems that dogs are allowed at the outside restaurant tables, or at least nobody was objecting to the large dog or small bear whose owner I had a cheery chat with.
I hope lots of people go to the restaurants, to encourage the city to keep the streets open. Mr. Fang is under the weather (not covid) so we’re eating at home, but maybe I can persuade him to venture out tomorrow.
A while back I posted the observation that: while cases continued to increase, in the US deaths continued to decline. Not in every spot but generally.
There were comments pointing out the obvious, that: cases were a poor metric of where we were heading (or even during a pandemic period), given the vagaries of testing and for other reasons. Some comments as to percent positivity or hospitalizations being where the hat should be hung. But, I don’t recall any that addressed the issue of deaths continuing to drop.
I read today that Florida governor Ron DeSantis, gave a press conference and mentioned, along with other metrics he felt justified the state’s actions, that the median age of cases in Florida has dropped from 65 to 37.
Seems significant, since we shouldn’t a high fatality rate from that cohort, but there’s probably a dark lining to the cloud for those who continue to look to the dim side.
Most people are probably happy with wherever they find themselves living at the time.
Don’t know that they’ll all continue to be so, given what is being reported as a general trend towards urban dwellers moving further out.
Life’s change, they’ll get over it.
Our local pub now takes the temperature of anyone who wants to eat/drink there - whether they are sitting inside or outside. I saw a waitperson doing a forehead temp check on two patrons who had just sat down outside as we were walking back from the beach. I am honestly not sure at what percentage of capacity restaurants/bars are open here.
We haven’t eaten out anywhere - inside or outside. My dh has had a beer at a local brewery with friends. I honestly wish he wouldn’t, but what can I do? ??♀️
The CDC has published an ensemble prediction of deaths next month compared to deaths this month. According to the ensemble, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, and Utah will have more deaths this month than last month.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/forecasting-us.html