On Pause

Having been admonished by our employers to use our vacation time as we normally would, even though nobody is really going on vacation, my husband and I have both scheduled a week off in August. He asked me about making plans to do something, but that's a month and a half away at this point, and who knows what the world will look like by then 🤷‍♀️ Maybe we'll feel safe enough to stay at a hotel or take a day trip to a park or something. Or maybe we'll all be locked in our homes with the National Guard roaming the streets to keep people inside. It could really go either way.

Reopening plans are being put on hold or rolled back in some areas. The big city by me was supposed to slowly roll into our state's "green" phase, but is pausing for at least a month because the daily case counts are no longer decreasing. School districts are rethinking their plans for going back to school in the fall. Other states are shutting down bars and restaurants that had already been open.

I'm definitely seeing and hearing less from the anti-mask, "coronavirus is a hoax" crowd, but how frustrating that this is what it took to get them here! In a Senate hearing today, Dr. Fauci and other officials mentioned the reluctance of some people to trust science, follow public health guidelines... and don't get me started on the percentage of people who will need to be vaccinated, if there is even a successful vaccine, but we're nowhere near that level of interest, according to polls 🤦‍♀️

Pat on the Back

I saw these memes a couple times over the weekend, and then it seemed like everyone was sharing them today. I don't want to say "I told you so," but I've already written a couple times about how I saw time was just being wasted. Now we've frustrated everyone for months, caused people to lose their jobs, miss or delay important medical procedures, caused businesses to permanently shut down... for what? To ask people to do it all again, but better this time?!

Governors have been definitively shutting things back down in the areas with the biggest increase in infections, and I've at least seen masks start to be mandated at the local level (cities, counties) in areas where they weren't before. That doesn't mean people are wearing them 🙄 Though the anti-mask crowd definitely doesn't seem as vocal as they were even a few days ago... Even the vice president, who previously made a public appearance in a hospital without a mask on, wore one at his event this weekend. (Of course, that event also included a 100-person maskless choir, so... 🤦‍♀️) Yet the president still refuses. I've now seen several calls for him to just put on a mask. Of course, it's already too little, too late, but really, this is just prolonging this disaster...

New York's Governor Cuomo, whose daily press briefings at the height of the pandemic became very popular nationwide, was back live today with another conference. After roasting the president and calling out the federal government for not doing enough, he announced that the MTV Video Music Awards will supposedly be hosted from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on August 30; some kind of filter has been installed there to help filter out viruses, and he recommends all businesses look into installing one. He concluded his remarks by unveiling a giant styrofoam "mountain" that represents the curve of cases in New York, with a very steep incline and gentle slope back down. I get that he was trying to make an impact with this visual, but I wonder if he's patting himself on the back too soon. Eventually all those people who fled the city are going to come back as it's now one of the "safer" places in the country, and with them will come the virus, plus the state is still slowly reopening. Even my state's cases have been curving back up over the past week, after having been congratulated by the CDC the week before for being one of only a few states to successfully reduce infections...

 

Spikes

So the big news this week is that a majority of states have reported an increase in infections - many of them steep increases. And you can't just chalk it up to increased testing, because there's also more hospitalizations, hospitals reaching capacity and going into surge mode, hospitals turning away emergency patients, etc. There are now more cases in the US than there were during the "peak" back in April, and many states are recording their highest daily totals (and then surpassing them the next day).

Could this all be related to the Black Lives Matter protests that started a few weeks ago? Probably not. If so, we would have already seen that increase in cases before now, and studies are showing that the surge is in states that reopened early, not in cities that held big protests. There's also a visible link between states with increased spending at restaurants and those with increases in new infections, and "restaurant spending was the strongest predictor across all categories of card spending."

Look, my husband and I are known "foodies," we would go out to eat all the time, but we're not planning on eating out (even outdoors) anytime soon. In fact, we've only even gotten take-out twice so far.

I have noticed that in the last couple days, the anti-mask crowd seems a little quieter on Facebook. Governors in some of the hardest-hit states have put a pause on their reopening plans, and some places, especially cities, are now requiring mask use in indoor situations where physical distancing is not possible.

I think most people, even if in their hearts they don't believe in masks, are still wearing them in public if it's recommended. But then there's a few who vocally refuse, like this woman who screamed about her breathing problem at a Trader Joe's in California (she seems to be breathing well enough...), or this maskless man in central Pennsylvania who carried an assault rifle into the farmers' market and was addressed on Facebook by the mayor of the city.

Once again ... If everyone just gets with the program and does what they need to do to help tamp this thing down, we can safely get back to at least some form of normalcy. Otherwise, this is going to go on a lot longer and cause a lot more damage unnecessarily. Unfortunately, there's been a lot of mixed messages and modeling of bad behavior all the way from the top down in this country.

The Future of Travel

As much of a homebody as I am, I do enjoy traveling. I like discovering new places, and I like returning to favorite places. I love to try new restaurants. I enjoy the challenge of packing a streamlined suitcase, distilled to a capsule wardrobe and essential items. I like the organizational and planning aspect of developing an itinerary in advance, so that once we're there, we can just follow the agenda without worrying about what to do or what might be open. My husband and I were supposed to go on a long trip in May, which was obviously cancelled. We also had a short trip planned in the fall, which we already called off. But I'm still looking forward to being able to travel again, someday.

Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

Rick Steves, the prolific tour guide, travel writer, and TV host, does not seem to have high hopes for the short term future of European travel (his specialty). As he points out, if transportation and entertainment have to operate at half capacity, you can't get the volume of scale you would from a full house, so it will cost more for each person, and could lead to travel being less attainable for the average person. He also worries about smaller, local businesses that won't be able to continue operating at only half the capacity and half the revenue. However, he also seems a little rigid in that travel to him involves social interactions like meeting a local at the bar, being greeted with a kiss, or walking around in crowds. While the virus itself may be contained and under control in a few years, some of those types of traditions may be gone forever - just like some people are predicting we'll no longer shake hands.

If you are planning to travel domestically in the US, here's four resources that can help you plan a safe trip, based on status and preparedness of the state, infection rates, mask laws, and how "open" businesses are.

Face Shields

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Great news for all the people who can't wear a cloth face covering for medical reasons, or for fake medical reasons, or because they think they'll asphyxiate, or because they think it makes them a Muslim (?), or because they think it makes them a sheep, or because they think it's one step before Bill Gates implants his Microsoft tracking chips into them, etc, etc...

Clear plastic face shields, which have been used by medical professionals before and throughout this pandemic, may be just as good an option to help protect others from your droplets! You can even double up and wear a cloth mask under your shield. If you can't wear a mask on your face for medical reasons, they recommend wearing a shield with cloth covering the gap at the bottom. They also have the benefit of keeping your mouth visible, for people who need to read lips. Plus, they're washable and reusable, unlike the disposable masks (and even cloth ones) we're seeing discarded all over.

Opening Up, Locking Down

Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

Today my region moves into the state's "green" phase of reopening. It's still like a 75% capacity thing, and masks and all the social distancing measures are still required, but more things are open and I've gotten a bunch of e-mails so far from restaurants and places advertising that they're open for business.

Nobody I've talked to is planning on going anywhere anytime soon, either. The interesting thing is that higher income areas have increased their spending less than lower incomes; in other words, they have the privilege to continue working from home, staying home and having things delivered, etc. I don't consider myself a "high income" person, though I definitely recognize the privilege I enjoy, and I'm in that camp of not wanting or needing to go out right now.

Meanwhile, in the southern and western states... Texas hospitals are reaching their maximum capacity and accessing their surge capacity. They also announced they were shutting down bars and restaurants at noon today. Florida has also been experiencing record increases in cases, and as of today has prohibited serving alcohol for on-premises consumption (which I don't think goes far enough, but...)

I guess I had assumed that most of the country was following the same restrictions we were in my area, but apparently they never really did in most places, and now they're being impacted as the earlier "hotspots" continue to slowly reopen. (NYC has also recently moved to a phase where outdoor dining is allowed, and limited indoor dining will start soon.) A friend shared on Facebook that they are hosting a visitor from Texas, who is amazed at how seriously everyone is taking mask wearing and social distancing here. And I have a family member who's been on a camping road trip out west, and reports that masks are not only optional but frowned upon west of the Mississippi.

Public Places

Yesterday I went to Target for the first time since mid-April. I'd been planning a trip for some time, and worked on my shopping list all week, but as my planned time grew close, I started getting really nervous. Luckily, it was an ok experience.

The parking lot was more full than it had been when I was there in April, but it was not at all crowded inside. All employees and customers I saw had masks, although one employee had the kind with vents (equivalent to wearing a condom with a hole in it), and two people had theirs pulled down under their nose (but still covering their mouth - if that's what it takes to get them to wear a mask, it's better than nothing). Checking out, there are still marks on the floor to space people out when waiting in line, and there is now plexiglass in front of the cashier. All the food, pet, and toiletry items I was looking for were in stock - though I didn't even go near the cleaning supplies. However, I was also looking for a few clothing items for my husband, and the men's department was kind of decimated. I also purchased a new small TV for our guest bedroom (which is going to get more use as a den right now), and the electronics department seemed kind of sparse, as well.

This morning, I ran two errands. First, I went to the supermarket for my grocery pick-up. Everyone I saw in the parking lot had a mask on, even children. Definitely the most mask-wearing I've seen yet at this shopping center.

Then, I went to the Post Office. I was nervous, because it is the smallest public space I've been inside of, but they had lots of precautions. All the doors were propped open, so you didn't have to touch any handles (plus, airflow). There were marks to keep people separated while waiting in line, but I was the only customer there. At the counter, there is plexiglass hanging from the ceiling in front of the clerks, leaving a gap above the counter to pass packages through. My PO has three cashier stations, and the middle one was closed, spacing the employees further. There is also a line you must stand behind to stay back from the counter, until it's time to pay. And of course, everyone there had masks.

On my way out, a woman with a package was about to enter at the same time. I instinctively stepped aside, thinking it would be more convenient for her to just come in since she was carrying something, but then I realized it was probably best if I leave first, so we're not both in the lobby together. It's weird how our thought processes have changed like that.

Pride Before the Fall

I was on the phone with a friend last night talking about, what else, the coronavirus and how people aren't wearing masks or taking basic precautions to help protect themselves and others. I said Americans are apparently too individualistic and prideful to to do this one simple thing.

For all the people I know are wearing masks, there are also a number of outspoken ones who loudly refuse. And I'm in the liberal northeast of the US. In middle-America, mask compliance is much lower. (I know this from first-hand accounts from friends and family who are travelers and transplants in other parts of the US.)

Last night, I was involved in a conversation on Facebook where someone added this comment, copied and pasted verbatim:

"I REFUSE TO WEAR A MASK! I AM NOT SICK. I AM NOT MUSLIM. I WILL CHOOSE JAIL OVER COMPLIANCE. HUGE OVERREACH. ALL LIES."

I was seriously shocked. What does this have to do with being Muslim, or any other religion, or any political affiliation for that matter? This is about caring for your fellow human beings.

Here's some recent articles on the benefits of mask use:

• Study: 100% face mask use could crush second, third COVID-19 wave
• Face Masks May Be The Key Determinant Of The Covid-19 Curve, Study Suggests
• Two Missouri hairstylists with coronavirus saw 140 clients in their salon, but no one got infected (spoiler alert: because they wore masks and took other precautions in the salon)

In addition, there's talk of the EU banning travelers from the US because the virus is not under control here. I already know of one US citizen who was unable to return to their home in the Netherlands after traveling here for a funeral, until they presented some sort of health documentation..

Not only that .. I kind of find it liberating not to have to worry about what face I'm making, if I look pleasant enough, if someone is going to tell me to "smile."

Some of the new hotspots in the south and west are rolling back their previously anti-mask stance. In Texas, the governor previously banned local governments from imposing their own mask requirements, but now says they will be allowed. Universities in Texas will also be enforcing mask use this fall. Arizona has also allowed local governments to set their own rules for masks. (Basically, this is Republican governors refusing to set an example themselves at the risk of upsetting their supporters, but allowing the local governments to do it.) After reopening, the county where Boise, Idaho is located is rolling back to a shutdown stage due to a recent increase in infections. And this is something I think people are going to have to accept - as the virus ebbs and flows, regions may move back and forth through their different lockdown statuses and requirements.

I've been writing here for a long time about how disappointed I am in how time to fight against this virus has been wasted... and now people have just given up. This essay about the COVID Quitters seems to share my sentiments...

Virtual Events

For several years I've been researching and discussing best practices related to working remotely and virtually, as I lead a team in my department focused on improving engagement within our geographically diverse organization. Now others are trying to catch up and figure out the best way to work and keep a sense of community while physically divided.

Last week I participated in an annual event that is usually held in person, but this year was done virtually. Instead of converting the format of the event to better utilize the virtual environment, it seemed like they kept their original schedule of seminars and events, and just did them in online meeting software instead of a hotel conference room. I have some ideas about all this, so thought I'd publish them here in case you are organizing a virtual event as well.

Schedule: While your in-person event may have been an intense 2-3 days of in-person seminars and workshops, that's a long day of sitting in front of your computer, when you don't get breaks you would usually have in between to meet and network with your fellow attendees, or just take a rest and recharge. Also, watching a screen for long periods just takes a different kind of energy than being in a physical environment. I recommend stretching your event across more days - maybe change it from 2 days to a week - with shorter meetings each day. Remember you won't need to allow for travel time, though you may need to consider multiple time zones.

Networking: One of the biggest benefits of attending conferences and events like this is the opportunity to network with people, make new connections, and catch up with old friends. While you won't be able to hold an opening night mixer or welcome dinner, definitely try to facilitate more natural gatherings like this:

• Kick off events with an icebreaker activity or question when feasible. I put together a whole list of ideas a while ago, but there's lots of options, or ways to convert your favorite in-person icebreaker to a virtual format.
• Consider holding a virtual live "mixer" or "speed dating" event, where people get sorted into smaller groups or pairs, to have short discussions before moving on to the next group.
• Set up a channel for asynchronous casual conversation. This particular event used Microsoft Teams, and a Teams channel could have been created for fun side conversations. Or you could create a message board, GroupMe or WhatsApp chat, Slack channel, Facebook group, etc. (Even at the physical event last year, many of the participants joined a Snapchat conversation together to keep up with each other during and after the meeting.)
• Breakout sessions and team projects can break participants into different groupings to give them an opportunity to meet and interact with different people throughout the event.

Public Events and Interactivity: The event that I attended last week advertised that since it was virtual, several of their workshops would be livestreamed to give the public the opportunity to participate this year. However, none of the workshops actually lent themselves to that format. Instead, there was a brief introduction from the presenter, then the actual participants moved to private online breakout rooms to do some activity that was never explained to the rest of the audience, who listened to background music and waited, and then the participants rejoined the public livestream to read out their discussion outcomes. If you're going to share parts of the event with the public - which I think is a great idea that could build interest for future events - I recommend a schedule more like this: the small groups can meet privately in advance for an introduction to the topic and their discussion; then the presenter can speak more broadly later on the public livestream, and the small groups can share their discussion results publicly immediately afterward, with no awkward breaks in the middle. (This split schedule can also help alleviate some of those issues with long hours in front of the computer.)

Have Fun: Take advantage of the fact that people are at home - have fun dress-up days, silly hats, encourage people to show off their pets or their home workspaces, etc. Having to pack special outfits or bring a bunch of items for an activity could be annoying for travelers, but convenient if you're already at home. Sharing your workspace helps people build rapport by being able to envision someone's environment. And of course everyone loves showing off their pets! If you usually close with a dance party, try to hold a virtual party where you play music and share photos while people chat. (I've been part of a few virtual concerts and dance parties now, and they're surprisingly fun!

Going Green

Two months ago our governor announced a red/yellow/green phased reopening plan for our state. At the time, the entire state was red, and then each week, several counties at a time advanced to yellow and then green. As of this Friday, my county, and our whole region, will be in the green phase (never mind that we only just last week reached the rolling 14 day case count that was originally supposed to trigger the yellow phase...) A lot of people seem to be confused - green doesn't mean everything is back to the way it was before. It's just fewer restrictions on what can be open and how people can gather. It doesn't mean the virus is gone, and I think people are forgetting that.

As frustrated as I am with the fact that things here did reopen sooner than was originally intended, I'm proud that mine was one of three states recently cited for their continued downward trend of cases (even amidst increased testing).

Daily new cases in my state

Today at work we had a big town hall meeting about plans for reopening our site. Because I'm on our Site Operating Committee, I'd had a sneak peek of some of the plans and precautions being put in place, but there were some changes even from what I'd already seen (for example, everyone was going to be given a disposable mask upon entering the office each day - now they're asked to bring their own cloth face covering from home).

They're planning a phased reopening, based on when our county and region move to the state's green phase. Phase 1 will be 25% of people on site (though honestly, with all the restrictions, I don't think 25% of people will even want to go back). You will have to request each day you want to be on site, to ensure there is enough capacity and people are spread out throughout the facility (e.g. your entire building/floor can't go back on the same day). To return to site, you will have to take training on all the safety procedures. You need to perform a self-check health screening (basically, do you feel ok today?). There will be hand sanitizer stations throughout the site, surfaces will be cleaned regularly throughout the day and overnight, and you must wear a mask when not at your desk or otherwise separated from others by at least 6 feet. There will not be any electronic tracking, but you will need to log at the end of the day anyone with whom you were in close proximity for more than 15 minutes. (This is kept mostly private and purges after 16 days, but will be used for contact tracing if anyone does become infected during that time.) Office capacity goes up to 50% in phase 2 and 100% in phase 3, each with their own set of precautions.

The consensus from people I talked to during and after the meeting is that it's not worth going back at this point, with the amount of modifications and rules in place to keep people apart. One of my friends said, "This feels like all the worst parts of going to an office, and none of the good ones." I am so thankful that I work for a company that values science, reason, and research, and that respects us enough to take these massive steps and precautions to protect the people who do want or need to return to the office in order to do their job most effectively. I've always been a huge fan of my site and serve on committees, run activities, etc. to make it a better place that everyone wants to be. However, I still don't think I'll be back in the office anytime soon.

Middle of June

As I mentioned, there have been a lot of current events going on recently. Since we're now halfway through the month, I thought I'd just summarize what has happened so far at the end of May and in June:

On Memorial Day (May 25), George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, kicking off a wave of protests around the country (and world). Though largely peaceful, some did escalate to violence, with things like tear gas and rubber bullets being used against protesters. At one point, they turned out all the lights in the White House while the president retreated to his bunker (which he later claimed he was just inspecting). At another point, the peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square, a public space for protesting directly in front of the White House, were forcibly cleared out so the president could walk through and awkwardly pose with a bible in front of a church. There has been lots of concern about the spread of the coronavirus as people gathered in crowds, but from what I've seen, most protesters were wearing masks, and as of now, two weeks later, there hasn't been a marked increase in infections as a result 🙏

In the midst of major protests the following weekend, a large shopping mall in my community was targeted for some post-protest looting. Law enforcement came in from all over the county, and besides a couple smashed windows, it turned out to be a non-event. (However, some footage of other malls being looted was shared on social media, saying that it's our mall - it was not.) I spent the evening listening to sirens and helicopters overhead.

On Wednesday, June 3, a fast-moving wind storm called a "derecho" blew through my region. Within about half an hour, it caused major damage and left hundreds of thousands without power. My power was out for a couple days, but other family members didn't get it back until the weekend. Even now, 3 weeks later, damage is still being cleaned up from this storm.

In a weirdly positive turn of events for 2020, the Supreme Court ruled this week that employers cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation or transgender status, and turned down a case against California's "sanctuary state" laws. The FDA also revoked its emergency use authorization for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, the experimental drugs the president was touting. This must be a really bad week for him.

The Black Lives Matter protests seem to have been the catalyst or tipping point for change, or at least awareness or understanding. Again, in an uncharacteristic move, NASCAR has outlawed the confederate flag and actually designed a BLM-themed car. The NFL changed their stance on protests during the national anthem. Many businesses, including my own employer, have come out with unequivocal statements supporting the BLM movement. And still others are using their platform to promote marginalized voices.

The mayor of Washington, DC, renamed the road leading to Lafayette Square (and facing
the White House) as Black Lives Matter Place, with giant text painted on the street

Interview with the Epidemiologist

It's easy to get swept up in the hopeful feeling at the moment: more places are reopening, they're saying kids are "definitely" going back to school in the fall, the days are longer and sunnier, things are almost starting to feel normal. And then you read an interview with an informed and realistic epidemiologist and you go right back to feeling as depressed as you did in March...

"When you think about only 5% of this country’s been infected to date, and you understand the pain, the suffering, the death, and economic disruption that’s occurred with just 5%, then you can imagine what it’s going to take for us to get to 60 or 70%."

If you read nothing else (it's long, but not that long), at least read the top bullet points, including:

• 3 months ago, COVID-19 was not even in the top 75 causes of death in this country. Much of the last month, it was the #1 cause of death in this country. This is more remarkable than the 1918 Flu pandemic.
• There is no scientific indication Covid-19 will disappear of its own accord.
• If you’re under age 55, obesity is the #1 risk factor. So, eating the right diet, getting physical activity, and managing stress are some of the most important things you can do to protect yourself from the disease.
• We can expect COVID-19 to infect 60% – 70% of Americans. That’s around 200 million Americans.
• We can expect between 800,000 and 1.6 million Americans to die in the next 18 months if we don’t have a successful vaccine.
• There is no guarantee of an effective vaccination and even if we find one, it may only give short term protection.
• Speeding a vaccination into production carries its own risks.
• The darkest days are still ahead of us. We need moral leadership, the command leadership that doesn’t minimize what’s before us but allows everyone to see that we’re going to get through it.

Listen.

I don't know how else to say this.

The virus isn't gone just because you are tired of it.

If you really want it to go away so you can get back to your normal life, follow the guidelines that keep it from spreading, like staying away from others, covering your face holes, and washing your hands and things that are touched.

Clarifications

A number of terms and stories that have been in the media recently are not exactly what they seem, but unfortunately people just read a headline and don't look any further...

❌ Defund the police: This term has gotten a lot of publicity recently through the Black Lives Matter protests. It doesn't mean to eliminate the police, or not provide any public safety services. The "defund" movement was already in progress before the current protests. It refers more to reallocating the funds currently spent on things like military-grade equipment, and direct it to services that support communities, like people trained in dealing with mental health issues, substance abuse, domestic violence, etc. It doesn't take resources away from innocent people who need assistance; if anything, it directs them in a more useful way. Camden, NJ is being cited a lot right now as an example of successfully disbanding the police.

❌ Coronavirus doesn't spread via surfaces: Toward the end of May, the CDC announced that surfaces are "not the main way" the coronavirus spreads. And everyone rejoiced that they no longer had to be as diligent about hand hygiene, cleaning high-touch surfaces, etc. Unfortunately, this wasn't actually anything new, it had already been determined that the virus is more likely spread via respiratory droplets than fomites (contaminated objects). That doesn't mean that all surfaces are safe - someone could have coughed on an object, or coughed on their hand and then used that hand to touch something. The CDC tried to clarify that they aren't changing any guidance, but I bet a lot of people heard they no longer have to wash their hands and aren't looking back 🤷‍♀️

❌ Asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is rare: This week, the WHO announced that the virus isn't really spread by patients who don't have symptoms. And everyone said, hooray, we only need to be wary of the really obviously sick people! Once again, the organization had to clarify their comments. There are 3 types of people who could be infected but not have symptoms: truly asymptomatic (they test positive but never have symptoms), mild symptoms (maybe they chalk it up to a cold or allergies), and pre-symptomatic (they don't have symptoms now, but will develop them). A meaningful number of mild and pre-symptomatic people do transmit the disease to others, and even truly asymptomatic people can transmit the disease, especially with prolonged, close contact. Bottom line, social distancing, masks, etc. are still worthwhile, and just taking people's temperature isn't really going to tell you if they're likely to spread the virus.

❌ Dr. Fauci says masks are just symbolic: Not sure how widespread this one is, I just saw one person post an article with information and quotes taken totally out of context and presenting old information as new. In the actual interview with Dr. Fauci, he says masks are effective and he wears one as a symbol of what you should do (he probably should have said "to be an example" to others). The false article also refers to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine that was originally published on April 1 but for some reason reposted on another NEJM site in late May, so was being misrepresented as new information. Either way, it's nothing we haven't heard before: cloth masks are meant to protect others, not the wearer; you also need hand hygiene; virus is most likely to spread with prolonged, close contact, but other preventative measures are still worthwhile. Even information from a legitimate source like the NEJM can be twisted to fit an alternative narrative if it's cherry-picked, misattributed, and taken out of context.

Pool Party

There has been a lot going on in recent weeks. Out of respect for other voices and also to allow time to process everything, I haven't blogged, but I will cover all these current events soon, in order to maintain an accurate record of this ongoing experience.

However, in an attempt to continue recording COVID-19's impacts on daily life ... I got a message today announcing that my local community pool will be reopening in 1 week. I'm not a member of the pool (I find pools gross even in non-pandemic times), but wanted to share some of the new policies they're putting in place:

• There's a big warning that you're entering at your own risk
• Facility will have limited capacity, and each area has its maximum posted - they're allowing for 8 feet of distancing out of an abundance of caution, so 64 sq ft per person
• No guests
• Members must wear a face covering, except in the pool where they're not allowed
• Touchless check-in
• Bring your own chairs and pool toys/floats
• No group games, no slide
• Parents are in charge of making sure their kids social distance
• No parties or gatherings
• I haven't even  mentioned all the regulations around the snack bar...

Sounds as fun as the plan for reopening LA schools that said kids would each one own ball to play with, alone...