How Strict Are You With Social Distancing?

[ShirikiUtundu]

Gloves are fine if you distinguish surfaces and wash hands after wearing. But to just wear them while handling everything is pointless. Otherwise I wear one sometimes on my right hand because my eczema is flaring up and sanitizer doesn't feel so great, I just try to keep it covered until I can wash it with gentle soap and water and moisturize. I imagine others may be having similar issues due to sanitizer use and a lot more hand washing.

 

[robinb]

The "must wear a mask" shamers have lost their minds! I have no problem wearing the mask indoors, where almost all, as in, over 99% of all cases of transmission have occurred, or when on private property, but outdoors, walking down the street or on a beach? COME ON! Nobody is getting COVID there. We walked from our house to the beach the other day and, sure enough, got comments going both ways, and we were well over 6' from anyone the whole time and no, they are not required outdoors where I live. Not a lot of comments, just one or two idiots that really don't understand what is going on was enough to spoil an otherwise nice walk. It would really help if the health officials would report WHERE COVID is being spread and to WHOM, but no - can't because of privacy or political pressure or whatever is driving that. It's really turning people against each other for no good reason, that is for certain.

Many people here do wear them outside. I don't just to take a walk in the neighborhood, but if I were walking around a lot of people (even at 6' away) I would consider wearing one. I'm sorry that you felt attacked. I think a lot of people are on edge these days.

 

[disneychrista]

It depends on which part of CA.

True. I just believe Newsom is allowing too much too soon. Of course not all county’s will qualify and not all county’s will allow it.

Stores are just opening here, in my county. The shopping center I normally eat my lunch at is PACKED. It is more packed than the week before Christmas.

 

[bcla]

Ah I gotcha, I think in my Walmarts at least the clothing has kinda a defined line where it starts on the floor.

TBH the behaviors I've seen is that the obstacles actually serve a way to keep a physical and visual line but that's purely my observation. I can understand your point that for you it seems it would give people more room to move around.

As far as walking by the clothing section yeah I generally do that, seems I can get to my destination faster that way lol

Some people seem to think that walking on the carpet (where the clothing section starts) is forbidden. Gotta stay on the linoleum.

 

[hsmamato2]

.....

 

[hsmamato2]

We don't have anyone that would have anything more than flu symptoms as a result of catching it, so if we haven't already, it's no big deal if one of us gets it.

Sigh. In a situation like this,where so LITTLE is known about how to deal with this, I'm happy that you seem so sure about that.
Like I said earlier... 100,000 and counting within a very short time is NOT nothing.
In my area, people of ALL AGES are getting it, from infants thru middle age and elderly.
Who survives it is still a mystery obviously, but hearing firsthand reports from people we KNOW,about what it's like endure the symptoms and SURVIVE... smh. And those are best case scenarios.
Like I also said earlier, I can only control what I do, no one else. I truly, truly truly hope that terrible awful number of 100,000 doesn't grow larger like I'm concerned that it will.
I wish I had this 100% confidence that it's "no big deal" for me or the people that I love.

 

[mjkacmom]

Sigh. In a situation like this,where so LITTLE is known about how to deal with this, I'm happy that you seem so sure about that.
Like I said earlier... 100,000 and counting within a very short time is NOT nothing.
In my area, people of ALL AGES are getting it, from infants thru middle age and elderly.
Who survives it is still a mystery obviously, but hearing firsthand reports from people we KNOW,about what it's like endure the symptoms and SURVIVE... smh. And those are best case scenarios.
Like I also said earlier, I can only control what I do, no one else. I truly, truly truly hope that terrible awful number of 100,000 doesn't grow larger like I'm concerned that it will.
I wish I had this 100% confidence that it's "no big deal" for me or the people that I love.

Like why did a 106 year old woman in my town get released from the hospital, and yet a 53 year old man from my town did not? There is so much not known.

 

[Colleen27]

That's exactly what the CDC says: "CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain." It's the politicians and media that have coerced the recommendation into all the time.

I'd argue that it is just the opposite - it is politics that keeps it from being an across-the-board recommendation, since certain people have made a point of repeating how unnecessary these sorts of precautions are, even going so far as to mock others for wearing a mask.

If we look at the science, the case for masks is clear - https://www.foxnews.com/health/wear...ronavirus-transmission-75-percent-study-shows. https://www.foxnews.com/science/coronavirus-infections-plunge-80-percent-wore-masks

And the data from real-world applications agrees - https://www.sciencetimes.com/articl...us-cases-requiring-people-wear-face-masks.htm https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/05/masks-covid-19-infections-would-plummet-new-study-says

There was a man with no mask on at my grocery store this morning. He had it around his neck while in the store shopping, so not sure why he had it at all if THAT isn't where he was going to wear it. He ordered from the deli (which, you have to pass very closely to get around and he stood there the whole time waiting for his order instead of stepping out of the way) and he did not wait at the social distancing area when it was time to check out. No one at my store said anything because I guess, pick your battles. The manager saw him but he probably thought the same. You kind of just have to hope people comply, and now and then, you'll get what happened in that store because people lose their patience with idiots every now and then.

He probably wore it to get through the door and then took it off or brought it just in case someone told him it was required. I see a lot of that near me, people carrying masks but not wearing them unless they're specifically asked to... and with retailers telling employees not to take the risk of telling people to wear masks, that means those people mostly don't wear them.

I'm sorry your walk was spoiled, but seeing you without a mask probably spoiled their walk as well. Part of the challenge of all of this is going to continue to be people not being on the same page. People out hoping for a relaxing walk outside where they do not have to feel anxious might lose that possibility when they see that others are not taking similar precautions. Whether or not that is something you need to consider when you go out is up to you.

That's going to be tough going forward, and I'm not sure what the answer will ultimately be. Some people just have a much lower risk tolerance, and people on both sides are getting rather irate about things at times. But I'm not sure it is reasonable for those who are more fearful to demand everyone embrace the level of precaution that makes them comfortable, especially if that level of caution exceeds what is supported by the best available science.

Do not lump all of CA with Los Angeles and the SF Bay Area. Two heavily populated areas don't represent the entire state.

My county has been given permission to move to the next phase, but we are not yet. And we still have some of the most restrictive rules around. We are not allowed any group gatherings outside of our own households, socially distanced or not. Under our order, we still aren't allowed to see our family/parents. Our beaches remained closed unless you can walk/bike in. Our restaurants JUST opened to patio seating. We can do curbside pick up at stores now.

The problem with such restrictive rules is that people have stopped listening to them and that makes it more dangerous. I'm all for opening slow, but not a snails pace. There was a definite shift over the weekend, and I'll say over the last two weeks of people not following any rules - no masks (despite them being required here), no social distancing, etc. And no shame in posting about it.

I think a lot of states are having that problem - the response is guided by the hardest-hit urban areas, and people in rural areas end up disregarding it as it comes to be seen as unnecessary. There are counties in my state that haven't seen a single case, but they were locked down for months, same as all the rest of us. We just started a region-based reopening last week - before that, the whole state was under rules stricter even than those imposed in NY and CA, based on the state of affairs in the hard-hit Detroit area.

Businesses in my area have started deliberately defying the order now, since we were lumped into the last region that will be allowed to move into the phased reopening. Most of them don't feel there's much risk in it, both because local law enforcement has signaled that enforcing the order is low priority and because they won't survive losing the whole of the summer season anyway.

 

[Colleen27]

Sigh. In a situation like this,where so LITTLE is known about how to deal with this, I'm happy that you seem so sure about that.
Like I said earlier... 100,000 and counting within a very short time is NOT nothing.
In my area, people of ALL AGES are getting it, from infants thru middle age and elderly.
Who survives it is still a mystery obviously, but hearing firsthand reports from people we KNOW,about what it's like endure the symptoms and SURVIVE... smh. And those are best case scenarios.
Like I also said earlier, I can only control what I do, no one else. I truly, truly truly hope that terrible awful number of 100,000 doesn't grow larger like I'm concerned that it will.
I wish I had this 100% confidence that it's "no big deal" for me or the people that I love.

I wouldn't call it no big deal, and I'm not saying there are no risks just because one is in a less-impacted group. I don't think any reasonable person is saying either of those things. But if we had to endure a global pandemic (and really, the biggest surprise should be that it took this long), this virus is far from as bad as it could have been. It appears to have a low mortality rate and low rate of lasting complications for survivors, which doesn't make it less terrible from the perspective of those who do experience the worst outcomes but does make it less bad from a societal/public health perspective. We could just as easily have found ourselves dealing with something as deadly as SARS (10% fatality rate) or as communicable as measles (R0 of 18). This is far worse than seasonal flu but likely not as bad as the pandemic flu of 1918, which makes it mild as far as pandemics go. And I think that perspective is getting lost beneath the fact that it has been so long since we saw people in modern nations dying from communicable disease that any number of fatalities would be earth-shaking to us.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Businesses in my area have started deliberately defying the order now, since we were lumped into the last region that will be allowed to move into the phased reopening. Most of them don't feel there's much risk in it, both because local law enforcement has signaled that enforcing the order is low priority and because they won't survive losing the whole of the summer season anyway.

My state is now under no state-wide guidance (not the decision the Governor wanted to make but one she more or less felt she needed to make given what had been going on (my assumption). It's up to all 105 counties what phases they want to do, how they want to do it and if they want to do it. I didn't even necessarily disagree with the phases my governor was having but I also understood the deep desire to allow one's own area choose what they see is best for them. She had said that eventually the control would be to the counties/regions but I think part of it was feeling like that wasn't being done quick enough. There were a decent number of counties with either zero or low numbers be it because of lack of testing available to those particular counties or low spread I wouldn't know but I can understand the pinch they felt.

2 counties near me have said they will be adhering until at least June 8th (the earliest date the full 2nd phase was supposed to be able to start; we were technically under a modified Phase 2) while mine has said "we strongly suggest citizens follow but we will not be enforcing the phases". Testing has increased here, technically I can go Friday and get tested for free if I want (it's a first come first served until supplies run out) as all citizens are welcomed that day (just have to line up your cars). I'll admit though I am surprised that my county is going the way of strongly suggested but no enforcement but trust that they have our best interests at heart. I do know that at least on a several city's level police relations was something that had been going on since the beginning. We have good police departments here but I understood how the enforcement of some of the guidelines ended up putting them more at risk or took their attention away from other things.

I personally will still be abiding by things under a cautioned easing up of my own restrictions.

The state of emergency is still in effect so that is being utilized for federal resources mainly.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Everyone in our house works and has worked through this whole thing. None of us are really social so it hasn't been difficult to social distance. We rarely go out to eat so resturants being closed wasn't a big deal to us. I've always done all the shopping and I like to be in and out quickly, the only change now is I wear a mask. The only difference here was my daughter didn't see her boyfriend in March or April. We just wanted to wait and see, even though she's an adult she still lives at home and wanted to be responsible. That has loosened up now.

 

[Christine]

Interesting developments where I work. I've been home teleworking since March 16th as have most employees. Our building holds a little over 4,000 employees if we are all there on the same day. During our mandatory telework, only about 350 people have been physically showing up for work. They have no choice as they do classified work and cannot do that from home. Every day we get a report on infections. No names, but details like: the last day they were in the office was XXX, they were on XXX floor, they got symptoms on XX dated, tested on XX date, results back on XX date. For weeks we hardly had anyone. Maybe a total of 3 people. And this was of the 4,000 population. In the last 10 days as people have started relaxing I suppose, we've pretty much had one infection per day reported. All started about a week after Mother's Day. I thought it would die down but it hasn't. Just heard today that we had 8 more infections reported today, in one day. I realize our area has increased testing but these people who are positive are noted to have been at home "sheltering." All of a sudden, our rate is increasing. I think people have started really relaxing their distancing and are having get togethers. I can't really explain the sudden increase. All the people where I work have had access to testing through the military when, for the general population, it was hard to get a test. So I don't think they new infections are attributed to increased testing but more socialization.

 

[pigletliz]

I'm really over this whole thing. I don't know one, single person who had covid. My neighbors are all fine, healthy. I do wear a mask when I go out and about, but mainly because I don't want to be "that girl" My state CO is opening back up. I'm thrilled. We NEED to develop herd immunity and staying buckled up tight will never achieve that. Hospitals here are no where near "overwhelmed.

Those of us with family members and friends who have been stricken are also "over it". Count yourself lucky or blessed that you haven't had to deal with it personally. Thanks for wearing the mask. It may have saved you or someone that you loved.

 

[Boopuff]

I'm very curious where some of us live. I live in Colorado (not Denver) . So my experience with this hasn't been as traumatic as someone living on the East Coast. So obviously I can't relate to some of the experiences listed on here (waiting in line to enter a store, low supplies, anger over wearing/not wearing a mask). It's very interesting to hear all the different stories - just please add your location!

 

[Jennasis]

I think it's clear that none of us would have survived back in "the day".

Nobody is being asked to drop behind enemy lines and retake Paris.

Nobody is being asked to ration their sugar, meat, gasoline etc or only allowed to eat or buy meat or gas on certain days.

Nobody is being asked to hide Anne Frank in their attic for months.

You are being asked to cover your nose/mouth and stay 6 feet away from people who aren't part of your household. How _____________ (insert adjective of choice here) do you have to be to willfully flaunt these guidelines because you just don't think you should have to or it inconveniences/discomforts/doesn't affect you?

100,000 AMERICANS DEAD. In three months. We aren't at war. The year isn't even over.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Just curious how everyone is going about it. I know a lot states are going to be entering Phase 2 soon. I’m honestly just tired of being scared. I’ve been laid off since April 7th. April 8th, I went into the office to pack up my desk and I haven’t entered a business since then. I do grocery pick up or drive thru. I understand the severity of the virus and so I think I have every reason to feel scared, but it’s exhausting! Just last week, I finally got out of the house and visited a co-worker. I was nervous entering her home, but it was so nice and natural to be communicating face to face with her again. But because of the same paranoia, I immediately showered when I got home. Last Friday I visited another friend and did the same. It’s a frustrating feeling really. I see folks on social media having parties, cookouts, get togethers etc and I’m jealous. Idk, just a funny space to be in yet indescribable. Tonight, I picked up my friends daughter for her at a half way mark between here and her stepmoms. The daughter went on vacation with her stepmom, sisters etc. After I volunteered to pick her up, it dawned on me that I’d be confined in a car with her for over an hour after she’s been around a lot of people over the weekend. I had my mask, but couldn’t bring myself to wear it, so I knew I was risking myself to possible exposure. I’m quarantined with my parents and my mom has been asking if I’ve worn my mask after I’ve come home (the 3 times I’ve met with friends) and at this point, if I’m gonna be asked that every single time, I might as well stay at home until breaking news of Covid disappearing comes about
Also will say, I know to each their own, but was just curious on everyone else’s stance. Think at this juncture we all know we risk it stepping out the door and we have to do what’s best for us.

First, Dani, welcome to the dis.

I think you are doing pretty good. As Christine saids below, the car ride was not too good. Best would have been both of you wearing masks, or no ride. People do get sick from this virus.

OP, in your case I probably wouldn't have done the car ride. I agree that that was your riskiest exposure due to the prolonged contact in a confined space. If it was just you, then whatever, but since you are living with your parents and they seem concerned, I think you need to be more cautious than most people. I know it's hard and boring and if you're an extrovert, then it's even worse.

..I'm smart. Plus its like playing tag and everyone else is "it"!

Well said, as usual.

I wear my mask most anywhere when I am outside, going to be by somebody else. Gas station, food pickup, including drive through. Grocery pick up where I stay in the car. In the neighbor, if outside talking with neighbors, 6 feet or more, probably 10.

Dani, keep up your good, caring job. Tough as times, but necessary. You are doing your parents well.

 

[Hikergirl]

This past weekend I got together with some friends and family.
My kids have had friends over at the house- sitting outside and keeping 6 feet apart but we are relaxing on that probably by this weekend.
We will continue to wear masks and social distance in public.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Interesting developments where I work. I've been home teleworking since March 16th as have most employees. Our building holds a little over 4,000 employees if we are all there on the same day. During our mandatory telework, only about 350 people have been physically showing up for work. They have no choice as they do classified work and cannot do that from home. Every day we get a report on infections. No names, but details like: the last day they were in the office was XXX, they were on XXX floor, they got symptoms on XX dated, tested on XX date, results back on XX date. For weeks we hardly had anyone. Maybe a total of 3 people. And this was of the 4,000 population. In the last 10 days as people have started relaxing I suppose, we've pretty much had one infection per day reported. All started about a week after Mother's Day. I thought it would die down but it hasn't. Just heard today that we had 8 more infections reported today, in one day. I realize our area has increased testing but these people who are positive are noted to have been at home "sheltering." All of a sudden, our rate is increasing. I think people have started really relaxing their distancing and are having get togethers. I can't really explain the sudden increase. All the people where I work have had access to testing through the military when, for the general population, it was hard to get a test. So I don't think they new infections are attributed to increased testing but more socialization.

I don't know about your situation specifically, but I'm learning that when most people say they've been at home, the more you talk to them, the more comes out about what they've actually been doing. Most of it falls within the guidelines, like getting take out or going to the store or walking with a friend (socially distanced). They'll still tell you they've been at home this whole time, but in reality they haven't 100%. And we all run the risk going out at all, even when following all safety precautions.

Interestingly, just learned our little jump here is mostly familial or workplace. Still very little community spread.

 

[maxiesmom]

I think it's clear that none of us would have survived back in "the day".

Nobody is being asked to drop behind enemy lines and retake Paris.

Nobody is being asked to ration their sugar, meat, gasoline etc or only allowed to eat or buy meat or gas on certain days.

Nobody is being asked to hide Anne Frank in their attic for months.

You are being asked to cover your nose/mouth and stay 6 feet away from people who aren't part of your household. How _____________ (insert adjective of choice here) do you have to be to willfully flaunt these guidelines because you just don't think you should have to or it inconveniences/discomforts/doesn't affect you?

100,000 AMERICANS DEAD. In three months. We aren't at war. The year isn't even over.

Exactly!

If nothing else, this has show us how self centered and unable to deal with any sort of hardship many Americans are. Pretty sad.

 

[Tallis]

I don't know about your situation specifically, but I'm learning that when most people say they've been at home, the more you talk to them, the more comes out that they've actually been doing.

This is so true! I have found it even worse than what you described. People are posting on facebook, during this entire time, photos of them doing things with friends. Then have the nerve to hash tag with quarantine /picnic/bbq/swimming/movie night or whatever they happen to be doing.

Having other families over, or visiting them, in no way qualifies as quarantine. And yet, these same clueless people will tell you they've been home, social distancing for months. It has really become a pet peeve these past couple months. I've been tempted to comment with a hashtag "idiots."