How Strict Are You With Social Distancing?

You do realize that part of WHY the hospitals are empty is because people are being "irrationally" cautious. So this is basically a "let them all stay home because they're scared, I'm gonna keep going out because I'm not but if I do get it, at least there's room for me because some people stayed at home scared" vibe.

We'll see if that's the case soon. Texas is opening for business and things are getting back to normal. So if you're right the hospitals will soon be full and if they aren't then you're wrong.

The grand experiment is starting up and the results will be available shortly.
 

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Are y'all still social distancing in NYC?

For the most part, yes. We are supposed to go into Phase 1 next week. As of now, it's still essential businesses only open and restaurants for delivery and takeout. In my neighborhood, about 80% or so of people wear masks when outside and they are required inside. I rarely see someone without one inside, so drama is avoided! Obviously, some specific gatherings are happening but nearly every photo I see of such things, people are wearing masks.
 
For the most part, yes. We are supposed to go into Phase 1 next week. As of now, it's still essential businesses only open and restaurants for delivery and takeout. In my neighborhood, about 80% or so of people wear masks when outside and they are required inside. I rarely see someone without one inside, so drama is avoided! Obviously, some specific gatherings are happening but nearly every photo I see of such things, people are wearing masks.
IF masks really stop the spread...guess social distancing is over?
 
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IF masks really stop the spread...guess the lockdown and social distancing is over?

It would be difficult here, I think, simply because of how little space we have. Even if you are wearing a mask, if you are taking the subway, you are very close to others. Our restaurants are cramped, though I believe they are rethinking how to do create more outdoor seating, even by closing some streets to vehicles. So I think trying to stay away from others will be a thing for awhile, but it sounds like we are easing up a bit. I personally feel less stressed when outside and have been taking long walks once or twice a week (with a mask!) and still staying away from others but I don't worry too much when it's not possible. My next thing is figuring out if I can go visit my family in CT at some point this summer.
 


You do realize that part of WHY the hospitals are empty is because people are being "irrationally" cautious.
Unfortunately a double-edged sword there. People to the detriment of their health stayed away from hospitals even while health officials pleaded with them to still come in when they felt they had medical reasons to. Strokes, heart attacks, etc.

Keeping routine screening shut down in the long run is a terrible item but perhaps what they thought they needed to do.

And a few weeks ago it was brought up that because of this people stayed away from hospitals to get childhood immunizations which is really bad considering what we're going through and the push for a vaccine to help combat what we're dealing with.

I do not at all agree with calling people's fears irrational in this instance but I do think there is a case to be made when there have been unfortunate and potentially dire and long-term outcomes from high fear driven by multiple factors and ones held by a variety of individuals.
 
Unfortunately a double-edged sword there. People to the detriment of their health stayed away from hospitals even while health officials pleaded with them to still come in when they felt they had medical reasons to. Strokes, heart attacks, etc.

Keeping routine screening shut down in the long run is a terrible item but perhaps what they thought they needed to do.

And a few weeks ago it was brought up that because of this people stayed away from hospitals to get childhood immunizations which is really bad considering what we're going through and the push for a vaccine to help combat what we're dealing with.

I do not at all agree with calling people's fears irrational in this instance but I do think there is a case to be made when there have been unfortunate and potentially dire and long-term outcomes from high fear driven by multiple factors and ones held by a variety of individuals.
Sadly this is so true.
 
Who has said the flu isn't bad? The flu has killed millions upon millions, yet we have tons of people here who refuse to get a flu vaccine every year. It's because we accept that some of us are going to get sick from the flu and some of us are going to die and the media doesn't play it up as something that's going to kill everybody. In reality murder hornets are going to kill everybody.

In some ways COVID is worse than the flu and in other ways it's better. People don't get the flu and feel fine and lots of people who contract COVID do. On the other hand, it makes some people extremely sick, even worse than the flu so on that front it's worse.

That said, it's still comparable to the flu with most likely comparable mortality rates when all the research is said and done.

So which is worse getting sick from COVID-19 and recovering or dying from the flu? So they're different but comparable but still two completely different things.
Flu deaths, on average, over a 12 month period is 70-80 thousand in the US. Covid over a 3 month period is currently at 108K, that's 25% more death's in just a quarter of the time and that's before reopening everything back up.
Yeah, "comparable" :rolleyes1
 


Flu deaths, on average, over a 12 month period is 70-80 thousand in the US. Covid over a 3 month period is currently at 108K, that's 25% more death's in just a quarter of the time and that's before reopening everything back up.
Yeah, "comparable" :rolleyes1
THIS. in a typical flu season, the numbers,without distancing,staying home,masks etc are MUCH smaller than what we're seeing here in US with most of us doing all of that. That indicates to me that this isn't "the flu" and it's much more dangerous.
Take a look at what some other countries implemented for safety,and the low numbers they're seeing vs. what's happening here. Just b/c it isn't your town,or county,or (fill in the blank) mom/kid/grampa/auntie/dad getting sick, the sheer numbers tell us the truth.
ETA- I should just answer the OP's question. Yes, I'm doing a little bit more than I was 6 weeks ago, but not much more. I'm extremely careful around other people,when I have to be around them.
 
I went to work today. Saw 33 people indoors (not alone or in individual offices, but sitting or walking in pairs or groups). Zero had masks, including the two people I had to meet with.

I’m starting to reach a level that if no one else cares enough to wear a mask around me, why should I.
 
I went to work today. Saw 33 people indoors (not alone or in individual offices, but sitting or walking in pairs or groups). Zero had masks, including the two people I had to meet with.

I’m starting to reach a level that if no one else cares enough to wear a mask around me, why should I.

So presently at work, most people don't wear masks and none have since this started. We have been able to limit the number of people and we can socially distance. Beginning next month, we are increasing the number of people but I still think we'll be able to maintain distancing. If not then I'll begin to wear a mask at work. But how comfortable I am is also dictated by work. I can't not go to work, so as work inches closer towards normalcy then I will too.

Ultimately it comes down to your tolerance of risk. Some people have very little to zero tolerance and some people are at the other end of the extreme with an abundance of tolerance. This isn't the flu but this also isn't meningitis either. This is going to be here for a while. I get people trying to avoid their eldest relatives but they also need to make their own decisions in life. Unfortunately, if you're waiting for this to be completely over then there is a good chance that your eldest relatives will die from natural causes before we arrive at the post-COVID world.
 
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You apparently live in a different reality than what it's like where I live. Here people aren't scared to go out in public and they are ready for life to get back to normal. If people choose to stay home then that's their decision but because a minority continue to have an irrational fear isn't cause to shut the rest of society down.

This is what a store looks like here from a picture I took this weekend. If the situation is so "high-risk" then people here will be dropping like flies soon. If not then that kind of trashes the whole theory, wouldn't you say?
THANK YOU! Voice of reason finally!
 
I went to work today. Saw 33 people indoors (not alone or in individual offices, but sitting or walking in pairs or groups). Zero had masks, including the two people I had to meet with.

I’m starting to reach a level that if no one else cares enough to wear a mask around me, why should I.

I work in a hospital but in an admin area. We don’t wear masks. We have about 6 people in the office at all times and people coming in and out. We can social distance but at times we have to get close to each other and we have surgeons and other staff pass through our area at any given time. No one wears masks. We only wear them when we leave our area and have to walk through clinic areas and common areas.
 
We just learned that we can go back to work on July 1, providing there are no community-transmitted cases detected by then. Lots of restrictions: Masks indoors except in your own office when you are alone, 6' social distancing in the halls and offices (most faculty have private offices, but if someone comes in to talk or whatever, masks and 6' required), one person at a time in the bathrooms, only 2 people working in a lab at a time w/distancing, only one person at a time in the elevator, gloves in the hallways, etc. Gyms and daycare can also open on July 1.

Restaurants here opened on June 1 with restrictions: Six feet between tables, masks unless you are sitting at your table, disposable/disinfectable menus, etc. We went out on the evenings of June 1 and 2, but there were very few people in the restaurants. Most are happy to continue doing takeout/curbside, I guess. Also this week, Kohl's and Christmas Tree Shop reopened. ALL stores in the area require masks for entry, limit the number of customers in the building at a time, and have 6' markings on the floors where lines will form (waiting to get in, at the cashier/service desk, etc).

This is in Maine, with 2418 confirmed cases and 95 deaths. In my county, we have 100 confirmed cases with 2 deaths (4th highest rate in the state). In Cumberland county, where Portland is located, there have been 1226 cases and 54 deaths (highest county rate).
 
So presently at work, most people don't wear masks and none have since this started. We have been able to limit the number of people and we can socially distance. Beginning next month, we are increasing the number of people but I still think we'll be able to maintain distancing. If not then I'll begin to wear a mask at work. But how comfortable I am is also dictated by work. I can't not go to work, so as work inches closer towards normalcy then I will too.

Ultimately it comes down to your tolerance of risk. Some people have very little to zero tolerance and some people are at the other end of the extreme with an abundance of tolerance. This isn't the flu but this also isn't meningitis either. This is going to be here for a while. I get people trying to avoid their eldest relatives but they also need to make their own decisions in life. Unfortunately, if you're waiting for this to be completely over then there is a good chance that your eldest relatives will die from natural causes before we arrive at the post-COVID world.
I grow more concerned about the bolded every day. My grandmother misses seeing her friends; one passed away (non-Covid related) a week ago. My other grandmother is lamenting a canceled trip she makes every year. More and more events are being delayed. It’s a huge mental burden, and they’ve both mentioned more than once that they’re afraid they won’t get to do something before they die- not because of fear of Covid, but of the restrictions.

Back to work- part of my annoyance/disgruntlement are the rules and recommendations that seem inconsistent. It’s recommended for us to wear masks, but I don’t see anyone wear them, from office staff to admin to the cafeteria workers. (This, despite the claims that masks are being worn- if they are, I’d like to know who has been wearing them, cause other than the workers who were wearing them for their jobs like medical or some lab chemists before this started, I haven’t seen anyone wear them at work.)
 
Back to work- part of my annoyance/disgruntlement are the rules and recommendations that seem inconsistent. It’s recommended for us to wear masks, but I don’t see anyone wear them
We are required to wear masks, yet as soon as anyone is at their desk the mask is off/down/hanging on their ears, including supervisors. How can you expect employees to follow the rules when the supervisors & management aren’t. On Monday we got a reminder email from the CEO that masks were required and I finally got my office mate to put hers on, until our supervisor said “you don’t have to wear them in here, if you don’t want.”
 
I work in a hospital but in an admin area. We don’t wear masks. We have about 6 people in the office at all times and people coming in and out. We can social distance but at times we have to get close to each other and we have surgeons and other staff pass through our area at any given time. No one wears masks. We only wear them when we leave our area and have to walk through clinic areas and common areas.

Very interesting. Complete, exact opposite of CA hospitals.
 
Why do you care about it being politicized? People are the ones who politicize it, the virus doesn't care about politics. It doesn't care if you catch it at the grocery store, a Joe Biden rally or from the food you had delivered to your house that the cook sneezed on that you ate while watching a Trump speech. Most people don't wear/not wear masks because of politics, it's their personal choice depending on their level of acceptable risk. I don't wear one because I perceive the risk of me catching it to be extremely high no matter the precautions while at the same time I perceive the risk of it affecting me negatively in a large way to be extremely low. I fully expect to catch it at some point, if I haven't already and didn't know it, and I've accepted that fact. It has absolutely nothing to do with my political leanings but a person's political leanings are often a good indicator of their behavior in regards to acceptable and perceived risks. However the two aren't mutually exclusive.

Limiting spread does not equal stopping spread, only slowing the spread. Other than total isolation and total independence there is no way to effectively protect yourself. Even in NYC a huge number of cases came from people who stayed home and never left because even if you stay home you're dependent upon someone else to provide for you. Remember this was all to "flatten the curve" not end the curve.

I care about the politicizing of the issue because the instant anything becomes political in our culture, you can guarantee that about 40% of the population will disregard the best available advice because it doesn't fit their worldview. We're seeing this in action right now, with people literally screaming at retail workers and in some cases committing assault because they believe that a requirement to wear a mask infringes on their essential freedoms. That kind of knee-jerk, irrational reaction prevents successful collective action. If we were less fractured, we could follow the pattern of Japan or Austria - reopening most of society, with an expectation that everyone who is able to will wear a mask to share in the responsibility of protecting others and slowing spread. But we can't because we have this whiny sub-set of the population that sees everything as an attack on all that makes America great... as though caring for one another, taking responsibility for ourselves, and respecting science are weaknesses.

I agree that there's no way to stop this thing. I don't really believe we'll get a vaccine - between the declining case counts in most places and the revisions to the mortality rate, I don't think we're far off from the point where a vaccine won't be viewed as profitable enough to pursue. But I don't think that's grounds for recklessness or selfishness. I think it only strengthens the case for collective action to keep this thing, as bad as it already is, from being worse than it has to be.
 
Regarding doctors' offices and medical settings... Our dentist office requires masks by everyone (parents are not allowed in the waiting room at our pediatric dentist unless your child is under 5) and they take your temp outside of their office suite.

I've been to several other doctors' offices and they're not that big into wearing masks, other than the physician who is examining you (receptionists and some nurses do not). I have worn one sometimes, other times not.

My hair salon was more like the dentist -- pretty strict.

Up until about 3 weeks ago, I had only been to the doctor, grocery store and work (we can social distance at work pretty easily).

I went to Kohl's and Target 3 weeks ago and it was like the wild west, lol. People weren't nearly as cautious as I was used to seeing.

I went to a restaurant for the first time this past weekend and other than the servers/hostesses wearing gloves/masks, and the tables being spaced out more, it seemed normal, and I really needed that for my mental health!

At work, they still have us on a staggered schedule of coming in M/W/F one week and then T/Th the next week. Even though they encourage us to wear masks in the common areas like the kitchen and bathroom, I'd say only about 50% do. Since I don't, I'm very conscious of physically distancing from others.

Despite everything starting to get back to normal around here (and we started opening up about 5 weeks ago), they still have very strict guidelines at school. Summer activities were allowed to start up this week, but only 10 in a group (restaurants are at 100% capacity and the state allows gatherings of 50), and everyone has to wear masks, even outside. :( Makes no sense to me.
 
I’ve been to 2 doctors offices in the past 2 weeks. At one people were lined up outside more than 6 feet apart, only 2 were allowed in the huge waiting room, masks were required. At the other, no one was in the waiting room, I was whisked into an exam room, masks were required.
 
It would be difficult here, I think, simply because of how little space we have. Even if you are wearing a mask, if you are taking the subway, you are very close to others. Our restaurants are cramped, though I believe they are rethinking how to do create more outdoor seating, even by closing some streets to vehicles. So I think trying to stay away from others will be a thing for awhile, but it sounds like we are easing up a bit. I personally feel less stressed when outside and have been taking long walks once or twice a week (with a mask!) and still staying away from others but I don't worry too much when it's not possible. My next thing is figuring out if I can go visit my family in CT at some point this summer.
I not longer live in CT, but my sister does. I see a doctor in CT twice a year. There are still restrictions regarding lodging in CT. I had to sign a separate document upon checkin and mark that my reason to visit was medical and thus essential. It is expected that lodging requirements may loosen during phase 2. There is still a current “request” that one self isolates for 14 days upon entering CT, but no enforcement is in place. I hope you are able to see family.
 

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