How Strict Are You With Social Distancing?

We've been mostly home--me not working, and my husband working from what used to be my sewing table. Groceries picked up mostly through curbside delivery, though I did put a mask on at cash and carry restaurant supply a couple times. Went to Costco today, too. No take out, previously no visits with friends and family. We've lightened up on the visiting about 2 weeks ago, and have had DD27 and her boyfriend over for meals twice in the back yard. We ate at separate tables, and I served all the food up, but no masks. Also visited my parents like this yesterday.
 
I take social distancing very seriously. Other than once a week grocery shopping I have been nowhere since March 18. Twice I had a co-worker come over to discuss reopening the business. We sat outside 6 feet apart and we each had a mask with us. I haven't seen my newborn grandson yet and there is no way I'd allow someone in my space without a mask. I don't greet delivery people any longer. They can leave the packages on the steps.
 
We live in mid-Maine, just outside of Bangor. DH and I have both been working from home since mid-March, and our respective universities have us working from home until the end of June (governor's orders as there is community transmission in my county). DH has a "waiver" so he can enter his building to run some specific experiments, but he has to mask and glove, and not be within 10 feet of anyone else. That's pretty easy- as a chemist he gloves and goggles/face shields at work all the time anyhow, and he is the only person working in his lab, so it's no big deal. I have had to go into work about once a week to check my labs (more specifically, the integrity of my chemical storage units), and occasionally prepare teaching materials. Once again, I wear mask and gloves when in the building, and usually go in around 7pm so I don't run into anyone; social distancing at its finest!

In March and April we were going grocery shopping once a week, but by the 2nd week of May we went more frequently IF we needed to; still trying to keep it to one trip a week, but not freaking out if we had to make an additional trip. DH will be 60 and I'll be 64 this summer, so we always wear masks when out in public where there are others around- grocery stores, gas station, etc. We don't wear them on our daily walks, but bring them with us just in case we run into someone. We have done take-out about once a week, wearing our masks, but don't wipe things down with sanitizer- although I do try to remember to use it on my hands at the end of shopping trips, before getting into the car. I am not obsessive about it, though. We also started seeing DD after the first month. She was quarantining here at first but now sees us, as does her roommate (who quarantined with her), and they see his family, who are also working from home and isolating as much as possible. It's always a balance. We also have just started having "social-distancing" small group interaction; DH is out in the yard with 3 friends right now, having a beer together and everyone keeping about 10 feet apart. The first month we were all pretty careful about quarantining, and then isolating for another month, but now we are just keeping our distance, masking, and limiting our destinations. Living in a small town helps- there aren't a lot of options of places to go!

It's funny to hear how different things are everywhere. In our area, microbreweries, restaurants, and some stores can do curbside/take-out orders. Grocery stores (including "super" stores) and gas stations have been open for business all along, but the mall is still closed, as are most of the small shops. Walmart, groceries, etc., are counting people to enter, most requiring mask usage, one-way aisles, etc. Hair salons and a very limited number of services (golf courses, not sure what else) have been open for 2 weeks, but most hair salons didn't reopen; the stylists don't think it's worth the risk. Restaurants will be opening on June 1 at limited capacity, tables spaced out, all kinds of health code requirements, including masks for employees and customers (except when eating). Campgrounds opened this weekend with strict requirements, and of course no community centers, pools, etc are open. Starting June 1, Maine hotels can take reservations from Maine residents only; starting in July, out-of-staters can come stay only if the quarantine for the first 2 weeks they are here. I think this one is infinitely stupid, and will encourage lying. Summer day camps can also open July 1, as well as gyms and churches, all with distancing, but I am not sure about other community places (movies, jump-houses, etc). OH... and joy to all, our favorite local taprooms will all be re-opening on July 1st as well!!
 
To the bolded- YES. My work place is enacting stricter and stricter rules. On top of the Disney restrictions, one major reason I’m cancelling my vacation is because they’re “strongly advising” against personal travel outside the surrounding counties. Additionally, we can’t even see anyone who lives outside the area- so no out-of-town visitors. (They can’t say we can’t leave or have visitors, but they heavily implied this would be reflected in our reviews.) My co-workers are incredibly disgruntled. I’m downright angry about it, because apparently my co-worker can go to their nephew’s high school graduation ceremony in two weeks with hundreds of people from who knows where without getting a mark on his record, but I can’t see my parents (who are social distancing) just because they’re from a different state.

And they’re talking about keeping these restrictions in place for the remainder of the calendar year or more.

Meanwhile, masks are not required here except by a few businesses, restaurants are open, and the tourist area is packed.

I do not see my co-workers (or me, to be honest) keeping to these restrictions much longer. I fully expect that people will begin lying about where they’ve been (if they aren’t now). That will be infinitely worse- imagine trying to contact trace that.

Wow, and I thought DH's work was bad - they're required to self-quarantine for two weeks before returning to work if they leave the state. Which is absurd on its face, since the plant is in a major hot spot so going out to get lunch or stopping for gas on the way home is probably higher risk than anywhere we'd travel. There's been talk about tightening that further, to apply to any travel outside of the "region" (in the governor's state reopening plan) that the plant is located in, which would be a problem for us since we are at the very edge of that region and leave it to go hiking or to the drive in or other very distanced recreation about once a month. And I do think it will encourage lying if it is tightened or if it lasts much longer. Odds are some people are already lying about it, since Ohio is open and a lot of people are going there to get things like haircuts or clothes that can actually be tried on before making a no-returns purchase, and the longer it goes on the more people are likely to do so.
 


But by not following guidelines you could be making that choice for others as well. That 65 year old woman with diabetes who needs to go grocery shopping might be infected by you.
Hopefully that 65 year old diabetic woman would do pick up and not actually go into a store?
 
Wow, and I thought DH's work was bad - they're required to self-quarantine for two weeks before returning to work if they leave the state. Which is absurd on its face, since the plant is in a major hot spot so going out to get lunch or stopping for gas on the way home is probably higher risk than anywhere we'd travel. There's been talk about tightening that further, to apply to any travel outside of the "region" (in the governor's state reopening plan) that the plant is located in, which would be a problem for us since we are at the very edge of that region and leave it to go hiking or to the drive in or other very distanced recreation about once a month. And I do think it will encourage lying if it is tightened or if it lasts much longer. Odds are some people are already lying about it, since Ohio is open and a lot of people are going there to get things like haircuts or clothes that can actually be tried on before making a no-returns purchase, and the longer it goes on the more people are likely to do so.
Question for you: if you were to travel, would your husband be quarantined when you came back? My work is instituting this policy as well (applies to anyone in the household), which is causing problems for workflow. Thankfully, they can’t really fault the actual employee- in some cases, it’s a roommate or a parent or sibling. Unless work is going to pay for accommodations, they don’t have a leg to stand on to take action against the employee for a non-employee’s travel.
 
Hopefully that 65 year old diabetic woman would do pick up and not actually go into a store?

So do you think the vulnerable should stay home so that others can run around without a mask? If so, I don't agree. Especially after watching tv and seeing that it is not only the "vulnerable" that can catch Covid, and die from it.

I have been doing almost all of my shopping on line. However there are a few things the stores don't list that you have to go get yourself if you want them.
 
Last edited:


Hopefully that 65 year old diabetic woman would do pick up and not actually go into a store?
nope. A lot of older people don't know how or can't order online,and calling in to place an order seems impossible, so they go to the store. I call my dad at least weekly to drop him some groceries,but he usually refuses bc he's already gone shopping that week. :sad2:
 
nope. A lot of older people don't know how or can't order online,and calling in to place an order seems impossible, so they go to the store. I call my dad at least weekly to drop him some groceries,but he usually refuses bc he's already gone shopping that week. :sad2:
I am sorry your dad seems to struggle with computer use.

Many other folks over the age of 60 manage all sorts of accounts (including online grocery ordering) fine.

Do you think you could call him and talk him through the steps of a small order?
He might like doing curbside delivery instead of home delivery if he is still comfortable driving. (Assuming both are available in your community.)
 
Last edited:
My Dad can use an ipad in a limited way,and I could online order on his behalf.He stubbornly refuses the help. As do too many older ones that I know.He really has it set in his mind that he needs to do it in person. At least I got him to wear a good mask early on,and go for senior hours only.
:sad1: The REALITY is this, no matter what I or anyone else thinks about wearing masks, being tired of fear, worry about catching/transmitting something- this virus is HERE.:sad1:
And as I noted, everything I do in my personal life speaks from this reality. I don't want to get sick, but I'm MORE concerned about accidentally making someone around me sick. My friend who works at the local hospital said their positive tests have JUMPED this past week (phase 1 opening) and partially bc they now do elective procedures there again. and also that they're sending all the positives HOME.... to self quarantine. (and we all know how good/bad that can turn out)
Thus every action I take is based on that knowledge,and knowing I did my best to not infect my friends and family.
 
Hopefully that 65 year old diabetic woman would do pick up and not actually go into a store?
Around here, it’s really impossible to get a pick up slots still. My IL’s are in their 90’s, even if I tried to get a slot more than a week out at midnight it was impossible. Instacart doesn’t deliver to them, but does deliver to my SIL who lives 20 minutes from them. She’s a nurse working in a hospital with Covid patients so she’s obviously not been in physical contact with them, but I’ve been able to schedule instacart deliveries to her house for her to bring to them. The one time I actually managed to get a pick up slot, my FIL realized there were several items missing from his order, so he parked his car, stood on line outside the store, and then went in for an hour.
 
:confused: Is this a rhetorical question? In these two very specific cases, doctors and pathologists could probably give you a pretty accurate idea of why one recovered and the other didn't. But even if you had that information it would contribute next to nothing to understanding the generalities of Covid, especially since both outcomes were quite atypical.
No, they don’t know why younger people are dying, but they are. https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200319/20-percent-of-us-covid-19-deaths-were-young-adults#1
 
20% were ages 20-64? That age range makes up 60% of the population of the US.

From the cdc:
Ages 0-24, 0.13% of deaths
25-34, 0.69%
35-44, 1.7%
45-54, 5.0%
55-64, 12.12 %

And incidentally, the same cdc link has numbers of deaths from other causes. Using the deaths from flu/pneumonia from this past year (yes an overall lower number and not comparable diseases, but just to see what other disease percentages look like...:
Ages 0-24, 0.12%
25-34, 0.75%
35-44, 1.7%
45-54, 5.2%
55-64, 12.8%
They look oddly similar.


So depending on how you group those ages, yes younger people are dying, but at a pretty low percentage. (and side note, I’m 41, and would no longer consider myself a young adult, I really think that title is misleading.) Lumping 25-64 all in one group was a pretty poor way to look at these particular statistics.

All numbers available https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm
 
If you are social distancing only at grocery stores, but then socializing with multiple friends, inside their homes, without masks on for prolonged visits....that's not social distancing. Unless you know and completely trust that those friends are behaving responsibly, and know that their kids and partner are doing the same, then it's not following the guidelines. Yes, I do know of people who are forming "quarantine bubbles" within families and friend groups. I think it's safer to interact with those groups outdoors, and six feet apart.

I can already see people folding here where I live in NJ. And as things continuing to open up, and mass transit and commuting begin to pick up, we'll see the virus return. And the next time, I think there's no way that any state government will have much luck with another "lock-down". Being indoors, in a home and sitting close to friends who have been out in the community, all maskless is likely more dangerous than going to the grocery store. Your friend may be an asymptomatic spreader, you have no idea or way of knowing. And we all know, or we should by now, that indoors in a small space like a home, with air conditioning running and windows closed and a prolonged visit is far more dangerous than outdoors, or even a 30 minute visit to a grocery store with a mask on.

It's amazing to me how easily grown adults are caving in to peer pressure. Even people who actually believe that the virus is a real threat. The people who think it's no big deal....I've given up on that pack of geniuses.

We intend to have socially distanced outdoor gatherings this summer....with small groups of only 2-3 at a time. My friend/family group that is within our "circle of trust"....have all agreed to a set of rules to protect each other. If the weather changes on a night where any group of us planned a get together....we'll reschedule. We won't cave and say..."screw it, let's just bring the party inside".

We've said from the beginning that the "lock-downs" were going to be the easy part. It's going to get harder as we go....especially in the fall/winter. It is what it is I guess. The longer we're able to socially distance, outdoors ideally, the more likely are to deny this virus of new hosts....which is the whole idea here.
 
Almost completely. The exception being going to my daughter's last weekend to help her move from one college apartment to another. Otherwise, I've not been with anyone not living in my household other than from a 6 foot (or more) distance. I've not been in a store to shop. And, I intend to keep that up for the time being. No reason not to. And, yes, I realize that makes me very privileged. We are making plans to socialize a bit with friends this summer. In the yard. With chairs at least 6 feet apart and everyone bringing their own food/beverage.
 
Question for you: if you were to travel, would your husband be quarantined when you came back? My work is instituting this policy as well (applies to anyone in the household), which is causing problems for workflow. Thankfully, they can’t really fault the actual employee- in some cases, it’s a roommate or a parent or sibling. Unless work is going to pay for accommodations, they don’t have a leg to stand on to take action against the employee for a non-employee’s travel.

Fortunately, no. I do know of employers who are imposing that rule - a friend's husband is a nurse and he has to self-quarantine and then test negative before returning to work if any member of his household travels at all. But so far, my husband's plant is only applying it to the employees themselves. And they're exempting work-related travel. We're supposed to be going to Alabama some time this summer - well, I was going to go next week but the numbers in the area we'd be visiting are rather alarming so now I'm in a wait-and-seen mode - to check out the area where DH has been offered a promotion opportunity, and his boss has already told him in writing that he doesn't have to quarantine after that trip because it is connected to the job offer.

You do realize that not every single grocery store in the country offers pick up? Our small town store doesn't and I can name 5 others off the top of my head surrounding me that don't.

And that opting for pickup is not always possible for those on a tight budget or who need someone else to drive them, because either you opt for substitutions and have no idea what the final cost will be or you don't and have no idea which items will be unavailable and end up making more trips. My mom has had nothing but problems with grocery pick up, to the point where we finally decided she'd just give me or one of her somewhat younger church friends her list and we'd do porch drop-off for her instead.
 
Also, if you place a grocery order they do put a hold on your account for more than it shows on line. Just in case anything they substitute has a higher cost. If someone is on a tight budget, that could be a problem. I've already noticed different shoppers are better at communicating subs than others.
 
And that opting for pickup is not always possible for those on a tight budget or who need someone else to drive them, because either you opt for substitutions and have no idea what the final cost will be or you don't and have no idea which items will be unavailable and end up making more trips. My mom has had nothing but problems with grocery pick up, to the point where we finally decided she'd just give me or one of her somewhat younger church friends her list and we'd do porch drop-off for her instead.
I think you have to do what works best.
It's unfortunate you haven't had a helpful experience at your store with curbside delivery.

On the other hand, other stores/localities may handle online ordering differently. It's worth checking around if that's an option.

I've had a very good experience with online ordering and curbside pickup.
I've noted my store (Midwest chain) has fine tuned their online ordering form and policies as time has gone on.

When I shop online, I know my total when I complete the order. At pickup the total may be less, but it won't be more. That's their policy.

They have good options for me to leave a brief note to my picker on each item. (If needed.)
I get an email with the actual total and any substitutions (or not in stock items) usually just before pick up time.

I'd encourage folks who are considering curbside ordering to compare the websites (if you have more than one option) and then make a smallish order. See how it goes.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top