Stores and restaurants re-closing due to COVID

[ua_guy]

My question to anyone, will you patronize dine in restaurants? I won't feel safe for another 3 or 4 months. I'm in it for the long haul.

There are a lot of "what if's". Right now I might feel comfortable if I test positive for antibodies, confirming that I already had it, and that it wasn't deadly for me. I would still "distance" and wear a mask. How to get a test around here is still dubious. If I test negative, then the world is still a pretty scary place. So the only way I'd probably be comfortable is if I had a vaccine on board that was proven to be effective.

That is to say, dining, and being in a corporate office space which feel equally as risky to me, aren't likely to happen for me, personally through the end of the year. My employer has everyone WFH until they re-evaluate in September.

[disneysteve]

That is to say, dining, and being in a corporate office space which feel equally as risky to me

I think the biggest difference between those two activities is that you can wear a mask at work. You can't wear a mask while you're dining.

We have to wear masks all day at work except when we're eating or drinking and we've been told repeatedly that we shouldn't be near anyone else when we eat. Many of our sites have common break rooms but they don't want more than one person at a time in the break room since that's the only time we're unmasked and the infection control folks say that's the highest risk situation.

[ua_guy]

I think the biggest difference between those two activities is that you can wear a mask at work. You can't wear a mask while you're dining.

We have to wear masks all day at work except when we're eating or drinking and we've been told repeatedly that we shouldn't be near anyone else when we eat. Many of our sites have common break rooms but they don't want more than one person at a time in the break room since that's the only time we're unmasked and the infection control folks say that's the highest risk situation.

That makes perfect sense, but would you agree that higher immediate risk while dining could be as risky as lower-risk prolonged exposure. One might be able to get away with dining with considerable social distancing and/or via outdoor patio. Distancing, especially in these new high-density, open-office floorpans built around productivity and collaboration, becomes very tough. The exposure window is 8-10 hours per day, all week, with the same people. I wouldn't know how to calculate that on a statistical level, but it seems like short periods of higher risk versus lower risk, but 8-10 times longer exposure period could equate on some level. Also; people eat ALL DAY in office spaces. Those who eat frequent meals, the grazers, are exposing us all the same. There will be employees who are uncomfortable in masks who will remove them in the privacy of an office or a more private cubicle. The rules and spacing would have to change drastically.

Back on subject, TBH, I haven't missed the dining experience all that much. If I have to wait until next year or longer for that to be a normal-risk activity again, it's no sweat off my back.

[disneysteve]

That makes perfect sense, but would you agree that higher immediate risk while dining could be as risky as lower-risk prolonged exposure.

That's a great question. I don't think I've seen anything that discusses that.

You're absolutely right that people often remove their masks. We do it at work all the time. All of us keep water bottles with us and drink throughout the day. Plus we tend to eat at our seats regularly. I don't get any breaks during the day so if I do eat a sandwich or whatever, I'm typically at my computer. And sometimes I just have to take my mask down because my glasses are so fogged up that I can't see the computer. Now in our situation, I'm more than 6 feet from the other 2 people but I'm sure there's still some risk. In a restaurant, I wouldn't be that far from other patrons so the risk would be higher and everyone's masks would be off at the same time since everyone there would be eating. At work, 2 people might be masked when I'm not or I might be masked when one of them isn't.

[bjl584]

There have to be financial opportunities around this. Selling masks? Covid clean up services?

Fireworks.

I read that they are red hot right now due to towns and cities cancelling 4th of July celebrations.

[kork13]

I read that they are red hot right now due to towns and cities cancelling 4th of July celebrations.

That seems like an odd step to take. By their nature, fireworks are readily observed by folks all across town, and people wouldn't be crowded into certain places to see them.

[disneysteve]

That seems like an odd step to take. By their nature, fireworks are readily observed by folks all across town, and people wouldn't be crowded into certain places to see them.

Maybe where you are but in these parts (Philadelphia region) fireworks displays pack people into the venue where they are being done. My town does them at the football stadium of one of the high schools so the bleachers are filled and the overflow fills the parking lot. Growing up in Philly, we used to go to a local playground for the July 4th display so everyone either brought lawn chairs or blankets and lined up all along the field where they were doing it. Even the main Philadelphia display on July 4th or New Year's Eve along the Delaware River waterfront attracts a huge crowd on the Philly side and the NJ side to watch the show.

There's no way they can have the fireworks shows given the current COVID situation. Literally tens of thousands of people come to some of the bigger shows.

[kork13]

Maybe where you are but in these parts (Philadelphia region) fireworks displays pack people into the venue where they are being done. My town does them at the football stadium of one of the high schools so the bleachers are filled and the overflow fills the parking lot. Growing up in Philly, we used to go to a local playground for the July 4th display so everyone either brought lawn chairs or blankets and lined up all along the field where they were doing it. Even the main Philadelphia display on July 4th or New Year's Eve along the Delaware River waterfront attracts a huge crowd on the Philly side and the NJ side to watch the show.

There's no way they can have the fireworks shows given the current COVID situation. Literally tens of thousands of people come to some of the bigger shows.

I stand corrected. lol -- I guess it's just me... When I watch fireworks, I have zero interest in sitting right underneath them, craning my neck back to see it, etc. I'd much rather watch from a distance.

[disneysteve]

I stand corrected. lol -- I guess it's just me... When I watch fireworks, I have zero interest in sitting right underneath them, craning my neck back to see it, etc. I'd much rather watch from a distance.

Well when we watch the Philadelphia show from the NJ waterfront we're a good distance away, but still everyone gathers in the waterfront park to view them, so there are easily a couple thousand people there. We've never actually gone to our town's display but I know some of the neighborhood displays I've been to in the past included ground displays so if you weren't in the stadium or playground, you wouldn't actually see the entire show.

[SavingBucks]

Dallas woman tests positive twice. https://people.com/health/dallas-wom...mpression=true

One of my brothers tested positive and had only minor symptoms. He was off work with pay for about 3 weeks. He was told to contact the employer when he had been symptom free for 3 days. There is no employer requirement for a negative test prior to returning. He ended up coming back to work when he was symptoms free for 7 days due to the response time from the Medical Service Division (phone visit). Three weeks after that, he decided to get a test just because... You guessed it -- he tested positive again....... Ended up off work for another 2 weeks with pay. He never had any recurrence of symptoms. His doctor thinks that this is from the original exposure (from work) and not a new one. He notified Medical Service again and is waiting to hear from a doctor. Still no requirement for a negative test prior to returning. He is an essential worker (but not a first responder or medical) and works for the largest City in Los Angeles County................

[QuarterMillionMan]

One of my brothers tested positive and had only minor symptoms. He was off work with pay for about 3 weeks. He was told to contact the employer when he had been symptom free for 3 days. There is no employer requirement for a negative test prior to returning. He ended up coming back to work when he was symptoms free for 7 days due to the response time from the Medical Service Division (phone visit). Three weeks after that, he decided to get a test just because... You guessed it -- he tested positive again....... Ended up off work for another 2 weeks with pay. He never had any recurrence of symptoms. His doctor thinks that this is from the original exposure (from work) and not a new one. He notified Medical Service again and is waiting to hear from a doctor. Still no requirement for a negative test prior to returning. He is an essential worker (but not a first responder or medical) and works for the largest City in Los Angeles County................

Hopefully your brother has built up some immunity and possibly has some antibodies in his system. I sort of wish I contracted it without symptoms and built up some immunity to it.

[Like2Plan]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...25a_story.html


White House confirms plans for July 4 celebration in D.C.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/0...-july-4-329886

[disneysteve]

White House confirms plans for July 4 celebration in D.C.

Yes, because the Tulsa fiasco turned out so well with 8 WH staffers and 2 Secret Service agents testing positive for COVID so far. Let's encourage another large public gathering.

[disneysteve]

One of my brothers tested positive and had only minor symptoms. He was off work with pay for about 3 weeks. He was told to contact the employer when he had been symptom free for 3 days. There is no employer requirement for a negative test prior to returning.

We also use the 3 days symptom-free rule, though that's difficult since the cough may last for 4-6 weeks. Fever-free is important, but not everyone gets a fever. So there's no firm way to know when someone is no longer contagious. 10-14 days from symptom onset and positive test is pretty much the consensus.

A negative test isn't required primarily because of the limited testing availability. Also, the test itself probably has a 30% false-negative rate. I know numerous people who were clinically diagnosed with COVID despite testing negative so clearing them to return to work had to be based on symptoms, not testing results.

[bjl584]

That seems like an odd step to take. By their nature, fireworks are readily observed by folks all across town, and people wouldn't be crowded into certain places to see them.

All the summer fairs, fireworks displays, food festivals, gun bashes, rodeos, and etc are cancelled all around where I live.
People are resorting to their own backyard celebrations.

Hopefully no one burns their houses down with all those fireworks going off