Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston, Plymouth, Everett: pics, smoke, home)

[Bridge781]

When I go out to go to the store or anywhere really it doesn’t feel like we’re in pandemic mode other than people are wearing masks. People are going to eat, they seem to be going to bars. I went to homegoods last Wednesday at 2 in the after noon, there were plenty of people there and 93s had plenty of traffic.

It seems like things have returned to normal for many. They just can’t go to their office and their kids won’t have a normal return to school.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by porterhouse

Most definitely have not from what I’ve seen. I think people have deluded themselves, friends saying they quarantined 14 days before going to X state on vacation, and I know that they have not. Yet, cases have not seen appreciable rise, whether it be in ME, VT, NH, or on in MA with an influx of people from all over behaving badly. I have friends who are year round residents in the Hamptons. While they are extremely frustrated and fearful of the young and old having house parties, they cautiously admit that they’ve not heard of a single Covid case recently.

What this means is anyone’s guess. There are certainly still a steady number of cases being reported in MA. As was the case 2-3 months ago, it would be great to have more insight as to how and where people are being infected other than nursing homes and long term care facilities. Yes, we all know about the infamous Chatham house party and Weymouth football camp. but those account for a very small number of cases.

It does seem like there is something to the virus hitting a ceiling in certain locations, at least for the time being, otherwise we would have seen a rise in cases. People can pat themselves on the back all they want, but most have not been doing the right thing despite what we claim. It’s all clear as mud, still.

Compliance is definitely less than ideal here. But, I'll tell you what, in Mass, when I am in public places, especially indoors, everyone is wearing masks, and even outdoors, maybe half are wearing masks. I think in other states, compliance is a lot worse. Look at Georgia - not only does the governor not wear a mask, he refused to issue any statewide mandates, and he made it illegal to require masks at the local level. He sued the mayor of Atlanta when she tried to set a mask mandate for her city. That's just a completely different attitude down there- it's a hostility to mitigation measures coming straight down from the top. Mass could be better, but we could also be a lot worse.

Certainly there is still a real problem - we have about 1,000 Americans dying each day from Covid-19, that's (much) faster than the death rate of American military during World War II.

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

Compliance is definitely less than ideal here. But, I'll tell you what, in Mass, when I am in public places, especially indoors, everyone is wearing masks, and even outdoors, maybe half are wearing masks.

It really depends where you are. Go to any ghetto and I doubt you'll see even 10%.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by redplum33

It really depends where you are. Go to any ghetto and I doubt you'll see even 10%.

Other than a few visible noses and a few people who can’t seem to talk on a cell phone wearing a mask, compliance is 100% in the New Bedford and Fall River Market Baskets. Same for any smaller store I’ve used in New Bedford. Those are both in the top-10 for poverty rate in Massachusetts. Most people outdoors without masks are keeping to 6’ of separation most of the time. What I see is teens ignoring it and that is independent of socioeconomic status or zip code.

[jtolpin]

Originally Posted by NewfieMama

How is it that summer camps (many are indoor) have been completely fine this summer, but school is so scary?

Thousands of kids have been in full-day camp this summer, masked up, around the same kids and counselors all day, with no issue whatsoever. But now we're going to shift those kids from camp to a classroom, part-time no less, and it's going to be disastrous? I don't understand.

Intersting. I hadnt thought about that. Perhaps, Im thinking theres more kids in school than camp? Maybe a different group of kids? Kids going to camps are not the same as kids going to school?

[Bridge781]

Our summer camp was cancelled. It is also interesting to me that many private schools are opening and will be fully in person. Private school enrollment is up because of this.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

Our summer camp was cancelled. It is also interesting to me that many private schools are opening and will be fully in person. Private school enrollment is up because of this.

Yeah, the schools are in a difficult position. The in-class learning environment - and for lower levels, a place for children to be aside from home when parents are working - are certainly important. On the other hand, safety, when a good many people are dying, is also important. No easy answers for schools. I saw that UNC Chapel Hill started out with in-person, physical classrooms, but within a week they had over 130 cases pop up, and they just reversed their plan and have gone to remote learning to head off a big mess. Of course that's at the university level where such a transition is easier.

I think there could be a lot of scrambling in the next 6 weeks in educational institutions at all levels. This is all really a big experiment in problem solving and there are no easy answers.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

It is also interesting to me that many private schools are opening and will be fully in person. Private school enrollment is up because of this.

And yet if cases spike, and the .gov closes school in MA, those in private school are once again stuck in the same position as if they went to public, and still due all that tuition money.

Originally Posted by jayrandom

My wife and I arranged our schedules so one of us could be actively teaching her the syllabus provided by our district, but 3 months of a 3:30AM-9PM day had me almost wishing to be laid off (almost, I didn't just quit). And, it should come as no big surprise, I'm not as good at elementary education as someone with a Masters degree in education and years of experience teaching young children. Another parent pointed out that, as a parent, you have limited coercive capital with your kids. I know much of my daughter's learning was from her peers and she would do her work because that's what her friends were doing. My forcing her to read or write or whatever isn't as effective.

I agree that opening schools is a risk, but keeping them closed is also a risk. I'm well-educated and stably employed and even my daughter is struggling to learn. I'm sure those with less flexible schedules or fewer resources are in an even tougher position.
.

My wife and I are not looking forward to this school year. Given what I've heard about the remote/hybrid program being more robust, i'm just not sure how to juggle the work/school/life balance?

My wife and I had a serious discussion over the course of a couple weeks and came VERY close to her submitting for a leave of absence, and just home schooling our kids (2g, 2g pre-k) this year. We felt the remote work was NOT effective in children so young and they gained nothing other than grumbling through the work to check off a box. My wife does have a masters in Ed, so we thought it would work out perfectly. However, at the end of the day (for various reasons), we decided to not go through with that and just roll with whatever plan takes place with regards to the school year. We will see if we regret that decision.

But at this point, i'm ready to start me 5AM - 11pm day of juggling work (in office and remote) school, house stuff, and trying to have some semblance of a personal life. Some days i'll just need to work after the kids go to bed in the evening. We've enlisted the help of a personal meal-prep person, who cooks and packages dinners for the week. Not having to worry about dinner during the week will be huge. I've started cleaning our finished basement up and setting up an area to use as an at-home "classroom" to get away from the distractions of doing work at the kitchen table. Really we are going to have to come up with a more structured routine that is focused in order to pull it off.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Other than a few visible noses and a few people who can’t seem to talk on a cell phone wearing a mask, compliance is 100% in the New Bedford and Fall River Market Baskets. Same for any smaller store I’ve used in New Bedford. Those are both in the top-10 for poverty rate in Massachusetts. Most people outdoors without masks are keeping to 6’ of separation most of the time. What I see is teens ignoring it and that is independent of socioeconomic status or zip code.

Yes to all of this. I was the Chelsea Market Basket last weekend - just about 100% compliance (the exceptions being visible notices and one loud cell phone talker).

My experiences with the worst compliance have been high school and college aged kids (everywhere from low-income urban neighborhoods to high wealth 'burbs) and more surprisingly, the late 50s-70s crowd largely in 'burbs. We stopped at the Hanover Target on the way home from Plymouth on Sunday and I saw more exposed noses and masks around chins than I've seen in at the Target in Everett. The culprits were a handful of teens and two separate groups of 60-somethings. The biggest difference was the parking lot - masks were off as soon as people exiting crossed the threshold, and people entering waited until the last possible moment. Any stores around here, people are putting masks on in the car. It was clear that deeper in the 'burbs, masks are not second nature the way they are in the city.

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

Compliance is definitely less than ideal here. But, I'll tell you what, in Mass, when I am in public places, especially indoors, everyone is wearing masks, and even outdoors, maybe half are wearing masks.

Originally Posted by redplum33

It really depends where you are. Go to any ghetto and I doubt you'll see even 10%.

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Other than a few visible noses and a few people who can’t seem to talk on a cell phone wearing a mask, compliance is 100% in the New Bedford and Fall River Market Baskets. Same for any smaller store I’ve used in New Bedford. Those are both in the top-10 for poverty rate in Massachusetts. Most people outdoors without masks are keeping to 6’ of separation most of the time. What I see is teens ignoring it and that is independent of socioeconomic status or zip code.

Originally Posted by lrfox

Yes to all of this. I was the Chelsea Market Basket last weekend - just about 100% compliance (the exceptions being visible notices and one loud cell phone talker).

My post was in reference to outdoors and it is accurate. You have no choice but to wear a mask at Market Basket.