Please read this most recent article by Asaf Bitton at Ariadne Labs here in Boston. He offers an informed opinion in a time of uncertainty. I’d rather follow his advice and hope that it is not necessary than not follow it and discover he was right. Excerpt:
No kid playdates, parties, sleepovers, or families/friends visiting each other’s houses and apartments
This sounds extreme because it is. We are trying to create distance between family units and between individuals. It may be particularly uncomfortable for families with small children, kids with differential abilities or challenges, and for kids who simply love to play with their friends. But even if you choose only one friend to have over, you are creating new links and possibilities for the type of transmission that all of our school/work/public event closures are trying to prevent. The symptoms of coronavirus take four to five days to manifest themselves. Someone who comes over looking well can transmit the virus. Sharing food is particularly risky — I definitely do not recommend that people do so outside of their family.
We have already taken extreme social measures to address this serious disease — let’s not actively co-opt our efforts by having high levels of social interaction at people’s houses instead of at schools or workplaces. Again — the wisdom of early and aggressive social distancing is that it can flatten the curve, give our health system a chance to not be overwhelmed, and eventually may reduce the length and need for longer periods of extreme social distancing later (see what has transpired in Italy and Wuhan). We need to all do our part during these times, even if it means some discomfort for a while.
Thank you, Paul. This has been something I’ve been quietly concerned about and glad you’ve raised it.
We should also flatten the peak at supermarkets, to lessen congestion and contagion. Based on the Auburndale Star Market yesterday evening it seems these are now prime locations for potential viral spread.
The Newton Health Dept. could coordinate with area supermarkets to create blocks of time for shoppers and flatten out peak shopping. We could also be doing this voluntarily on local facebook groups.
Is n’t that the mayor’s job? To institute a system where only a few customers get in at a time?
Perhaps the markets could put a simple graph on their websites giving a sense of the busiest times, modified in real time, so customers can self-regulate when they choose to shop. I don’t see this as a governmental function. Why create an intermediary when the markets have the data themselves and also have online presences?
Great idea, Paul.
There are well known peaks during weekdays & weekends, but of course those are upended now that business as usual is over. So we need to ascertain the new patterns of shopping and adjust. https://www.insider.com/best-time-to-go-grocery-shopping-2018-3
How about a system that limits the number of people in the store? Now that so many people are home, it might be manageable. It’s an area where neighbors helping out neighbors could alleviate the problem of overcrowded stores. We have to make the markets accessible to people at higher risk.
To me the key point here isn’t the grocery store issue which I suspect will sort itself out in a few days.
The bigger issue is ensuring that families really do practice “social distancing” Over time I fear that parents will be less rigorous about saying no to their children as the latter get more and more insistent and complain about being bored. After all it is just Jimmy from next door. And then maybe Annie from down the street.
Last night I saw families with the children at Wegmans. What the heck?? If there are two parents in the household, one should do the grocery shopping. Leave the children behind with the other. This is just common sense, but common sense needs to be practiced intentionally.
I fear the whole school closure will be for naught.
Hey folks – just some food for thought on the “school closures will be for naught”. It’s important to remind ourselves that there are levels of social distancing and that not everyone understands this concept as well as those regularly reading this blog or other news. Let’s keep working to educate.
Let’s also remember that one person seeing one person is not ideal, but it’s also not the same thing as 500 kids touching each other and running around a single school for 8 hours a day.
There in is the problem Bryan. There is no common definition of social distancing. But since you often come across as thinking that you are smarter than the average bear: “not everyone understands this concept as well as those regularly reading this blog” Wow your arrogance knows no bounds!!!
Should keep “working to educate” what do you think is the right guidance for parents of elementary students? Middle school students?
High School students? Can the latter pick up their friends in their car and head out to the mall? To the movies? Can teens squeeze into a booth at the Station Diner? What is the okay number that can congregate?
My understanding of Social Distancing:
It isn’t the same as quarantine. You and your family are not restricted to your house
You and your family could/should take walks, hikes, road trips to the beach, but pack a picnic and skip the restaurant.
You should probably not plan parties or invite guests over. Pass on invitations for the same
You should probably just call the grandparents, or ask them if the need anything and drop it off. You should ask your elder neighbors the same.
Be intentional about executing errands. Can one household member perform it? Is there a better time to perform the errand to avoid crowds
Since churches are cancelling services, skip those.
Don’t shake hands
Maintain a six foot distance as possible
This was sobering – what we are doing vs what we should be doing:
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/how-a-country-serious-about-coronavirus-does-testing-and-quarantine-80595013902?fbclid=IwAR0gYusPxVpvyW7Wv5LnixkKOjZIClxuarbM4hieS7-zmmu-wtS3cV4wkSI
At the store yesterday I watched puzzled as many people picked up produce to “inspect it” then put it down. Only to keep doing this over and over. Ugh….
https://medium.com/@ariadnelabs/social-distancing-this-is-not-a-snow-day-ac21d7fa78b4
Just finished my workout at the Y and was told it’s probably going to close down at 7 PM for an indeterminate period of time.
@Paul Levy — Google maps shows graphs of the ‘Popular times’ for many businesses, here’s their listing for the Star Market in Auburndale: https://goo.gl/maps/SvfbXfm3qUgKTPaB7
Scroll the window on the left down a bit to see the graph.
I was at Castle Island earlier today: there was a long line at the coffee shop (Sullivan’s?) to buy french fries etc… Customers were NOT respecting distancing, standing one behind the other.
Also on the causeway/path towards the gazebo, I saw several groups of 3 or 4 young adults (either HS or college students) walking together. What don’t they understand about distancing and NOT Spreading germs?!!!
Everybody needs to cooperate!
Ref blows the whistle. Please, can we have this discussion without ad hominem attacks? There was nothing wrong with Bryan’s comment. Play on.
The Y is indeed shutting down for at least two weeks.
https://www.wsymca.org/coronavirus
So to add my experience with people who have NO CLUE….as I walked up the coffee aisle in Stop and Shop a gentleman was walking down the aisle from the other direction. We were thankfully about 20 feet apart….as he let fly a very wet sneeze with absolutely no attempt to cover. Although I was inside, my outside voice got the best of me as I stared him down and said “Are you serious?” He just looked at me and shrugged. I turned around and went back from whence I came as I did not want to walk through his jet wash.
I then made my way over to Wilson Farm in Lexington where among my usual produce shopping, I happened to pick up a little desert trifle in a small plastic container. I placed all my goods on the counter for the cashier and noticed this woman behind me with her cart. She then came right up behind me and picked up my little trifle to inspect it. Once again…my outside voice rose up and I just looked at her and said “Are you kidding me? What are you doing? And again I got the blank stare. At this point I said to her “Ok, let me just put my hands all over your food” and made a motion as if I was going to touch everything. I told her to keep it and I told the cashier I’d like to go get another one.
So I can only wonder…why was this okay with these two? Who does this in the normal course of life, never mind in a serious pandemic? Have these two been living under a rock? Honestly, I shake my head.
Apparently, no one suggested to the two Girl Scouts who were going door to door selling cookies in our neighborhood today that this was not such a good time to do that.
I hope as we aim for social distancing that we don’t lose our social boundaries. Rudeness and panic are contagious, but so is kindness as Simon Sinek demonstrated two weeks ago at his talk in Boston. It’s going to be a long spring. It’s not right to judge other people unless they are practicing unsafe coughing sneezing etc.
My 9th grader threatened to run away… I offered to drive her… #getaway…
My 9th grader threatened to run away … I offered to drive her. A getaway in the country would be so nice right now. Anyone got a nice ski house to rent?? Until then, I’m glad I started practicing yoga.
Let’s just also keep our social boundaries as well. Rudeness is contagious too. So is kindness. It’s gonna be a long spring. Hoping to make the best of it and finish my writing projects.
@TheWholeTruth, there is so much I could say in reply to your comment, but briefly, you are being too polite by describing the man in Stop & Shop as a “gentleman.” Merriam-Webster defines a gentleman as “a man whose conduct conforms to a high standard of propriety or correct behavior.” This behavior of the individual you encountered in the coffee aisle was at best rude and inconsiderate, and at worst dangerous; that is, if he should happen to be infected with COVID-19, influenza, or a common head cold. The same applies to the grabby woman at Wilson’s. I shake my head in solidarity.
The Whole Truth’s story made me think of an old saying ….look don’t touch. When I was @5, I went up to two elderly women who were touching everything in a store and proceeded to tell them to “look not touch”. My mother was slightly embarrassed at my boldness.
CNN today: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/03/14/health/coronavirus-asymptomatic-spread/index.html
“Several experts interviewed by CNN said while it’s unclear exactly what percentage of the transmission in the outbreak is fueled by people who are obviously sick versus those who have no symptoms or very mild symptoms, it’s become clear that transmission by people who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic is responsible for more transmission than previously thought.”
So no cough, no sneeze, no fever. Basically you and I. It’s either airborne or an effective surface spreader. There are too many “they should know better” people being infected across the world for it to be entirely straightforward to avoid.
For Fruit the guidance seems to wash it as agressively as your would your hands given its likely that its been handled. Peeling not sufficient.
https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/steps-healthy-fruits-veggies.html
Overnight parking ban lifted due to “many family members home because of the COVID-19 situation”