Here’s some photos taken around Newton on by a Village 14 reader on Saturday March 28 in the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
How’s the social distancing going Newton?
by village14 | Mar 28, 2020 | Newton | 45 comments
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This. (warning explicit)
Greg, Love the song and the person singing it. So apropos. It was good to add the warning though.
These are disturbing photos. I haven’t seen anything like that on the streets I walk daily in the Highlands, Upper Falls or Waban. I just can’t fathom how people can be so oblivious or tuned out to the potentially deadly dangers they are needlessly subjecting their families, friends and themselves to.
There are so many alternatives to this nonsense. I’ve transitioned to the telephone and ZOOM meetings and a lot of other folks have, as well. I’m plugged into 7 or 8 each week with people from the Y, political groups, fraternity brothers, navy and federal government alumni, spiritual and religious affiliations and the Highlands Area Council. I also call friends and neighbor on my cellphone as I’m passing their homes and they come to a window to talk or at least to wave back. Not quite as good as face to face meetings, but much better than I ever thought they would be and a real antidote to feeling isolated.
Just a heads up that there are a ton of people who spit in public.
At the beginning of this ordeal, the day before the colleges shut down, I remember that there was a trio of BC students walking toward me on Beacon Street and two of them spit on the sidewalk in quick succession – I thought it was a strange thing to do given that people were beginning to wear masks, but I chalked it up to kids being kids.
However this afternoon on my bike ride from Needham to Wegmans, a Saturday Spandex Cyclist who was having a tough time with the hill through the golf course was spitting literally every 50 meters. Then on Florence Street there was a guy walking down the sidewalk who spit into the street just before I cycled by. Grown men in both cases.
I offer these observations not in judgement of anyone, but just to say that when returning home, it might be useful to treat the soles of one’s shoes and the tires of one’s bike as though they were contaminated. My wife has always gotten angry at me for walking anywhere past our mudroom with my shoes on, and I’d usually asked her to chill out, but now I concede that she was absolutely right.
Knowing that health care workers are going into work every day with insufficient PPE and risking their lives to save people, it is particularly galling to see people disregard the instructions they are receiving to stay at least 6 feet away from others (and 6 feet may not be enough:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2763852
“”Peak exhalation speeds can reach up to 33 to 100 feet per second (10-30 m/s), creating a cloud that can span approximately 23 to 27 feet (7-8 m).”
It should be noted that Councilor Norton’s reference studied droplets from coughing and sneezing indoors. I would guess that at this point, most everyone is giving people with overt symptoms a wide berth if it is possible at all.
There is significant fear about contracting the disease from a person who appears asymptomatic. For this threat, which is considered much less likely than droplet or surface spread, the six foot rule seems perfectly sufficient. Outdoor uncrowned conditions reduce that threat even more. Don’t share equipment.
There is probably more risk being hit by a car while out walking than contracting covid-19 from a healthy-seeming passing stranger at six feet.
I think before being treated by medical personnel, we should view location history on one’s telephone. Their care will be prioritized by their location history relative to the home.
People who ate potting us at risk do not deserve the privilege of high priority, high risk, health care. They are part of the problem of the spread. They should be given 3rd or 4th priority care, if at all.
I’m thinking cases such as the sports game photo should be reported to NPD
Exactly one week ago, I commented on another thread here on Village 14 saying:
“Three times during my daily walk yesterday, and twice during today’s, I’ve had to yell “Six feet, please!” to passersby who were getting uncomfortably close as they headed toward me from the other direction.
It didn’t matter whether they were walking, jogging, or cycling. But in each case, because they were wearing earbuds, they didn’t hear me, leaving me to dart into the street or someone’s front yard to get out of their way. Not one of them had the same impulse when they saw ME approaching.”
I’m sorry to say that as of yesterday, nothing’s changed.
@Mike,
Report them for what? There is nothing illegal about playing a sports game in a group. Irresponsible yes, but nothing to police can or should do. Maybe whoever took the photo should have approached the group and attempted to educate them on being more responsible at this time, instead of just taking a picture and continuing on. Why “report” them?
The last time I checked this is Newton 02459 not Wuhan China . There is still freedom of movement and you are assuming that these people are not part of a family unit or been in self isolation. Would you like the police to lock kids up for going for walk.
In fact I know these kids In the one picture they’re part of a family and the people they’re talking to they’re actively practicing social distancing
Sloppy reporting . Taking pictures of kids without parents consent.
Last night I analyzed the growth in Newton cases using the approach I’ve been using to look at international and US case data. I posted it here with explanations. There are some signs of the impact of social distancing in the last two case updates, but we have a ways to go to flatten the curve.
http://newtonwatch.org/2020/03/29/covid-19-in-newton/
@Village14 — It is a bit out of character for you to post this anonymously. This is not just a link to a Boston Globe or Newton Tab article.
It’s crazy how simple the solution to eradicating the virus is and yet how hard it is to successfully implement. “Follow instructions” is generally not something humans excel at.
@Francis I’m certainly not one to call for excessive regulation. But our lives have been upended, and I think we should do anything we can to get people back to work.
Gov Baker issued a two-week “stay-at-home advisory” on Monday. All residents are advised to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel and other unnecessary activities during this two-week period.
The governor said people can still go for a walk but urged residents not to engage in activities that involve close personal contact, including basketball and football. Playdates are also discouraged.
Baker separately ordered the closure of all athletic fields and courts through at least April 7.
Off-leash dogs get reported leaf blowers get reported, I would think local authorities have some responsibility to make sure an emergency order from the Governor is being followed? What guidance has the mayor given to the Newton police about all this?
I would also add that if these examples are the most egregious infractions of social distancing, we’ve done pretty good.
The golf course is closed, but golf with your own equipment is pretty socially distant. Shared sports equipment isn’t the best idea, so rugby or basketball is not advised.
As for the rest, the outdoors is pretty effective at dispersing aerosolized air. No one looks like they are actively coughing or sneezing, which is by far the primary concern for spread. Outside, even droplets from said sneezing or coughing don’t land on surfaces others are likely to touch (like counters or tables) and then touch their face or eyes. We don’t know if the groups are family or otherwise mutually isolated.
We should be constantly striving to get better compliance. If you’re going to have a single rule, the six foot one is a good one. The place to remain most vigilant, though, is indoor activities with people who don’t normally mix, other situations where people are in confined locations, or any social context where direct contact occurs. Those situations are the places where we’ll make the biggest dent in R0, and eliminate situations where 6′ is inadequate to fully protect.
We also need to actively assist the growing number of COVID-19 positive people in our community who will be under self-quarantine maintain their isolation. This is a significant gap in our community and public health support system, and a significant potential risk to the public. These people need access to food and other basic needs and may not have assistance.
To suggest that the infractions pictured are worthy of de-prioritized medical care is not in proportion to the risks or intent.
On a positive note, I live a block from the Zervas playground and walk/drive by multiple times a day and it is always empty.
Only three photos showed people who were not abiding by social distancing measures and in all three, teenagers were the culprits. When my sons were teens, they frequently told me they were going to one place and ended up in another. I really doubt these kids’ parents are saying to them, “Sure, go play some hoop with a bunch of friends.” Maybe an effort to help these kids understand the possible consequences of their actions is in order.
Did anyone get permission from these folks to print their photos on V-14? Some of them appear to be minors. I’m surprised this got past Village 14’s censors. This type of public shaming is totally counterproductive.
Consent isn’t needed for publishing a photograph of an identifiable individual taken in a public place. Also, Village14 has always been careful to point out that they are not a news source, but a nonprofit community blog – so rules of journalistic integrity don’t apply.
I also think shaming is a bit harsh a label to use in this case. I don’t think the author’s intent was to single out or defame specific people, but instead to illustrate a point.
@Mike C — Why is the author posting anonymously?
Legal or not, I’m surprised to see photos of minors without consent. If it were my teenage kid being publicly shamed on V-14 I’d be pretty pissed off about it. In my opinion, all those photos should be taken down.
@Jack I have no idea. I didn’t think one could post anonymously on this blog.
Wow, quite a diversity of opinions!
My understanding of the facts is that:
(1) CDC and Governor Baker strongly recommend that 6 feet apart is critical in preventing the spread of the virus (especially to older at risk folks)
(2) The young folks in this picture are not following these critical directives
(3) all of us should be held accountable in some way for endangering the lives of others (this is an opinion and not a fact
(4) solutions need to be found that apply to everyone
I find this post unproductive and misinformed. Cherry picking a few photos out in an attempt to string together a narrative doesn’t say anything about the realities of social distancing. For every photo posted, there are hundreds of potential photos of people who are in fact practicing social distancing appropriately. Furthermore, I know firsthand that one of the photos of children has been posted WITHOUT the consent of the children or their parents. It wouldn’t have taken a whole lot of effort to ask for permission. This post seems designed to be provocative with no real public health value. I’d rather have an informative post with actual information on coronavirus developments in Newton. Please do better.
Nissan- We do NOT have freedom of movement. We are under a state of emergency. Have you been paying attention???? Do I want kids picked up of it puts my mom’s life at risk when THEY are breaking the rules? Yes
My experiences from a few rides during the last week support that there are still plenty of groups of kids and young adults not social distancing. Basketball at Mason-Rice, soccer & baseball & rugby at Newton South, kids just hanging out in the parks, people at the dog park, kids climbing on the playground at Cabot. I know it seems hard but this is very serious.
The City’s efforts to close the playgrounds were really weak compared to neighboring communities. They simply have laminated signs saying that the playgrounds are closed. I’ve seen that in Brookline they have caution tape on the equipment and in Boston they locked up gates with wood with signs on top. None of these pictures were at playgrounds, but kids are still on playgrounds and this is actually something the City could take a much stronger initiative with. If it’s more enticing for Mayor Fuller, she could take a photo op with a closed playground.
Agree with MMQC. I have seen kids on the Angier School play structures, sometimes with their parents present. Caution tape would go a long way towards curbing this behavior.
Image posting pictures which aren’t from Newton to stir up the garden city folk. Grow up. Then again I would expect much less from the media.
@Mike,
Like you said initially, this is an advisory from Gov. Baker. Not a rescinding of constitutional freedoms. I’m sure NPD has more going on than kicking kids out of parks. I’m not sure what guidance the Mayor has given them, and hopefully the leaf blower calls have subsided since this began. I’m just pointing out people are so quick to “call the police”, when in fact we all share a responsibility. I liken it to people who record something terrible happening to someone on their phone, versus trying to help them out. Whoever posted this story should have taken the time to educate those who are putting us at risk, rather than just go out and about snapping pictures of adults (and kids?) who are going against public advisory.
@Jacob Doesn’t matter if photos are fake or cherry picked.
1- Baker ordered that we stay home, not play sports, go to parks or gather.
2- Although there has been a lot of good behavior, their are pockets of people who either don’t understand don’t believe or don’t care. these people are dangerous to all of us.
3- what we are being asked to do is new and unnatural and not easy – any post that reminds us and points out where we need to do better is highly relevant.
Please, be more supportive.
At the top of the thread the article states that the photos were taken around Newton by a V14 reader.
Well said, @Jacob Unger.
Anytime a post is posted anonymously, intentions must be questioned.
Ok, I get it, this post is about someone with an alternative agenda, not about our community. Never mind. I always regret commenting on V14.
You guys are really out here taking pictures of my friends going to the store to get quarantine supplies. Oh boy, looks like you caught us trying to help our families, oh no! Everyone chill. Gov. Baker advised that groups of 10 people or more should be broken up, not 3, not 4, not 5. But I understand your concern.
But again… you assume people are just carelessly ignoring the instructions given when you don’t know the actual truth. Wanna know why you see people, maybe a couple or even a group of 3 walking around outside? BECAUSE KIDS UNDER 17 DONT USUALLY HAVE CARS TO DRIVE THEM WHEREVER THEY WISH!
@Johnathan @all
I’m so completely baffled at the comments on this thread. YES, people ARE just carelessly ignoring the instructions given.
10 isn’t some magic number. The fewer people you come into contact with the less likely you are to contract this disease. Better to walk with 2 friends than three, better to walk 3′ apart from those friends – 6′ even better.
A contrarian, ‘no one is going to tell me what the f to do’ attitude simply puts YOU at a greater risk.
This is hard and uncomfortable. Can we please try and temper our gut reactions to focus on conspiracy theories, injustices served, and poor decisions made by others – I think these reactions are just a way of avoiding the reality of what is going on. I’m afraid the next couple of weeks are going to be very difficult.
Last night at BJs I watched the guy organizing the produce … leaning in within an inch or two of the product breathing on everything. I don’t buy anything now unless fully wrapped.
I agree with you Mike Ciolino. “This is hard and uncomfortable.”
Collectively there seems to be a growing weariness: physically, emotionally, mentally. We are exhausted. Normally We have enough adrenaline to get thru a crisis but this is not a short enough crisis for our adrenaline to sustain. So our minds and feelings are going a little berserk which can lead us to looking for someone or something to blame. Or can give rise to believing in conspiracies and magnify any anger we feel.
This situation we find ourselves in requires us to settle into a new normal while grieving a loss of our old normal. A very hard thing to do.
We are not in this alone. Share how you are feeling – such as: I am really angry I’m missing the rest of my senior year and my prom, I’m feeling anxious about catching the virus or I hate being told what to do. Emotions can only take you down if you are unaware of them; if you name and understand them you can walk through them.
We could all do this. Personally, I really hate being told what to do – always have. I think that is the reason I have always created situations so I could work for myself or done freelance work. It’s really hard to stay at home this long, even more so because I have been told to, but I know it’s the only way to level the curve and slow down this epidemic so my mind and feelings have to take second place after I express them.
“There are basically three ways to stop the Covid-19 disease for good. One involves extraordinary restrictions on free movement and assembly, as well as aggressive testing, to interrupt its transmission entirely. That may be impossible now that the virus is in over 100 countries. The second is a vaccine that could protect everyone, but it still needs to be developed.
A third is potentially effective but horrible to consider: just wait until enough people get it.
If the virus keeps spreading, eventually so many people will have been infected and (if they survive) become immune that the outbreak will fizzle out on its own as the germ finds it harder and harder to find a susceptible host. This phenomenon is known as herd immunity.
…
The newest epidemiological models developed in the UK now recommend aggressive “suppression” of the virus. The basic tactics being urged would be to isolate sick people, try to reduce social contacts by 75%, and close schools. Those economically costly measures could continue for many months.
“Suppressing transmission means that we won’t build up herd immunity,” says Azra Ghani, the lead epidemiologist on the new model of the outbreak from Imperial College London. The trade-off of success is “that we are driving it down to such a low level that we have to keep those [measures] in place.””
What is Herd Immunity by A. Regalado, MIT Tech Review, 3-17-20
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615375/what-is-herd-immunity-and-can-it-stop-the-coronavirus/
Some of you need to get a life. No point in mentioning names. He and her know who they are.
Thank you, Marti, for those level-headed comments. I agree, it is so much easier to face up to a short crisis. This is not it!
We are all doing the best we can: I used to get annoyed at drivers not signaling they were going to turn Right until the last second; meanwhile I am stopped because I would be entering unto their path; oh, they just turned; I could have gone ages ago!! Now I get annoyed at walkers who hog the middle of the path and I have to go into the leaves to have 6ft of distancing. Maybe they are doing the best they can!!!!
One of the most memorable books I’ve ever read is “900 Days, the Battle of Leningrad” by Harrison Salisbury. Powerful book of unimaginable courage, sacrifice and suffering as the City slowly crumbled from hunger, brutal cold and a total German blockade . Puts into sharp context, the current trials and tribulations we are currently going through here in Newton. And Leningrad measured its suffering in years. Hopefully, we will measure our discomfort in terms of only months.
One of those photos, which seems to now be removed, was of somebody I personally know, standing ON her property. (Others were walking in a group and apparently stopped by this family.)
I agree; if the taker of the photo did not like the behavior, an appropriate step would have been for her or him to be courageous – and helpful – and speak directly to the group and thus end the behavior in a neighborly fashion.
@Bob Burke, I was thinking of “900 Days” the other week. There was one anecdote — perhaps an urban legend? — in particular that I was trying to recall if I’d read in the book: At some point, an ad hoc “symphony” formed as a way to help boost people’s spirits. When the symphony’s members encountered one another on the street, they would pass along news: “Did you hear? The trombone got better.” “The first violin couldn’t make it — he’s home caring for his wife.” I just thought there was something poignant and remarkable about that: People become their instruments, their personal and musical qualities merged. (Reminds me of the end of “Fahrenheit 451,” SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT, when people become the books they read.)
“6 FEET PEOPLE!!!!” When petty neighbors become the social distancing police.
https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/04/social-distancing-neighbor-police-nextdoor-facebook.html
I guess Nosy Neighbors are the Norm.
Through the years, I’ve been wishing that pedestrians traveling in twos, threes, and fours on sidewalks would learn the etiquette of walking in single file, but perhaps never more so than now, during the public health emergency we’re having. Lo and behold, the author of this opinion piece in today’s New York Times is in agreement: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/05/opinion/coronavirus-walk-outside.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
Yesterday afternoon, when I happened to glance out a second-story window of my house to see what the weather was doing, I witnessed two young joggers running alongside each other on the sidewalk, rapidly approaching my 80-something neighbor (who was taking her daily stroll) from behind. The joggers never slowed down, but it would appear they yelled out a warning to my neighbor, because she suddenly wheeled around as if startled, and once she got her bearings, she was able to step into the street to get out of their way. Why was the expectation to step off the sidewalk placed on the octogenarian walker, and not on the youthful runners, who, I should add, never split up or slowed their pace as they surmounted my neighbor? Not only that, were the runners not familiar with the six-foot social distancing protocol? I’d insert the “Shaking My Head” emoji here if I could….