We are all living in the shadow of Covid 19, whether we are getting sick or merely attempting to ward off sickness. We spend our days at home, and we have changed even our routines of recreation to stay safe. 

I am a tennis addict.The last time I played tennis, however, was three weeks ago, on Wednesday, March 11th. BSC Newton had closed its doors two nights earlier to both tennis players and workout enthusiasts. Four of us played doubles at Cold Spring Park, keeping proper physical distance from each other under blue skies, the temperature around fifty and the wind a bit stiff. No one was coughing or sneezing. We weren’t sure if touching the tennis balls might prove perilous. I reminded everyone that once we returned to our separate homes, we should all wash our hands thoroughly and scrub our racquet grips as well. 

Either I was lucky or none of us happened to be a vector or our protective measures worked- for now we are OK. Yet that evening my wife convinced me not to play again; the risk for someone 69 years old was too great. Since then, I get my exercise by walking my dog and bicycling on Newton’s ghostly streets. As I ride by the city’s parks and fields, though, I do notice occasional groups of teens and twenty-somethings playing basketball and soccer and even lacrosse. The tennis courts are not without sinners either. On one occasion a pro was running drills with seven or eight young players on a single court. Undoubtedly, he was happy to be working and the kids to be playing. But holding the clinic was foolish and probably even dangerous.

Thus, it came as no surprise that mayor Fuller has closed the basketball and tennis courts of Newton, and ordered that the fields not be used by groups from different families. We are all free to walk through the parks; family groups can play catch and kick a ball. But the tennis courts are shuttered, the basketball hoops sealed with plastic ties, and the fields off-limits to mixed assortments of individuals. For now, the pick-up game in Newton is dead.

As president of the Friends of Newton Tennis, I received several emails in response. Although most players are resigned to their fates, a few believe they are suffering for the sins of the irresponsible. In my view, mayor Fuller acted to ensure public safety and had the well-being of the entire community in mind. 

If you receive a flood of advice via internet every day about how to handle personal safety these days, you are aware of the controversies surrounding the wearing of gloves and masks. I take it as a given that I should wear both if entering a public indoor space of any sort. Since I have no mask, I cover my mouth and nose with a bandana when shopping or picking up a prescription. I understand that the bandana will mostly protect others from my spittle and not vice versa, and that the gloves may be ineffective. Still, I was surprised when shopping at the Newtonville Star Market that none of the employees or cashiers were wearing either. The same was true at Wellesley’s Harvard Vanguard pharmacy. If I worked in such public venues, with sick people potentially coming and going, I’d have wanted some sort of protection from the coronavirus. As a customer, I would have felt better if those employees were wearing gloves and masks. 

What is the latest thinking about protective gear for both employees and customers? Has a consensus finally emerged?