So, Now What?

I am going to forgo any knee jerk reaction to the idea Governor Ducey's decision to begin opening things up had anything to do with the visit today by the president. While one could easily make that connection, i am want to believe he was just following those three step guidelines spelled out by the White House a week or two ago.

Of course the oddity would be there hasn't been a state yet to meet the criteria initially put out for states to reopen. Let's just say, it has been one of those cluster flock thingies. But then why should anything be normal under the king of chaos?

All of which brings me to the point of this thread. Now what the hell does the RCSC do? They used Ducey as their safety valve any number of times in emails they sent us. In fact, i almost gagged as i saw their repeated efforts to tie their reactions to both trump and Ducey.

Given their hanging on his every word, how are they going to move forward? Clearly, gyms aren't on anyone's radar screen yet, but what about outdoor activities? What about clubs and their dedicated spaces? And lest anyone think it is just golf that was given special dispensation, that was not the case.

Nope, not whining about any of it. There were reason's golf needed to stay open. However, as we move forward, what will the do and how will the do it is on many of our minds. Like i said at the beginning of this; way beyond my pay grade.

Should be an interesting couple of weeks eh?

 

Gyms, sweaty, heavy breathing older people working out. Limit of 5 10 15 in a room which includes locker rooms. Pools, big mistake IMHO where people spit cough clear their snot piss into the water. Pools, limit how many 2,5,10 what's safe? Do they take temperatures when they check in? Be a great idea!

 

And hot tubs should be closed for a while longer because people sit and talk in close contact because of spaces. Lawn bowling should open up and bowling alleys should be closed for the next few months. My opinion which doesn't count.

 

My position continues to be that you won't see me on RCSC property until my scientific mindset concludes the risk is minimal with a capital M. I can exercise at home -- AARP has a great selection of exercise videos for most levels of senior capability. I have masks and copius quantities of hand sanitizer for the times I have to put myself in harms way. I feel sorry for the critical needs workers that have to put themselves at risk to provide medical care, groceries, etc. This pandemic likely wasn't preventable, but it certainly could have been quashed like MERS and SARS were here in the US had we had leadership instead of avoidance and denial in the Exec. Branch.

 

Well BP, as you know we live in a Republican hellhole (apologies to Spinal Tap) where the governor is the dullest knife in the box, some members of our Congressional delegation should be in a Monty Python sketch (spam, spam, spam) and the RCSC Board of Directors seem to wait until the GM decided to close the centers. Shows a lack of leadership by the Board starting at the top, but what is done is done.

That said, I am probably in the minority here but we must keep the centers closed as cases are still rising here in Sun City. We should defer any decision on this until at least the middle of June, maybe later. I read today that the virus has mutated and it is nastier than the original. We still are learning about the original and now we know next to nothing about the new virus other than it more contagious.

This opening of the country is a terrible idea and we will pay a terrible price. I saw an article with former governor Chris Christie where he stated that we have to accept more deaths in order to get the economy moving again. Apparently Republicans believe money is more a priority than American lives. So governor, choose two grandchildren and have them die from this terrible disease along with one of your children and their spouse, then get back to me on your statement.

Sorry go off on a rant here Bill but stupidity seems to rule our country.

 

There a
virus cases by zip code" map of AZ that I have been using it shows 85351 as having 40 cases but an adjacent zip code 85382 as having almost 100 more. Anyone know what that is about?
https://adhsgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/84b7f701060641ca8bd9ea0717790906

 

Virus cases in Sun City INCLUDE those at Banner Hospital, which is technically IN Sun City but not exactly the RESIDENTS.

 

Like IC, i will return to doing things on my time table. I was willing to give Ducey credit for doing the right thing till he caved because the president was coming. Like every republican out there (save Mitt Romney and a handful of governors)), they have all become little more than shills for all things trump. Sadly, he has abandoned any sense of his obligation to the country and is focused on one thing...his re-election. We've now crossed the 70,000 death mark and rather than care, he has now got his leg-humpers touting the idea if we lose another 70k, that's just the cost of re-opening. So be it, most of them are just old foggies anyway.

As far as the RCSC, i am the last person in the world to give advice on their course of action. When we sold the other house (the compound), we built this one with the intention of never leaving Sun City. Most people like to travel, we hate it. When we have folks over, they invariably say; "i wouldn't leave either." Throw in the fact i am comfortable without much social interaction and the idea we are somehow trapped in our own house is simply okay with me. I know most folks are more social and want to get back to their "normal" lifestyle and that's where the rub will come from as residents will be clamoring to re-open whatever it was they enjoyed doing.

SW is right, the gyms will be a breeding ground. The pools and spa's are also tough. Club rooms are typically well down in attendance during the summer, so social distancing will be more doable. Outside sporting stuff will be the bigger challenge as their arguments are tough to sway. If golf and the gardening club has been okay while under lock down, how do you argue pickleball, tennis, lawn bowling, softball and miniature golf should remain closed? Not my call and frankly i won't be critical one way or the other. The problem is, if you open and we get a surge in cases, then what?

I am not okay with the cost of re-opening is an untold death count that we shouldn't care about.

 

I did a rough mask count the other day while waiting in the Fry's parking lot for my Internet ordered groceries to be brought out. Granted a small sample -- 15-min or so -- the result was roughly 20% masked. Surprisingly, to me at least, was that the majority wearing masks appeared to be middle aged workers stopping on their way home from work... one was in a plumbers truck, another an electrician. I saw no one under probably 30 wearing a mask, and a lot fewer seniors were wearing them than I expected. Common sense tells me the non-masked are risking their well being, but one has to consider why infection rates aren't higher given so many are not wearing masks. Are we still early in the infection curve? Or, has the risk been overblown? We'll pretty much know the answer in another 6-weeks I'd guess.

 

Just watched a 2011 movie, Contagion. Had I watched it 6 months ago I would have dismissed it as far fetched, probably not even finished it. We are now living most of that movie. If you do watch it, be sure to watch it all the way thru.

 

I watched it last night. The movie sickness is more horrifying because it is more deadly that ours,
ours is more terrifying because we have donald trump.

 

I would expect an announcement by the end of next week as to some limited openings. We’ll see.

Sorry fix, can’t bring myself to watch it, bad enough we are living the nightmare and suffering the fools showing us the way.

 

BP, if you have Netflix and Amazon Prime, I would recommend Longmire, Bodyguard and Medici the Magnificent on Netflix. I would recommend Bosch on Amazon. All are well written and keep you coming back for more.

 

Early reports indicate we're reopening with reckless abandon -- eg, my neighbor, who shopped at Bashes yesterday, said the store employees wore masks but most customers nada. A friend told me he's done staying home, all he see's on TV are empty beds in hospitals and he doesn't know anyone who's gotten it.

My take -- we've lost to many too blow it now because it's convenient to believe it won't happen to you...


(Credit: Benson 5/20 ... azmirror.com. )

 

Another example of Arizona's ostrich approach to moving to re-open ... don't test, never know, no need to react. I guess ignorance is bliss (until it affects you).

 

I experienced the same today at the 3 stores I visited. Few if anyone wearing masks.

As for testing, AZ has approximately 383 million residents and we have tested maybe 1% of that population.

Don't know the short or long term effect of opening things up, but Georgia is the state to watch as they opened up on 04/27/20. They are approaching the
14 day incubation period.

Regardless of whether or not opening up is too early, Covid19 will probably return in the fall along with the flu.

 

It seemed like all of those 383 million AZ residents were in front me on Bell Rd this morning !!

 

Glad I wasn't on Bell Rd this AM.

I have no intention of getting a covid19 test unless I have at least 2 symptoms and/or have been within 6 feet of someone who is exhibiting symptoms.

I suspect many people will telling fibs just to get a test that they probably don't need.
I also suspect people will get a test every week if they can. People are very selfish and care only about themselves.

The way I see it is if I were to get a test a 9am, got negative results at 10am, I could be infected by someone who is asymptomatic at 11am.

I will follow the guidelines on testing as above.

 

So, not the "Walking Dead?"

 

Sadly we live in a society where human nature will quickly evolve to trying to return to the "old normal." Masks will become less frequently used and as stuff opens, way too many people will feel is is safe to just do it. Trump's push to open things up because it will all just disappear is a fool's game. The experts presented a strategy that was ignored because it was too slow and too costly (i guess). The president knows without a dramatic turn around he is toast. He is willing to sacrifice countess numbers in the hope he can escape the bumbling and fumbling of his administration in January, February and March.

Several republican governor's have embraced his madness and opened their states too quickly. Florida, Georgia and Texas have all pushed hard to pretend it's all good. A quick look at the death counts during the past three weeks are telling:
Florida: Sat. April 18-754 deaths. Sat. May 9-1785.
Georgia: Sat. April 18-673 deaths. Sat. May 9-1400.
Texas: Sat. April 18-453 deaths. Sat. May 9-1049.
Now the pressure to follow suit is resulting in most of the other states moving forward, some smartly, some not so much. Just this morning the president was applauding the MMA for holding their cage matches last night. How sick is that?

There are states far worse off numbers wise, but these three led the charge, with nary a glance or consideration to the three step guidelines set forth by the White House. There's no question the economic impact of closing has been crushing. The question has to be asked; what happens if it comes back with a vengeance? One only has to look at what has gone on at the White House the past couple of days. The president's entourage with testing available 24/7, social distancing (allegedly in place) and contact tracing techniques enhanced well beyond anything us mere mortals have are exposing cases of covid 19. How does that bode well well for society at large that in part refuses to be socially responsible?

The simple reality is we get what we get when we elect a person to a position incapable of doing the job. Anybody can govern in times of prosperity, the real test comes when adversity hits you right between the eyes. Hiring unqualified people, firing those who know what they are doing and acting and leading by impulse are all hallmarks of the trump presidency. At this juncture all we can do is hope and pray we get through this to November and we can elect someone grounded in both sanity and reality. The climb back will be slow, arduous and painful.