where would you go?

It is terribly depressing.

Mask usage is 25% at best. I don’t go inside hardly any business. Certainly no dining out. Get curbside store pickup.

But starting at Memorial Day the public just decided it was over. The state started ‘opening up’ and that was it.

Well two weeks later, for the we have had three days in a row of record cases. Breaking the all time total case rate two days in a row.

Yeah. Opening up is going just greeeeaaaatttt.

But no one cares anymore. It’s summer and people can’t be bothered anymore.

Sigh. 😒

this. He's likely promised the world if you opened up. Something for you to look forward to - a new highway!

To me, this is negligent homicide.

My sympathies are with you!

Casinos, churches, bars & now a Trump rally in Tulsa!

Tx is next door to OK's big border casinos & Trump's rally will only send them further into & the State.

Our #'s are already spiking & Gov Abbot is useless.
Wtf does one do anymore.
Its as though the world disappeared one Feb day.

Crap.

As soon as we "opened up" the public considered the virus to be over. Over the weekend the city I was in had a big art fair on the square. It was just as busy as ever as were all the surrounding restaurants, with people standing in line to get line with no masks in sight.

My neighbors have bought two RV in the past year. Their son has moved to Vegas and is living in one of them.

Retired on fixed income, can't afford to leave so I huddle at home and do pc and fix it projects, play music and watch tv...way too much. I like to read but my eyes/glasses aren't so good...tomorrow I run out and pick up groceries ordered online and look at the fools acting as you describe...At least there was a bit of good news from the SC today....just keepin on keepin on...

months ago, listening to BIll Gates... He said shut it all down for 6 weeks. It would hurt but it was the only way. Now, we have this horrible spike and flu season coming up.

Is all your family in KS? Maybe that's the key? All families need to be together now?

I don't see them as they are all pretty much trumpers or fundies (or both)...I'm in pretty good spirits and chat a bit with my senior neighbors...thinking of getting a small dog though...

I use them to rest my eyes cause i can't read all day anymore (sigh)

We likely have more conservatives by population than many red states. We just have many more progressives. Remember we gave the nation Devin Nunes and Kevin McCarthy. We are also a densely packed state with several high density cities.

are very, very red.

I live in north central Washington and have gotten used to living among people who often support and defend politicians, religious leaders, and prominent citizens who extol programs and beliefs that are completely contrary to the best interests of those who live here.

We are lucky that back in the 70s a band of wandering hippies decided to settle in the area and created a progressive community of their own over the decades. It took a long time but the locals and the hippies have gained a tolerance for each other and often come together in matters of mutual benefit.

The advent of trumpism took things back a few steps but the reality of what he represents is settling in and many people are beginning to wear masks and social distance.

Much of our state and the states south of us are in complete denial,

There are no states south of CA unless you mean the states of Mexico.

https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-coronavirus-cases-tracking-outbreak/

Reread my post and you'll see that I stated I live in north central WA, in fact it was just about the first thing I wrote.

"I live in north central Washington"

So yes from where I am located both OR and CA are south of me.

The Covid cases in CA are not in the east.

I am. If you are as well, feel you.

My advice is: move fast. Your mask adds precious minutes to your exposure time until potentially being exposed. Have a plan and move as fast as you can when you are forced to be in a public space.

Stay safe out there. Nothing is going to get better until we finally do have an effective vaccine. Which won't be soon.

Cuz my dad died of COVID in CT three weeks ago and I couldn't even go to his simple graveside.

All I know is that living in central TX, we had like 80 something cases forever. Then 29 in last week plus 15 new ones today.

What part of TX are you in?

I know it was a horrible loss made even worse by not being able to go to his graveside.

That is sad and this pandemic makes it so much worse.
I am truly sorry, no words can express this loss.

I can imagine how difficult that had to be.

I'm in the Hill Country. Same thing, cases were mostly steady until they opened up. Then they started ticking up and now we're seeing the Memorial Day spike roll in with a bang.

The lakes here have looked like spring break since May 1st and the rentals are completely booked. Maybe 25% are wearing masks and those I know who work in restaurants say the patrons there wander from table to table chatting like everything is normal. So, this is just the beginning.

I don't think we can run from the virus, though. All we can do is stay vigilant in our protective measures and tend to our loved ones as best we can right now.

For me I find some peace in propagating my succulents. By the time this is over I can't imagine how many I'll have.

Fairly progressive neighborhood that I don’t venture out much from.
The grocery store I have been going to has been really good for social distancing and masks but this last time I went there were fewer masks.
I see daily numbers on hospitalizations. We are going the wrong way.

Everywhere I go (which is only grocery stores for the most part), masks and social distancing are totally followed. Along with all my friends, we have engaged in almost total self-quarantine. My neighbors and I wave at each other when we take our trash out or bring the bins back in on trash day instead of spending the usual 5 minutes or so chatting.

Yet, I am reading that the CV19 cases where I live are increasing. If this is what is happening where I am, gawd forbid the rise of these cases in the areas where they are not doing what we have been doing where I live in LA County. IMO, the CV19 problem is going to get much worse than it has been.

What do you do when you pull into the 1st gas station?
Now you have to touch surfaces teaming with viruses and germs: the gas pump, digital selector buttons, doors to the convenience store, public bathrooms, ...
stepping on roads and sidewalks with spit, chewing gum, trash from the millions that were there before you.

Similar problems with airports, rental cars,

the life of a shut-in is safer.

From CT to FL and they said the worst part was finding bathrooms at all. Many stops have locked theirs and banned public. But you're right - closed in spaces bad since airborne transmission. This all is going from bad to worse.

eeek surfaces teaming with viruses and germs, door knobs or handles, stalls with unknown previous occupants, small filty wash basins, touch the towel dispenser or the hot air hand dryer,
and the worst part: Now your hands are maybe clean and you have to exit the bathroom! More multiple surfaces with unknown pathogens.
Once to the safety of your car, now you can strip off the filty mask and gloves and bathe in alcohol and sanitizer.

It is a virus jungle out there.

Gloves and masks on to get out of the car for anything. Gloves on to pump gas. Gloves and masks to use the rest areas. Strip the gloves off after. Sanitize hands before taking the mask off. Sanitize the car door handle. At the hotels, we’d Sanitize the door handles, light switches, remote, and all solid surfaces, faucets, etc.

We brought our own food that we prepared before we left. We nuked it in our room. The only thing we ingested that we didn’t bring was the coffee and ice for our booze. Our cooler is a plug in type that has a cord for plugging into the car and a plug for a standard outlet. It seems to have worked, but it scared the hell out of me.

It was bizarre and uncomfortable in times past, but now I think I would tote in a sleeping bag, Clorox, the works.
I would not sleep too well.
Not even in the high end hotels.
I would rather sleep in my car, I do believe.

Same routine we used previously on planes.

I’d disinfect the room while my wife would get the luggage. My first job was a housekeeper at a nursing home. Cleaning a room that appears clean not so hard after that. Now that I’m in my sixties, sleeping in a car really isn’t an option, and we did consider sleeping bags, but that would mean shopping for them so, in the end we just had cocktails and went to bed.

and a cocktail would be a must for the hotel. But I would still be unsettled.
I have napped in my car in rest areas, which is not that comfortable either, especially alone and without a vigilant dog.
But the advantage is, when you wake up, you drive on without going through too much of a hassle.


I wish I could find Clorox wipes. I still have not seen those in grocery stores.

Clorox or Kirkland wipes. Senior and disabled hour starts at 9:00am PT where I am at. Just have to find the times your Costco has those hours. They started doing that Monday thru Friday.

Is more to the airborne aspect and how the virus can live a lot longer than they thought. I remember reading that they found virus in the air ducts in that stranded cruise ship. So hotels would be very scary, I agree. Jeez, what do? Fly or drive. Driving can take many days off work if it’s a long trip.

No public restrooms for me.

if I were a dude. For females it's a bit complicated.

My SO has one and it's a game changer for hiking. Women can pee standing up, no more "full exposure" and squatting!

There is a way to avoid them while traveling. My daughter bought a porta-potty for a camping trip. She said it was the best solution to a serious challenge.

Or a bedpan if I had to, on a long distance road travel situation vs some other alternatives available. Kind of a freaky thought, but long road trips and public bathroom use is a hard negotiation. The very best would be a personal equipped camper toy. Not in my budget.

Here in El Paso it's rare to see anyone with out a mask. The mayor and other city officials have pleaded with the governor to allow them to require all people to wear masks, but he's an idiot and won't budge. The mayors of other large cities in Texas have made the same plea to no avail. I see Texas going blue in November. I know El Paso will be about 80% "anyone but the current inhabitant of the white house." Unfortunately, our governor is not up for reelection, but i can see a seismic shift coming. Voter turnout in Houston will be the key.

regarding mask-wearing. It is disheartening.

glad once again for its magnificent comfort and other blessings?

Maybe throw some camping gear in the back of your car and head for the nearest national forest. No wifi, no plumbing, just hiking trails, mosquitoes, and the wonderful peace of home, but beautifully different.

Been staying home since end of February. Just been dreaming about being outdoors in nature somewhere. Thanks

but I'm going to have to drag my husband to a nearby preserve with trails. You made me realize how long it's been. It's Florida, so we should arrive when it's starting to get light in the east.

We live in a Red state. Last week we started talking about trading in the car for an SUV and doing the camper thing, too.
We finally decided to wait a bit.....then we started looking online for homes in Blue states.

beautiful there. And Biden has biggest lead in VA - higher than any other swing state.

It's on the table. I like that they have a Democratic Governor now.

Roads a couple years ago. It sure did feel like another world. When we finally got to more civilization and saw our first Walmart it stuck out like a sore thumb. Gorgeous vineyards .

Looking at future retirement locations and always have those NYT? Maps open where you can zoom in and see the blue pockets.

Stay away. We worked like hell to control the outbreak and don’t need out of staters screwing it up.

No state has closed its borders so good luck with that.

Link to tweet

It is not rising. Thanks to a Dem Governor, she stood her ground against the Michigan rednecks storming the Capitol and we have been doing fairly well.

or refuses to wear a mask, or practice social distancing? Your reply wasn't intended to share a belief that all people who live in Red states all have Cooties. Was it? My fellow American?
No worries, we won't be moving until it's safe to do so. I promise I won't move next door to you and try to get invited into your home and touch all your stuff.

That’s what I mean. Don’t travel.

turning an old van into my new rv. When shit really hits the fan, and I'm in Texas, you'll find me...you guessed it...living in a van down by the river 😏.

I cannot say I blame you if you leave.

I think I would do the same if I could pull it off.

Stay well!

However, scofflaws, dimwits, and self centered turds are everywhere. When I fled Dixie for Boston, I traded the Southern Baptists who couldn't figger out if I was a Christ killer or idol worshiper for the true believer Catholics who were just as bad in nearly every way. They were just easier to avoid in a more secular area, which was a great improvement. When I decided Boston was too expensive and those winters really got to me, I knew I didn't want to go back to Dixie, so I explored the southwest.

Tucson was a nice town and it was on my list, but it was an island of nice in a sea of red and no thanks, so I ended up in NM. NM has gotten considerably bluer, especially once we got 100% paper ballots, and I love this thin, dry stuff we call air, but it's certainly not for everyone.

Cases here are rising, too, but have leveled off after a sharp spike 5 days after the state opened nail salons, barbers, beauty shops, and the like. There is a mask law, but men with unkempt facial hair are flouting it, nobody gonna make them wear some mask, no suh, freedumb to drown in their own blood rather than confront a pair of scissors is the hill they will die on.

We're at the point in this thing when we need to keep the focus on ourselves and our own behavior, reducing our exposure and keeping the viral load as low as possible.

I fantasize about taking a stack of books and an AM radio and checking into an out-of-the-way desert resort for two weeks. (Sedona? The outskirts of Phoenix? Grand Canyon?)

But I have to keep an eye on my mom and take care of my dog.

We have loved ones we have to tend to in our places. It's the glue that binds our feet. Even when our minds tell us otherwise.

Wear your mask and extremely limit exposer to others who don't. That's my current plan and I'm hopeful it bodes well for me and mine. The vast majority of my life is curbside except for one water leak which mandated otherwise.

Best of wishes to you and yours.

I’m sorry for your loss. Nursing homes here were hit very very hard.

My neighbors have been pretty much ignoring social distancing the entire time. They go out daily, multiple times. Have people over daily- always different people. They’ve had a few back yard picnics with close to 15 people in attendance. Sometimes they wear masks. Sometimes they don’t. It depends on their guests, I've noticed. If they come with masks, then my neighbors will wear one. They’re selling their house now and moving to Florida.

This past weekend local beaches were packed with people- no masks. We are slowly opening up, so many are taking it as a signal the pandemic is over. CT is in better shape than other parts of the country thanks to state mandated measures. But I still expect to see a spike in this area in the next few weeks- based on my own observations.

up there because people so enlightened.

My dad fell and my mom and sister couldn't pick him up. They called ambulance to get his back checked out. It was ok but St Francis sent him to nursing home for rehab. 14 days later he was dead with covid.

We are supposed to come up to Niantic to the beach in July. East Lyme passed ordinance that only residents could be on beach.

Just looking at it now, CT has had more deaths than Texas.

Some of the reddest states have some of the fewest numbers of deaths. When you think about it, that's not surprising. It spreads by contact and when travel was shut down, very few people had been traveling to many of the red southern states in late winter or early spring.

This could all change over the summer.

Take a look and click on the United States to bring up the data by state.

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

I'm very sorry about your dad. That's just awful.

that connected vitamin D deficiency to covid severity. Explains why northern states hit so bad ( just off dark winter) and
why southern, sunny states, who have low precautions, had lower death rates. Countries who ate a lot of foods with high Omega content did well too.

Just when you think a state is the bomb... You hear they are surging. Makes no sense. Yes CT had more cases and deaths. But new cases on decline. At least they were an hour ago.

And they had to pass a residents only on the beach order after this past weekend’s shenanigans. It was a lot of young kids that were from out of town on our local beaches. A big fight broke out, which may have been race driven, lots of police activity. I heard the sirens headed to the beach actually, and commented to my SO that something crazy was going on. We have a state park here too, that anyone from the state can go to but capacity is limited to half right now.

Neighbors and craziness aside, I’m thankful I’m here. The state mandates our governor put in place really helped a lot. We teamed up with NY, Massachusetts, NJ, PA and Delaware with Governor Cuomo pretty much leading the way as far as lock downs go. I’m convinced it’s the reason we are on the down slope from our peak right now. They’re getting a lot of pressure to open business again however and lots of people are just done with the virus And staying in.

For what it’s worth, I think they dropped the ball on protecting nursing homes- rehabs too. Our Governor promised to do better with that if we spike again. I’m so sorry about your dad. What a blow that must have been for your family. You’ll be in my thoughts.

With all respect. Reread them. They're also concerned about people not wearing masks and becoming too lax within the pandemic.

Peace to you. I know we're all stressed right now.

and the numbers have been steadily decreasing. The state is re-opening little by little, BUT many people are acting like there never was a corona virus to begin with. Just walking around the neighborhood this past weekend was a nightmare. People having crowded parties and no one wearing masks or social distancing. Stores - although supposed to be enforcing a state mandate for wearing masks indoors - are just opening the doors to everyone and not enforcing a thing. At least 25% of people are not taking any precautions whatsoever.

People are stupid. I guarantee New York is going to backslide right back into a level one crisis again before winter gets here. I don't think I'll ever go anywhere in public again without a mask on and a bottle of hand sanitizer handy. I don't care what people think of me. Never have, never will.

Went for a bike ride in "progressive" Madison WI this past weekend and while more than a few people were wearing masks, way way more were not... and this in a supposedly "enlightened" city.

I'm a big fan myself. And a belated welcome to DU!

Cabina with two bedrooms right next door. $60 night. As soon as the border opens!!!

But quarantine here is awesome

and I don't see red and blue in it.

Blue states the ones with the huge, densely populated cities?

However, as new cases become less imported from major abroad hubs, and more about local spread this has changed. This is the new reality. Local spread is the new thing.

This means all of us. It's here and it gives zero cares about our economy. It just wants to spread and survive. It's a virus after all.

I live in ruby red Oklahoma. I live in a town that is not even on the list of the ten largest cities in OK, and yet we were in the top FIVE for most COVID infections! When I heard "it" was coming to Tulsa, I cancelled my upcoming dentist appointment; did a massive amount of shopping (will spend tomorrow sealing food and freezing it), and, of course, almost no one was wearing masks, no following arrows in stores, no social distancing, then again, it was like this back in April which is why I ended up having a panic attack. I hope it doesn't get too bad, but I will not be surprised if it descends on us like a plague.