Wednesday Words to Live By

The 3 W's during Phase 2 Safer at Home:  

• Wear a cloth face covering, 
• Wash your hands, and
• Wait 6 feet apart.

The coronavirus pandemic may feel new to most of us yet it is eerily similar to the polio epidemic of the last century. People old enough to remember how polio impacted their childhood seem to be managing the current crisis better than most. They recognize the threat to public health, they believe scientists, and they wear a mask when they go out in public – which is considerably less often than before coronavirus.

I know a few people who don’t wear face coverings because they assume their small circle of family and friends are healthy, therefore no need to mask up. It’s a calculated risk they are taking.

Except for a MAGA hat wearing cousin in Lenoir, I don’t think I know anyone personally who is militantly opposed to face masks. There are probably a few others in my real life social network but I’m not 100% sure. Out of sight; out of mind.

An article in Psychology Today contends that it is not the mask itself that riles people but what it represents. For some, masks are a symbol of liberal elitism, triggering feelings of us-versus-them. Masks are also linked to the devastating impact physical distancing has had on the economy. The anger felt is not simply about the mask, but about a perceived challenge to the American way of life. For some conservatives it might seem like an attack on their world view and political allegiances. Here in North Carolina, it would be like asking a Carolina fan to wear a Duke jersey. Their rivalry is longstanding and emotions run deep.

 Carolina-Duke meme

Some people don’t like wearing masks because covering their face triggers anxiety, perhaps due to claustrophobia or pre-existing health problems contributing to difficulty breathing. Others find masks intolerable because of conditions like autism spectrum disorder and sensory processing issues.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires reasonable accommodations. However, the ADA also allows for restrictions when an individual would pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others, like during a pandemic for example. Employer accommodations may include paid leave or working from home. Consumer business accommodations might include online shopping or arranging for a store employee to shop for the customer. There are a variety of potential alternatives.

People who want to go out in public but can’t or won’t wear a cloth face mask could consider wearing a clear plastic face shield instead. Evidence suggests face shields are more effective than cloth face coverings. The combination of wearing a face mask with a face shield is even more effective at preventing transmission. Like wearing a belt AND suspenders to keep your pants up, doubling up can be helpful. 

belt AND suspenders

For folks who stubbornly refuse to wear either a mask or a shield, we can look back at similar examples in American history. When the influenza pandemic swept through San Francisco a hundred years ago, mask slackers and the Anti Mask League disobeyed the law and were arrested. Even seat belts, one of the most ubiquitous safety devices in modern history, faced a contentious battle for acceptance. Seat belt compliance is currently around 90% in the US.

A recent Washington Post poll found that fewer than 20% of Americans opposed wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing. Whether refusal is fueled by political conviction or ornery stubbornness is debatable.  

 The spread of COVID-19 is based on 2 factors: 

population density and failure to understand density

In the spirit of sharing softer news and/or silly vibes:

• Joe Pera can talk you back to sleep.
• UConn doctors propose new greeting to replace handshake: closed fist over heart. 
• Zoomstitutes: virtual substitute teachers.

Daily pandemic update:  

South Korea saw its biggest surge in new coronavirus cases in 49 days with 40 new infections, most of which were linked to a retail logistics centre west of Seoul. Spain began a 10-day official mourning period in memory of the more than 27,000 people who lost their lives to the virus in the country. WHO's regional body warned that the outbreak was accelerating in Brazil, Peru and Chile as the Americas have become the new pandemic epicenter.  Aljazeera.com timeline

27 May 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
14:09 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	5,622,939	5,719,560	348,715	353,079	2,393,539	2,456,574
US	1,709,243	1,730,100	99,883	100,765	465,668	480,321
NY	372,494	373,622	29,310	29,451	64,528	64,866
CT	40,873	41,303	3,742	3,769	6,622	6,622
NC	24,167	24,538	795	819	11,637	14,954

A moment of silence for those we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first 100 in the US.

As of today 18% of closed cases in the US resulted in death; 82% recovered.

Globally 17% of closed cases resulted in death worldwide; 83% recovered.

Currently 2% of all active cases are considered serious or critical.

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter. Son Reid lives in CT. I live in NC. 
Worldometers     Coronainusa     Starsexpress2020     https://ncov2019.live/

In the news: 

• 4 Minneapolis police officers were fired after George Floyd died while in custody. FBI and DOJ are investigating. Protests turned violent Tuesday. Mayor called for arrest of lead officer Derek Chauvin who pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck.  
• 5 mail carriers were attacked with paintballs in DC and MD; reward offered.
• Amy Cooper was fired after an investigation following a racist incident that started when she allowed her dog to go off leash in a restricted area of Central Park. When an avid birder asked her to leash her dog, she called the police to report an African American man was threatening her. The birder, Christian Cooper (no relation), video recorded their interaction, proving her claim was false. After the viral video resulted in intense public shaming, Ms. Cooper voluntarily surrendered her dog to an animal rescue organization. Mr. Cooper has since urged people to stop harassing the woman, and to stop making death threats against her.
• Andrea Circle Bear was the first female federal prisoner to die of coronavirus. 30 years old, she had been serving a 26 month non-violent drug sentence. 
• Jon Krasinski sold Some Good News to CBS Viacom.
• Jump e-bikes have been discarded instead of resold or given away despite bike shortage.  
• NCDHHS and Ace Speedway disputed conversations prior to first race; next race scheduled Friday.  
• NC hair salon posted sign blocking Tyson Foods employees from entering due to outbreak at plant.
• NC health department asked RNC to submit plan for how they would host 50,000 person event safely.
• Pittsburgh PA WWI memorial was vandalized on Memorial Day.
• Pompeo said Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China, jeopardizing billions of $ in trade.  
• Some stores are turning away customers who wear masks.
• SpaceX launch postponed due to weather. Next attempt will be Saturday at 3:22pm.  
• Tropical storm Bertha brings heavy rains and winds to Carolinas and VA.
• Twitter began fact checking Trump’s tweets after refusing to delete baseless tweets or suspend his account. Trump responded by accusing Twitter of stifling free speech and he threatened to strongly regulate or shut down social media. Meanwhile old tweets from Twitter's head of site integrity Yoel Roth resurfaced, comparing Kellyanne Conway to Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels. 
• University of Arizona researcher Jun Wang claimed to have identified four compounds that can block the replication of coronavirus within a cell, providing hope for treatment drugs
• VA Gov Northam announced face coverings will be required inside public buildings beginning Friday. 
• WHO announced the UN has paused hydroxychloroquine study in light of evidence people taking the drug were at higher risk of death and heart problems. 

Following Kenny Beck’s lead to share a few signs of hope:

• MA WWII veteran, POW surprised with Memorial Day drive by parade.
• NC Piedmont Triad veterans created video in place of military funeral honor guard due to pandemic. 
• VT grad up-cycled thousands of graduation gowns to help hospitals in need of PPE.

  

In my personal life…

Posting super late today. Woke up early, too early, then took a morning nap. Tried unsuccessfully to focus on the blog sporadically throughout the day but there were a lot of distractions and interruptions. 

Greg  ordered groceries online, delivered by Nikki. Later we met with a contractor regarding the crawl space under our house. Angel from Tarheel Basement Systems conducted a thorough inspection and provided a reasonable quote for services. He wore an N95 mask and used hand sanitizer. Greg and I also wore masks as we discussed options with Angel. We tried to maintain safe physical distance as much as possible. We want to have the crawl space cleaned up, encapsulated, and extra supports installed under the bathroom. It’s not an emergency situation though we will likely schedule the work sooner than later.

Yesterday Greg made strawberry smoothies for brunch, then ordered chicken, salad, parmesan bites and chocolate lava cakes from Dominos for dinner; no pizza. Today we split a salmon bagel for brunch, then had roasted corn and soup for dinner. Instead of soup, Greg had a bowl of fruit loops. I poured a little of bit of my left over soup broth over Minerva’s dinner which of course she enjoyed. Right now she’s curled up next to me on the recliner taking a nap.  

CH called a few minutes ago with good news. Most of her Ukestra friends were able to join her for rehearsal via Zoom today. Only 3 had technical difficulties. She said it was more successful than not so she’s going to schedule another virtual rehearsal next week.