Dear Wendy
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Thanks, Fyodor; I didn’t think to suggest the KN95 mask to her but I will when we talk next.
Another close friend of mine is a nurse in Chicago at a hospital overwhelmed with covid patients. One of her co-workers got covid, and my friend wasn’t alerted for a couple days and then wasn’t able to get a test because there’s such a test shortage there. The healthcare workers – and teachers, too – are just expected to carry on, risking their lives, with so little support or regard from the public and from local and federal governments in making their jobs easier and safer.
I just… I mean, wow.
Got it. I mean, honestly, you could’ve gotten it from a masked coworker, too. Masks aren’t full-proof. In an area where covid is as prevalent as it is where you live, it’s nearly impossible to trace transmission. I know where my parents live (same state as you, transmission about 1/2 the rate of your area), the health department gave up trying to trace months ago. Now, they say to assume any place you are with people outside your immediate household is a risk, even with masks (but especially without). My friend is a teacher there, forced to work in person with kids there five days a week, full classrooms, and quarantine rules have just changed so that kids don’t have to quarantine anymore if they are no longer symptomatic. She has accepted that it’s just a matter of time before she’s infected and hopes she doesn’t get too sick or pass it along to others. Her daughter’s dad died earlier this year, and I can’t imagine how hard this is for both of them. I am outraged that we, as a society, are so cavalier about this life and death crisis and are doing such a shitty job protecting people.
Anyhoo, I digress. I hope yours was a mild case for you and that you’re feeling better.
Sorry to hear that, Veritek. We’re you alerted that someone at work tested positive so you knew to get tested? You’ve been required to work in the office and masks aren’t required and you couldn’t get a medical exemption by being pregnant?? Truly mind-boggling. Are your parents ok?
Best wishes on a smooth and easy labor, MG! Keep us posted.
OMG, I am so desperate for a massage but haven’t gotten one during the pandemic. Drew gave me a gift certificate for my bday but I didn’t feel comfortable using it, even when cases were still low then and I knew my massage therapist has antibodies. Now I have one more thing to look forward to when it’s safer though.
I’ve met up with friends on outdoor patios for drinks when transmission was really low here and it felt fine (and really good for me, emotionally), but now that we’re on a big uptick Ive decided I’m done with that until at least after the winter.
Saturday was by far my biggest risk-taking day, and I own the decisions I made, but I did avoid crowds (I happened to be at the farmers market when the election was called and a crowd gathered right away. I took a few pics and then immediately went home, dropped off my groceries and ran to the liquor store for bubbly. Other than that, I was right outside my apartment the rest of the day). I did hug three friends, one of whom got a covid negative result that morning from a test she took the evening before, and two friends – a married couple – who have antibodies. Not really defending my actions – just explaining my own “calculations” in the risk assessment, but I 100% understand that I take risks others wouldn’t (and vice versa).
I’m also pretty much home constantly, my husband is home constantly, and, saddest of all, our kids are home almost all the time, which has been by far the hardest part of all of this. We have a couple friends we meet up with outdoors and soon we likely won’t be able to do that. I am growing increasingly concerned about the playground and think we might need to give that up, too. But that leaves us with so little to keep the kids stimulated, entertained, and socialized. It’s really hard. They’re doing ok, they don’t seem depressed or even unhappy. But I know they belong in school and among friends and it’s been pretty heartbreaking to go now eight whole months without these simple, basic parts of childhood.
In North Dakota, where hospitals are at or near capacity and there’s a staffing shortage to deal with the absolute onslaught of covid patients, the governor has just said that nurses who test positive but are asymptomatic can continue working, as long as they work only with covid patients!!! And that includes in nursing homes. I mean. That’s absolutely insane.
Look, we’ve all taken risks! We’ve all done things others wouldn’t. I do judge sometimes as I know everyone else does, but way more than judgement, I feel concern when I hear about indoor, maskless gatherings (social, professional, recreational/ exercise), especially in hotspot areas (like the Midwest, currently). Take care of yourselves, take care of each other. If you take a risk that’s out of the ordinary for you – like I did on Saturday – stay away from people afterwards until you go get a negative test result. It’s going to be a really really grim next 6-12 weeks and, it fucking sucks, but we have to continue making sacrifices.
Sure, unless you stay home 100% of the time and never see anyone else, you’re taking calculated risks. I have generally be super cautious, but I broke my own protocol on Saturday when I hugged a few friends, and celebrated Biden’s win (outdoors, masked, right outsuds in front of my apartment, and I’m going to get tested this week, but still – I can totally appreciate being judge for that!). But, come on, being indoors, among people outside your household, none of whom are wearing masks is kind of beyond a calculated risk and just a straight-up, go fuck the risks.
Cleaning is important, but we now know that covid isn’t spread through surfaces so much; it’s airborne and is spread through respiratory droplets. Having clean equipment but no masks isn’t that helpful when people are working out, grunting, breathing heavily, etc. Sure, spacing out helps, and open windows help, but what helps the most are masks (and being outdoors). A gym is a high risk place. Those of you in areas where cases are surging (which is most of us!), please be careful – especially if you’re pregnant, or otherwise at higher risk, or have family members/ people in your bubble who are high risk. The weather is still nice enough most places to exercise outdoors, and there are TONS of workout videos of all kinds on YouTube that you can do in the comfort and safety of your own home.
We’ve got to hunker down through the winter and try to protect each other. This isn’t going to last forever!
The difference in states’ mitigation efforts is so interesting. Here in NYC, we’ve never been allowed in gyms – or any public space – without masks (real masks- gaiters and bandanas don’t count), and we’re at 13 cases for 100k today. In the county where you live, Veritek, you’re at 135 cases per 100k (which is incredibly alarming and would warrant a hard lockdown/shelter in place here!) and masks aren’t mandatory in gyms. It honestly boggles my mind. Our transmission rate is going to surge soon because kids are in school, people are back in the offices, the holidays are coming up, the weather will soon be cold, and we’re so densely populated, but for at least four months, we have the lowest or among the lowest transmission rate in the country, and wearing masks everywhere was a huge part of that.
Copa, are you wearing paper disposable masks when you work out? Those are the only ones I can breathe in when I exercise otherwise I inhale the cloth ones.
Veritek, I’m curious how other parts of the country are mitigating corona. Masks or no masks in your crossfit gym?
I was just talking with my therapist about this last week. So, we have a school-wide communications platform/ message board where people have been pretty active in advocating for the kids, asking questions, sharing info. etc. (basically, a lot of emotional/mental labor). You can see who reads your messages, and since I’ve posted a lot, I’ve have particular insight in who is actively engaging in this platform and is it 90% moms. Anyway, I mentioned this to my therapist and how moms are doing so much more emotional labor right now (and, let’s face it, always) and she said, “It’s not even 11 am and you’re the third woman I’ve had this discussion with.”
That said, I need to say that Drew is an outlier. He is the breadwinner in our family but he still very much shares the load in childcare, and domestic stuff. He even went so far as to get a different freelance gig that allows for flexible hours so he can be more available during school hours to help with homeschooling our kids. I know I’m really, really lucky, and it’s still so hard.
