(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday
My personal barometer on when COVID-19 is largely behind us. This newspaper vending kiosk was last loaded with a new paper a year ago, on March 16, 2020, which is the day that the Bay Area went into lockdown. Since that time, there have not been enough people riding BART (our local mass transit) to justify the labor, I assume, of consistently replacing the papers with new ones. I do see current newspapers in front of the grocery store, so I know it’s not everywhere.
What about you? Do you have a small local barometer that you keep track of?
8 Comments
Ally Bean
My barometer is seeing how many people are hanging out in front of a local coffee shop. As vaccinations increase, so do the people sitting at the tables around it. When the tables are full again, I’ll know Covid-19 is behind us.
J
Ally, that’s another one for sure. I was thinking this morning that once my husband and daughter are vaccinated, I think I will feel safe going to eat outdoors at a restaurant, especially if we go when they first open before too many people are there. I suspect we’ll go to the lovely French restaurant where we had our last meal before all of this, last March. They have a great patio, and by the time we’re comfortable with it, I think the weather will be good for that as well.
Martha
Nothing here but my own good sense. Nothing seems to have changed here in Florida, places have all been packed the entire time, and very few wear masks unless specific stores or businesses require it – and then they stand there arguing with them about. Such a mess!
J
Martha, that is indeed a mess! I am thankful that the majority of people here seem to have their heads screwed on at least partially. I was thinking about last March, when driving around our downtown was like a ghost town. And the first time I ventured to a local shop in our outdoor mall, and I asked the clerk how it was, and he said that most people were fine, but those who were not were REALLY NOT. Like he could do anything about it. Sigh.
Joared
I won’t be going by actions of others in my community. Even when all are vaccinated I will be listening for official reports of variants status. Meanwhile I will continue following precautions, even two weeks after my vaccination is said to be effective the end of this month.
J
Joared, I agree wholeheartedly. I’m 3 weeks post vaccine, and I will not change my behavior until the numbers go way down, and we know whether the variants will be throwing us back into lockdown.
I do not want to be the one to unknowingly pass this on to someone who cannot be vaccinated, or for whom the vaccine wasn’t effective. I will not put my life on hold forever due to those who refuse to be vaccinated, but I will do my best to not get ANYONE sick.
Sigh.
nance
That newspaper box is just eerie.
I don’t have a barometer like that. Maybe when my local grocery store starts letting me bring in my own reusable bags again. All this plastic and styrofoam we’re inundating the planet with again is breaking my heart. We were doing so well! I am saving all the plastic grocery bags because that’s what I use for my trash bags (I have a little contraption that hangs over a cabinet door), but it’s terrible nonetheless. I now have a supply to last me for years to come.
J
Nance, we call that current phenomenon ‘bagpocalypse’. Most of the stores around here will allow us to bring in our own bags, though they will not touch them. So we load them ourselves. The one grocery store that is following the rules a bit more closely and will not allow bags, I just ask them to put the groceries back in the cart, and then I bag it myself when I get to the car. Sometimes I don’t manage this, I have too much in my basket and I know it would be too much to ask, so yeah, we still have bagpocalypse around here. And we use them for garbage, too. 🙂