What Does He Mean by "Science"?

 The following paragraph is from a letter written by a teacher to my local paper, The Delaware County Times. arguing against mask mandates in schools:

While Delco got some publicity and took some shots for its portrayal in HBO’s television series Mare of Eastown, one thing many Delco residents do have is common sense. It doesn’t take a lot of it to see that, in this case, the needs of our children should supersede the recommendations of “science”. The extremely minor health risks don’t outweigh the risks of what another abnormal year could do to our children, our families and our communities. I would need to write another letter to detail the damage done in Delco’s poorer districts, where students who needed the constant of school the most were deprived of it for more than an entire school year.

It appalls me to see a teacher put scare quotes around the word "science" while arguing against a policy recommended by the CDC, the AMA, the teachers' unions, and many other responsible and expert organizations.  What greater needs do our children have than to be kept safe from a highly contagious disease?

Looking for Things to Do

With Jill on vacation, we've been searching for things to do. We've run some necessary errands the last few days, but nothing really "fun". We went to church last night--with full pandemic controls (masks, no singing, limited seating).

Tomorrow, we're making a visit to one of our favorite local museums, the Brandywine River Museum, which specializes in the works of the Wyeth family and related subjects, especially illustration art, such as that created by family patriarch N.C. Wythe and his contemporaries. Sunday, we'll be headed out in the same direction to the Chaddsford Winery. I don't drink, but there's other things there and Jill will certainly enjoy it.

Dining Out, Inside

Jill and I had dinner at Iron Hill Brewery in Media, PA last night and it was a pleasant, unstressful experience. Yes, we wore masks, but took them off once we were seated. The restaurant had rearranged things to 50% capacity, but even then were not filled at 6 PM on a Sunday. The bar area seemed busy, but still not filled to its new limits.

The current menu is somewhat limited--only one kind of steak on offer and only one dessert listed. The waiter told us they planned on increasing the selection once they had a better handle on what kind of business to expect (after all, they've only been open for any kind of sit-down service for about two weeks).

We felt comfortable and safe. We saw them cleaning areas that had been used, so they are maintaining standards. I can heartily recommend Iron Hill to my Delaware County neighbors.

Virtue Signaling in the Time of Covid

A week or so ago, I talked about the new PA requirement for masks even outdoors "when social distancing is not possible," and when I questioned the need for them in situations such as walking for exercise and passing through a relatively empty parking lot, I got some pretty fierce pushback--not here directly, but on Facebook.

There were folks who said things like "you never know when someone might get out of their car within six feet of you, or turn a corner and be too close." When I said, in my experience, those instances have been few and far between....and well able to be handled in the moment...I was accused of not caring enough. There were even those who said they put a mask on anytime they walked out the door, even for something like walking the length of their own driveway to pick up the mail or bring in the trash cans.

To me, that's virtue signaling: "I'm better than you are because I'm more cautious than you are." To me, that attitude--brought to its logical conclusion--would have us all living in hermetically sealed bubbles. "I put a mask on before I open the door when the bell rings." That way lies madness.

More on Masks

Here in PA, the governor announced yesterday that he is expanding the requirement for wearing masks. Previously, under the "green" phase we are currently in, masks were only required when entering buildings. Now, he says they are required even outdoors when social distancing is not possible.

Of course, that's rather vague. Do I need to where a mask in the parking lot of the local shopping center if there's a chance I might pass within six feet of someone else? Or just in outdoor venues that are crowded? Do I need to wear a mask when I walk or run the track at the local middle school if there's someone else doing the same thing?

And, again of course, there's no mention of any kind of enforcement. I seriously doubt if our local police will take a pro-active stance on this, confronting a group of kids in a parking lot about wearing masks. Nor do I think they will take seriously a call from a citizen about such behavior.

Rules without teeth beg to be ignored.

Risk Assessment

I've come to the conclusion that Americans, in general, have lost the ability to assess risk in a competent, sane manner.

On one hand, we have those who--now that some businesses have been allowed to re-open--adamantly refuse to enter any such establishment and say "It's still not safe," as though a five-minute transaction in masks and at a six-foot distance to buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks is equivalent to two hours sitting cheek-by-jowl in a political rally with a bunch of maskless yahoos.

On the other hand, we have, of course, those maskless yahoos--who have determined there is no risk at all, that they will do as they please, defying all logic, common sense and legal restrictions.

I have determined that, for the foreseeable future, we will have to live with the risk of this virus, but live with it by taking suitable precautions. Yes, if you have an underlying condition, stay home and avoid any contact with others. But, also yes, if you are reasonably healthy, it's time to go about your business while abiding by rules about social distancing, masks, building occupancy, etc.

To do otherwise is to live in mortal fear for the rest of your life.

Who Was That Un-Masked Man?

I've recently gotten some gentle pushback from friends when I mentioned I don't wear a mask when simply out walking in my (generally uncrowded) neighborhood or running on the (generally uncrowded) local school track.

I've based my activities on advice culled from articles like these two:

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/4/24/21233226/coronavirus-runners-cyclists-airborne-infectious-dose

https://www.businessinsider.com/risk-of-coronavirus-transmission-lower-outdoors-evidence-2020-5

that seem to indicate the likelihood of either catching or spreading infection in these instances is very small. Put simply, the virus does not survive long or maintain its infectious potential in open air. As the first article puts it, it's a question of relative risk:

Asked if she could offer a way to assess the risk of various activities in terms we can easily wrap our minds around, Kasten said to consider the difference in the risk between taking a stroll through the park on an even path versus climbing up a steep cliff face.

“Sure, you could slip, fall, strike your head, and die on that path in the park. Likewise, you could free-solo successfully to the top of El Capitan. But most of us would accept the risk of the stroll and not accept [the risk of] dangling from the cliff,” she said. “Breathing in someone’s sneeze cloud, close by, without a mask — that’s the cliff face. Jogging several feet away, or getting the mail — that’s the park.”

Let me note, just to be clear, if I'm in a crowd, or go into a store or other enclosed situation, I put on a mask.