By Judi Curry
Maybe because I am a blond – with a lot more gray – but I am very puzzled by the new mandate that our Mayor is putting into place.
Effective sunrise Monday, April 27th, ocean access will begin.
That means you can go into the ocean and kayak, swim and surf. But it also means that you cannot sit on the sand; you can’t lie down on the sand; you can’t play volleyball and you cannot engage in group activities. You cannot go boating; you can’t walk on the piers, but you can run or walk on the sand. Does running or walking mean that if you have the virus you won’t deposit the germs on the sand, but if you are sitting you will?
And then, effective May 1st, you must wear a face covering when you go out. Why in the world are we waiting until May 1st? Are we wanting to infect as many people as we can in the month of April, and then say what a good month May was because we didn’t affect anyone?
The logic between starting the mandatory face covering on May 1st and starting it now is one that I cannot understand. Is the virus going to be worse in May? What possible reason can there be for not starting it right away?
And if you look at surfers that have been itching to get out in the water for days – do they have to wear a face covering? They have to be 6 feet apart. Do you think that they will be able to abide by the 6 foot rule? They didn’t before this rule. You catch a wave, and pay no attention to how close you are to the next person on the same wave.
And will they be ticketed if they do not have a face covering on? Surfers with face coverings? We are being told that those people that go out without the face covering WILL be ticketed. Who does that pertain to? If I am driving my car do I need to wear a face covering? If I take out the trash do I have to wear a face covering? Will I be ticketed if I do not wear one?
Have you been to Sunset Cliffs recently? Have you seen all the bike riders, the dog walkers, the joggers, the motorcycle riders, etc? How many of them are wearing masks? And for those that are wearing the masks – look at the age range they are in. And then look at the age range of those that are not wearing masks. Without doing a scientific study I would wager that the older people are mask wearers; the younger ones are not.
Today I saw a father and his daughter riding bikes along the Cliffs. The daughter – about 7 years old – was wearing a mask; her father was not. What does that accomplish? Is the daughter a potential carrier and the father is not?
Today I received an Amazon package. I talked to the driver, a man that I have known for some time. He was wearing a mask but no gloves. He told me that he thought that the media was blowing this whole thing out of proportion. The company was providing him with the mask so he would wear it; they are not providing him with gloves so he doesn’t think he needs to wear them. What kind of a half-assed explanation is that? Don’t breathe on my package but it is okay to handle it?
I am appalled at the number of people that think this is a joke – a cruel hoax that the democratic party developed to make trump look bad. I am appalled at the number of people that think the rules do not pertain to them. I am appalled at the number of people that say they will still go out – without masks – because their rights are being taken away.
What about my right – my right to safety. I am appalled at the protesters in Encinitas, Downtown, and Pacific Beach that are standing shoulder to shoulder with each other; not wearing masks, and insisting that everything be opened up again. I am appalled at the stupidity of these people. I don’t even hope that they don’t get the virus after their protests are over.
I don’t know what it is going to take to make people realize that they might be one of the statistics if they don’t stay at home. Yes, I’m bored too. Yes, I want to go out. Yes, I want to party. But it is not worth my life to do these things. It is no one’s “right” to infect others because they are bored. Do something productive. Read a book; write a book; plant a garden; clean your house. But for goodness sake, don’t spread your germs, even if you think you are safe, because we really don’t know if you are – or are not.
And if face coverings are going to be mandatory on May 1st, why not start wearing one now. Oh yeah – on June 1st can we take the coverings off?
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m getting the impression that everyone thinks you must wear a mask when outside but that is not the case. Here is what Fletcher said:
“The new health order requires residents to wear a face covering when they leave their homes and are within 6 feet of non-household members, Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said.”
This does not mean mandatory whenever outside.
That’s not my interpretation of it. And therein lies the problem.
That’s not an interpretation, that is a direct quote.
Straight from the County website:
“Starting May 1, everyone must wear face coverings anywhere in public they come within 6 feet of another person.”
So, all the new rule does is allow people to get closer than six feet if they want to, as long as they wear a mask. But, if they keep a six foot distance, as has been the rule for weeks, they don’t have to wear one.
Yes. Like any sidewalk or pathway, or unexpectedly coming around a corner, etc. etc. etc.
Just wear the damn mask. Err on the side of caution. Is that too much to ask to do your part to beat this thing?
So if I drive my grandkids to the doctor, and they don’t live with me, do I need a mask? The cops driving down sunset cliffs are wearing masks. It still needs more clarification
The only reason you’d need a mask would be if you thought you were a carrier and if that was the case, you shouldn’t be near them, mask or not. Likewise if they are carriers.
The cops are public workers, which is why they are wearing them. Wearing them inside a car makes no sense but I suspect it is like the old hard hat argument I used to get in on Navy jobs. The Navy insisted that operators wear hardhats even though they were protected by a frame and roof that was built strong enough for a rollover. The Navy’s reasoning was that the operator might jump off the machine for a minute and forget to put it on.
“The only reason you’d need a mask would be if you thought you were a carrier.” If you are a carrier but don’t think so, forget the mask? Once you know someone very young who has died, you will think differently.
That’s not what I said.
If a person is planning to drive grand kids around, that they do not live with, they better know if they are a carrier or not, which would require a test. If you know you are a carrier, you shouldn’t be doing that and if you know you aren’t, there is no need for a mask. Same goes for the grand kids.
I’m sorry if you lost someone young close to you but there are many ways to pick this up that a mask will not help with.
You bring up an interesting question. In many areas of the US, testing is free, highly publicized, and available to all. It seems to be well managed. What about San Diego? Have you been tested?
Me? No I haven’t seen the need for it. I figured too many people who really don’t need the test are using up those resources for those who do.
I also have not been tested because I have not left the house since the “stay in place” rules went into effect. Do not see the need for the test – yet.
In other areas, people are encouraged to get tested. It seems that we are left to make our own decisions.
If there were plenty of tests for everyone, I’m sure more people would use them. That does not appear to be the case from what I’ve read. Better to leave what is available for those who really need to be tested.
Where I am, testing simply isn’t available (thx Feds), so that’s a moot point. But I’m with Peter from South O on this: just wear the damn mask, or a bandana or WHATEVER. Save yourself the public shaming from others- oh yes, seen plenty of that here, people screaming at one another in grocery stores, etc. I haven’t been out of my crib, except for essential grocery trips (not an online shopper) since January. Do I have covid? Super unlikely, but who knows? That’s not the point. Am I high risk for getting it? Yep, I fit all the categories. Am I likely to infect someone else? Irrelevant. Do I put on a mask/bandana when I actually do foray out in my car? Yes. Yes, its my own environment inside my vehicle, but that’s not what’s asked of me.
Its a poor excuse to be confused. Do what your asked. When you leave your house, put on a mask. If you don’t have gloves, put on your winter set. How hard is it to comply? Do you really need to split hairs?!
Use your common, err on the conservative, sense!
AMEN
And, btw, yes, to comment per Geoff, for all the unavailable testing that is not available to me,if it were, I would save it for those who really need it. The greater good, that’s simple. I don’t work in an essential industry.
Somehow I have become the advocate for universal testing, not exactly my point. My point is that other areas of the US do make testing easily available, and have the resources to do it. You seem to know that unlike those areas, we have been unable to obtain the resources.
I’m by nature a non-conformist. Still,
available information convinces me
to comply with the science.
Aside from joi de vivre , there are pressing reasons
for me to maintain health and strive to maximize my lifetime.
I am following the rules, Judi
Same to you, .Geoff
Stan, you are a fantastic specimen of what happens when you take care of yourself. Glad to hear that you are complying with the suggestions made by the scientific staffing.
Since teleworking is not an option at my job (yet) I still have to to go my office. About the only time I leave my house to for work, grocery shopping and walks around my neighborhood and I’ve been wearing a mask for the past three weeks every time I’m out. I might take off when there’s no one around for a min since it can get pretty sweaty.
Chris, when you see others in your neighborhood, or grocery shopping, etc. are they wearing masks? Are they keeping to the 6 foot suggestions?
The majority are wearing masks. The 6 foot rule yes but in the stores it gets tricky.